On Top of the World.

Something I learned about myself:

Being awkward is okay. . .and unavoidable. A few favorites from the day:

--To the man who I accidentally completely threw myself on today, I promise the metro causes me to lose my balance a lot.

--To the nun ho I almost ran straight into because I was. . .eerrrr. . .distracted.

--To the French seminarians who almost saw me WIPE OUT in St. Peter’s square, I’m sorry, it’s just that I really wanted to talk to you in French. . .

Seems that a lot of these awkward samplings include me running into people in formation. . .Next time I am judged, I’m just going to say that I was too busy praying for vocations.

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Foccacia! If I only learn how to say one thing this semester, it will be ‘vorrai focaccia, per favore’. Well, and ‘vino bianco, per favore’. Elise and I went to this wonderful restaurant on Monday night, and we ordered this focaccia as a delicious appetizer. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy. That’s a lie, but it was really good. Like you almost want to lick your plate in the middle of the restaurant good. Don’t worry, I refrained myself, we were also a little busy getting free dessert from our waiter. Who knew I could be charming?

  Foccacia and wine. I'm a happy girl.                          

An Adventure I Went On:

Hold on. . . I’m still. . .catching. . .my breath. . .Okay, phew. On Monday when we had our day off due to the rescheduled Tuscany trip, Elise, Nora and I decided that we were feeling adventurous and wanted to climb to the top of St. Peter’s dome. For the mere price of five euros (seven if you are taking the elevator), you can climb the hundreds and hundreds of steps up to the top. First, you stop INSIDE the basilica where you can look down on St. Peter’s basilica. . .

The view from UNDER the dome. So cool. 

It took getting over my bitterness at the slanted stairwell to remember
that I was climbing a dome and of course the walls are slanted. . .

. . .and then you go up a little farther and are outside the basilica looking out at some of the most breathtaking views you will ever see. Looking out onto this city that I have grown to love so much, I was so in awe of all the blessings that the Lord has given me. His hand is everywhere in this city, and the physical manifestations of His glory are everywhere. And for that, I am both humbled and grateful. 

Such an amazing view. 

It was windy. And sunny. Hence the face.                                           

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

These people. I don’t have a whole lot of things to say. . .But these gems showed up to Pope Benedict’s papal audience. At first I was just confused why there were people dressed in renaissance clothes to see the Pope, but turns out they were there from Venice and here to show him their Carnivale-ness. I still found it a bit odd though—the highlight of the night was when one of them shook the hand of a Swiss Guard and the look on his face was priceless.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or in this case, fifty thousand. 

BONUS: Because I love you all, and because the apostolic blessing that the Pope gives at the end of his audience extends to friends and family, I thought I would share it with you. You are all in my prayers, especially during these precious moments with the Holy Father. (Disclaimer: To the person in Russia who is reading my blog, I don't know you, but you are still in my prayers. . .)