We have had an exhasting two days and I cant actually rmember all we have done! Yesterday we visited just about everything we could fit into the day. We visited the circus maximus which was the Roman racing track. We then went up to visit a few more churches and famous squares. We also went to the tourist info box which was a bit funny. I asked about a concert I wanted to go to and they were not exactly helpful. Rude one could say! They gave us yet another map of Rome which seems to be the Roman pass time, so if you ever come here you dont need to bring a map, we haveat least five that we have been given plus two we brought!
Today was a big one. We left at 8 to go to the Vatican (where the pope lives). We queued for an hour and a half and it was a mile long and stretched half way around the city. When we got in we went through the museums and these were quite amazing. We ended up in the Sistene chapple which I cannot do justice to describing... you will have to come and see it. We had a tour guide and that is a must because it really is like the Oxford textbook of medicine flicked through like Johnny 5 here. One quick 4 hour trip through is not enough to even scratch the surface. Lastly we ended up in St. Peters Bacillica which is basically the HQ of Christianity. This is the biggest place in the world! Huge and all made from marble. Marble stollen from the other acient Roman sites such as the Palantine hill. St. Peter was the first Pope and is buried under the altar in the basillica. The Pope today will be giving the mass there at midnight. Unfortunatley you need to be in with your local bishop and to book years in advance. So we are skipping that and going to another big church for tonight. We also saw the Swiss gaurds which have the power under Vatican law to decapitate anyone they decide poses a thret to the Pope on the spot. Great...
The Vatican is officially its own soverign state and thus is a seperate country, hence the new map pin. However you dont need your passport as long as you stick to the museums etc. We did have to go through customs though!
Tomorrow we are going to St. Peters square which is out side the Bacillica where the Pope gives the Christmas day blessing. If you watch on TV you will see him on the balcony of the church blessing the crowd and Ill be there if all goes to plan.
As for now Im off to midnight mass so Merry Christmas all!
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