17 days, 10 cities, 2 countries, one backpack

If you noticed that I have not posted anything in a long time, it is because I was off on a big adventure through Italy and Spain. I left 18 days ago with lots of energy and one backpack full of clean clothes and an empty camera memory card. I returned home to France yesterday exhausted, with one backpack full of very dirty clothes, and two memory cards full of photos.

I will eventually post some details and pictures about my trip, but for now I need to get some rest.

It was the most amazing two weeks of my life in many ways - I don't think that I will ever see that many amazing places in such a short span of time, and I am so lucky to have been able to do it.

At the moment, I am also thrilled to be back in Angers, where the flowers and trees are in full bloom and I have my own bedroom and bathroom again, as well as my host family.

I only have about one month left here. It's time to really start savoring every moment. The best moment of today, for example, was playing badminton in the garden with my host sister this evening.

Stay tuned for more about Italy - where I enjoyed lots of gelato and climbed way too many stairs - and Spain - where I was lucky enough to be unaffected by volcanic ash, enjoyed tapas, and became very grateful for other countries' non-smoking laws.

My visit with the Pope

Last Thursday I boarded an overnight train from Paris to Rome, and immediately learned some important things about Italy. First of all, Italians are always running late - our train left two hours late with no announcement of any kind. We literally just sat on the train for two hours in the station wondering if it would ever begin moving. Apparently this is typical. During the course of the journey, the train fell two more hours behind schedule.

Upon my arrival in Rome - the first time I've left France in the past two months - I found sunshine, color, and ancient Romans ruins all around me.

Katrina and I in Rome in front of some ruins:



After finding our hostel, Katrina and I wandered around the center of the city around most of the ancient Roman ruins before meting up with other Notre Dame students and standing in a huge crowd right in front of the Coliseum, waiting for the Pope to arrive and lead Stations of the Cross for Good Friday. Even though it was in Italian, it was an incredible experience to be among thousands of people holding candles with the Pope in front of us and the Coliseum behind us.

In this picture you can see Pope Benedict XVI presiding over stations of the cross.



Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to stand in line for a tour of the Vatican museums. I do not think that I was fully prepared for the extent of the museums and all that they held. The Vatican possesses a large amount of ancient Roman statues, and then there are a seemingly endless number of rooms with paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and murals before the grand finale: The Sistine Chapel.

After our tour of the Vatican Museums, we wandered around St. Peter's Basilica for a long time - it is absolutely incredible. There were so many incredible details and works of art to look at that my eyes were overwhelmed. Moreover, the length of St. Peter's is two football fields!

Me in Saint Peter's:



Saturday afternoon the Notre Dame group (nearly 200 ND students were in Rome this weekend) went on a walking tour of several other Churches around Rome that house relics of important saints. For example, we went to the first church of the Jesuits, which houses relics of St. Ignatius and St. Xavier. Churches in France are more typically plain and elegant, with no paintings on the walls, but in Italy I discovered that one is more ornate than the next.

Saturday evening I ate with friends in the Trastevere neighborhood. This area is the most "typically Italian" in Rome, with winding little streets, and is a little less "touristy." We ate a wonderful pasta dinner outside at a traditional Italian restaurant, and topped it off with authentic gelato before heading home to rest up for the main event: Easter Sunday!

We got to the Vatican at 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning. The streets of Rome were empty, but Vatican city was already buzzing. Thousands of people were lining up to get into St. Peter's Square, which opened at 8:30 for the 10:15 Mass. We were able to rush into the square and find seats in the first section.

Unfortunately, despite the perfect weather Friday and Saturday, it began to rain Sunday morning as soon as we found our seats. Amazingly enough, the only time that it stopped raining for the entire day was when the Pope began to consecrate the host. After communion was over, it began again. Besides the weather, the Mass with the Pope was incredible. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience to celebrate Easter in St. Peter's Square and be present for the Pope's Easter blessing. The Mass was beautiful, even if I only fully understood the one reading done in English and the one intercession read in French.




Early Monday morning, I bid Italy farewell, but luckily only for a few days - on Friday I begin my two week spring break, so I am flying into Milan, and from there heading to Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Pisa. I will then spend a week in Spain: Madrid, Toledo, Valencia and Barcelona.

I am so excited to travel, but even after just three days in Rome I was happy to return to France where I can get around and speak the language.