The weekend started on Good Friday with Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum. It was such a beautiful thing to see with the cross lit on fire. Another thing that really stuck out to me was the involvement of the community. Whether it be reading a station or carrying the cross to the next area, it really showed the commitment of religion from the Romans. One downfall was the amount of people who were there. We weren't able to get into the Colosseum to where the event actually took place, but there were big screens set up around the streets surrounding the area. It was such a beautiful experience.
The next day, my parents and I headed to the Vatican to pick up our mass tickets. Unfortunately, when we got there it was PACKED! The line to get into the Vatican was wrapped around San Marco's Square. So to skip the line, my parents and I got a guided tour with one of the best tour guides I have had in Europe so far. She was such an informative spit fire who went above and beyond to make the tour memorable. After the tour, we had to make our way to the big bronze doors with the Swiss guards. Unfortunately, when we got there, we had an hour and half to wait until we were able to receive our tickets. After the wait, only one of us was able to go inside to get the tickets, and since the reservation was in my name, I was the one to go. I was guided into this small room with Swiss guards sorting through tickets. After receiving my tickets, my parents and I got dinner, and called it a night.
Easter Sunday finally arrived, and we were up at 5am. We had the ability to get seats, so we made sure we were prompt and on time. After getting there around 6:30am we waited until the doors opened at 8am. After experiencing a stampede of people, we made it in and found our ways to our seats. We ended up getting seats in the tenth row. It was one of the most incredible things I have been able to experience. The mass was mainly in Latin, but different parts of the mass were in other languages. For example, the first reading was in English, the second reading was in French, and the intentions included languages such as German, Chinese, Korean, Hindu, and many more! After mass, we made it to dinner, and went to bed somewhat early.
On Monday, my parents and I went to Capri for the day. We spent the day on the boat, and saw the breath taking views from Anacapri. Our boat driver was young and took us to amazing places. My mom and I also had the opportunity to take a 20 feet jump off a mini cliff. It was a great day, but a very long one at that. So after the long and exciting weekend, I was ready to sleep!
This was honestly the most memorable experience, and it has helped shaped my study abroad experience. It's things like this that has helped me realize that Rome was the right choice for me. I am really getting sad to see this experience end, but I have enough memories to last me a lifetime. Rome is definitely where the heart is!
