Bella Italia!

  Just over three weeks ago we were told that the community camping trip up to the Lake District(think Glacier Park...of England) was cancelled for various reasons which then left me with the whole Half-Term week(like Spring Break) free.  I instantly thought, "This is it! This is the chance to fulfill my dream I've had since I was 9 years old! I'm going to Italy!"  My childhood friend and neighbor, Whitney Holmes, is spending this semester in Sienna, which is three hours north of Rome, so I knew it was the perfect time for me to go.  It didn't take long for me to find a travel companion as I do live in a Catholic centre, and Rome is the Catholic mecca of the world. Anthony, from New Zealand, has dreamed of seeing the Vatican since he was a child but it just hasn't been able to happen as New Zealand is kind of far away...from everywhere.  So we bought tickets a week before we were going to leave without even giving it a second thought.
  So on February 13, my nephew McKay's 4th birthday, we hopped on the plane and headed for Rome.  With a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany(tickets were cheaper that way), it took us the whole of the day to get there.  Once we landed in Rome, we made our way to the train, which took us to the bus station, where we boarded the bus and trekked the three hours north to Sienna, where it was rather late when we arrived. Yes, that was one LONG day of traveling.  All of that for just 2 1/2 hours of flying time! But oh. my. goodness. It was SO worth it!

First glimpse of Siena in the morning

  Our first morning in Siena, we really had no idea where we were going as Whitney had class until noon and we didn't have much of a chance to talk to her to ask her what there is to see.
*Sidenote: This trip was very much unlike any other trip I've taken.  I knew there was lots of history in Italy but I didn't really research much beforehand to see what was where and make a plan.  We just went.  It was quite liberating, actually, because we didn't have to worry about a timetable. All we knew was we wanted to see Whitney in Siena, then see the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.  We just decided whatever else we saw along the way is what we would see and we'd enjoy every minute of it.  Oh boy. Did we enjoy it.*
  It was a beautifully sunny morning, though it was quite chilly. There was still traces of snow around as the week or two before, they had gotten more snow than they've had in the last 20 years.  What are the odds.

  Our first stop was Caffee River, the best little "caffee" we could've found for our first morning in Italy. After drooling over the food that was on display, we decided to give up our English and try ordering in Italian.  Now the thing about Siena is that though it is a BEAUTIFUL little town, it's not much for tourism as it's a ways away from Rome and Pisa(or Florence or Venice) which is where most people choose to go if they visit.  Let's just say we stood out a bit, me with my blonde hair and Anthony with his ginger goatee(he's Swiss/Scottish/Irish mix)and neither of us with Italian accents.  The moment I opened my mouth, everyone in the place stopped and turned to look at us(no joke).  I think they were wondering where the heck we came from.  So we ordered quickly, both of us blushing, then we hurried to find a table and I pulled out my Italian phrase book as we realized we needed a bit more practice.
   The next few moments were possibly some of the most memorable from the whole week.  The instant I took a sip of my REAL Italian espresso, I almost hit the floor.  I. was. in. heaven.  I'd never tasted anything so rich, so pure, so extraordinary! Seriously.  There's no way to explain such a feeling, you just have to experience it.

little taste of Heaven

As we sat there enjoying our paninis(Italian-style grilled sandwiches), we watched out the window as people passed by.  I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw an old guy walk by(and there were quite a few).  We decided that the old guys were so cute because you knew they were Italian and old guys with Italian accents are just so lovely.

Plaza del Campo

  So after our first real Italian meal(a.k.a. A meal sent from up Above) we set out for some exploring on our own and we just went walking down whichever streets looked interesting. We met up with Whitney at Plaza del Campo which was a beautiful circular piazza with a big clock tower and lots of cafes and shops all the way around.  As we stood there for a minute, gawking in awe of the beauty of the place,  I looked out from the tower and saw a beautiful brunette, wearing a black fleece with a bright blue-green scarf around her neck, with a piece of pizza in her hand, running at me(carefully as to not slip on the ice) and squealing.  I started running towards her and we jumped into each others arms and we squealed some more.  Whitney and I.  Childhood buddies. Together. In Italy.  I couldn't believe it. After a couple minutes of hugging, introducing her to Anthony, her introducing us to her classmate Sara, and catching our breath, we set off with our new tour guides. We decided we'd check out the Duomo(cathedral) and the Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico(Cathederal of Saint Catherine of Siena) as they were two of the most well-known trademarks of Siena. The Duomo was big and beautiful, with incredibly intricate carvings up and down the sides of the huge doors.

The Duomo

   After a brief look and a few pictures(there was an entrance fee so we decided pictures from the outside were enough) we made our way to Saint Catherine's.  What an amazing place!  In the past few years I've learned more about St. Catherine and it was incredible the fact that I actually made it to her cathedral!  AND, furthermore, we saw her head and her finger!  (Sounds weird, I know)  St. Catherine is what they call an incorruptible, meaning that her body doesn't decay.  She died in 1380 at 33 years old and her body had been buried in Rome, near the Pantheon.  The people of Siena, where she was from, wanted her back in their town but they knew they wouldn't be able to smuggle the whole body so they settled for just taking her head and her finger.  The story goes that when the guards stopped them, they prayed to Catherine and when they opened the bag to look, there was nothing but rose petals inside, and when they got back to Siena, the head reappeared(that's why St. Catherine's often depicted holding a rose).  So now you can see her head and her finger in the Basilica in Siena. It actually gave me the goosebumps as we stood there looking at her, it was as if she was looking right back at us.  Anthony and I at that moment, almost simultaneously, knelt down at the altar and prayed.
The holiness in the air was indescribable.

Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Siena

Heart of Siena

   After the Basilica, we had about a half hour before the girls had to return to their afternoon class and they said it was just enough time to grab some gelato.  There are so many things I've discovered(time and again) that the Italians are very good at: wine, pizza, paninis, pasta, coffee and ice cream.  I have to say, it can't get much better than sitting outside a geletaria(place where they sell gelato)in the sunshine, with old friends and new, enjoying a nice dish of coffee gelato, watching as the Italians pass by at a gentle pace. It was just what I was hoping I would find sometime on the trip.

  Soon enough the girls had to leave to get back to class so Anthony and I gradually meandered back to change into nicer clothes for dinner.  Yes, we spent Valentine's Day in Italy. Yes, it was incredible.  No, it was not just a romantic dinner with the two of us. We had a romantic dinner with Whitney and 6 other Americans(6 of her 16 classmates- all from either Montana or New York) at an incredible restaurant/cafe that has become their regular hangout. It was called "zest!" and it had a cozy wine cellar feel to it. That was one of the best 3 hour meals I've ever had.  They had lots of questions about life in England just as I had lots of questions about life in Italy.  It was such an odd feeling to be living in England, but sitting in a restaurant...in Italy...with other Montanans, talking about other people and connections in Montana.  Its amazing how connected you can feel with a group of people even after knowing them for a few short hours. It was truly a blessed evening.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Americans in Italy!

   After dinner we all headed to an Irish pub for a pint to finish off the evening.  And after about an hour of chatting, we all bid farewell and went our separate ways.  Anthony and I actually found it a bit sad we had such a short time with them- they were such a beautiful bunch of people!
   The next morning Anthony and I caught the bus back to Rome.  As our ride to Siena was in the dark, we didn't get to see much of the countryside along the way so we were quite excited when we saw it was going to be a beautifully sunshiney day outside.  The horizon was a extraordinary shade of gold as the sun shone off the rolling hills still covered in snow. It was such a gorgeous sight, I couldn't take my eyes off it.  Pictures cannot even begin to capture that kind of beauty, though I wish they could.

On our way to the Colosseum!

   The first thing we did was find the Colosseum. All I can say is holy. smokes. By the time we got there it was just getting dark, which made it even MORE extraordinary.  Seeing something with such grandeur, and knowing that it's been there for SO long- since the year 72 AD! Now that's some history you won't ever find in the States. We walked around the whole thing and took so many pictures as it was simply picture perfect seeing it all lit up with the dark blue sky above and just a star or two twinkling just above it. As I stood there looking up at it, gawking at the vastness of the structure, it was one of those moments of "I only ever thought I'd be seeing this in the history books!"

real history.

  The next day, our only full day in Rome, we dedicated to seeing as much of the Vatican and the Vatican Museum as we could. As we got of the train at the San Pietro(Saint Peter) stop,  we caught our first glimpse of the dome of the Vatican. I tell you what, if you ever want to see a 23 year old devout Catholic man turn into a 8 year old boy, take him to see the Vatican.  (They also make for great tour guides.) Anthony had been dreaming of the day he'd see that place for so long, it was even more exciting for me to get to experience it with him.  The Vatican was something I'd obviously always heard so much about, and had always been interested in seeing it, but I never thought I'd actually get to make it there, at least not at this age. Before we got to St. Peter's, we stopped at a pharmacy pick up some meds for the cold I'd been developing since before we started our trip.  Of course the one day I feel more congested than Central London traffic is the one day I'd really prefer NOT to be sick as it was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime-chance to see such a place. In European countries, quite often you have to wait in the queue to ask the chemist for anything, you can't just grab it off the shelf. So as we stood in the queue, I quickly pulled out my phrasebook to frantically look up how to say "cold, headache, awful congestion" and as I got to the counter I gave it a shot and said to the chemist "Essere raffreddata" (I have a cold) and she smiled at me and said "Bad congestion and headache? " I should've known she'd know a bit of English.
So she gave me a box and I paid quickly and left, passing the large queue behind me and smiling sheepishly.  We kept making our way to St. Peter's Square, stopping off for some water so I could take the meds. When I looked at the box, I didn't think to ask her the dosage and frequency of the pills, and there was not a word of English on the box. After a bit of studying, I figured it out.  Just one a day should take the cold away.
 As we left Italy and entered Vatican City(which is its own country) we walked up to St. Peter's Square, the piazza in front.  It was simply breathtaking.  There we were, standing in front of the greatest of all churches of Christendom. Seeing it in real life blows all those history books out of the water.  There is nothing like it.

Saint Peter's Basilica

  After going through the security check, we made our way inside.  You could pay to take an elevator to the top of the dome or you could pay half the price and walk the stairs.  So we walked. All 551 stairs. (Not quite as bad as 663 stairs I climbed of the Eiffel Tower last Christmas.)Our first stop was at the top on the inside of the dome, right next to all the murals you see if you look up from the ground level.  It was spectacular!  All I can say is Michelangelo does some good work.  Okay, GREAT work. As we looked down from the dome, we looked right down over a tomb.  It's the tomb of Saint Peter.  I'll be honest, it's still kind of hard for my mind to comprehend that.  THE Saint Peter, who we've all been learning about since we were kids, is buried right there. It gave me goosebumps. 

Anthony(not so vertically challenged)
was struggling with the
leaning wall

  After filling our cameras with hundreds of pictures, we continued up the steps. As we got further and further up, the steps got narrower and narrower and the wall started to lean in as we were going higher up in the dome. It was one of the few moments I felt that my height, or as I like to call being "vertically challenged," was actually helping to my advantage. I remember seeing some steep and narrow steps at some of the places in Egypt but I'm pretty sure this one takes the cake.  (Just to give you an idea, once we got to the spiral stairs, just before reaching the very top, Anthony was on the one step above me and his feet were at my nose. Yep. That steep.) There wasn't even room for a railing to hold onto, just a rope hanging down the middle to help hold your balance.  But let me tell you, the view from the top was WORTH EVERY STEP.  It was beyond extraordinary!  And we couldn't have picked a better day as the sun was shining and you could see for miles. Saint Peter's Basilica is right in the center of Rome, so everywhere you look out, you see city! It was amazing that we could look out and see the Colosseum and the Pantheon and the River Tiber and lots of the other ancient ruins of the city. 
So we spent a good half hour taking in the view and loading our cameras with pictures. It was quite interesting actually, it seemed that everyone I heard talking was American! I don't know if it was just the timing of our walk up there or if there really are that many Americans that visit the Vatican every day.

Beautiful dome-good work Michelangelo

On the roof of the largest church in the world!

Saint Peter's Square from the roof of the dome

Beautiful view of the city

Extraordinary altar

   After stopping for an ice cream and espresso at the little cafe on top, we decided we better continue moving on so we made our way back down the stairs which led us straight into the main sanctuary and chapels of the Basilica.  As we took our time looking around, we saw countless tombs. There are over 100 tombs in total including past Popes as well as some exiled Catholic British Royalty, a composer, and even Queen Christina of Sweden who abdicated her throne in order to convert to Catholicism.  The most recent addition was Pope John Paul II.  When we found his tomb we went and knelt by some others on the altar in front of it to pray.  As I sat there, I couldn't believe where I was.  I was in the Vatican, praying at Pope John Paul II's tomb. Now there's a chance I never thought I'd have.

Pietà

 The walls were full of beautiful statues and bronzes but I have to say the most incredible one we saw was the Pietà sculpted by Michelangelo. Another one that I've seen so many times in pictures and books; it was absolutely stunning.
  As we made our way around to the back of the sanctuary, we could look straight up the aisle to the altar.  We must've had perfect timing because just as we looked up, we saw the sun shining so brightly in the windows that were up so high, and you could see the beams shining down onto St. Peter's tomb. It was remarkable.

Saint Peter's tomb with the altar behind

  After making sure we had enough pictures of the inside of the Basilica, we realized it was 4:00 and we only had an hour left to get to the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel.  We hurried over there because the Sistine Chapel was one of the places we had on our short list of points we definitely wanted to see. It was quite unfortunate that we didn't have more time because that museum is chalked full of some incredible stuff!  From Egyptian mummies to Renaissance paintings, there was SO much to look at! The museum was established in 1506 so you can imagine how much stuff they've been collecting since then. We hurried our way through(and by hurry I mean taking the 20 minute route to get there instead of the 40 minute one) to the Sistine Chapel and holy smokes am I glad we did. We finally made it to the door and as we stepped in, it literally took my breath away. The beauty of that place is beyond words, it's something that pictures do no justice to(besides the fact we weren't allowed to take pictures). As we stood there, necks craned back, we stared at the ceiling for a good 15 minutes, I just couldn't take my eyes off it.  The large fresco at the front, The Last Judgement, was absolutely magnificent. And possibly the most famous painting (whose iconic standing is only equaled by the Mona Lisa they say) The Creation of Adam with the hand of God giving life to Adam.  There it was, towering over me, and all I could say was "Oh. My. Goodness."
There was actually a point when I was looking up at the pillars when I realized I couldn't tell if they were real or painted. Anthony and I both stood there for a few minutes trying to figure it out and we finally realized that yes, they were painted.  To me, it was just crazy that the paintings were so realistic that you couldn't tell if the pillars were actually real or not.
I still can't describe the grandeur of that room. Even over the quiet buzz of chatter, and the security guard continually going "Shhhh!" (as it was a chapel and meant to be reverent) there was such a peace about the place.  I noticed that Anthony was looking around searching for something, and I asked him what he was doing. He said he was looking for the fireplace and chimney.  And in my naive Lutheran whisper, I asked "What fireplace?"  The one they use to signal that a new Pope has been chosen. "Explain." This is the chapel where they all the Cardinals of the world come to meet when they have to choose a new Pope. They burn the ballots that are cast and if it's dark smoke(with coloring chemicals or damp straw added) it shows the people assembled outside in St. Peter's Square that the ballots did not successfully elect a new Pope but if the smoke is white, the new Pope has been chosen.  All I could say was "Holy Smokes!" 
Unfortunately, we couldn't find the fireplace as it was closing time and we were herded out and directed to make our way towards the exit of the museum.  I hope I can make it back there someday so I can have even more time to see the rest of the museum.
So it was just after 5:00 pm and we were starved so we walked and walked until we found a cute little pasta restaurant.  Apparently 5 pm is early for Italians to eat dinner because we were the only two people in the whole place. As I looked at the menu, there were so many choices I really couldn't decide. The waiter came over a few times but I still wasn't ready to order. It was our last dinner in Italy, I wanted to make it a good one!  I asked him for his recommendation and he said "You tell me what you like, we make it. We make it good."  How cool is that?!  So I told him what I liked and within 5 minutes, out came a big bowl of Heaven.  It was some of the best bolognese I've ever tasted! So we sat there, Anthony with his pizza and German beer, and I with my bowl of heavenly pasta and German beer, and we savored every single bite.  As we were still the only two in the restaurant, we had incredible service from the waiters. What a perfect last supper in Italy.

Our wonderful waiter!

Last Supper in Rome

  The next morning, we made our way to the airport super early as we had a 6 am flight.  Well, we got to the airport and heard the news that there was a Lufthansa(of course the airline we were flying with) strike that day. So a lot of the flights were going to be cancelled or delayed going in and out of Frankfurt.  We were scheduled to have about a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt anyways, and we had nothing we needed to hurry to get back for so we weren't too worried about any delays.  Our flight out of Rome was delayed quite a bit so by the time we got to Frankfurt we only had about 3 hours left of our scheduled layover.  After discovering the train ride into the city centre would only take about 15 minutes, we decided we had just enough time to go out and explore, maybe grab something to eat, so we could at least get a little taste for what Germany's like.  So we made our way to the trains and as we were getting trying to figure out the machine to get our tickets, 6 older men from Thailand asked us how to get to the city centre because they wanted to go shopping.  I showed them how the ticket  machines worked and they asked if I'd just buy the tickets for them. So they gave me there money which made me a little nervous because I wasn't 100% sure I was buying the right thing. But sure enough, Anthony went and asked a lady that looked like she knew where she was and what she was doing (he speaks a little German I discovered, as his Grandparents are from Switzerland...knows a LOT more than I do after taking German freshman year at university) and she said we'd be just fine.  So we chatted to the cute old men as we waited for the train. They were fascinated by Anthony's Kiwi accent and had lots of questions about America. We watched out the windows as we rode to the city, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.  It didn't feel like we were in a city for the first 10 minutes because all we could see was trees and hills. But sure enough, the train took us right to the middle of town and as we emerged from the station, Germany had the feel I'd always expected it to have. 

Deutschland

  Kinda gray and cloudy, lots of gray stone buildings, lots of shopping, bakeries and coffee shops. It reminded me quite a lot of Amsterdam(where we had a 8 hour layover on the way to Egypt a few years ago) but on a smaller scale.  We made sure to take note of the buildings around us so we could easily make our way back and as we walked we found the cutest little bakery so we decided to pop in for a good German pastry. I have to say that was a pretty amazing breakfast to end our trip with. The cappuccino was to die for- quite a different taste than Italy, but still so delicious!

The queue at the bakery

Leckere deutsche Küche!

Before getting back to the airport, we stopped off to another pharmacy. My cold, which was now much worse than a normal cold, did not respond to the Italian medications so we thought I should give some German ones a shot. Again, had to wait in the queue(much shorter than the one by the Vatican) and when I got to the counter again, I told the lady I had a Kopfschmerzen (headache... one of the few words I'll always remember) and a cold. She smiled and said, "Ok, I'll get you something."  I grabbed another package of tissues for the rest of our journey and we headed out.  We weren't ready for our trip to be over, but alas, that time always comes. So we made our way back to the airport and had just enough time to grab snacks before boarding the plane.
As we landed back on the island, it felt as though I was just awaking from a dream.  We had seen so much that week, experienced a whole different part of the world and after being in 3 different countries in one day, we were quite shattered. But it was the good kind of shattered(which means exhausted for the non-English folk)-the kind you get when you know you've just had an experience of a lifetime, when you find yourself yearning for more, when you know you're going to look back on the journey and realize it's all a part of your bigger journey.