The Vatican Museum and sleep
Routine
We sleep until 5-6AM, leave around 8-9AM, sitesee, come back around 1-2PM, nap, wake up around 5-6PM, sitesee some more, and come back around 11PM and sleep again. Vacation heaven or jetlag hell? Our bed is really hard so sleeping is a challenge. After todays Vatican Museum trip, we had no problem taking our siesta. But we can't help but feel that we are missing some things because we are taking such a long nap in the afternoon. Oh well, maybe next time we come to Rome we can have things planned out a bit better.
The Vatican Museum
We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like today so we decided that we would play it safe and do something inside. Since we knew how to get to the Vatican, bus 40, which has a stop one block from our hotel, we thought that would be the best bet. The weather was great. Sunny and 40. Cold in the shadows, warm in the sun.
Lines
Even getting there early, around 9, there were lines, and they were long.
This particular line streched about a mile and took about an hour to get through.
The path to the Sistine Chapel
The Rick Steves book recommended that we focus our efforts around a few things. We had heard so much about the Sistine Chapel that we decided to see it first and then browse some of the other sections later. We walked through a maze of rooms, following the crowds. There were so many people that it was impossible to go the wrong way. Hoards came in one door and left out of another. Not an exhibit for claustrophobics or people with sore necks.
Frescos
It was the first time I got to see a fresco up close. A fresco is a painting where they mix the color with the plaster so it becomes part of the wall. It dries so fast that they can only paint a small section at a time. It was amazing to see it so close. There were so many beautiful murals. To think that the Popes would use some of the rooms as dining rooms or sitting rooms was incredible. I would put more pictures up, but this computer is so slow. I'll try to find a faster computer to upload some of my old posts later.
The Sistine Chapel
Close to the end of the exhibit was the Sistine Chapel. A very large and tall room with about 500 people gathered. You weren't allowed to take pictures or make any noise. In fact, I saw one guy and his family almost get ushered out because he took a picture. I had my camera on and one of the ushers came over and told me to turn it off. It was so beautiful and impossible to describe. I can see why it was rated as one of the best in Europe.
4 miles
The Rick Steves book said that there were 4 miles of exhibits. By the end of the Sistine, I was exhausted. Perhaps it was due to me being the pack mule. The backpack with our water, jackets, video camera and tour guides was killing me. We were both ready for our daily nap.
Lessons learned
Only eat at places recommended by the book. We found a great place several blocks from the Vatican. Perilli in Prati had a great one-trip buffet of traditional Italian food. I would say it was the best meal that we had so far. But I might have been delusional from the low blood sugar.
Metro home
We took the metro back to the hotel. Quick, easy, no hassle. At breakfast, we had learned that the metro was on strike the day before. And that was why it had been closed. They were on strike for 4 hours. Right when we tried to use the Metro.
La Dolce Vita Stroll
Later that evening we caught a bus to the Pantheon. And then we walked around town. We stopped by the Pantheon, San Ignazio Church, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. We ate at another recommended restaurant, il Gabriello. We split everything, salad, entre and even dessert. It was Keri's favorite.
Tomorrow
If the weather is nice, we'll do the Forum walk. We have to see the Colosseum before we leave on Thursday. If the weather is bad we'll try to get into the Borghese Museum.
We sleep until 5-6AM, leave around 8-9AM, sitesee, come back around 1-2PM, nap, wake up around 5-6PM, sitesee some more, and come back around 11PM and sleep again. Vacation heaven or jetlag hell? Our bed is really hard so sleeping is a challenge. After todays Vatican Museum trip, we had no problem taking our siesta. But we can't help but feel that we are missing some things because we are taking such a long nap in the afternoon. Oh well, maybe next time we come to Rome we can have things planned out a bit better.
The Vatican Museum
We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like today so we decided that we would play it safe and do something inside. Since we knew how to get to the Vatican, bus 40, which has a stop one block from our hotel, we thought that would be the best bet. The weather was great. Sunny and 40. Cold in the shadows, warm in the sun.
Lines
Even getting there early, around 9, there were lines, and they were long.
This particular line streched about a mile and took about an hour to get through.
The path to the Sistine Chapel
The Rick Steves book recommended that we focus our efforts around a few things. We had heard so much about the Sistine Chapel that we decided to see it first and then browse some of the other sections later. We walked through a maze of rooms, following the crowds. There were so many people that it was impossible to go the wrong way. Hoards came in one door and left out of another. Not an exhibit for claustrophobics or people with sore necks.
Frescos
It was the first time I got to see a fresco up close. A fresco is a painting where they mix the color with the plaster so it becomes part of the wall. It dries so fast that they can only paint a small section at a time. It was amazing to see it so close. There were so many beautiful murals. To think that the Popes would use some of the rooms as dining rooms or sitting rooms was incredible. I would put more pictures up, but this computer is so slow. I'll try to find a faster computer to upload some of my old posts later.
The Sistine Chapel
Close to the end of the exhibit was the Sistine Chapel. A very large and tall room with about 500 people gathered. You weren't allowed to take pictures or make any noise. In fact, I saw one guy and his family almost get ushered out because he took a picture. I had my camera on and one of the ushers came over and told me to turn it off. It was so beautiful and impossible to describe. I can see why it was rated as one of the best in Europe.
4 miles
The Rick Steves book said that there were 4 miles of exhibits. By the end of the Sistine, I was exhausted. Perhaps it was due to me being the pack mule. The backpack with our water, jackets, video camera and tour guides was killing me. We were both ready for our daily nap.
Lessons learned
Only eat at places recommended by the book. We found a great place several blocks from the Vatican. Perilli in Prati had a great one-trip buffet of traditional Italian food. I would say it was the best meal that we had so far. But I might have been delusional from the low blood sugar.
Metro home
We took the metro back to the hotel. Quick, easy, no hassle. At breakfast, we had learned that the metro was on strike the day before. And that was why it had been closed. They were on strike for 4 hours. Right when we tried to use the Metro.
La Dolce Vita Stroll
Later that evening we caught a bus to the Pantheon. And then we walked around town. We stopped by the Pantheon, San Ignazio Church, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. We ate at another recommended restaurant, il Gabriello. We split everything, salad, entre and even dessert. It was Keri's favorite.
Tomorrow
If the weather is nice, we'll do the Forum walk. We have to see the Colosseum before we leave on Thursday. If the weather is bad we'll try to get into the Borghese Museum.
posted by Alex at 9:04 PM
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