Saturday, April 18, 2015

The Vatican

Well I don't even know what to say; I can finally cross the number one thing on my bucket list off: see the Vatican. I honestly don't know what to say about it because it was that amazing. I'll just start from the beginning of our day I guess. Luckily our hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the Vatican because our feet were still sore from yesterday. We first stopped at a shop Natalie wanted to go in to see if she could find a gift for her siblings and then we started making our way to St. Peter's Square. Luckily some guy stopped us and told us that the basilica was closed because the president of Italy was touring the basilica and Sistine chapel. He showed us the rates for the tour company he worked for and said everything was discounted because some of the sights were closed until later that afternoon. So we decided to do that and we are both really glad we did. Our tour started in the Vatican museums and as soon as we entered the museum, our guide said "Welcome to the smallest country in the world" and I could not believe I was there. The museums were absolutely packed and I could not handle it, at times I got a little claustrophobic. After the museums we were able to go into the Sistine Chapel because it had opened up early. They said that we couldn't take pictures inside, but I snuck a couple. Then the basilica opened up right after we entered the Sistine Chapel so we were able to go right in. When we got in St. Peter's Basilica, it wasn't too crowded yet because it had just opened up. We both just walked around in total awe because it was that beautiful. None of my pictures do it any justice of course, but it was amazing. After we had walked all around the basilica we went to a gift shop that looked like it had good quality gifts (it was also run by nuns so it looked much more trustworthy). Afterward we took some pictures in St. Peter's Square and then went and found a pizzeria and had some real Italian pizza. It was delicious! Then we did a little more shopping and bought some more gelato. We found a more local place to sit and buy the gelato (so it was actual gelato and not the tourist stuff). Then we headed back to our hotel with a quick pit stop at the grocery store first. 

This is the statue Michelangelo used as a model for the body of God in the Sistine Chapel. 

The Sistine Chapel looking at The Last Judgement. 

Part of the ceiling in the Sistine, the second picture down is the Creation of Adam. 

Our selfie inside the Sistine. 

This was a sculpture Michelangelo did when he was 23 and it took 11 months to do. A bishop commissioned it and did not approve of it because the Virgin Mary looked too young and bigger than Jesus. 

Inside the Basilica. 

The Swiss Guard

St. Peter's Square. 

Our pizza and a selfie while eating it. 









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