Walking through the Vatican

This morning we headed off to the Vatican Museum. As we approached the walls of Vatican city it was amazing to see the top of St Peter's Basilica and the tall walls that surround it.  When we got near the museum entrance there were hundreds of people in line and it looked pretty overwhelming. Luckily we had our tickets ahead of time and were able to skip the line and go right in. At the entrance of the museum you would think you are going through airport security with the metal detectors and bag checks. They do not mess around with security in the Vatican.

Tourist head set

Rome is a very tourist populated city and you can see tourist groups almost anywhere you go. I noticed early on during this trip that most groups have headphones that they have in and the leader of their group is talking into a microphone and carrying some sort of flag so the group can follow. I can't remember where it was at but I jokingly asked Aaron at one of the sites why we don't have these staple tourist accessories. He explained that we are trying to be a class not a tourist group. So I was left disappointed that we didn't get to look like a ridiculous group of tourists.  However, today my dream became reality and at the Vatican museum if you have a group that is to large you are required to wear the headphones and have a microphone. Today we became real tourists.

Obviously I am joking, and I did not want to look like a group of tourists. In fact that has been one of my goals on this trip is to try and fit in with the Romans as well as I can. It has been really cool being immersed in Roman and Italian culture and I think I have done a reasonable job of not sticking out like a sore thumb.

Our tour through the Vatican museum was amazing. They have countless amounts of statues and artifacts from all over the world. You could literally spend several days in that place and probably not see everything they have to see. We made our way through part of the museum and then tried to get to the Sistine Chapel.  On the way to the chapel we passed through several rooms with amazing paintings and sculptures. I think one of my favorite parts of the museum was the hall way that was filled with giant paintings of maps. I couldn't tell where most of the maps were of but there were a few that I knew and it was cool to see them painted in detail. After lots of walking through winding hallways filled with art we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. It was incredible to see the work that Michelangelo had done. The detail and precision that he painted that giant space with is remarkable. It was really cool to be able to see such an iconic piece of art in person.

Painted map of Italy

By the end of my time at the Vatican I was very ready to leave. Like I said there are tourists everywhere in Rome but the Vatican was a whole other level. The halls were jammed with people and tour groups and the tour groups always seemed to stop and talk about something at the most inconvenient places. I have absolutely loved the city of Rome and its people but I think I am just about ready for a slower paced less populated city. We have two days left in Italy and tomorrow we are going to Florence for our free day. I am hoping this will be a little change of pace from what we have been doing and I am really excited. I am also looking forward to spending a few days after this trip on the island of Majorca, Spain where I plan to completely unwind from this crazy and amazing adventure!

St Peters Basilica

Ciao!