Rome the American Way

It's hard to believe our time in Rome is coming to an end. We may not have visited all the museums while we were here, but we have really taken our time and soaked in the city.  The whole trip, we have taken a taxi three times (Two and from the Vatican while I was in my wedding dress...) and have yet to take the public transit system. Walking everywhere has really given us a feel for the life and heartbeat of Rome. We can even navigate around Rome without a map now.

Today, we went to the English speaking mass near the Vatican offered by the North American Pontifical College. The church was packed and people were going in and out of the church all during mass. It was a little hard to focus with all the activity. Add in the hard wooden kneelers, and I am convinced the Romans are a bit holier that us in America. That, or we are the smart ones for figuring out cushioned kneelers first.

After that, we did some shopping in the shops around St. Peter's. We had some time to kill before going to St. Peter's for the Sunday Angelus. This is a time when the Pope gives a short Sunday message from the window, blesses the crowd and says the Angelus prayer with the people. It was neat to be in the crowd of people waiting for Pope Francis this time and to experience the excitement of seeing him come out at the window. We were surrounded by people speaking every language while sitting in the square. We didn't understand anything the Pope said, but it was awesome to experience the unity and excitement for the Catholic faith.

Look! It's the Pope. We met him!!!

After that, we did more shopping to let the crowds disperse a bit, then it was off to find lunch. We have not been having good lunch luck lately  (hunger seems to cloud our judgement). We sat down at one place and decided we just did not want to eat more pasta, tomatoes and prosciutto. We needed a break and some different cuisine. So we headed back to the Irish Pub we had passed several times to get a nice, American inspired meals.

Italy even does burgers well!   We had a blast drinking a beer and watching the Italians watch the futbol game. We had a seat at the window and loved the people stopping to look through the window at the score for the game. The bar really did go wild when Roma scored.

Tonight, we are going back to Trastervere for dinner.  It is our favorite part of Rome thus far and seems to be the place to find the most authentic, non-tourist meal. Tomorrow we will finally see St. Peter's from the inside. So much more to do and just one day left!

Caio!