roma.

...and finally Rome!  Sorry for keeping you all in suspense for so long.  Rome was absolutely amazing.  So much history.  Beautiful buildings, streets, little restaurants.  Loved it all.

We had a lovely flight from Paris to Rome with one stop in Germany.  Michael could have sworn that Elder Dieter Uchtdorf was flighing our plane to Rome.  The pilot's voice sounded exactly like him.  We arrived at our hotel around 8:00pm (which was up about ... a lot of flights of stairs.  There is no doubt that I came back with a firm rear end from all the stair climbing we did on this trip.)  We asked the lady working the front desk for a recommendation on a restaurant, which she gladly gave.  This restaurant was filled with locals.  You could say that it is the happening place in Roma.  But seriously, we both loved our dishes.  After dinner we walked to Fontana di Trevi to make a wish in the fountain, got some gelato and sat and enjoyed the view.  Let's take a moment to take about gelato.  It was my first time and it was amazing.  The way it just melts in your mouth and is the perfect amount of sweet.  absolutely perfect.  Unfortunately all gelato goes undocumented.    

 Walking back, we ran into some ancient ruins.  Seriously though, this is how Rome was... and I loved it! Modern society built around these buildings that are hundred and thousands of years old.  

The next morning we headed straight to St. Peter's Basilica.  Being able to walk where Jesus' apostles walked was an unbelievable and spiritual experience.  

 {inside.  it was beautiful. and so big. and so detailed}

 {la pieta}

{this pope's body never decomposed, which was considered a miracle.  this is his real body. real. body.}

{by touching st. peter's foot a blessing is placed upon you.  so many people have touched the foot that the statue is so worn down you cannot even see the toe outline}

{the dome in the cathedral.  just to give you perspective on how large this this actually was- the letters on the outer edge of the dome was about 6 feet in length. and yes, we climbed to the top}

 Tour time of the Sistine Chapel.  When a pope dies, this Sistine Chapel is where all the Cardinals meet to figure out who will be the next pope.  The doors are locked and through much fasting and prayer they make a decision.  I cannot believe we were actually here.

Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures in the actual chapel (only in the museum leading up to it).  However, Michael did snap this shot of the sealing.  One of the most famous paintings in the whole done by Michael Angelo.

The Pantheon.  

{this hole in the top of the dome was for the smoke to escape when animal sacrifices took place.  it is never closed. rain or shine}

{a cool little band playing classic italian music as we ate dinner in the plaza.  look at our view!}

We went back to St. Peter's Basilica to climb to the top of the outer dome.  That was quite some hike, but SO worth it.  We said that at the top of every dome, tower, church that we climbed.  Worth it.

{you can tell that i am climbing in the dome here- notice the curved walls that curve with the dome.  not a lot of wiggle room.}

{st. peter's square is shaped like a key because they believe that christ gave peter the keys when he died.}

{view from the top.  favorite picture. my husband looks so handsome.}

{michael said that because he was baptized catholic that he could carry these rosary beads around.  they are still strapped to his travel backpack.  i know we will always be protected as long as he has them attached.}

{this is the fountain of holy water.  we saw many many people during the day filling up their water bottles with the water or drinking straight from it.  we noticed a garden hose hooked up filling it with water.  i don't think you can see the hose from the photo though.  we thought it silly.}

The colosseum.  The arena where gladiators and animals would fight for entertainment.  Many other events were held here as well.  The floor of the arena was made of sand to be able to soak up the blood from these fights.  ew.

{ow ow!!}

This was seriously as trip of a lifetime.  I feel so lucky to have spent it with my best friend.  And just so everyone knows, Michael spent months and months of planning for this trip.  He read multiple books.  Went to so many websites.  Created an itinerary.  He made the trip so special.  I love him so much!

*end of trip.  but we will be back.