kittycaths: the ring and rome

i've always wanted to have a nice ring rosary. i don't pray it everyday but i have a certain fondness for it. i remember buying one from baclaran years ago, but it faded and rusted. i also searched in silver works but they didn't sell simple ones that i thought i could fancy.

when we were in switzerland, we didn't hesitate to visit rome, italy on my last weekend there. i never thought i could see it one day, but we were there, all awed and amazed and thankful for the chance we were given... it turned out to be a sort of an unplanned pilgrimage. it was worth all the hassle we had to face with the italian consulate. hehehe.

day 1
we saw the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. we also met the filipino redemptorist priest who was there for a convention. i remembered all the wednesdays mama and i spent praying in the redemptorist church in baclaran - lighting candles and praying for the fondest desires of our hearts. Our Lady of Perpetual Help has a special spot in my memories.

next stop was the colosseum. before we went in, we saw this gladiator who invited us to pose for photographs. we all posed like crazy only to find out he would ask us for 10 euros each... he was such a pain! but we didn't want to ruin our fun time with such jerks like him.

the ruins of the colosseum. marvelous!

and the night shot outside - just after we had our good dinner.

then we headed off to the trevi fountain. they say your wish will come true when you throw your coin into the clear waters... but don't all wishing fountains claim it? hehehe no harm in trying. the fountain was a feast to the eyes. so relaxing and grand and breathtaking.

day 2
day 2 was reserved for vatican. i don't know what this ball was for, there was no caption in the courtyard of the vatican museum, but it sure was fun taking pictures "with" it.

inside the vatican museum: ceilings all adorned with paintings. it's nice in pictures but more awesome when seen with the naked eye... in fairness, 'di pumalya ang malalabo kong mata. hahaha!

we also saw the famous sistine chapel, but cameras were not allowed inside. so, no souvenir photos. i heard the reason they didn't allow cameras in certain areas of the museum was: they're trying to preserve the colors of the items there. and too much light may affect the quality of what's left of the original pieces.

next was the basilica. aaah nakakaiyak sa laki at ganda! hehe yun na lang ang nasabi. we weren't even talking with each other! just marveling and feasting on what our eyes could contain. when we learned there was an anticipated mass in latin, we didn't hesitate to attend. it was just too overwhelming even if i didn't understand a word of it. hehehe.

after the mass we met the most caring and loving creature. she is a filipina who works at the library of the vatican. she invited us to meet Msgr. Kabunga, one of the kind-hearted monsignors in the vatican. he was very gentle and he blessed us before we left. can't contain all these... must yell, "thank you, Lord!"

on our way out of the compound, comedy ito. we saw swiss guards! hahaha. our friend and companion is a swiss so we "asked" aka forced him to make friends with the swiss guards so we could take photos with them hahaha! susme, namilit lang.

the basilica at night:

this is a funny pic, instead of snow, leaves fell on cars. hahaha!

that night, something bothered me. because in the souvenir shop in the basilica, i found the ring i so desperately wanted, but i didn't buy it because i thought it was a bit expensive. they all convinced me that if i wanted it terribly, then i should go get it. i told myself: what better souvenir could i get from vatican than a ring rosary - one that i've been searching for... and i found it there. they agreed to accompany me back to the vatican the next day.

day 3
i finally bought it! wee! when we got there, the place was packed with people, all cheering and shouting for something. i asked one of the guards, "what are the people waiting for?" he answered, "look up, 2nd window from the right" and we looked: my galy it was the Pope giving his blessings to the people. so that's why they were cheering! so overwhelming talaga. grabe. nakakaiyak. it was a good thing we went back to buy the ring. we wouldn't have seen the Pope if we didn't go back.

off to the spanish steps. they say this place is adorned with a bounty of flowers during summer. but since it was winter when we got there, there were no flowers in sight. the place was just as beautiful.

this is their shopping area, similar to zurich bahnhofstrasse or singapore orchard or philippines gb5? busy, busy street. all those people shopping for goodies! i was contented just looking at them. never mind the shopping! it could be done elsewhere. hahaha!

the second to the last spot we went to was the pantheon - a temple to all the gods of the ancient rome. there is a gigantic dome and an opening at the center of it. the opening lets sunlight and rain in. there are small holes at the floor that act as drainage for rain water.