Vatican City

Trip Start Aug 09, 2008

Trip End Sep 16, 2008

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Flag of Italy Rome, Italy
Sunday, August 24, 2008

Yah, I woke up with enough time to get ready etc and still have to wait 10mins for my pick up at 7:45am. As it happens there is an Australian Pair, which were waiting for the bus too. They were talking to an Italian man who was selling souvenirs outside the hotel. Apparently he has been selling on the same spot, nearly everyday, for 50 years. That's dedication to your work for you.

The bus arrives and we are taken to the Tour Office on Via Piermonte. We are advised which bus to hop on and we are off. When we arrive at the entrance of the Vatican, we have to go through the normal security checks. It must be a back entrance of some sort because it's not what I expected. High walls with a very little entranceway. I kind of thought it might be more grand and obvious, but then I thought St Peters square is where you would enter. Actually, that is true if you wanted to see St Peters Basilica

Entrance

. I'm not today.

I'm seeing, the Raphael rooms, Tapestry rooms, maps room, the Sistine Chapel, and St Peters square. I'm not disappointed; each room was full of incredible works of art. I thought I had seen enough artwork to last a lifetime. No, I'm wrong, there is always room for more. I had only ever seen work like this in books or on TV etc. To see them with my own eyes can only be described as a WOW moment for me. The definite highlight is the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, and the Last Judgement on the wall, also by Michelangelo. Again, WOW. I must have stood there for about 20 mins, just staring at the works. The size, detail, depiction of the creation of man, WOW!

The 3 hour tour ends with a walk around St Peters square, and then I'm dropped off back at the hotel. That leaves the afternoon, to myself, and I decide to just go for a walk in the immediate area of the hotel. Lots' of people, small stalls, I found a Macca's. Macca's run anyone? Bars, caf�'s galore. After an hour or so, I head back to the hotel for a nana nap. Must have been a good one, I slept for 5 hours and it's 8:30pm. Great, dinner time. Upstairs to the Roof Garden, and I joined an American couple from Texas also on holiday. I had met them briefly the night before. They are a very friendly couple and I had a very nice evening with talking and eating with them.

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1-Entrance	2-Entrance	Sculptures	1-Sculptures
2-Sculptures	Tapestry	1-Tapestry	2-Tapestry
Painted Ceiling	Tapestry Room	3-Tapestry	Ceiling
1-Ceiling	Painting	Painting with Michelanglo	Exit from Sistine Chapel
Entrance to Basilica	Pope's Guard	Guards	St Peters Square
Me in Saint Peters Square	Sistine Chapel from Saint Peters Square	Fountain in St Peters Square