Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Last night Amy and I ran down to the Vatican and back. It was absolutely beautiful. Really, how many people can claim that as their jogging route?! The weather was perfect and the sun was just barely setting, so we couldn’t have picked a better time or place! Nobody here exercises… which is funny, because I have only seen 1 fat person the whole time I’ve been here. Must be good Italian genes! You pass about 20 or more joggers every day in Utah, but I think we’ve maybe seen 1 or 2 the whole time we’ve been here. I haven’t quite decided if that’s the reason everyone was staring at us or not, but we were certainly turning heads last night. If I have ever been longing for attention in my life, I’ve gotten my life’s worth of attention here. People (mainly guys) just blatantly stare at us. They don’t try to cover it up at all. It’s extremely obvious and they’re not the type to look away if we make eye contact. The attention is not near as fun as it sounds… I feel like eye-candy wherever we go! Aside from all the stares, turned heads, and cat-calls… the run was a blast!
After our run, we had a dance party out on another room’s deck overlooking the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. Our possibly homosexual friend, Isaac, gave us a performance of Beyonce’s Single Ladies and we got a private lesson on how to do the dance. It was hilarious! He’s been kind of quiet the entire trip, so we were all rolling with laughter and smothering him with applause and cat-calls upon seeing him crawl out of his shell and be the life of the party! It was fun to finally connect with the group like that and let loose with everyone. The only time we’re all together is when we’re touring Rome and listening to lectures, so it’s hard to get to know everyone and make those bonds. It was so fun to see everyone at their best and enjoy each other’s company outside of the studying part of being abroad! After that we all did Ab Ripper on the deck. If Tony’s excruciating exercises weren’t enough to rip our six-packs, how hard we were laughing certainly was. It was a blast! It was such a great way to spend the night!
We woke up early this morning to a jam-packed day of touring. We left our hotel at 7am and are just barely getting back now (4 pm).
Our first stop was the Vatican Museum. We spent over an hour waiting in line and finally got into the museum, where we roamed the halls and rooms for a little over 3 hours. Sculptures have become some of my favorite things to see here in Italy. I could spend so much time looking at the sculptures (a little bit more time at the naked male sculptures), while I’d rather just peruse on through the paintings at a steady pace and quickly glance at each one.
We took a lunch break for an hour before went back to sight-seeing. I love the breaks... It gives us time to relax, enjoy the scenery, people watch, and really think about where we are and how lucky we are to be here! It’s always nice to relax for a second and step back with a few spare minutes to remind yourself of this unique and incredible opportunity and make sure to not take it for granted.
Today I realized that although it’s tiring and exhausting, doing a study abroad is the best way to come to a foreign country. I get frustrated sometimes with the structure of being on a study abroad. It’s hard to have the same basic routine every day, to rely on someone else to make your plans, and have to do what the majority of the group is doing. BUT, today I found an argument against my stinky attitude by realizing how it really does benefit us and give us the best of both worlds. We have the opportunity to see all the sights we would want to see if we were to come on our own and then some! Steve knows where everything is and exactly how to get there. If I weren’t on a study abroad, I have no idea how we’d accomplish anything or do half the things we wanted to do, because it’d be impossible to get around without Steve. We spend ½ - ¾ of our day with Steve and the entire group doing tours and lectures, but we’re able to do whatever we want with the rest of the time. If we play our cards right, it works out real nice and we’re able to experience the best of both worlds. We get an on-call personal tour-guide but we also get some independence and relaxation.
After our break, we headed off to see the Sistine Chapel. I seriously had butterflies! Never in my life has art made me feel like that! I couldn’t believe it! I was legitimately giddy and excited to see this world-famous chapel and the incredible work Michelangelo created on the ceiling. The anticipation and suspense built as we wandered through a maze of labyrinths and halls. By the time we reached the doors to the chapel, I had lost all ability to speak because the butterflies were practically fluttering out of my mouth. I was instantly speechless and awestruck as I stepped into the chapel and saw the incredible artwork. I felt so small next to those soaring walls and beneath the colorful, elaborate ceiling. It was amazing to think I’m really here. I was really in the Sistine Chapel! It’s something I’ve learned about all my life and a place practically everyone has heard of… And I actually had the opportunity to see it in real life. I had to pinch myself a couple times to make sure it was real, because it certainly felt like a dream to be in such a famous historical place.
It blows my mind to witness the incredible talent these ancient artists and sculptors possess. I have an intense respect for Michelangelo after seeing the Sistine chapel. I can’t even fathom how he possibly did it… First and foremost, I couldn’t even look at the ceiling without it hurting my neck, I have no idea how he painted on it! His proportions and perception was incredible. I don’t understand how he could have everything mapped out on such a huge and vast canvas. All my life, and even for the first few minutes in the chapel, I thought the ceiling was more than just paint. It wasn’t until Steve explained otherwise that I realized that the archways, pillars, and sculptures I thought were real are just painted on the ceiling. Michelangelo did an incredible job of painting in 3D. It really came to life! I was in awe. What an incredible talent to have and such a resounding way to share it! The Sistine Chapel is certainly on my list of must-sees!
Our lunches are a little wimpy, so we’re all starving by dinner. We’re trying as hard as we can to make our snacks last so we don’t have to buy our lunches. We want to buy lunch maybe once a week so we can at least experience the food here (the food served at the hotel is not food, by any means). We eat breakfast around 7 or 8 every morning and only eat a granola bar and fruit snacks until dinner at 7. Plus, we’re out in the sun and walking all day long. What I’m trying to say is… It’s dinner time and I’m starving, so I gotta go!!! Bon apetit!
Hugs and kisses from a broad abroad! Haha, get it?
Send the love!
Wit
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