Day two started off a little rocky but ended up being a pretty solid day all together. The weather is still rainy but I packed an umbrella for a reason. We started at St. Peter’s Basilica which was both enormous and amazing. There is like a million statues all around the top of the Basilica and ten million pillars surrounding it. Each statue is hand carved and uniquely different from all the rest. People with talent are the worst. The lay out of the Basilica looks like the scene from Hercules when he’s a teenager and goes with his father into town and destroys the whole market because he knocks all of the pillars down while trying to catch a frisbee. Then he crushes the man with the pottery (but sadly, there was no man with pottery) ((there also was no goddess gospel choir)) I didn’t go into the Basilica because the wait was three plus hours but the outside was stunning enough that I think it is something I could never in a million years forget.
The entire Basilica is a work of art.
It stretches on for days and days.
Each of the statues are entirely different. Different poses, faces, clothing. It’s amazing.
The Basilica is like this wall that blocks off the rest of the city. It’s a divide between history and reality.
This looks like the scene from Hercules! Fun Fact- that is my favorite disney soundtrack of all time.
After lunch (I did take a picture of my food but it didn’t make the cut. Only the big shot pictures make this highly anticipated blog) we went to the Spanish Steps. I don’t know how many steps there are in total, but there were not nearly as many as I thought there would be. I expected to have hit my 25th birthday by the time I made it to the top. It was really cool to be able to walk all the way up and look out over the city. Each of the buildings are so unique and intricate I feel like there are no two that are exactly alike. It’s like a city of snowflakes.
The bottom of the Spanish Steps looking up.
At the top of the steps looking down.
The umbrellas makes this a cool picture. It’s like splashes of color throughout Rome.
Outside the fountain at the bottom of the steps.
Hey. Hi. Hello. I’m having a great time.
I’m really happy to be on this trip with some really cool people. They’re making this a great trip and i’m really grateful for that.
Then we went to the Basilica of St. John Lateran which was blatantly jaw dropping. I’m not one for churches and I think they all look the same but this was a whole new level of church. The marble statues that were in the Basilica I could have stared at for hours without ever catching every detail. They are enormous and everywhere. The ceiling is painted, the walls are painted, the floor is painted, even the bathrooms are painted. There are twelve enormous statues lining the walls that tell the story of how each of the twelve apostles died. The actual altar paintings were cool but the statues and sculptures is what got me. I’ve never seen anything like it. The feet and hands look more like feet and hands than my own feet and hands do. So do the heads, shoulders, knees and toes.
Outside of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The outside looks so plain compared to the inside.
The inside of the Basilica is amazing.
The entire place is a piece of art.
The pope has details etched into the stone. Like, stop. I can’t go on.
Each of the twelve apostles had a different statue. Each amazing and incredibly detailed.
This one was my favorite. This statue is about one of the apostles that was skinned alive and he’s holding a sack with his face dangling out of the side.
Okay- funny story. Actually kind of hilarious. So when we were done looking in the Basilica I went to the bathroom (which was painted) and I couldn’t get the toilet to flush. I pushed every knob, screw, and bolt in the stall and nothing worked. So I pushed this button thing and all of a sudden the lights went off. It was pitch dark, and I mean I-couldn’t-even-see-the-inside- of-my-own-eyelids dark. So I pulled the handle and the door was jammed shut. I was yanking on the door like my life depended on it. I watch way too much American Horror Story and have read far too many books about serial killers to be stuck in a bathroom in a Roman Basilica in the dark. That was the end. Honestly, the killer would have had to come up through the toilet but good for them because I couldn’t have figured out how to flush them back down. I’m happy to report that I did make it out alive and I did yank the door open and run full speed into an Italian lady who was not happy to be plowed over. Try again, Billy Dent. I’m still alive.
Last trip I was almost slaughtered to death by a rabid deer and this trip I was almost murdered by a Basilica bathroom killer. Wow. If I wasn’t this over dramatic my life would be so boring.
Mom- look at the sewage drain!
Aunt Deb- I saw these and had to get a picture!
After surviving another nearly fatal episode, we made our way to the Holy Steps which are a mimic of the steps Jesus crawled so the tradition is to crawl up the staircase of 28 steps on your knees. It sounds easy but it’s not all butterflies and marshmallows. You climb each step behind the person in front of you who prays as they go. You can’t pass anyone or push anyone down the stairs so you just go with the pace of the knee-climber in front of you. By like the 15th step my knees were screaming. What’s cool is that the steps are so worn down that your knees sink into the grooves of where other people’s’ knees have been. It’s something that you really kneed to do.
Phones and cameras were prohibited from the Holy Steps so here is the picture I took anyways.
Looking back, we did and saw a lot of sights today. Each different but really enjoyable. The same girls that are in the gelato picture from yesterday and I went out for dinner at a restaurant by the hotel. It was a pretty solid way to end a pretty solid day. (Incase you were wondering I had tortellini, which I swear by. It was delicious.)
Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day of rain but honestly, whether it rains or not I’m not going to stay in the hotel room because of the weather. I do think there is some crazy awesome things planned for tomorrow so I’ll have some great things to add to the magical world of internet blogging.
There is actually a third traffic light on the back of these two facing the other way.
There is a water fountain in the road to fill water bottles, or dogs, or even humans.
I didn’t expect there to be palm trees. Rome for real has it all.
OH MY GOD I ALMOST FORGOT. We went to a supermarket today before we went home from the Holy Steps and although they did not have pocket cookies (I checked) they did play both Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith which was fantastic because they’re both wonderful humans. Also- Mom, I checked for the espresso candy’s that were in Europe. I’m so bummed to tell you I had no luck. I was pretty hopeful about the whole situation but, nada.
The grocery store sells sprinkles in little jars. I thought they were so cute
HELLO. MY FRIEND SARAH (Who also loves Parenthood) sniped this picture of this guy that looks like Mr. Cyr.
I do believe that is all for now. So until tomorrow, this has been day 2 and a great day 2 at that.
Stay Weird.
Ally
Only in Rome are the only acceptable holes 50 meters deep.
Breakfast was delivered to our room this morning. We didn’t even have to leave.
Current wish- that it will stop raining so I can wear different shoes because my feet are starting to smell and I am going to kill everyone around me. My apologies in advance.