The Pantheon & Vatican City--the Sistine Chapel!

So, I think it is somewhat ironic that I last blogged about not feeling like I had a voice because, now, I legitimately don't have a voice—it's gone; I can hardly whisper. I think it's probably a result of waiting 3 hours for a bus in Rome and not getting on one until 3am (the public transportation here went on strike last Friday and the bus system was a mess). Either way, I have decided that the Lord most definitely has a sense of humor. Can I just say, "Lesson learned."? Last time I wrote I felt like I didn't have a voice, but I did—I guess I just wasn't taking enough initiative. My studying (the Italian language) is improving and I'm able to understand a lot more this week than I was last week. So, I'm learning slowly, but its coming. And I'm definitely in better spirits :)

I spent the entire weekend in Rome, and it was absolutely amazing. I spent Friday with Cinthya—who is visiting from Canada and only staying in Rome for another week or so. Most people here that are my age either work or have school during the day, so it was nice to have someone my age to hang out with. Honestly, it was just nice to enjoy some 'girl talk,' and it definitely didn't hurt that we got to walk around Rome and see the sites while we were doing it. So, in Italy (and most big cities in Europe), each restaurant has employees that stand outside and try to convince you to come in (or sit outside) their restaurant and buy something. Most of the employees are men and they're typically super friendly, flirty, guys. Cinthya and I were walking through a little street lined with such restaurants, and taking pictures when one of these men asked, "Do you want a picture?" Figuring that it would be nice to have a picture together, rather than just dozens by ourselves (because with 2 people, obviously one takes the picture, so only one person gets to be in it), we said sure. I looked down to turn on my camera, and when I looked up, I saw Cinthya—looking somewhat confused--with the man's arm around her; he was obviously ready for me to take a close up picture of him and Cinthya. Realizing now that he had not been offering to take a picture of Cinthya and I, but rather offered to let us take a picture with him, I snapped a shot of him and Cinthya, and she—likewise—took a picture of him and I. Then, he offered to get us some juice and chocolate—his 'present.' Who were we to turn down treats from a nice little Italian restaurant? I've got to say, it's nice to be in Italy and it's nice to be a girl. 

The Pantheon

On Saturday, I spent the day with another BYU student that is studying in Italy for a bit, named Ben Hansen. We decided to tour around Vatican City—which has definitely been one of my favorite places thus far. Seeing the Sistine Chapel was absolutely AMAZING—breathtaking really. I swear, walking around Rome is like walking around a textbook, but a million times better! We, technically, weren't allowed to take pictures in the Sistine chapel itself, but we may have snuck a few in—which I think was pretty impressive considering the fact that there were security guards walking all around making sure that people didn't. Maybe we should have been slightly better at following the rules, but I think that a picture is worth a thousand words, and, well...I wanted one. :)

Might you notice The Creation of Adam right above us?
One of Michelangelo's most famous works of art!
Yeah, worth snapping a picture in a 'no picture' zone :)

After snapping pictures in the Sistine chapel and the rest of Vatican City (which is actually an independent state—the world's smallest!), we decided that we should probably not miss out on the opportunity to climb all 551 steps to the top of the cupola (dome) of St. Peter's basilica. It was a long way up, but actually pretty fun—there must have been eight different kinds of staircases and little windows all along the way so that you could check out the amazing view. There were even some places where you had to lean while you walked because the floor was slanted. One of my favorite parts was when we got to stop, walk around the inside of the cupola and look down upon the main alter. I actually got to watch part of a mass from that point, which was ridiculously beautiful. I've always heard that catholic masses are kind of boring, but everything I saw and heard--the clothing, the decoration, and the music—were nothing short of magnificent. 

I got to watch the mass from here,
kind of looks like I'm watching from a prison, but it was really neat.

This stairway was slanted, so you legitimately couldn't stand straight up

551 one reasons (steps) worth climbing to the top to see this view!
 You could walk all the way around, and see all of Rome from the top of the dome :)

And the reason we didn't want to come down, Welcome to Italy: the country of PDA...

 And as the Italians say,
 "                                                                                                                                                           "