Roma!!

I'm behind! I landed in Prague and made it to my hotel.  Really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning!! Ok, I've got a lot to cover so feel free to skim...

Overall, Italy was great! I've found most of the people to be extremely helpful and willing to use English whenever they could.  In situations where there is no one to help, there are usually pictures to aid you in completing your task.  For example, here is a picture I found in the bathroom giving visual instructions on toilet use: 

1) Lower the toilet seat half-way, STOP! 2) Use your butt to lower it the rest of the way...do your business 3) Walk like an Egyptian.  Easy Peasy. 

April 8th: I took the train from Milan through Florence to Rome. The Tuscan countryside was beautiful, I can see myself coming back to Italy and spending weeks lounging around in vineyards. 

My hotel in Rome was just a 20 minute walk from the train station in Rome; pretty centrally located, 10 minutes from the Metro station.  After checking into the hotel I walked to the Colosseum. 

 Let me tell you something about walking places in Rome: Crossing a Roman street at a crosswalk with no light is an act of fearlessness. It's not like in Denver where you stand a the crosswalk, cars eventually come to a stop, you wave at them and cross the street. No, in Rome if you don't step in front of oncoming traffic, they are not going to stop.  Remember Frogger? Yep...Rome. I stumbled upon a festival at the San Giovanni Laterano, there were international booths set up everywhere and dancers from different nations taking turns on the stage.  Way too many sweaty hot people packed together for my liking so I continued on my way.  The Colosseum was great, enormous and completely surrounded by grown men dressed as ancient Romans taking pictures with tourists and then charging them 5 Euros after the picture is taken. I arrived too late to go inside but I took several pictures through the gates...that counts right?  By this time it was 6pm and I didn't fancy playing Frogger: The Night Addition so I headed back to the hotel. 

 The next morning I set out early to hit the Vatican.  I decided to do St. Peter's Basilica first, which meant standing in a really long line for 45 minutes. The wait was worth it, the Basilica was stunning. 

 It would be amazing had it been built today but the fact that it has been standing since 1626... it boggles the mind. It is so grand and stunning, you could walk around inside for days and not see all the detail, it seems endless.  

After leaving the Basilica and sending a few postcards from the Vatican post office I walked around the outside of the Vatican to the entrance for the Vatican Museums.  

Same thing here... I can't even describe everything in there.  So many relics from centuries ago covering the walls...the walls themselves are relics!! 

Once I made it through the roughly one million museums leading the tourist masses (like cattle) I finally made it, The Sistine Chapel.  Holy @*#@. How is that even possible? Before the days of cherry pickers and stable scaffolding, somehow Michelangelo was able to paint like 50 feet off the ground and still maintain proportion and make it absolutely stunning.  

You are not allowed to take pictures in the chapel...through shear ninja skill I was able to get two. It was too beautiful, I couldn't help but break the rules...I should have gone to confession. :( I won't post this until I leave Italy, wouldn't want the Vatican Guards coming after me.

I walked by the Spanish Steps on the way back to the hotel, meh.

 Yesterday I had lunch in Piazza Navona, wine and spaghetti, life is good. 

Looking for the bathroom I went into an unmarked church which turned out to be St. Agnes Cathedral, I think it might be my favorite of all I have seen on this trip.  It wasn't very big, it could maybe seat 300 people, but it was stunning.  A hidden gem...though the Piazza Navona is a huge tourist attraction so perhaps not so hidden.  

 I also visited the Pantheon, looks like it's about to fall down on the outside, looks brand new on the inside.  Loved it.

~LOVES~

~Cynthia