Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...

Alright, first, apologies: haven't made a post in about two solid weeks. That's mostly because there hasn't been a whole hell of a lot going on, no trips or whatnot to talk about. I did get to see St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday as a part of my art history class, so I can share some pictures here:

Outside the Basilica. This is where the Pope comes out and gives Big Deal speeches.

The only decent indoor photo I could snap with my G7. I wish the other ones had turned out better, but ISO 1600 is just crazy grainy. The basilica is enormous; it's designed to make you feel in awe of the power of the Catholic church, and it works.

La Pieta, one of Michelangelo's sculptures (might have been his first?). It shows a serene Virgin holding a dead Christ in peaceful solitude, a private moment that never actually occurred in the Bible. Mary's serenity speaks to her precognition of Christ's future rising from the dead; her demeanor is meant to tell viewers that the best way to deal with calamity is to be serene. 

View of the Basilica from down the street. Check out the dome!

That's all for now. Going to Amsterdam next weekend (super psyched), so be ready for photos! I hear they have amazing canals.