So I’ve been giving tours for a little while now. Strictly St. Pete’s. I’m ready for more. It’s the rush of performance with a little bit of salesmanship and story-telling. It’s a struggle to convince people to come on the tour, but they’re always glad they did. And people who say no at first often join up inside. And they tip pretty well. For a job well done. A one hour tour can net 10-30 euro in tips. Soon enough I will be paying down my credit card debts and student loans, hopefully. For now, i’ll spend the change on pizza and gelato. And stick what’s left in the sock drawer and scheme on how to get it to Canada.

The drama of the basilica’s history makes for great story-telling. And the feats of artistic brilliance in there are some of the best in the world. It’s a nice place to have an office, as it were, so to speak.