We are off to Vatican City! I find it crazy that I am able to go to another country within the city of Rome! Now just a short walk away from where we are staying we entered another country. So much easier than trying to cross the US border I must say. I could only figure out the differences from the city and country by the distinguishing street lamps in Vatican City.
The main plaza was astonishing! The pillars are strategically build so that if you stand in certain places your are able to see one of the two sets of pillars. While we were line waiting to enter I was able to look up and see the balcony where I have seen the Pope out and address the crowds. Now I hate to say, but I just doesn’t have the same effect when the square isn’t filled with thousands or people like it does when I’ve watched it. Looking up and out to the left of the main plaza I was able to see the main residence of the pope. It just blends into the upper level, I suppose that is done for both an aesthetic and safety feature. Once we passed through security I walked passed the guards who are apparently all Swiss, rather than Italian or any other nationality as a result of the Switzerland’s neutrality. I must say that they were wearing extremely ingesting and rather colourful uniforms, making then hard to miss.
First we went inside the St. Peter’s Basilica. It is nothing like nothing I have ever seen before and I don’t think anything that is like it! It had the most beautiful interior and extravagant interior of any church that I have ever seen. Trust me, I have seen a lot of churches in this trip, and I know that’s this is the epitome. If any church standards for a reason, but still it is just amazing! The tombs are both in the floor with ropes surrounding the perimeter and others along people to walk on them. I wasn’t able to distinguish the difference between why only some of them where barricaded. Tombs also lined the walls and had exquisite statues around. I went into a prayer room where on the wall was a a chronology of all the Popes. What was truly beautiful was that there were panels of light that beamed down in streaks from the window above and cast an angelic glow. I honestly cannot explain how beautiful the Basilica was. The pictures that took don’t even do it justice.
We then went inside the Vatican Museum. Now the exterior of the building was not what I expected whatsoever. It was actually an inventive use of the old city walls, so it was a brick building that extended for at least a block. Inside there was anything that you could imagine. We sought out what interested us first so we would be able to extend ourselves to make it through the many exhibitions. I had never seen Egyptian artwork before so we went to see it and I saw few real mummies! We worked our way through, getting memorized and swarmed by everything and everyone around us. Another highlight of the museum for me was going through the grand maps that covered the walls. It was so interesting to see which cites held the most importance back then, since they were typically in the middle of the map and the other towns were around it. We ended off having lunch in the courtyard and looking out into a huge globe and watching the tour groups pass by, trying to snap as many photos as they could.
Afterwards we continued our way to eventually go to the Sistine Chapel. Now it wasn’t as magnificent as it looked to be in person. If I didn’t know any better I wold have just thought it was a little chapel with a pretty ceiling. We were lead into the main centre by guards that were frantically leading everyone. Making sure no one took photos and ensuring everyone was silent. Gazing up at the ceiling looked up at Michelago’s Work. Once our necks were strain from looking up, we made our way out and felt quite tuckered out from our busy day!
Back at our place we brought back some pizza for dinner at ate it without a crumb to be spared. We then later went out and grabbed some gelato. Andrea and I both wanted to steal some wifi at the restaurant we all had been going to the past few days so we sat on the street side of the restaurant and ignored the glares of both the staff and people walking by. An all time low in the desperation of obtaining Internet.