Today was once again amazing. We were in the Vatican all day, which was unreal. We went through the museums, they have lots of neat sculptures and paintings. My favorite painting today, and of the trip so far, was Raphael's School of Athens. I remember learning about it in 10th grade, and for some reason I really enjoy it. I didn't realize it was painted on a huge wall, not a canvas. After the museums, we went in the Sistine Chapel. It was very pretty, but our professors were shocked to find it very loud and full of people taking pictues, even with flash. It is supposed to be silent with no pictures whatsoever, so it was slightly disappointing for it to be a zoolike atmosphere. Next, we went to St. Paul's Square and Cathedral, which were unbelievable. It was cool seeing stuff from Angels and Demons, from the square to statues and even the catacombs where the dead popes are. The cathedral itself was one of the coolest things we've seen so far. It is the biggest church in the world, and everthing is so overwhelming and decorated that it's hard to take it all in. I had my second celebrity encounter, sort of, seeing Tori from Mythbusters. He was nice and laughed about us being from Tech (we were the only people who recognized him). Overall, it was a great first day in Rome. Tomorrow we have some walking tours, so that should be enjoyable to see the Colleseum, Forum, Pantheon, and everything else. The internet here is incredibly spotty, but hopefully I'll post tomorrow. It's Jill's birthday also tomorrow, so hopefully that will go well! Love you all.
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