St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
"getting to the most famous chapel is like a maze..."
Vatican
City: no official language, 558 citizens, highest per capita crime rate. Sounds
wrong for the Holy See? Yet, it's not! What you'd never know is that until
you've been there all this trivia is well...trivial! You'll see thousands
of people, hear Italian all over the place and never encounter the pickpockets
and purse snatchers (which is good since the Swiss Guards are only equiped
with that long stick that make it seem like they can only beat the bad guy
with it). Vatican City is impressive. It's a breath of fresh air in the middle
of Rome. It's a peaceful and serence spot amidst the noise, pollution and
over-sensitive Italians of Rome. Did we get to meet with the Pope? No.
Did we get to see him? No. (Actually, he was meeting with President Sarkozy
when we stopped by.) Besides, just seeing the Sistine Chapel is hard
enough...I can only imagine seeing His Holiness. A good advice to future
Vatican City visitors: inquire, inquire, inquire...The Sistine Chapel schedule
changes every single day and the opening hours are the most puzzling ever
encountered (10 to 12:30 a.m. anyone?). Also...make sure you have a
couple of hours to spare...getting to the most famous chapel is like a maze...(a
beautiful one though): You'll visit many rooms before getting to the breathtaking
Chapel.
Inside St. Peter's Basilica
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
Kneeling down in St. Peter's Square
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
Looking like I'm pulling Ken's ear! :) (I'm actually not!)
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
La Pieta by Michaelangelo inside St. Peter's
(protected by glass now that a nuthead axed it back in the 70s)
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
St. Peter's Dome from the inside
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
The High Altar of St. Peter's
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
Sistine Chapel roof by Michaelangelo (visiting the Vatican Museums requests A LOT of logistics!)
Vatican City
December 20, 2007
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