I love Italy. Italy does not love me.

I have now been in Italy for almost a week now. It is beautiful. The weather is gorgeous, the buildings are gorgeous, the people are gorgeous. It is absolutely lovely. That being said, I don't think I could stay here for more than a week. Since the second day I have been sick with something.

The food is very salty and greasy, not nearly as good as Italian back home. I had to go home early from our tour on Monday, and unfortunately didn't make it back in time before tossing my cookies on the sidewalk a block away from the hotel. I felt so awful, but this nice old Italian man whose store I was in front of gave me a towel and did his best to console me. I kept aplogizing in English. I wish I had learned some of the language beforehand.

Anyways, after that embarressing and rather awful memory I had another two days of fever which evolved into a bad cold. Thankfully, I forced myself out the rest of the time and didn't miss anymore of the fantastic sights even though I was ill.

I got to experience the Vatican on Palm Sunday, and several other churches throughout the week. Being in a Catholic church in Rome feels like a completely different experience. The frescoes take your breath away, and the music sounds amazing in the large spaces. Everything- from the ceilings to the floors-is incredibly ornate. Today we went into a 14th century church that was built above a 5th century church that was built on top of a 2nd century Roman house where early Christians worshipped in secret. I can't describe the feeling of being in a place where people once gathered together despite the risk of Roman persecution. It had made me feel so much stronger in my faith, and so much more convicted.

I have so much more to say, but my one euro is about to expire. I promise to add pics and give a full description of my week soon!