Day 3: Tuesday

   Today the excitement, inevitably , continued. We started out our day off by going to the world's single largest church: St Peter's Basilica! When we got there, it was nearly empty. I'd like to explain to you readers the extravagance and majesty in every single detail within the basilica, but it is impossible.  Everything from the individual tiles in the mosaics, to the eyelashes on the multitude of statues, to the absolute peace found in the chapel was breathtaking. Every single inch of the basilica is detailed with care and filled with our Catholic history. Thanks to our tour guide Laura, we were able to  celebrate a private mass in the basement of St Peter's. Experiences like that make one question reality in the sense that the present exceeds our wildest dreams and imaginations. 

   Following mass Lindsey and I had our very first Italian coffee (café as the say! We entered a tiny coffee parlor with no more than 10 square feet of standing room and ordered two cappachinos. After paying for the drinks we took the stubs to the bar where the barista prepared the beverages. "It's so fluffy," said Lindsey about the cappachino. Frothy and creamy without hardly any sweetener, these cappachinos outweighed Starbuck's finest. 

   Next was one of the best stops as of yet. A small group of us paid the small price to be able to climb to the peak of St. Peter's. Taking the longer route to save a few euros, we climbed all 551 stairs up as opposed to the elevator half way. The last half of the stairs is very narrow, maybe shoulders width apart, so it is quite claustrophobic. Although tiring, the incredible view made up for any grievances I had against it. Being the tallest building in all of Rome and Vatican City, it consequently has an incredible perspective on the entire city.

   For lunch, we ate at family owned pizzeria. One word: delicious! Of course we had Italian gelato, again. I had pineapple in a dish, Lindsey a strawberry smoothie of sorts, and Lane a strawberry milkshake. Gelato is so much better than American ice cream, and is so tasty in the sweltering heat. My only question is why not in America??