As I hoped, today was the highlight of my trip. The Vatican was evertying that I had ever heard about it and more. After walking through the Church museums (which housed some sweet tapistries and statues from throughout the ages) the real spectal began. First we entered the Sistine Chapel to view the painting masterpieces of Michelangelo. It was truly a masterpiece and very, very beautiful. An interesting fact about the "Final Judgement" is the man in hell in the bottom right corner: Michelangelo gave him the face of a Cardinal who disliked his work and also gave him donkey ears and had a serpent biting his junk. I also snapped some illegal pictures, but they're worth the risk.
However, nothing could prepare me for St. Peter's Cathedral. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful, amazing, and unbelievable place I've ever seen. Every minute detail was gorgeous with perfect carvings and craftmanship. The letters that lines its ceiling were taller than me, the statues were perfect, and the marble the rarest on earth. Michelangelo's dome was truly a marvel, and it sat above the main alter which was at least 30 meters tall. Sitting below the alter was the tomb of St. Peter himself (who was actually killed in the square in front of the Cathedral). I could have spent days admiring the world's largest church, and I honestly did not want to leave when it was time to. There are not enough words to describe St. Peter's, but it honestly brought my religion back to me. If possible, I would love to come back again to this amazing place.
We had another frustrating loss tonight, this time 3-2to Santa Marinella KO. It was another team we were definitely better than, and a poor first half did us in. Though I was dissapointed with my play, Coach and my parents were not. Hopefully, we can put two good halves together in our game in London tomorrow.
Today ends my stay in Italy, and I'll be sad to see my time here end. If possible, I hope to return here to see its sights again. Fittingly, Mom and I ended the trip by dipping our feet into the Mediteranian Sea before dinner; seeing the as the ocean is something we both love.SO with tomorrow's 6:00am wake up in mind, it's time for bed.
"I have a minor in scissors." -Gatton
"Isn't that a knife?" -Marc Pupillo
"I mean cutting!" -Gatton
August 13, 2004
We started our day ridiculously early so we could get to the airport early enough to get through security. However, the airline wouldn't allow us to check in as early as we got there. Then, the stupid airporct police wouldn't allow us to lie on the floor even though therer weren't enough seats to sit in (so I found a loophole in the system by sitting in the wheelchairs). Once in the plane, I found that the seats wouldn't recline, so sleep was virtually impossible. So, the moring wasn't all that great.
Upon arrival in London, the day began to get steadily better. We took a small guided tour of London by bus with our new guide. We ate lunch at 3:00pm London time (our first meal in 10 hours) just off Piccadilly Circus. At lunch, we saw other Americans for the first time: two girls teams.
From lunch we drove to our last game versus Kingston College; players recruited to produce pro players. Despite a rough going in the first 20 minutes, we outplayed them and won the match 4-1. My play in the first half was dismal, but I was hampered by a nail on my fright foot that hurt with every step. However, my second half was much better. It was good to go out with a solid win.
Once we got back to our hotel (which is very nice) we went for an adventure to McDonald's, including: 20-no-30 minute walks, drive throughs, crazy double-decker bus rides, and drunk British girls. Though frustrating at the time, it's funny to think back on it now. Tomorrow should be an exciting day. With the Premiership game and the formal tour of London. And with another early start, it seems like it's time for bed.
"Why does she not want us to go that way?" -Marc
"Because she's drunk!" -drunk British girl's friend
August 14, 2004
Our last full day in London was one of the best of the entire trip. We traveled to central London for the start of the day. Although I hoped to see some of the famous landmarks (which I did see on the bus tour yesterday), I spent most of the tiem at the Lillywhites sports store. Famous in its own right, they were having a sale and I was able to a $200 pair of soft-ground shoes for about $70! Tom and I did see a girl almost get run over by a truck in Piccadilly Square; she missed it by about two inches.
After shopping, we traveled to the other side of London to catch the Tottenham versus Liverpool game. Watching a live Premiership match is 100 times better in person, especially since it was opening day. The play was awesome, and the home Tottenham crowd was even better (they were deafeningly loud, especially after the Hotspurs tied it up). It would have to be some sort of e xperience to play in front of 35,000 screaming fans.
We returned to central London, and I went with Mom and Dad to Harods, London's famous department store. We bought some expensive coffee for Grandma but nothing else; it would be safe to say everything else was a "little" pricy. But, the store's elaborate Egyptian elevators were quite something to look at.
Once dinner was over, we finally had a chance to go out and experience the European nightlife. We were a little worried about getting into the bars/clubs because we were mostly wearing jeans. But, we found a bar and had a few drinks. Some of us, myself included, were in a club mood so we split up and Marc, Shaggy, Aucoin, Jonny and I all went to Leicester Square. There, we went to Equinox, a dance club, where we met up with some American girls that were in our hotel. I had a great time with the guys and girls dancing and having a few (okay, a lot) of drinks. However, we made the mistake of following the girls back on the tube, and we almost missed curfew because they took the long way back. We had to sprint all the way back to the hotel from the station just to make in time (not easy with tequilla in the system)!
All in all, it was a great way to end the trip. My only hope is to come back someday and see more of the great things this continent holds. And if I'm lucky enough, maybe it will to play. This has been an experience of a life time: one that I am very greatful for, one that I will never forget.