Today was the pinical point of our trip. It was back out in the heat of Rome for yet another monumental and epic experience.
We visited the Vatican where we saw St Peter’s Bascilica, Musea de Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. This was maybe the only thing on our trip we didn’t plan well for. Despite the last minute decision to sleep in until 11:00am, we flagged the first cab available and headed off.
You’re told online and by most travel agents that you MUST buy tickets for this day ahead of time or be prepared to face the endless long lines to first get through security and then to buy tickets. Expecting the worst and armed with cold water, we were surprised that our wait was only 30 minutes.
First up was St Peters Bascilica. We took an elevator to the top of the dome for a special view. Only at the top did we discover that our climb to the summit had only just begun. Over 501 steps later we emerged from the spiral stairs to a small open area that awarded us with a spectacular view of the Vatican and all of central Rome. Awesome!
We both started to feel the affects of the stone oven, otherwise known as the city of Rome, so we quickly decended the dome of St Peters and headed for the main floor.
I stood at the center and tried to take it all in. I tried…
The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were still on our agenda so we did what everyone else must do with tight timelines. We spent 5 minutes to rapid fire photos of the massive complex with the hope that we would later be able to fully embrace the experience. The detail of everything is more than you can absorb. The art, masonary work, sculptures, architecture and smells are overwhelming.
We arrive next at the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chappel gate just in time to get another 30 minutes of tanning before we would get through the line.
Our experience from this point was hilarious, familiar and sad. Imagine a professional sports game (football or baseball) with a sold out crowd. Now imagine leaving after its over. Thousands of people heading for the exits to get back to their cars or climb into a cab. You’re shoulder to shoulder with masses of people trying to keep sight of their families or groups.
This is how you feel the entire time at the Vatican Museum. From start to finish your are essentially in exit mode with the conclusion of the journey being the Sistine Chapel.
If we layered thousands of priceless treasures, paintings, sculptures and more on the exit ramps of Paul Brown stadium, it would be similar. So… I did the only thing I could to fully embrace the experience. I hit rapid fire on my SLR.
Making our way through the maze of countless treasures of humanity, we were exited to arrive in the Sistine Chapel. The battle of the crowds seem to fade away as we tilted our head back and just stared at the ceiling in the Chapel. It’s fun to think how Micheal Angelo was able to paint it all while laying on his back. The only thing left was to send ourselves a postcard from the official Vatican post office. And that was what we did!
Our crazy, fast-paced, non-stop vacation had ended on just the right note.
