Today Rick, Rachel, and I went to the Vatican. We took the subway since it would have been a really long walk from our hostel. When we got there we walked into the famous courtyard area. After seeing it on TV numerous times, it was really cool to be there. We saw a lot of people lining up to see St. Peters Basilica. We joined the line which was getting long very quickly. We assumed that it would be opening soon and were towards the front of the line. Three hours later, we were finally able to go in. There was a Holy Week service going on and so the Basilica did not open when it usually does. There was probably a few thousand people behind us in line, so waiting was not completely a waste of time.
The Basilica was free to enter and worth the wait. It was heavily decorated and every elaborate. It was almost too much to take in at once. There was gold and marble everywhere. After we were done looking around, we paid to go to the dome of the basilica. This gave us a great view of the Vatican and the city of Rome. We paid a couple Euros extra to take an elevator part way up. Then the only way to the viewing deck was by climbing narrow winding stairs. The climb was worth it. The view was amazing.
Since by this time it was early afternoon, we were starving. We walked around looking at different menus that were posted. We could tell that the area was a tourist area because the prices were ridiculous. We walked a few blocks away and found a place that had personal sized pizzas and a drink for a reasonable price. The pizza was very good.
After lunch we went to the Vatican Museums. There were so many works of art and architecture I can’t even begin to explain it. I was told by someone that one of the Popes took everything of value in and out of the museums in the area and moved it to the Vatican. So today, the collection is very impressive. The Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican Museum as well. It was very neat to see.
After we left the museum, we walked around and took pictures. We went to the Piazza Navona where there were three large fountains. There was also a street market with many artists. I saw an oil on canvas painting that I really liked. However, it was a little costly. The artist offered a lower price, but I still was unsure. We walked around for a while longer and Rick finally convinced me that I should get it and we would split the cost.
With painting in hand, we walked around more. We went to the Pantheon for a few minutes. We had just walked inside and they announced that it was closing for the evening. So, we got a quick look inside, took pictures, and left. We continued to walk around. We came to the Fontana di Trevi. This is the largest fountain in Rome with many statues. At night it is illuminated and there are many people.
We continued to walk around Rome and got many good views of the city at night. By this time, it was getting quite late so we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment