-hope you’ve been studying your latin!

….just kidding. As they say, “when in Rome, parla inglese?”

Ah, at last the proverbial day wast upon us (in case you’re reading this and you didn’t know, the Second of June happens to be Nick’s birthday). And what a gloriously cloudless and blue day it was in Rome. We woke up ‘specially early because we were Oh so excited to visit our first stop of the day: the Pantheon. Modeled after the Greek Parthenon, its the oldest complete building in Rome. It was truly spectacular although there did seem to be a rather large hole in the ceiling, I’d hate to be visiting during a thunderstorm.

Dumbstruck by the majesty of the monument, we grabbed a quick snack of gelato from our new favorite ice cream store to recoup (though our hopes of seeing the fabled Charlie Epps again were dashed). Refreshed, we again hit the streets. Admiring the beautiful average-Roma-streets, we eventually made our way to the Basilica San Giovanni in Laterno which was gio-normous and exceptionally lovely.
After a quick prayer, Jen scampered off to do some last-minute shopping whilst Greg and Katie made their way up the holiest place in Rome (the Scala Sancta) the only way a layman can: on their knees. Lamenting the money they would spend on knee replacements in sixty years, all returned to the hostel for a nice siesta; a Spanish tradition that we’ve since had a hard time parting with.

Less drowsy, it was time for a real, square meal to celebrate the momentous occasion. We decided on a quaint little italian cafe. We soon discovered, however, that we apparently ain’t their preferred brand of customer or they were massively understaffed. Nonetheless, an enjoyable evening was had by all and we lumbered home heavier than usual, eager to get a good night’s sleep.