All Roads Lead to Rome

The last day in Rome was also exhausting. Even though it was a shorter day, there was a lot of rain, and there was a lot of logistics and moving around to different places. We successfully purchased tickets for our return journey to Siena and then headed back over to St. Peter's Basilica to see the Pope.

I'll admit, I wasn't really in the mood for it. I was tired, my feet hurt, and it was raining, but it was worth sticking around for.

Even though I'm not Christian, it felt cool to be a part of the crowd. Since it was raining, and in Italy everyone carries an umbrella, there were a lot of people and umbrellas around. It made it difficult to see, but we were still able to catch a glimpse of the Pope and hear his message to the crowd. Even though he spoke in Italian and I really couldn't understand what he was saying, I knew that he was blessing the crowd. He gave a shout-out to a group of Spanish study abroad students, which I understood, so that was very cool.

This, here, it the basilica. Casual.

After all of this, we were ready to eat...again. I know, what is this nonsense? I eat at least three times a day. We didn't go to an authentic Italian place but we were really hungry and just wanted to sit down. We made it more Italian by staying there for about 2 hours....and then getting gelato (number 3).

By this point, it was time to head back to the bus station and get on the bus. We were right on time, and it felt really good to sit down on the bus and relax.

I guess now would be a good time to talk about umbrellas a bit more. There are a lot of people who try to sell you umbrellas on the streets in Rome. What I didn't understand though, was why these guys were so assertive about trying to sell their umbrellas to a group of 8 girls all carrying umbrellas. Literally though, we were marching down the street, holding umbrellas and tons of people held out umbrellas to us, trying to get us to buy them. Needless to say, I did not buy another umbrella in Rome.

Oh, also, the manhole covers say SPQR on them. 

SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romaus. It means "the Senate and the People of Rome" and was the moto of the Roman Empire. I thought it was cool that it was on the manhole covers...but maybe that was just me :)

It felt really good to arrive back in Siena, in a place that I was actually familiar with, and knew how to get around without thinking about it.

Also, when I walked in the door to my apartment, I was greeted by a big hug from one of my Italian sisters. Now tell me that isn't a perfect way to end the weekend?

Today was the first day of classes. Real life has begun. I'll fill you in on some of that soon, but I think that two posts for one day is sufficient.

Ciao!