Roma

These are our pictures of our short time in Rome.  

We decided since there was way too much to do, we would make it a point to go back again and therefore would just hit the very highlights on this very short trip in Rome (since it was just a connecting point from Palermo to Scotland).  So, the Vatican was our first priority, then the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain in the evening.

I contemplated breaking this entry in to two: one for Rome and one for the Vatican, however since we have two more cities left, I decided just to keep this as one entry, in spite of how long it is.  Enjoy!

Attempting a picture together in the Vatican.
[Ah, the downfall of not having a personal photographer everywhere you go.]

Entrance into St. Peter's Basilica.

Are you ready for inside St. Peter's????
I had NO idea what to expect!
Duncan and Sharelle kept telling me I was not allowed to look at Sharelle's pictures of the Basilica because I had to see it for myself.  It was truly extraordinary!

.............

The ceiling of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Dome with mosaic walls

Where Duncan and I attended Mass inside of the Basilica!!

          That moment went to the top of the list of my favorite moments in life.  I could not stop crying because it was such a beautiful moment to receive Jesus in to my heart while in the heart of Roman Catholicism.  Mass was performed by a Cardinal (not pictured).  The only thing that would have made this better was if the Pope performed Mass, but I'm okay with the way it went.  We were SO blessed to have had this opportunity because we were not planning it.  I didn't even know they performed Mass on a regular basis.  We just happened to be touring the Basilica at the time Mass was convening.  Amazing luck!

Panoramic view of Vatican City from the Dome.

The journey to the top of the Dome is literally and figuratively not for the faint of heart.

     That metaphor, my friends, is credited to the Vatican itself because it was the single worst experience I ever went through to get pictures.  We took the elevator to get to the Dome but still have over 300 stairs to climb.  The stairs were inside the Dome and therefore the walls were slanted.  It was a single file line going up the stairs in the August heat.  I don't tend to consider myself a claustrophobic, but I swear by the time I reached the top and was able to get fresh air, Duncan had to instruct me to take deep breaths to prevent me from having a panic attack -- something he has become quite the expert in doing in the past few years.  

          I'm not even going to lie, I do not even know if the above picture was worth the four hours of my day spent trying to get this view.  It resulted in feet that were so sore they were shaking as I was trying to purchase gifts from the shop at the Dome.  I mean, in high school I was a cheerleader so spent hours standing at football games and now I'm a nursing student so I'm quite used to 8 hours going by before I can sit down.  But this was awful, even for Duncan.

          However, I went through pain and tears to get to the top of that Dome, so I am proudly showing you that image above... because, it is quite nice to see the square, the Vatican, Rome, and the mountains and clouds.

After touring the Basilica, Duncan and I found ourselves needing a break.
So we ate lunch that was kindly made by his aunt, Maria,
and we sat down to decide upon our next course of action.

Il Colosseo

The Roman Forum

More of the Roman Forum

Street art in Rome

The Trevi Fountain

Food Pictures:

The amatriciana dish that was recommended by Duncan's uncle.
Hands down amazing deliciousness.
I am learning how to make this recipe asap.

 

  Duncan with amatriciana, Amy with pizza.

Don't worry, we shared the food.  

There was no way I was to eat that entire pizza 

while Duncan just had that small bowl of pasta.