Rome Fri Jul 8- The Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

The alarm went off way too early, but after a bit we dug ourselves out of bed, had a cup of tea, and packed ourselves up for the day.  We have quickly become comfortable in our new apartment and in the neighborhood.  I find it less confusing to get around as the roads are less winding than in Florence where I felt turned around half the time.

There is a cafe, basically coffee shop, right below us that goes all day and most of the night.  One of the common breakfast items in the cafe are sandwiches with ham and soft cheese.  They generally put them in a panini type press and they are quite yummy to start off the day. So off we go to the Vatican with a quick walk past St Peter's Square.  



Since we did not have access to a printer for advance tickets we knew we would be facing a long wait.  There was indeed a long line, but having prepared ourselves with umbrellas to ward off the strong sun, purchased fans for inside for 1€, and water bottles in our bags, we were all set.  Fortunately it moved along better than expected, and we enjoyed talking and watching the people.  Of course all along the way there were folks trying to sell us tickets, tours, and variety of items that they would make us a good deal on, but we have found that a firm No! sends them another direction.

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I had an interior of the map, but when we get inside it's still disorienting.  Lauren's feet are killing her, we decided all then endless walking we have done, especially on many cobblestone type roads, has probably been hardest on our feet, now they are swollen and begging for a break.  But we've waited in line, and paid our 15€, so off we go into the wall to wall crowds.

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The Vatican museum in truly amazing but I find that the impact of the paintings and sculpture is diminished by the wall to wall crowds, pushing and struggling to keep moving forward.  The tour groups stop wherever and create traffic jams.  We do get some great pictures though, and I really liked the Egyptian area And The Long March with the quarter mile walk along that connects the ancient world to the newer times and the Sistene Chapel.  The tapestries were amazing, there were open windows with views out into the inner Vatican City and the final gallery there of maps provides a long ago view and virtual tour of Italy's regions.  The entire long hallway ceiling is covered in murals and paintings that take your breathe away.

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After moving along back into the more closed in areas through crowded exhibits of Raphael and Constantine frescoes, it was time for a break in the little cafe.  Nearly three hours have elapsed since we first started in the line.  Our energy renewed and my iPod tuned into Rick Steve's podcast to educate us about the Sistene Chapel, we were ready for the final step of this journey.  

We entered the crowded chapel and were lucky enough to squeeze into a seating space along one side wall.  We tuned into our podcast and the people became a fuzzy blur as I was quickly immersed into the story of Michelangelo's astonishing work of art begun in 1508.  Both the process required and the resulting magnificent frescoes on the ceiling, and then the altar wall The Last Judgment that was completed 23 years later are truly awe inspiring.  It certainly made all the crowds and lines and sore feet worthwhile.

We zipped through the more modern art areas after that and once we left the Vatican, we went in search for sandals like most of the locals wear.  Just a few blocks away we are in luck!  Avoiding the regular stores, we have gravitated towards the endless street markets to look for deals.  Everywhere you turn there are knock off bags/purses, shoes, scarves, jewlry, knickknacks, and clothing.  We find shoes that go from 3-10€ and after trying several on for comfort fit, I buy a pair and Lauren buys two.  Now with our happier feet, we move into the clothing and find giant bins for 3€ each.  Lauren is in heaven and I even find a couple items.  

So bags in tow, we realize we have to eat. We now know to go off to one of the side streets to avoid the high prices, and find a small pizzeria where I happily dive into the best spaghetti of the trip.  Clearly homemade and fresh lightly sauced with fresh tomato bits, and accompanied by a small carafe of the local wine just as the locals do, I feel refreshed and ready for our next venture.  It seems that we are drinking wine constantly and yet it never seems to bother me.  The wine is served with a large bottle of water normally, and your food, and is the most common drink.

We read that you may be able to avoid some of the crowds by going later to St. Peter's Basilica, and find that it is great advice. The Square is enormous, but we had stopped here earlier, and follow our little guide off to the right for the security lines and entrance.  Once through security we quickly move on to the stricter clothing review, where many people are turned away who are not dressed to the church code of legs covered to below the knees, and shoulders covered with clothing or the ever popular scarves.  We are prepared and welcomed on through by the guards, then shoot on over to make sure that we are able to get into the queue for the walk up to the dome before it closes.  Basically the last ones in through the gate, we happily zip over to pay our 7€ to take the elevator up the first part, then walk to the top.

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The view is simply amazing, with all of Rome laid our before your eyes.  We have been so fortunate with the weather on our travels.  Even though it is extremely hot mid day, the skis are so clear and sparkling blue, and if you find shade it's not bad especially with frequent breezes, then the evenings cool down and are delightful.

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We've each taken hundreds of pictures, holding onto the moments of our special trip in these wonderful cities.  Italy has captured our hearts and Lauren is ready to move here for a couple years.

Back down into the church and we start up another of our podcast tours.  The iPod connects to the splitter, then to our individual earpieces with our lines attaching us to each other like an umbilical cord. The size of the church is overwhelming and powerful. We listen to the bible stories of Peter, are allowed to take as many non-flash pictures as we like, and walk near the alter, the sculptures and the walls.  We are told the the murals on the walls or not paintings but rather massive mosaics to preserve the colors over time.

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 Then when we are nearly ready to leave we return back near the entrance to the far corner where we find the Pieta created by Michaelangelo when he was only 24.  It is the only statue shielded from the public, blocked by bullet proof glass.  It reminds us how wonderful it is in this day of terrorism to still be able to visit the churches and museums with relative ease.

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What a day we have had.  We agree it's been the most special of our trip.  To finish it off, we head to our home here, then grab a cloth bag and dash off to the nearby market for prosciutto crudo, salame di tacchino, mozzarella, and a lite salad with black olives and corn, spindled with the Italian virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  A few olive crackers and the obligatory bottle of chianti, and we're all set!  

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Our evening is capped off my some calls to our US homes and a delightful B&W movie Roman Holiday with one of my all time favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn.

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