The Vatican

I was still so tired from the previous day that I wasn't really sure I would fully appreciate our day in Vatican City.  As a Protestant, it's easy to dismiss some of the pomp of the Catholic Church and I just wasn't sure that I would be impressed by what we would see.  I was wrong.

I think this was my favorite day of the trip.  The Vatican Museum would have been a highlight of the trip all by itself, but it was only the warm-up.  The real jewel was the Sistine Chapel.  I've heard about it all my life, and I guess I thought it couldn't live up to the hype.  In addition, there were THOUSANDS of tourists all over the place, so we were ushered into the chapel where there were so many people that there was barely room to stand and take it all in. But it didn't matter.  I was mesmerized. The vibrant colors, the scenes that covered all the walls and the ceiling were every bit as jaw-dropping as people have said they are.  The images on the ceiling were smaller than I thought they would be, especially the iconic Creation of Adam.  But the Last Judgment covered an entire wall and it was spectacular.  I wished two opposing things at once - that we could have taken photos and that we could have worshipped there.  But photos weren't allowed and worship - other than my own silent prayers - wasn't possible.

After that we went to Saint Peter's Basilica.  I hadn't remembered that Michelangelo's Pieta was here, so I was astounded to turn a corner and see it.  It also took my breath away.  I have seen other versions of Mary holding her son's body, but this one is THE Pieta.  I could have stared at it for hours, but there were other tourists jostling for my spot.  The rest of the basilica was beautiful and moving, but that statue was my favorite.

Then we had time for lunch and shopping, but Clif and I were so tired of the fast pace of this trip that we decided to sit on a bench and watch people.  It was a very enjoyable part of the day. 

To end the sight-seeing part of our trip, we went to the San Callisto Catacombs to see where some of the early Christians, including some popes and martyrs, were buried.  All the bodies have been removed, but you can still see where they were laid and what kinds of inscriptions and paintings were placed near them.  I was also very moved by this experience.  It felt like holy ground as we walked through the dark, narrow chambers.  Once again, no photos were allowed underground, but I took some photos of the garden and area above ground.

Then it was time to return to the hotel and pack up to go home.  I'll be sorting through my photos and my thoughts for quite a while!