Rome Day 2!

Our second day in Rome was just as eventful as the first. We decided to head out to the Vatican to make the most of the day there.Our complimentary breakfast was not at the hotel, but at the little basement bar next door. We had American coffee, croissants, and blood-orange juice. It was delicious. Although, we kept spiling the coffee because the table was very wobbly.

As we arrived in the Vatican City, we saw a very long line and hoped that we didn’t have to wait in it. Unfortunately, the Vatican doesn’t have any kind of reservation system, so we had to bite the bullet and stand in line at the hottest time of the day, high noon. It actually moved pretty quickly, but the sun was very strong and very hot, we really were suffering. Once we actually made it inside St. Peter’s Basilica, we were so drenched that we had to just stand still for a few minutes to try to cool off and recooperate.

Inside the basilica, we saw in amazement, all of the decor, the gold, the statues,...everything! It is practically, a very large tomb, as we discovered that in the center of the church the altar sits directly on top or St. Peter’s tomb. Near the top of the ceiling, adourning all of the arches, is a gold mosaic with Latin inscriptions that circles the entire basilica. We were able to say a few prayers inside the Capella del Santissimo Sacramento, and be thankful for our families and friends, give thanks for our safe journey and prayed for a safe return. After touring the beautiful basilica, we went to visit the tombs of the Popes. Cindy wanted to visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II. It was an amazing experience to walk through such a holy burial ground. All Popes are buried within sarcophogi underneath the cathedral. We were both able to visit and pay our respects to Pope John Paul II. His grave is covered in white marble with his name carved in gold lettering. No photos are allowed in the tomb area, so we will only have our memories to remember such a sacred sight.

After walking through the cemetery, we made our way to the Vatican Mueums, which includes the Sistine Chapel. The Museum entrance is about one kilometer around the basilica, it was very tiresome. When we finally made it, all we had in mind was the Sistine Chapel. We entered and made our way up to the main corridor that holds all of the artwork, bypassing the Egyptian and Gregorian sections of the museum. We walked through one room after another, we went upstairs and downstairs, following the signs that read "Capella Sistina". We missed a lot of artwork trying to find the chapel. At one point, we had to stop in one of the many beautiful rooms because Pox began to shake out of hunger. Fortunately, we learned our lesson from the day before and with the hopes of preventing delirium packed a bag of chips as an emergency snack. We sat at a bench and Pox snuck the chips into his mouth as hoards of guided groups and tourists walked casually through the corridor, probably looking for the Sistine Chapel too.

Once Pox had eaten enough of the chippies to steady his shutter-hand, we were off again in search of the Sistine Chapel. So down we went again two flights, and up again another two. We almost missed three works by Salvador Dali. Anyhow, once we finally made it to the chapel, we were disappointed with the fact that no pictures can be taken inside. Fortunately, Pox is a little rebel and has become an expert at "stealing" photographs in forbbiden places. Cindy was very disappointed that she could not sit on the floor and mimick the famous, well-known Creation of Adam pose ( you know, the one were the naked man is pointing at the older mad, see the slideshow). After the labyrinth that is the Vatican Museum, we discovered that to exit the building, we had to make our way down a spiral walk/staircase. (So now, we have calves of steel too)

We did get a chance to enjoy the Vatican's cafeteria. However, the food was pretty bad. We ate pizza that tasted like cardboard as we were forced, yet again, to be in the presence of very roudy kids. Some of the tourists that we have been witness to have been very incosiderate and even rude. These kids were from Spain and their parents were sitting and disregarding their children whilst they ran a muck. After digesting our cardboard, we headed out to the Trevi Fountain again, during the daytime. We got our perfect picture. After, we decided to call it quits for the day. We headed back to the hotel and read some "chisme" magazines in German, Spanish and English. We had a very unhealthy dinner, Cindy had McDonald's fries and Pox had milk and cookies.

Our recommendation for anyone who plans on visiting the Vatican Museum is to eat a good hefty meal beforehand, you will walk it off without a doubt. Take some water, comfortable footwear and be ready to take it ALL in.

Courtesy of Cindy, enjoy a small video clip of the interior of St. Peter's Basilica!