With all of the problems with the pandemic over the last couple of years I was worried about traveling to Europe. I had concerns over regulations and procedures and how they would affect my experience of traveling. I soon realized that this may be one of the better times to travel in many decades! While I was in Italy, all public places had mask requirements and better policies than in the U.S. and also restricted the number of people into locations. This would turn out to be amazing to experience all of the locations I went to in Italy! There were almost no lines to enter museums or landmarks, and there were small numbers of people actually visiting the locations (at least, so I was told). This opportunity gave me one of the highlights of my trip. I went to Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome to see the Bernini statue of The Ecstasy of St. Teresa on a free day I had. I got to the chapel shortly after it opened, and I was the only person to see the statue for a good ten to fifteen minutes. It was incredible to spend that much time alone with the statue that I have wanted to see for so many years. The rest of the trip was much the same way. Any concerns I had about taking the chance to go to Italy were completely wiped out and I will always have that once-in-a-lifetime moment with St. Teresa.