When we arrived in Rome, it was breathtaking. The buildings are ten times bigger than they look in pictures. Being on a plane at night kind of feels like being on a cruise at night. I also felt like a foreigner for the first time ever in my life. The lady at the grocery store checkout didn’t speak any English! Luckily the 13 Euros number came up on the register, or I would have had no idea how much to give her.

We also listened to the Pope’s speech today. I had no idea what he said, since it was in Italian. It was interesting how people in the crowd were representing their country. I saw many flags from Brazil, Hungary, and Israel. It was scary to realize that there are no “rules of the road” in Rome. There is no speed limit; no lines to divide the lanes, and apparently the unwritten rules are only suggestions. People often drive on the wrong side of the road just to squeeze more lanes onto it. The condos are so beautiful. On the bottom floor of buildings is a little shop, and on the next few levels above it are condos/apartments with huge balconies overflowing with greenery and blooms. There are pink and white wild flowers on the side of the road and it is very fragrant to walk down the sidewalk.

I saw a bunch on nuns today! I think it was the first time I had ever seen a nun. Another thing to point out is the graffiti. In America, graffiti is trashy and ugly. Here, even though it is still bad to touch public property, the graffiti is very artistic and not vulgar.
Saint Peters Basilica: the largest church in the world. I was beyond awestruck at its beauty. Once I walked in, it took my breath away and all I could do was stare in amazement. How in the world could ancient people build such intricate and ginormous buildings? We sat through mass done by the Pope. Interesting… I couldn’t understand him and quite honestly it was hard to focus with gold enveloping you in a blanket of awe. Plus, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Dinner was amazing. I ordered a salad with delicious lettuce, cucumbers, and juicy flavorful tomatoes. It was so good that any dressing would have ruined it.

Backing up a bit, we had lunch at a café as well. I had a beautifully sliced fourth of a pineapple along with “ham.” I was expecting to get a plate of honey baked ham but instead got thinly sliced prosciutto. It was like a flavor bomb went off in my mouth. Food here is an art, not a moneymaking factory.