The Vatican

Today we spent the day in some of the oldest and best preserved places in history: The Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. peters Basilica. To begin this story, I have to go back to yesterday when we made the brilliant decision to take a tour to Vatican City. Perhaps it was getting lost 1 too many times, or maybe it was just good common sense, but it really paid off. We began the day in an AIR CONDITIONED bus and I knew I had already had my first religious experience. Cold air is hard to find here so the ride was a thrill itself! Of course we had already gotten our blood racing as we dashed across the streets of Rome. I never knew why people said Italian drivers are crazy... now I capisco! The Vatican, chapel, and St. peters were truly amazing-the buildings themselves are works of art! It is breath taking in every way!To think that some of thethe work was done without computers, electricity, etc. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was done by A single person is mind boggling-it took him almost as much time to build the scaffolding (9 months) as it did to paint (1 year). I could go on and on but it certainly was worth the time, money, and heat! Going with a tour group also allowed us to skip all the long lines-again, worth it! We ended the day after our afternoon siesta with a trip to the Pantheon. That too was indescribable. The pantheon dates back to the times of Roman Temples and is the longest religious center in continous. Use dating back 1400 years! Hard to wrap your head around it really. Services still happen here. Outside in the piazza, we enjoyed people watching while we sat down with a bottle of cold water! Ahh- I have been remiss in talking about food thus far! Today we ate in a pub recommended by our friend Rick Steves L'antica BirreriaPeroni. It was established in 1906 and had the sounds, smells and tastes of a true Italian meal. We started off with a capreze salad, followed by cannelloni (me) and gnocchi (Tami). Of course we had Peroni Rosa, bread, and some olive oil with balsamic to dip the bread. Did I get your mouth watering yet? I hope so. Still haven't been able to upload my pictures -hang in there they'll be coming! Please forgive my typing errors" I am having difficulty viewing the post while I type! Mary