Our final full day in Rome was packed with plans. We hit the buffet then cabbed to the Vatican, where we met our tour guide Rahul. He was full of four hours of historical and cultural information lightly seasoned with cheesy jokes. One thing that I wrote down later was his description of the panel in the Sistine Chapel ceiling in which God creates Adam. The characters besides Adam in the panel (God, Eve, etc.) are held in a structure that has been interpreted to be, among other things I’m sure, a brain, uterus, or heart. Why did that stand out to me? A year later, I can only guess. But since I’ve known myself awhile, I’d have to say that it reminded me of the different ways people approach God: head vs heart; or the different ways people approach creativity: scientifically (brain), intuitively/feelings-based (heart), laboriously (uterus). Only Michelangelo knows for sure.
After checking out the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica (which included a worship room and time to kneel and pray), we headed to the Spanish steps and ate lunch nearby at an outdoor cafe. Then we shopped for a little while (I picked up a fake Gucci and an apron printed with David’s anatomy for my sister’s birthday–only the best) and headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready for dinner.
We thought it would be a short night: the Spaniards that A. had met in Positano at the club had not gotten in touch; and P.’s friend-of-a-friend who was supposed to meet up with us texted her that me might not make it. So we walked to the Pantheon and picked a spot outside for dinner, resigned to an uneventful evening. But during our meal, A. and P. both heard from their boys, and we made the group decision to stay up all night and make the most of our last few hours in Rome. Let’s hear it for healthy choices!
P.’s friend arrived with another dude who had a motorcycle, and I immediately got excited (about the bike, not the dude). We headed over to Trastevere with our new Italian friends to meet the Spaniards. So international. We managed to grab a shot of tequila before our first bar stop closed, then headed to an outdoor bar just outside the city (a spot near the Pyramid). I managed to talk myself into a motorcycle ride through Rome, which was just as exciting as my Siena adventure. Except for the dismount, which I attempted before receiving instructions on how to do it properly. So I showed up at the bar with a nice tailpipe-burn on my calf. (It took over a month to heal and left a heart-shaped scar. I think it ROCKS.) Once we got drinks and settled in at the bar, people started pairing off and having kissy fun. P. and I were the last girls to leave and arrived by taxi at our hotel just as the sun was rising. We busted in on the other girls in our rooms and were greeted with a litany of tales, one involving hallway urination that was forced to occur after someone had difficulty putting the key in the lock. Not a euphemism. (BUT some “serious rock star sh*t,” as P. put it. She then asked if any of us remembered the name of the guy she made out with.)
We threw all our stuff in our suitcases and headed to the airport, where I felt sure we would be detained for public intoxication after P. almost passed out on her suitcase in the security line. Not that the rest of us were acting unruly…But we made it to the plane, and after an hour an a half of waiting onboard without air-conditioning, we finally headed home. Ready and not ready; mostly not. But full of stories to be recounted in blogs later.
