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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Crammed in a seat, high above the clouds,

I can’t hear myself think you are snoring so loud.

Actually no one is snoring I totally made that up.

It just sounded good since it rhymed, but guess what? I hate poetry.

I wasn’t going to start A Self Titled Life- Round Two until tomorrow night when I had something more interesting to talk about other than being inside this flying boat, but then things got kind of interesting. I am in the middle section of the plane, in the middle row of seats right by the bathroom. Prime seating, right? Right. Well, it was incredibly quiet until the entire plane (and I am certainly not exaggerating when I say the entire plane) is standing in line to use the bathrooms. No kidding the flight attendants actually had to ask people to sit down because the weight shift in the plane was causing the plane to falter backwards. (I might be lying) ((I’m definitely lying.)) But I am sitting next to the Mickey Mouse parade as they file in and out of the toothpick sized bathrooms. Plus the bathroom on the left side sounds like a fire breathing dragon when the toilet flushes and the right side sounds like a giant man gargling marbles. Very strange.

Update- We’re under the 5 hour mark with exactly… 4 hours and 52 minutes left until we touch down in Rome. Oh yeah, I’m going to Rome! I probably should have mentioned that earlier but well, there is no time like the present! It’s currently 9:04 pm in America and 2:05 am in Rome. OKAY HELLO. I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE. When I said there was 4 hours and 52 minutes left I was honestly just spit balling because I didn’t want to turn my monitor back on but I just turned it on to check the time in Rome, and there is actually 4 hours and 52 minutes left. Am I.. a wizard?

Fun fact! If I were to jump out of the plane right now (Mom, take it easy) it would be -47.3 degrees out there. Basically, I would be back in Oswego. I think that is all the sarcasm I can muster up for the time being. I will say that I am excited for three reasons- 1. I am excited to go to Rome because I have never been and I’ve only heard wonderful things. 2. I’m pretty stoked about writing this blog again. and 3. …Wow, I don’t remember what the third thing was. (I do remember what it is but I’ll have to add it in to this blog post at a later time and I’ll explain then.)

By the magic of the internet the next time we talk, I’ll be in Rome but you’ll have not a clue so, no worries, I’ve got you! For real, I’m done now. I’m babbling now which is not fun for anyone. Not for you, your mom, my siblings, my aunts, Obama, Sampson the baby giraffe from the Buffalo zoo, Ellen Degeneres, Bert Macklin FBI Agent, me, or even the guy reading this over my shoulder. (hey hey) Literally, no one.

ON THAT NOTE. Catch you in Rome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I HAVE CAUGHT YOU IN ROME. It’s 2:16 pm here and 9:16 am there. The weather is kind of rainy but it’s not snowing so I have nothing to complain about. We walked around some of the neighborhoods by the hotel and this place is straight out of a movie. A movie besides The Lizzie McGuire Movie where she goes to Rome. It’s like ancient but not. We went to this really cool basilica and it was immaculate inside. That’s coming from someone who 1. Doesn’t like churches and 2. Finds art rather boring. This however, was stunning. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. At the top of the dome cement ceiling is this window that looks like the universe and it was pretty amazing. The Universe and I are pretty close after all. Depending on the rain we might go get pizza and go to a gelato place that has over 150 flavors. ALSO I had pasta for lunch and the sauce tasted just like my grandmother’s. I asked to speak to MaryAnn but the waiter didn’t speak english.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YO, I didn’t forget to tell you what I couldn’t write earlier. The guy sitting next to me, well more accurately on top of me for the entire flight was reading over my shoulder as I typed. He stopped when I called him out a little later in the blog. Anyways, on the other side of him was his girlfriend and the two of them were canoodling the entire plane ride. For anyone who doesn’t know what canoodling is, it’s when people are so infatuated with each other that they forget other humans can see their every move. They were gross and he kept jabbing me in the side and hitting me with his blanket. The moral of the story here is don’t canoodle on a plane. Be in love somewhere else thats not next to me. Because maybe you could not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got to Rome around 7:30 this morning and after walking around until 2 pm went to the hotel to sleep. After a four hour nap I woke up feeling like a new human. It kind of stopped raining (just a slight drizzle) so we went to the pizzeria and gelato shop. There’s a scene from The Fault In Our Stars where Augustus tells Hazel that if the risotto he was eating was a person he would take it to Vegas and marry it. I have never felt so connected with Augustus Waters. The Pizza was unlike anything I have ever eaten. It was so fresh and so good and so delicious that any pizza from here on out that I ever eat will be nothing but a disappointment. And the gelato? I will be getting a divorce from the pizza to marry the gelato. Wow. Just, WOW.  GAME CHANGER.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was kind of an odd day because it’s really been Saturday and Sunday. But my first novel is finished now. There’s some exciting adventures tomorrow based on the weather. But before I go, for any concerned family members I will give you a brief update:

1. I am not in prison.

2. I am not married.

3. I am still not in prison.

UNTIL TOMORROW..

Stay Weird,

Ally

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Jam- ‘Reflection’ by Fifth Harmony. I definitely jammed on the plane and the entire album is stellar.