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Rome, Italy
Tuesday was sightseeing day. Alex and I got sightseeing hop on, hop off bus tickets for the day. We got off at the stop for the president's house and walked down a hill towards it. At the bottom of the hill was a man dressed as a gladiator who invited us to take pictures with him. We had a fun few minutes posing with him then he asked us for €10. I expected some payment but not €5 from each of us. I handed him a 10 and walked away. Later Alex went back to him and haggled for €5 back.
I walked up to the Palazzo del Quirinale and that is the last time I saw Alex. I walked around it for a while and then went inside, which turned out to be a museum. In the museum there were many war artifacts and paintings, which I was able to look at for close to two hours.
When I left I hoped back on the bus and got off at the coliseum. I didn't want to pay another €12 to get in, so I just walked around it once half looking at it and half looking for Alex before I got on the next bus.
The next stop that I got off at was for Tiber Island. I walked around the area for a good amount of time, close to an hour, and I got some delicious lemon gelato because it was a hot day.
The next stop I went to was Navona. I got off because from the bus it looked like a lot of people were walking around and going to shops. So I started looking around to see if there were things I liked. I went into a souvenir shop and saw some cool paper mache masks. I figured I could get one of these for Andrea because I as part of my gift I was going to get her something from Italy. The one that I liked had some chipped paint and was listed as €15. I talked to the attendant and tried to shave off €5 because of the imperfections, but he told me that if I didn't want to pay €15 for that one then I should just pick another. So I left and said I might be back.
Now I was determined to find a cool mask for less than €15, especially because I walked into an African shop and saw an exquisite wooden African mask for €15, so I looked around more figuring that the paper mache mask had to be of lesser value. I passed a few places with them but the selections didn't seem very good. Finally I reached a place kind of far from where I started by a main road. I went in and saw a really neat one for €25. I told the attendant I liked it and I would pay €10. She seemed to agree and I was shocked, and excited. But when I asked to confirm it she said, no it is €25. So I said I won't pay more than €15, she said that it was hand crafted in Italy and worth more than my offer. I told her that we are in Italy so you are not making a good argument and I said I was leaving. She asked if she could call her manager and see if the manager would accept my offer.
A few minutes later a tiny Asian woman came in and spoke to the attendant in an Asian language I couldn't understand, basically about the interaction we just had. The manager said that the paint was expensive and the price was €25. So I left and went to a shop a little down the street, the attendant here was also Asian and I picked up a mask that said €18 and I was about to haggle until the same manager from the other store walked in and I walked out. Down the road a little further was another similar store with an Asian attendant, but I decided I did not want to risk inflating this woman's ego anymore in case she owned this store too and walked on.
While on my mission I passed through many side street piazzas with gathering people, fountains, and statues making my journey not completely in vain whether or not I succeeded. Finally I walked by this big building with a dome and pillars that had a lot of people around it, but it didn't look exciting to me so I just went down another side street nearby.
At this point I just wanted to give in to the first place and get the imperfect mask that I liked for the asking price which apparently is pretty low. I passed a shop with a bunch of masks but the model I was looking for was at least €30 and it seemed like it would only get worse. Incredibly there was a shop opposite this store that had a good selection of masks including the one I wanted for...€15! I went in confirmed the price and didn't even attempt to bargain. I got the mask I desired, flawless and at the lowest price around without sacrificing my ego.
It was getting close to dinner time so I got back on the bus and went to the Basilica di San Pietro, the place on the tour that I wanted to see the most. I knew about it from somewhere and I figured it was an art history class I took, until I realized that I was in the Vatican.
The cathedral was magnificent. While inside I was just in awe thinking that I have been to so many cathedrals and this is THE cathedral. The statues were perfectly toned, no ruins, just completely intact. I wanted to feel some sort of spiritual presence, but I did not until I got close to the alter. There was not too much to it, but it was so powerful at the same time.
In the basilica penance sessions were also going on in Italian and in other languages. I felt an urge to go to one, for it had been years since I last did. I began thinking of all the sins I have committed since I was in seventh grade and I thought that I could confess them, but what would happen when I get to the part where I say I don't have a genuine belief in God, this probably isn't going to change my view, and saying 50 Hail Mary's won't either. So I decided not to.
Now it was getting close to seven, dinner being at eight, so I hopped on the bus and saw some of the sites I wished I had time to go see from the top deck and made it back in time for dinner. Afterward I called home and talked to Mom for a little over an hour on skype for about $1.50.
On Wednesday Alex and I chose three places we wanted to see. One was a park in northern Rome, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pantheon. We went to the park first and we each found a place to go and relax. It was really nice, just a park around some run of the mill ruins, which I can't think anywhere else that I would be able to say that about. I liked seeing locals going on walks, laying in the grass with lovers, and exercising. After spending over an hour there we started looking for how to get to the Vatican. I let Alex find directions and lead.
We got to a fork in the road where one way was the metro station and the other way lead off the map. Alex continued to lead and we went left and walked about 3km before we noticed we were off the map. I didn't mind getting lost, I partially expected to with Alex leading and I accepted it and we saw more of the local life before turning around and getting on the metro to the Vatican to find the Sistine Chapel.
We found out when we got there that the Sistine chapel has an entrance fee, typically a long line, and was closed for the day. Alex walked around the Basilica while I waited outside having seen it the day before and we went towards the Pantheon. As it turned out the unimpressive dome with pillars that I passed by the day before was the Pantheon. So we went in and the only part I really paid attention to was Raphael's grave. Then we went home for some delicious pesto pasta and calimari sticks with the family.
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