Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter! I can’t believe it is April! (I
think almost every blog post starts with “I can’t believe it’s_______” ha ha!)
I have about 1 month left to explore this beautiful city! So I’ve been taking
advantage of every opportunity! There is so much left to see, I know I will
never be able to see it all, but I hope to see as much of it as possible, and
continue to explore Rome, and the rest of Europe for the rest of my life! Last
week my roommate Alicia and I were on our way to the library to do some research
for a big paper due at the end of the semester. But Roma didn’t want us to
study so she graced us with some good luck… The library was closed! So we spent
the rest of the afternoon walking around Rome. And I think one of the best
things about Rome is that there are THOUSANDS of churches! And most of the them
have free entry, and they have the most amazing works of art inside! Some of
the greatest artists of the Renaissance left their fingerprints all over this
amazing city in small corners of little churches scattered all throughout the
city! In a couple hours Alicia and I saw about 6 churches, all with something
unique and interesting to offer. I have a map of Rome that marks most of the
churches in the city, and so my goal is to see as many as I can before I leave!
Speaking of fingerprints, I had mine taken yesterday! Since
my trip to Rome is longer than 3 moths, I had to apply for a “Permit to Stay”
when we arrived. Once I applied, they gave me an appointment to have my
fingerprints taken. And let me tell you, it was even worse than waiting at the
MVD (which, if you’ve experience the MVD in New Mexico, you know what I mean!)
First, it took us an hour to get out there, then I waited for 2 hours to have
my fingers pressed up again this machine (Italy doesn’t do old-school ink
fingerprints!) and then another hour to get back to my apartment. Four hours of
sitting and waiting. It was exhausting, but I didn’t do anything!!! So no
killing my roommates for me… now they have my fingerprints!!
Friday was Good Friday, so after my fingerprints were
taken, we went to see the Pope! Every Good Friday he does a service/mass/event
at the Colosseum. Of course it was PACKED with people, but it was a really neat
experience! I actually saw the Pope in person! Good ole’ Bene the XVI.
Apparently he is an ex-Nazi... I can’t even imagine all the work he’s done to
be Pope. He is the most important living person in all of (Catholic)
Christendom. What all does it take to be Pope? I don’t even want to know! Later
that night, on his way back home to the Vatican, he drove by us surrounded by
about 20 cops, and inside a black car. But the light was on in the car so we
got to see him again! Then on Easter, Alicia and I went to the Easter service
at Santa Maria of Trastevere, our neighborhood church. It was built in the 4th
century, and has mosaics from the 12th century: pretty incredible if
you ask me! I could understand very little of the service but it was nice to be
back in a church! Afterwards my roommates and I had a nice little Easter
brunch, and then we relaxed for the rest of the day. The Monday after Easter is
a holiday in Italy. Easter is called Pasqua, so Monday is called Pasquetta, “Little
Easter”. On Monday, EVERYTHING is closed and the people of Rome go outside and
spend the day in the sun. They go to the park or the beach or somewhere nice
and have a picnic! So Monday we went over to our favorite park, Villa Pamphili,
and ate food, played Frisbee, and just relaxed. It was a really nice weekend
and I’m not ready to start school again! At least we have a 4 day week! I hope
everyone had a beautiful, relaxing Easter weekend!! Until next time… xoxo
