Dear Aunt Andrea...

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So my friends and I were bored this morning around sunrise so we decided to take a taxi cab over to the Vatican to see if we could climb to the top of St. Peters Basilica. Turns out, this would turn into an adventure I won't ever forget.

When we arrived, we were the first people in line for the opening of the square, which didn't open until 7 a.m. I went across the street and got a cappuccino because I hadn't slept the night before, so I needed a little energy boost. When I came back to the line, the gates had opened and we were the first people allowed to enter the square. It was absolutely gorgeous at sunrise.

Anyways, as we meandered, we met a priest and some brothers from Australia, who invited us to JOIN THEM FOR MASS IN ST. PETER'S BASILICA. Of course, we obliged, and it was a wonderful ceremony. There were literally 12 of us celebrating the mass, and the priest recognized myself and my two friends as his "friends from America" when it came time for the blessings and such.

After that, we snapped some photos and what not.

Yesterday, I went to the Pantheon and also saw some other ruins. I'll post some pictures, but all of it paled in comparison to what happened this morning. We are going to go back tomorrow for a Papal Audience, but the Aussies invited us and our friends back for mass tomorrow so we're going to see if the group wants to go.

Hope everyone's doing well...

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Photos

Inside St. Peter's Basilica
You can't really take a picture which accurately shows how big this place is.

Pantheon
Matt--Notice the inscription... It mentions Agrippa, an "I, Claudius" staple.

The Tomb of Raphael
He was crude. Michaelangelo was a "party dude".