Waseca County Pioneer
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Waseca, MN

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Musings while I wait to see the Pope

Bonjour!
Italy has been exciting and interesting. As I write this, I am in line to see the pope. Crazy right? This is the third day my friends and have been in Rome; we got up before 6 this morning so we could get a good spot in line to enter Vatican City. We wanted to see the basilica, but found out is closed on Wednesdays, since that’s when the pope speaks to the people. An older lady in line showed us a ticket she had gotten to see the pope. She told us we could only get the ticket by faxing a request. 
Well, we decided to wait and enter Vatican City anyway. Then we learned no ticket is necessary. So here we are sitting in the freezing cold (46 degrees) waiting an hour to see the pope. So worth it though. 
Italy has been marvelous. My friend and I spent the weekend in Florence where we did a lot of walking and toured the museums. We were able to see the famous David statue, as well as many others. Of course we ate some pizza and pasta and had some aperol spritz–which are really good. 
Then we came to Rome where we’ve seen the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum. There are ancient buildings, structures, and ruins everywhere. It’s humbling to be surrounded by so much history. 
Europeans definitely believe in the value of walking.. I don’t think I’ve consistently walked this much since band camp. I’m not really complaining, I enjoy the exercise. 
The only weird thing is that when I want to go back to my bed to relax, my six-bed mixed hostel room is a pretty open concept. Usually a hostel will have curtains or something on the beds, but nope. I’m sharing a bunk with my friend, but literally two feet away is another bed where some Canadian guy has been sleeping while he’s visiting Rome. The guy on the other side of the room, though, is also from the University of Minnesota studying in Ireland; it’s pleasant to run into someone I have so much in common with. It turns out each hostel is unique, so we never know exactly what to expect - so fun. 
Also unrelated, but I want to congratulate the Waseca Marching Jays on their trip to Florida. Despite being extremely jealous because I had to go to Missouri instead because of COVID, I hope that everyone had an amazing time; the information online sure made it look like it was. 
My Determination: “Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right.” - Pope Francis
 

 

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