Ending the trip, with an adventure to a new country! - Austin Karr Jan 27th post

 

It is a difficult position writing for the last “official” day of this class. We are all required to write a follow-up blog post to discuss the trip, but that is for a future day. My other classmates who lead this day have already done an excellent job describing their experiences within Vatican City, so I will keep my overall discussion of the day shorter to avoid stepping on their toes.

               Walking through the gates of Vatican City was surreal and the reason for some jokes about the fact that we were entering a new country. Yet upon arrival, we were told to disperse; the day's activity was just to get us into the city; it was up to the individual to go out and see whatever they wanted. Of course, that meant it was time to find the Sistine Chapel, a place that has been a major source of excitement throughout the trip. So, with two friends by my side, we set out to find it.

 

The exit from the Vatican, but looked more imposing then the entrance so I chose its picture

Within five minutes, we were lost. From the entrance landing, we managed to miss every sign pointing us toward the museum and the chapel. For the next half an hour, we wandered around the open lawn and the place that held many artifacts that the church had collected from many civilizations with which they had interacted over its history. I will return to this room later in this post. 

The view from the front law, which we discovered while lost

 Eventually, after quite a bit of frantic searching, my little group realized that we had missed some signage on the wall, and from that point, we decided that it was time to find the chapel. While the group separated within the museum, we eventually made our way out and into the gift shop. From there, I split off and returned to the Sistine Chapel as I wanted to spend a bit more time there. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I am honored that this program enabled this exercise.

                 The long hallway leading towards the Sistine Chapel

Back in the room, I was part of a discussion that focused on the modern-day history of Italy. In particular, I looked into the current Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. She is a right-wing politician who took power in 2022. Her time in charge has not been the most productive, according to our readings. However, that has not kept her from becoming a popular prime minister. She is acting competently, and for Italy, that is enough.

               This class, and then the dinner that followed, was the final thing we did as a group on this trip, which is a wild thing to think about. Landing in Venice on the 6th seems so far away, and while I will still be traveling Europe for a few more days (I am finishing writing this blog from my room in Berlin), the end of a group is bittersweet. I look forward to returning home and returning to a “normal” life, but I miss waking up in the morning to see the rest of my classmates all in the breakfast room. Yet the trip is over, the experiences have happened, and it's time to move forward with the rest of the school year.

This has been Austin Karr from Italy, and I hope you found joy in reading through our adventures!

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