Arrivederci Roma

After Rachel departed back for the land of the free, I made my way over to my next hostel. I quickly found out this would be interesting due to the fact that literally zero English was spoken by my host. Fortunately I was able to muddle through our negotiations well enough with my limited Italian vocabulary to make sense of the check-in process and get to my room. The next few days would be fairly relaxed as I didn't really have too many things planned that required me to be anywhere at a particular time.

I had heard a lot about the Vatican Museums so I decided that they would be my next destination. After seeing a line that was wrapping around the Vatican walls, I decided that I would just blend in with a group who was going in through a special line. This worked out splendidly as it didn't seem to matter which line I went through because the tickets were all sold in the same area once inside. Once I finally got through the ticket counters I quickly realized that the place was going to be packed literally everywhere. It made it a bit difficult to navigate and there were a couple times I had to stand my ground (especially when secret Asian man tried to run right through me, bounced off, tried again, bounced off again, and then glared at me like i was being rude) but over all the pieces that were on display were fantastic. Words can't really do it justice so here are some pictures.

As you can see, it was rather glorious. I think a nice perk of being Pope would be getting to stroll about through the galleries without "foes pressing on from every side." Also there wasn't any photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but the sight was overwhelming. I did my best to take everything in as I admired the incredible artwork that covered every inch of the chapel. It was a bit surreal knowing that just a few short days ago the Pope was elected right where I was standing.

The next few days I merely wandered about trying to find some of the things I hadn't yet seen. Most of the attractions were small or didn't have much to see, but it was still cool to imagine what may have taken place there 1500 years ago. One example was the Circus Maximus. Even though people just use it as a walking path now, its a nice peaceful place to sit back with a cold bottle of water and relax under a tree. There were also numerous parks that I hadn't yet seen that were built around old Roman temples. Combined with the beautiful Italian weather, I couldn't have asked for a better way to rest up in preparation for Palm Sunday mass.

As Sunday came closer I was fortunate enough to meet up with Mary Nolan and catch up with her on all the work she's been doing around the Vatican. She was also kind enough to provide me with a ticket for a seat at Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's Square. Throughout the week I watched as they decorated the square in preparation for Holy Week. By the time Palm Sunday came the central obelisk was surrounded by a myriad of plants and other decorations as it would be the starting point for the mass. I was lucky enough to be near the end of my row so I was close to the pathways Pope Francis used to cruise about through the crowd. It never ceases to amaze me how energetic, yet reverent the masses at St. Peter are. The Pope gets the reception of a rock star when he's interacting with the people, but everyone can stop on a dime to bow their heads in prayer when appropriate. Here are some pictures and a short video I was able to get from the mass.

Not long after a beautiful mass, it was time for my time in Rome to come to a close. I had one last meal at my favorite pizza bar in Trastevere (consisting of my usual pizza margherita and a Peroni) before grabbing my bag and hopping on a train to spend some more quality time in Fiumicino Aeroporto as I waited for my Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. I never had had such a hard time leaving a place behind as I did Rome. I never thought I'd experience a place so beautiful; from the general architecture, to the ancient sites integrated perfectly into the city, to the beautiful monuments that were built simply because they looked cool. Not to mention the incredible food and weather that accompanied my trip! Strangely, I look back now and I also miss having to learn bits and pieces of a new language and being sort of forced out of my comfort zone. Finding myself surrounded by a foreign language really hammered home the notion that I was abroad and even though it was a struggle at times, It was a fantastic experience that I would love to repeat again for perhaps a longer period of time.