Vatican in Rome

Bus was supposed to pick us up at 8. At 7:45 John rang us to say they're waiting. So I skip the last bathroom stop and hurry downstairs. Eventually the guide comes and gets the 6 of us and we take off. After 15 minutes, we end up back by the hotel to pick up more people! Ok, they must not have got his message. So we go again....and drive around, and end up at the hotel for the third time!!! Really not sure about these tour people and how organized they are... I really needed that bathroom stop by the time we got to the Vatican!

The streets here are so narrow. Often they are one way only, except that cars and motorcycles are parked on both sides, and people walk there too. It's surprising there aren't more accidents. The drivers fly through when there's a clear spot.

This is the view out the bus window. So it's a regular size bus going down this street!

You can even find McDonalds if you look hard enough. This is the extent of the signs though.

We stopped across from this fountain while picking up people for the tour. Nice place to take a picture!

 

 

I didn't know Vatican City is totally separate from Rome, from Italy, from everything. It stands alone with a wall separating it from Rome. We didn't have to have passports, but we had security check just like at the airport. They have their own license plates, stores, hospital, post office...you name it!

We started off with a tour of Vatican City, Basilica S. Pietro ( St. Peter's ), the Sistine Chapel. Lots and lots of walking with no breaks (potty or otherwise) in between. It lasted about 3 hours. There were so many people there that our group of 24 lost 6 people in the Sistine chapel ( it's not that big and yet we never found one girl!). By the time we got out of St Peter's cathedral we were down to 12 because many went off on their own.

There's so much beautiful art here. This is before we go in the Sistine Chapel in the Museum. We're not allowed to take photos in the chapel.

They are cleaning some of the maps on the right hand side.

This is detail on one of the maps.

Look at this tapestry-

 

This shows you how detailed it is up close-

Here is some detail from the Sistine Chapel from a board outside. It was painted by Michaelangelo.

This shows the detail, and the difference when they are able to clean these paintings.

 

 

Now to St Peter's which is so beautiful!

Notice all those people in there with us...

 

The last pope who died. He became a mummy on his own and so they took him out for viewing. There's at least 2 others you can see.

 

 

 

This, believe it or not, is made out of mosaic tile only...as is this found below it.

 

And here are the Swiss guards who guard the Pope.

I've had a picture of the river in each other city so here is this one. It's the Fiume Tevere. They were fishing down there.

 

Marvelous lunch. I asked for Risotto ( rice) and seafood. This is what they brought to me!

 

For those of you not familiar with sea food, there's mussels -2 kinds, and something like a shrimp but larger with a large claw on front, and a really nice surprise...

Guess this meat...octopus! Yum! I was hoping I'd get some here.

The bus dropped us off at the Spanish Steps. John said they built it as a way to get to the top of the hill. I don't know about that but it is so beautiful. Maybe minus all the people...

Took taxi's back to the hotel to rest. We are all just beat. I had to sit up front in ours. I decided to never sit in the front seat of an Italian taxi again. You get a front and center view of the road in front. And never mind what I said about stopping for pedestrians in the crosswalks....

Jacky and I decided to call it a day tonight. The others are going to try out the metro but it's already 8 pm and we have to sit in the downstairs lounge for Internet. Maybe a cocktail on the rooftop tonight, Hmmmmm?

 

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