Dara in Italy: More Pope Time

Friday was suppose to be a pretty awesome day. We were going to go to MonteCasino(first BIG Benedictine Monastary), Subiaco(St. Benedict's cave and first ever monastary), and St. Scholastic's first convent. We left at 8 for our 2 hour bus ride to MonteCasino. On the way out there a moped tried to pass us but there was a semi coming the other direction. So she slammed on her brakes and went for a face to face with asphalt. She slid pretty far and ended up in the other lane. I was asleep but some yelled there's an accident and I woke up just in time to see her go skidding across the road. She's just lucky that semi could stop fast enough. We stopped to help and do what we could because we were far out of town and it took the ambulance around 20 minutes to get there. She had blood coming out of everywhere. Her face, arms, hands, ankles. It was not a pretty sight. Dad, you would have passed out. We had to stick around because we had to file police reports. FUN STUFF! This took around an hour so we missed our tour. Our RD called and they said if we could get there by 12 they can try and squeeze us in. Well we got stuck in another traffic jam for another accident and we didn't make it there until 1. So after 5 hours in the bus we missed the tour.
We ate lunch on the lawn there. As we were eating one girl, Ni, wanted to get pictures behind the fence. The fence was being painted so she found a gate that was unlocked and snuck in and Jessica closed it after her. The painter noticed Jess by the gate so he went over and shut it all the way and called security to lock it. We started Kawing and yelling Ni trying to get her out, but she couldn't hear us. Security came out and thank god there was another problem and he got distracted. After about 10 minutes here comes Ni being escorted by 6 security guards. Apparently she tried to run and find an exit. They escorted her out and as she left she just waved and said, "Ciao! Grazie Mille! (Bye, Thanks a lot!)" Only Ni would thank security for throwing her out. The guard just started laughing.
After we had her we piled into the bus and headed for Subiaco and that was suppose to be one hour but because of construction we didn't get there until 4, we were suppose to be there at 3. We just were not having a good day. They still gave us a tour. It was awesome to be in the place where Benedictines were started. We saw his cave where he lived for 3 years and the chapels that he built. Well because we were late we completely missed our tour at the St. Scholastica convent. LAME. So we piled in the bus again and are in it until 8. So we are in the bus for 10 hours for 2 hours of being outside. Cool.
Yesterday, Saturday, I went around Roma with the Pate's, my professor and his wife, Adrienne, Chelsea, and Frank. We went to the bus stop and waited for about 90 minutes until we realized it was a national holiday, the day the Italians were freed from Germany. So we walked to another bus stop in hopes the bus would come there. Finally we got there and we started off at the Spanish steps. I went in February but the Pate's hadn't so we showed them. We bounced around Roma all day. We went to the Pantheon, which was unfortunately closed although we did eat lunch on the steps there. We went to an old Roman race track that is now a piazza filled with random artists. While we were standing around there we started playing with a ball that Frank had in his bag and Mrs. Pate looks at us and with a straight face says, "I love having you show us around. It is like being showed around by intelligible puppies." Thanks, I think.
We also went to a Church and that names translates to Saint Peter in Chains. Inside there are the chains that we used to lock up San Pietro. It was after that we headed back to the seminary but not without a stop by our favorite gelato place for lots of gelati.
A few nights ago I was talking to my dad and we were talking about having to look nice when seeing The Pope and how your arms have to be covered. I told my dad that it is to deter Chalice Chippers(Women who lead men away from the religious life). He told me that I may be able to lead many men away from the religious life but not our 75 year old pope. Then NEXT thing he asked me was, "Where I am staying?" Well...I am staying at a seminary...lol.
Today I woke up nice and early to go and see the Sistine Chapel I had to wait in line for over an hour to get in but it was worth it. I would have probably appreciated it more a month ago when I wasn't arted out but it was still incredible non-the-less. After that I went to the canonization of 5 saints and mass with the Pope. I am getting in as much pope time as possible while I am in Roma. I was gorgeous though, with flowers everywhere for the canonization. This was particularly nice because one of the saints being canonized was Bernardo Tolomei, he is the patron saint of my school's program in Florence.
Entrance to Subicao