It poured all morning today but luckily we were doing the Vatican museums so we were toasty warm and dry inside for a few hours! In the afternoon the rain eased off a bit so it didn't stop us doing or seeing anything!
First of all we caught the train and walked to the meeting point of our tour of the Vatican. It was then we realised that idiot us had booked it for yesterday (even though I clearly remember us saying we'd do it Wednesday). Luckily I rang the company to check where the guide was and they advised us we had booked for Tuesday. Luckily the tour today was running but at 10 not 9am. So we had to pay an extra 15 euro each but still got to do the tour - phew! Our guide, Rachel, was absolutely amazing! She was Irish but has lived here for 4 years. She was so friendly and easygoing, it felt like walking through the Vatican museums with a friend rather than someone I just met.
We went through various galleries with sculptures, then through to one with beautiful Belgian tapestries and then onto a 120m long corridor lined with paintings of maps of Italy, mapping out the entire country down the corridor. We saw a previous pope's bedroom (part of the Raphael rooms) with frescoes painted by Raphael. These were amazing, and I especially liked the fresco that had Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras etc in it. It was strange seeing all these people in a big painting when I have to do so many teaching and Maths assignments about them at university! I knew who they were and lots about them!
Finally we went through to the Sistine chapel. Oh. My. God. Most beautiful room I have ever seen in my life, nothing will top it. Soooo much detail, Michelangelo is a genius! For one man to paint such incredible scenes and all on the roof - wow! I'm about the least religious person you'll ever meet but even I could appreciate the beauty of the paintings relating to god creating the world. Rachel used a digital board in the museum foyer before hand to explain lots about the detail of the frescoes to us so we would know what we were looking at, as guides aren't allowed to talk in the Sistine chapel. So we could understand and appreciate what we were looking at! There was god creating light and darkness, the sun and the moon, creation of Adam and eve, giving Adam knowledge, garden of Eden, Noah's ark and a few others. My neck got sore from looking up haha!!
Afterwards we saw the pope's front door, and it was opened while we were there which was exciting haha! We walked to St Peter's Basilica which is the largest church in the world in the smallest country! Huge!!! Beautiful too. Saw michelangelo's first sculpture in here too.
We walked around Vatican city once the tour finished and saw piazza st pietro and went up the dome of the church for a good (but a bit foggy!!) view!!
Did some more shopping this afternoon! Didn't buy too much though :P
Out for dinner soon. Rome is going fast, tivoli tomorrow and then Pantheon and a few other things friday, then Florence Saturday!
Love
Claire
Xoxox
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