One of the last things on my list of things to do was climb the dome of St. Peter's basilica. Katie, a friend I made here at AUR who happens to go to MSU, knows a priest who works at the Vatican. He kindly met us at the gates [after asking the Swiss Guards to ring him!] and brought us through Vatican City to the front of the line. We seriously did not have to wait one second. It was awesome. It's all about who ya know, right? We bought our tickets and embarked on the 500-some odd steps up to the top.
First, you get to be so close to the mosaics of the drum you can actually touch them. Amazing. And the letters around the inside? They're SO tall!
Walking up was, aside from exhausting, really cool since we could feel the curve of the dome. At one point, I could lean on the wall and feel like I was standing straight up! I don't want to imagine how many dirty hands have been on it, though. There was a rope I refused to hold on to at one point for that exact reason.
Here's what we saw halfway up.
It was ALL worth it once we got to the top! Just look at this amazing view of my beloved Roma :)
Oh, yeah, I also met Michigan State up there! There were a group of guys who recognized my shirt. Spartans really are all over the world, I guess. Go green!
After we reached the top, we climbed all the way down and visited beneath the basilica, as well. Most of the public doesn't know, but you can go down and see the shrine of St. Peter and many pope's tombs. The early morning was so worth it - it was the perfect last adventure.
Now I'm off to meet a huge group of friends at Tony's restaurant in Trastevere for one last, fun night! I can't believe I'll never see most of them ever again, but I plan to enjoy every second we have left together! Ciao.
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