Friday, July 11, 2003

Another day in Rome. Train does not leave until seven tonight. May head to the Vatican and look for souvenirs. Have not really bought any yet. Last night was great. Planned on walking around and taking pictures of Rome at night, but as with most things on this trip, that is not what took place. Everyone went to eat at this good restaurant. I did not go, but I had a good time trying to find them so I could see what was happening the rest of the night. It happened that our tour guide, Dillon, walked by with some friends. So we went out to a little bar where we listened to early 90's music, watched sumo wrestling, and just had a ball. It was nice to go to a bar where people here would go and not a pub made for tourist, although those were fun too.

Thought I was going to mass this morning because from the way the sign looked they have mass at eight and nine thirty everyday. Evidently I read the sign wrong or today was a day they do not do that. But I did spend a while in the church. It was a gorgeous church too. It was one of Michelangelo's last projects. The whole "gorgeous church" part is probable getting redundant. Every church over here is amazing.

I guess we can blame the newness and the facts that Catholics never had the pull in the states for the reason our churches are not all as beautiful. I mean, most of these are older than our country.

I have left what has thus for been my favorite city. I went back to the Vatican, but could not get in to St. Peter's because I had shorts on. I thought the pants thing was only if you were going to see the Pope. Just kind of walked around, enjoying my last hours there. Got back and watched Count of Monte Cristo. There is a scene there when his son is in Rome and they are running around a fountain and I was like, "I was just there."

Boy, Jenn would have been bitching about something all week. Whether it was staying in one place too long or not doing enough walking or too much or the heat or the reservation mix up. I am looking around a bunch of empty seats and thinking that I did not need reservations and probable could have left last night, but I am glad I stayed. I do not mean to be hard on Jenn. There was a lot of bitching going on most the time from others, but I could leave others, cannot leave Jenn, and just have to listen.

This was nice to have a week alone, do things my way, the lazy relaxed way. I look out the window at the mountains and just keep thinking about Bilbo. I wonder, no I know, when I get back I will be saying, "I want to see mountains again Gandalf, mountains." But I am more like Frodo I guess, not the adventurous type, at least in the backpacking sense. When I get to Prague, we will have one month left.. Like all things, it went slow when it was tough, and seems like yesterday now that it comes to the downhill side. Why is that, I wonder. Jenn was right about some things that you just cannot take a pictures of. The sun is now setting over the mountains with only a few clouds in the sky. All the colors of the rainbow fill the view. I tried anyway. We will see if it comes out.