We went on a tour of Vatican City today and it was
beautiful. It was weird to go to a place that I have read about and seen books
about and see on TV. To actually be there was really cool. We went into the
Sistine Chapel at first, and I was a little disappointed. In pictures, it looks
a lot more amazing than it actually is. The chapel itself is small and so
crowded that it just seems claustrophobic inside. I also think that maybe if I
were Catholic (or Christian, or Jesus-y) that it would have meant more to see
all the art inside the chapel, but for me it was just pretty paintings. We
walked through the chapel and a few other galleries before going to St. Peter’s
Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. Here is where I was actually impressed. The
Basilica is huge and beautiful, but again would mean more if I was Jesus-y. In
St. Peter’s Square, our guide pointed out the Pope’s apartment and where he
waves to the people every Sunday. It was crazy to think, “hey I’m looking at
the Pope’s house right now!” After the Vatican, we ate lunch (hot
dog and French fries, yeah!) and then went to the Ancient City. It was really
cool to see all the runs and to think of how long they have actually been
there. We ended our tour at the Colosseum which we are going to take an
internal tour of tomorrow. Because we were so tired from the day, we took naps
and then went to Trastevere for dinner. We went to a cute place with awful
service and awful wine, but good bread and ok food. The best part of the
day/night/Rome was definitely when Crystal, Katie and I walked to the Trevi
Fountain after dinner. It was around midnight but we all wanted
to see the fountain at night so we went there an it was beautiful. I didn’t
like Rome very much, but the
Trevi Fountain at night was DEFINITELY worth it.
