Ain't that a kick in the head

I feel like I have learned so much these past few days! On Saturday we went to St. Peter's Basilica which is so pretty! It is massive and again decorated completely from top to bottom. And this Basilica is dedicated to the apostle Peter because the Catholic church believes he was buried under this church. The Pope also goes there to conduct mass on Easter and Christmas. Michelangelo was also commissioned to help build the dome. His Pieta is also in here. I did a report on it fall semester so it was really cool to see in person.

One of the Cardinals

We also took a tour of the Acropolis that is underneath the church. Back in the first century AD it used to be this city for the dead that was above ground. It's set up like a little city with different rooms that look like little shops but that are for different families to be buried in. It is also rumored that the apostle Paul had a grave here that was heavily decorated. Then Constantine came and filled this whole city with dirt so he could build a church on top of Peter's grave. He kept it well preserved and made sure people could still come and visit his grave from the church. Then a while later that church was torn down and St. Peter's basilica was built on it which now stands today. So they discovered this acropolis and now you can take a tour of it. It is the coolest thing I have seen this trip so far! If you have a chance to see it, take the tour! So much history is down there. It blew my mind. Everything is so well preserved because of all the dirt that was packed in there by Constantine. And they now have major temperature and climate controls down there, so unfortunately I was not able to take pictures. 

With the Swiss Guards before entering the Acropolis.

On Sunday we went to church! I loved it. It's nice to know no matter where you are in the world the church is the same and the spirit is just as strong and just as present. The ward is pretty small, we added a lot of bodies to this little ward. The missionaries serving there translated the whole meeting for us which was a different experience, but I was grateful for them. And I loved singing hymns in Italian! We sang Be Still My Soul in Relief Society, which is my favorite hymn, and even though I couldn't follow the words of the hymn, I could feel the same spirit that I feel when I sing that song anywhere. I just love church so much. All the lessons we had were the basics, which are my favorite lessons. We learned about the Plan of Salvation, not judging others and keeping the Sabbath Day holy. It was a very great experience and I can't wait to get to know our ward in Siena.

These girls are my homies. I have been having a blast with them.

Today we headed back to Vatican City to go to the Vatican museum where the Sistine Chapel is. This museum is so big. There are so many different rooms and exhibits you go through before you actually get to the Sistine Chapel but everything we saw was amazing. So many beautiful statues and painted ceilings and frescoes. And the Sistine Chapel is breathtaking. It wasn't what I expected but to think that Michelangelo was in the same room I was painting that ceiling is mind blowing. There is absolutely no picture taking allowed in that room but I snuck one in :) you can't really see the ceiling above me, but it is proof I was there!!

Robby this is Egyptian! Thought you would love this :)

Laocoon

Secret picture of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and me :)

I am discovering more about the way of life here little by little each day. Like Italians really do take long lunch breaks. Most stores not food related and churches close to take lunch, which I love because why not just enjoy eating and being with people you love?? Dinner does not start until about 8:30 at night and even that is pretty early. People even eat dinner close to midnight. Italians really enjoy eating and eating with people they love. Meals are not rushed, they are enjoyed. I love it! Also people walk a lot and spend time outside a lot. People of all different ages are walking around all the time. No wonder Italians are so tan and no extremely fat from all the pasta, fat and sugar they eat! Even if they aren't going anywhere in particular they just spend time outside. Italians are also very kind. I haven't met a mean Italian yet. I am trying my hardest to communicate with them but they are patient with me. I am very grateful for that. People also dress so nicely here! Everyone. Not a flip flop or dirty looking tee shirt in sight. And yes the men will let you know if they think you are pretty. I love that unless they are creepy about it, but usually it's just cute :)

I am getting anxious to get to Siena. I am loving Rome but I need some home cooked meals and fresher air. Between all the museums and subway rides you being to feel very claustrophobic and dirty all the time. I come home feeling disgusting everyday. But I am learning so much, which feels good! I am learning so much more being here and being able to actually see what I am learning about. I still feel at home here and am loving every second. I sometimes feel like I am stuck in this amazing dream.

La Dolce Vita

So I have only been here 6 days and I feel like I have been here for months! Everyday feels so long and brings a completely new adventure. I am glad it is feeling slow because I am just having too much fun.

OK, so on Wednesday we went to Ostia Antica, which was an ancient Roman port city. It was basically a lot of ruins but there were so many! And you could actually explore in them. You could see temples and old restaurants and mosaics, and public bathrooms, and a bakery. It was pretty incredible. There was also a theater and this girl from our group went down to the stage area and sang an Italian opera song. She drew quite the crowd, which was a cool little moment. We also got a delicious lunch Ostia. We got some bread cheese and meat from this little grocery store. By far the best meal I've had in Rome. So fresh and delicious. 

Ostia is so beautiful. The town is so quaint and full of beautiful apartments and houses and churches. After Ostia we had some free time so me and a few of the others just hopped on the metro and got off at random stops to look around and explore. Anywhere you go, there is something to see. There are gorgeous churches everywhere that you can walk into that are all so unique and decorated from top to bottom. It's like Utah where there are Mormon churches on every corner. Or there are Piazzas, which are basically an open area where streets meet together. A lot of piazzas have a beautiful fountains in the middle or a church or a statue. I have loved just walking around here. I feel like it's the best way to get to know this city. 

Back in the day shops would have a mosaic by their door to show people what they sold. This one was a bakery :)

We got a little loopy in the Museum in Ostia

Yesterday we took things slower. We started by going to the Colosseum and then the Forum. Which are both amazing. It was so surreal being inside the Colosseum. The Forum was neat but I preferred the Colosseum out of the two. We had the afternoon off again so a group of us decided to go back to Trastevere to enjoy some delicious pizza and take a true Italian lunch break. I love that Italians take so long to each lunch. It allows you to truly enjoy the company you are with and the food you are eating. 

We ran into an older man who some of the girls met the other day and just sat and talked with him for about an hour. I could only pick out a few words he was saying but Kaity and Diedra translated for us. After that we came back to our apartment and cooked a delicious meal of salad, bruschetta and bread. It was nice having a meal full of vegetables because I feel like everything I have eaten so far has been full of carbs, sugar, or fat. The ingredients we had were so fresh too! Every tomato looked ripe and beautiful and the basil came in bunches like cilantro and were just as cheap too. Also it was the best basil I have ever tasted! It was all extremely tasty. After dinner we went to see the Trevi fountain at night, which was so magical! We had an amazing slow Italian day yesterday. I loved every part of it. 

Today was completely different but possibly the best day I have had in Rome yet. Today we had a free day to do whatever so a group of us decided to go to the beach. We did some research and decided Saboudia was our best bet. Getting there was no small feat. I feel like we are the masters of public transportation now. We took the metro, a train and two buses to get there, which took almost two hours. But it was well worth it because this was the best beach I have ever been to in  my life! It was warm and not crowded (I could tell it was more of a local beach), the water was warm, the sand was so soft, the skies were clear. It was amazing! I took a nap in the sand and it was the best nap of my life. Everything about today was so relaxing and incredible. I swam in the Mediterranean Sea today!

I am loving Italy so much. I never want to stop listening to people speak Italian. It is such a beautiful language and such a beautiful city. Inspiration is everywhere and so are friendly people and amazing food. I can't believe I have seen everything that I've seen in such a short time. I now truly understand why they call this "La Citta Eterna," the history here will never fade, evidence of it is around every corner. I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip will bring!

This is what dreams are made of

I feel Like I am in a movie all the time here! This place is so beautiful it feels like I'm in a dream. Yesterday we saw the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish steps. I was in awe the entire time! I think I have said 'wow' about a million times since yesterday. These monuments are so incredibly beautiful. You walk through very small streets to get to them and then you turn around and there they are in all there beautiful amazing glory. But these monuments definitely live up to there reputation. I am surprised at how open they are to the public. The Trevi fountain has many police men guarding it and you can't go up to the water but it was still stunning. The Pantheon is free to the public and you can touch all the walls and columns. All these beautiful ruins are part of where Italians live it's all mashed in with the modern buildings. Which is amazing to me. All this history is blowing my mind! 

Anyway here are some pictures from yesterday.

Making my wish at the Trevi fountain!

The Pantheon. So big and beautiful!

Gelato!!

These fountains are a life saver and the coolest things ever.

Me hugging one of the columns of the Pantheon

Our Roman Holiday Spanish Steps picture :)

This was the coolest fountain to get water from. This is right at the base of the Spanish steps.

 

The Colosseum!

 So today we first saw the Colosseum. We took the metro this morning and when we got out at our stop the first thing we saw was the Colosseum and it was incredible. Unfortunately today some Romans decided to strike for who knows why and some of those Romans included the people working in the Colosseum so we didn't go in it as planned but next week we will be going in it. It was still stunning to look at from the outside. Again you can just go up and touch the Colosseum and sit on it at the base. For some reason I thought everything would be completely blocked off so you can't get to near it.

So instead my Professor took us to some amazing churches. Every church is different and so ornately decorated. The first one we went to was an early Christian church and wasn't decorated as elaborately as the others. But it seems like everything is decorated in these churches. From the beautiful floors to the gorgeous ceilings.

The area we most explored today was Trastevere. Every street we walked on, every building, every monument, every church, every restaurant, everything was so picturesque and so beautiful. I really couldn't believe I was there. I loved it. Everything about it. It's exactly how I pictured Italy to look like. 

Beautiful early Christian Church

View from outside a church.

The Tiber river

Prosciutto Panini. So delicious!

Delicious mini Cannoli's

Gorgeous mosaic in a church we went to today

Cute door! and wall color. And the wonderful Natalia

After realizing that we had no idea where the rest of the group was. But I totally navigated us home :)

 

 

I wish I could do all these places justice through a camera but I really can't. These places are a million times more beautiful in person. And everywhere you turn there is something beautiful so my camera had a frenzy today. I can't believe how beautiful this place is. It's so hard to wrap my head around the fact that people who live here are surrounded with so much history in their day to day lives. 

I love walking around the streets and hearing people speak in Italian. I will never get tired of hearing people speak here. I had a great moment today where all these wonderful things hit me at once. There was this street performer playing a beautiful Italian song on the guitar and I was walking near the Tiber River with all these beautiful buildings around me and I felt so lucky and blessed to be in this beautiful city. It really is magical. I just can't describe it in words that's how amazing it is. I'm in Love and that's all I can say.

La Citta Eterna!!

I am here! Finally! And I am in L-O-V-E with this place already and I have only been here for about 5 hours. I've got some major jet lag and can not wait to sleep tonight. And let me just say I do not want to board a plane again. Ever. So looks like I'm living in Rome the rest of my life!

Here are a few pictures of my apartment in Rome. I am rooming with 4 other girls and it is really big for the 5 of us. 

 Me in front of the apartment building

 View from my bedroom window

 Our cute dining room

 The fabulous kitchen

My bedroom

There is also a TV room with a tiny ancient looking TV in it and a cute entry way and two bathrooms with a bidet toilet... won't be using that. I am so glad to be here and can't wait for all the adventures Italy has in store for me.