Rome- Day 3

The Vatican

Ok the Vatican. Before we even went inside I was thinking "Mission Impossible 3" how could I not? I thought I'd share some fascinating facts. The Vatican is a country! It's own everything! It is all inside it's stone walls and the Pope runs it and no one can tell them what to do. I mean I guess maybe now, but they're separate from Italy and have their own laws. WIERD!!! So we woke up really early to beat the line and we did ok. This is just outside the entrance.

We went thru to this absolutely magnificent sight and of course I needed a picture immediately.

We kept trying to get people to take our picture and they would do it and then we'd look and it would ONLY have us in it. Nothing behind us was visible. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE!!!! Why would we just want a picture of us? Whoop-de-doo. So then we'd try someone else and expressly clearly "We want all this (motioning with our hands) in the background." They say ok and then snap! Everything but the tops of the domes. Again- hello? What is wrong? Why wouldn't they just cut off our feet instead of the most exciting part of the picture.
This one is just with our hands and I did better.

So then I think maybe it's all just too big to get in the picture. So I snap one myself and bam! Wow, I got Greg and the whole dome in one picture- no problem.

Greg thinks they just didn't understand us 'cause we were speaking english. I think there are just a lot of really bad picture takers. Wow, it looks so small in the picture. It was HUGE!!!

I LOVE PILLARS!!! Pillars and arches, I don't know why, I just always LOVED them! These were magnificent. All day I was saying "magnificent" because it just really was! These pillars went ALL THE WAY AROUND. It was an incredible sight.

Greg always loved the writings in the museum. He definitely thought that was the coolest part. It is pretty incredible that these were actual signs people made with there own hands around the time Christ was on the earth! Insane!!! I wish we knew what they said!

I LOVED the sarcaphoguses. These were where they put people's bodies when they died. They did this even before Christ was on the earth. They were HUGE! I think this was one of the smaller ones. Sometimes there were little ones (for kids). They have tops too (this one doesn't). They were always intricate and beautiful. Often they would have stuff about Christ, or something religious on them. I loved to see the people's faith on their coffins. At first I thought, "How cool, even with their death they're still testifying of Christ and what they believe in" and I thought, "Why don't we do that?" But I guess at funerals we talk about the plan of salvation/happiness. That's sort of the same. I don't know. I just loved to see people's faith in these artifacts. I don't know that it necessarily strengthened mine, but I just loved to see how people outwardly expressed their beliefs. That's how all the art work was too- so religious. I loved it. And it was neat to see that people believed in Christ- way back then- just like I do now. I don't know, I liked it.

I snuck this one. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but how could I not?!! It was INCREDIBLE!!! I know. I keep saying these words- amazing! incredible! magnificent! But it truly was!

Ok, this was the sisting chapel (above) and it was pretty cool. But really, the blue wall (yes- the ENTIRE GIGANTIC WALL) was WAY cooler. It was truly magnificent. I say amazing and incredible all the time. Magnificent I only used for a couple moments and this was one of them. I just stood there in awe. I don't even know who was on it or what it was about, but it was beautiful. I just stared and stared. The room was PACKED full and beyond crowded so I left before I was ready to leave, but oh well. THAT'S what I really wanted a picture of, but I was afraid. I thought about for hours afterward.

These are oil lamps. And I just thought it was really cool. It made me think of the 10 Virgins.

This is Saint Peter's Basilica. This is where, supposedly, Peter is buried. I don't know. I think that just sounds kind of crazy. But supposedly he is right here (Well, underneath. They wouldn't let you go down there.)

Also, there was the first of many dead popes we saw. Yes, DEAD MAN just sitting there in plain sight- I don't know why these popes just want to preserve themselves. I have no desire for such a thing. He was the worst though because his face was GREEN!!! If you look closely you can see.

The Vatican was overwhleming. Just getting thru it was so exhasting. We just wandered thru, and looked as we went and never stopped because there was so much we could hardly focus on anything! Every inch of wall and ceiling was painted on. For miles and miles, or it seemed that way.


Later on . . .

We had time so we went to the Pantheon in the day time (when it was open). The pillars (you can't tell in the picture) were amazing. Absolutely huge. I thought after seeing the Vatican the Pantheon would seem small (it was so magnificent when we saw it at night) but it was still HUGE!!!!

It apparently has THE LARGEST dome. Maybe just in Italy or Rome, I don't know. It was neat.

Greg got REALLY sick of me taking his picture.

We kept finding these "picture perfect" alleys but they never look as charming in the actual pictures we took.

We were dead beat so we just sat in a square with artists selling work, restaurants and people everywhere. We sat on a bench and Greg just laid his head on my lap . . .

There are ALWAYS musicians playing live music EVERYWHERE, and then while we were sitting there this INCREDIBLE very "Italy" music came on. It was so cool. We just sat and soaked it all in. I tried to video it. You have to listen closely. (I can't figure out how to make the video upright either) There's this different kind of instrument they used that I've heard before, but have NO IDEA what it is. Greg said he recognized the song from The Godfather.

Ok I just tried to listen to it and I could barely hear it. Sorry if it's the most boring video ever.