Papa a Spagna

WOW! What a day! After dinner by our hotel, where we discovered the half liter of wine (twice) served in a tiny pitcher, we slept off the jet lag and got a start around 10:30 a.m. When The Pope is in town he gives a short speech and blesses the pilgrims who have gathered in St. Peter's Square. It becomes almost festival like with groups holding up banners and marching bands playing. When he spoke from his study everyone began cheering. Since he was speaking Italian, we didn't understand everything, but we could come up with bambini (abortion rights) and Sudan (because Sudan is Sudan in Italian or English). So now we have been officially blessed by The PAPA! St. Peter's Square itself is awesome. HUGE marble arches surround the square and are topped with statues of saints by various sculptors.


After we had been blessed by The Pope, we went inside St. Peter's. There's really no words to describe it. You walk into the most massive and ornate structure. Every single inch is decorated with mosaic or scultpure or very detailed trim work. The altar over the grave of St. Peter is massive and dominates the space. We topped off the visit to St. Peter's with a trip to the top of the basilica. That's 320 steps and Blake counted every single one and ended up two off. Below is a picture of Blake with 70 steps to go.


They advertised that you couldn't go up if you were cardiopathic (a new word they invented evidently) but they didn't advertise that if you were over six feet tall or about 18 inches wide you weren't making it either. The steps were tiny, full of slanted walls where you had to lean over to make it and strange angles. The last set of steps were actually so tight that they had to put a rope down the middle to help you get up!

The view from Michaelangelo's Dome was breathtaking. You could see all of Rome and several of the surrounding areas. We were able to get up close and personal with the statues that line the top of the Basilica. Huge! After our descent, we walked to Castelo San Angelo and crossed the Tibor. Of course by now, we were starving. Several hours of walking up steps and waiting in the Square for the man himself will do that to you. So, yep, we got lost. Lost in one of the most unique areas of Rome filled with cafès, trattorias, restaurants and gelato. TONS OF GELATO! We picked one and had a meal better than the night before and at half the cost. For those interested, two meals, two gnocchis and three gelatos, but whose counting. Funny thing Rome, two Coke lights at lunch = 6 Euro ($7), one half liter of table wine = 1.5 euro ($2). Go figure. No wonder everyone here is happy.

After eating, we saw several piazzas and several churches. We have learned many things to this point, the most important, food and drink around major attractions will kill you. Mom, we have been keeping our eyes on our stuff at all times, waiting for a pickpocket to try anything. Our journey lead us to The Pantheon, which unfortunately does not hold a candle to St. Peter's so we Brown Centered the entire place and left. One interesting note, there is a hole in the Pantheon. It rains in the building. They have cut 22 small drain holes in the floor to keep the place from flooding during a storm. One secret to Roman life is, don't go to mass at The Pantheon when it rains.

A short walk from The Pantheon is the Trevi Fountain. Again, our words and pictures will not be able to provide any of you with how magnificent the area and the fountain really are. It is a thrill to be able to sit and enjoy the number of people taking pictures, laughing and throwing coins, as long as you keep from putting your feet in. The police will not allow that. Believe Me! The best thing about the Trevi Fountain is that Kristen is now two for two on our last two vacations for getting pooped on by a pigeon. I am staying away from her currently for fear of the bird flu. Mrs. Sansom... bird poop and bird flu... We each tossed a coin in and made wishes for our moms.


We finished the day at the Spanish Steps, a gathering place for many of those who are tired of walking around this city. Another impressive sight in a long list of impressive sights we have been a part of since coming to Rome. We look forward to a third gnocchi meal this evening before we have to do the "Deana Face". Many of the sights we are told are even more beautiful at night. We plan on taking a tour this evening before shutting it down.

Stay tuned... tomorrow we visit The Vatican museums (pictures not allowed) and Excavations. CIAO!!!