A very holy experience... (3/8)

I know- so very behind the on the blogging, but I kept a list of things I've been doing so I can expand upon them....
The Sunday after we returned from spring break I decided to attend mass with a friend at the Duomo in Florence. I haven't been to church in a while, but my friend had been to church in Italy before and said that people do not get as dressed up as they do in the states. So it was odd to be wearing jeans to church, especially after not going for over a year.
This was the first time I had ever entered the duomo, and it was truly a beautiful sight. It was a lot different than the churches we have seen on this trip. It was a little bit colder, larger, and more empty. There was some cement walls and floors, and there were also a few pretty stain glass windows. We sat for mass in pull out chairs- I don't think there are pews because there is so much tourist traffic that goes through the duomo daily.
Mass was interesting to listen to in all Italian for the first 20 minutes, but after that it became very difficult to listen and try to decifer what the priest was saying. Also, the duomo is so large that the priest's voice kept echoing and reverating of the walls and around the room- it sounded a little like God was talking to us because it was such a powerful audio.
Another thing that was different was that there was no choir singing- this made it a little more serious.
I decided to receive communion because 'When in Rome,' but seriously, when was I ever going to go to Italian mass at the duomo in Florence, Italy? Plus I think I'm a pretty good person and a fan of God.
When we exited the church (mass was just like at home- 1 hour long) it was a beautiful sunny day and I felt up lifted and calm. I am glad I did it; it was a nice experience!