On Sunday, we walked to Vatican City and headed straight for Saint Peter’s Square and the church. After walking around the square, we entered the Corsica and decided to climb to the top. After a few hundred stairs, we were inside the church in the dome considerably high up. The event that was taking place was Holy Mass in Latin with choir and homily. It was very peaceful and after watching it for a good 30 minutes above the crowds, we continued the climb up the Corsica. Climbing the dome is a very strange sensation because you have to climb a very narrow staircase sandwiched between the outer and inner curve of the dome, while leaning on the dome itself. It was awkward knowing that you are putting all of your weight on an inner dome that is high enough up that if it were to collapse, the several hundred foot drop would surely be the end of Jon. At the top, one is rewarded with a panoramic view of the Oven City of Rome. We took a few thousand pictures and headed back down to walk around the inside of the church. Once in the church, we discovered that with a little patience and sticking near the right people, we would be able to attend mass at the main altar. My parents would be proud – we attended Sunday mass at Saint Peter’s in Vatican City. It was in Italian so we had no idea what was being said, but procedurally, there isn’t much difference. The magnificence of the setting, along with the scent of the church, and the altar itself (we were about 8 rows from the altar) will combine to make the event an unforgettable memory. It truly was amazing and I felt an absolute calmness during mass.

After visiting the church and Corsica, we quickly walked through the gallery of pope tombs where we saw the tomb of John Paul II and then headed out of the Vatican to find food. Another three-bite meal for Jason, followed by him sitting there awkwardly waiting for me to finish eating, and we went back to the hotel for showers (again). That evening, things were fairly mellow. Once dark, we walked near the Colosseum to see it at night. It was as I suspected – the same as in the day, but with lights that rotate colors. Jason went to bed and Jon walked around Rome for an hour before going to bed as well. By the way, for a young guy, Jason sleeps more than anyone I know. He needs MINIMUM 8-9 hours of sleep in order to simply function at the most basic level the next day. Anything less and he is a zombie and constantly falling asleep in random places. If he gets 10-12 hours, he is more alert and better able to help out with planning and deciding things. It astonishes me that he would sleep half of an entire day on a regular basis if he could. Anyway, I’ve come to realize he is mostly along for the ride, but I do wish he had done a little bit of research so that he would have more preferences about cities and sights that interest him.

DAY 3 in Rome was Jason and I spending 4 hours at the train station trying to plan our exit from Rome. Once our bags were stowed, we went to the Vatican Museo to see the Sistine Chapel and other goods. Once there, we realized we only had a few hours and virtually ran through the enormous museum. The Sistine Chapel was fantastic, and its specialness was further punctuated by the guards constantly yelling at the tourists to stop taking photos and “shushing” them to be quiet. After the museum, we got on our train and headed to the Swiss Alps. We spent three days in the Alps but I am too tired to blog that tonight. For Eric: the clouds parted in Murren for two whole days. You have to go back someday. It is seriously the most beautiful place on the planet.

Thanks for reading and I’ll update at the next opportunity.