Day 3 in Roma

Yesterday was my friend's birthday and we had planned to to go to St. Peter's Basilica, attend mass and visit the Vatican museum. Well, I slept in till about 9:00 am (thanks to my sleep meds), we ended up leaving our hotel a little before 12 noon, had lunch at Termini station, were in St. Peter's Square by 12:15 and were met by the sight of a large crowd that had gathered on the square. What was all the fuzz? Well, the Pope was about to make an appearance at the window of his apartment! Well, we did not want to miss that for the world. So we joined the growing crowd of people, some of which were chanting in Italian. Once the Pope's window swung open and he appeared with arms wide open, the crowd went crazy! I, myself, was very mystified. Another surreal moment, hello! The Pope then grabs a microphone and began speaking in Italian. His voice sounded so familiar and comforting. It was our understanding that he was giving a sermon prior to gesturing the sign of the cross to the crowd as a way of bestowing his blessing on everyone on the square. Seeing the Pope and hearing him, even from afar, was major icing on the cake of this trip for me. Once the Pope disappeared back into his apartment, we made our way into St. Peter's Basilica, where we found a solemn mass already in progress. The Swiss guards kept tourists, including me & my friend, from going into the front altar due to the ongoing mass. Well, using my famous charm on the Swiss guards, I respectfully asked to join the mass midway for my friend's birthday's sake. Not surprising, the Swiss guards obliged! They allowed us to attend the mass that was being held in the very front section of the basilica, to a very limited crowd of people! Needless to say, I left Vatican City yesterday a very happy girl.