Monday: The Vatican and More
The plan was to get an early start with reservations at the Vatican Museum shortly after it opened. Unfortunately, someone who got there before we did got sick, so the whole line was delayed while they cleaned.
We had a local guide who took us through the Vatican Museums, and, while we were in the courtyard, talked about the Sistine Chapel, since she was not allowed to guide in the chapel. While I appreciated the variety and quality of the things we saw in the Vatican Museum and while I realize that the Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, this morning was a low point on the trip for me.
I felt herded through, it was too crowded and too hot and I was wearing a N95 mask which just made it worse. As far as the Sistine Chapel goes, the ceiling was so high up and the lights so dim that I really couldn't see all that stuff the guide had talked about. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I left disappointed.
We had a local guide who took us through the Vatican Museums, and, while we were in the courtyard, talked about the Sistine Chapel, since she was not allowed to guide in the chapel. While I appreciated the variety and quality of the things we saw in the Vatican Museum and while I realize that the Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, this morning was a low point on the trip for me.
I felt herded through, it was too crowded and too hot and I was wearing a N95 mask which just made it worse. As far as the Sistine Chapel goes, the ceiling was so high up and the lights so dim that I really couldn't see all that stuff the guide had talked about. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I left disappointed.
After we finished in the Sistine Chapel we met our local guide outside and she pointed out some features in St. Peter's Square. We were then on our own for the rest of the day. We headed inside for a look at St. Peter's which was awesome, and where there was room to walk freely.
After feeding our souls at St. Peter's it was time to feed our bodies. We left Vatican City and a few blocks away a gentleman with a sign was offering a free glass of Prosecco with lunch only a couple of blocks away. We (ok I) decided that the glass of Prosecco sounded good so we followed him to this cute air conditioned restaurant where we really had a nice lunch.
With full stomachs and a touch of jet lag, we decided to return to our room for a nap. If we have more time next time for our next Rick Steves trip, we will arrive a day earlier and try to catch up on sleep before the tour starts.
After our nap, we walked down to the Monument to Italian Unification. When we got down there a street vendor was selling bottles of water. How did he get me to buy? He told me the bottle had ice in it and showed it to me---it was mostly ice! It did not take long to melt and was the coldest water I got on the trip.
Along the way we saw some ruins that were being excavated. Coming from someplace where 300 year old things are old, this was fascinating.
With full stomachs and a touch of jet lag, we decided to return to our room for a nap. If we have more time next time for our next Rick Steves trip, we will arrive a day earlier and try to catch up on sleep before the tour starts.
After our nap, we walked down to the Monument to Italian Unification. When we got down there a street vendor was selling bottles of water. How did he get me to buy? He told me the bottle had ice in it and showed it to me---it was mostly ice! It did not take long to melt and was the coldest water I got on the trip.
Along the way we saw some ruins that were being excavated. Coming from someplace where 300 year old things are old, this was fascinating.
We had dinner Monday night at an outdoor restaurant down the street from our hotel. While there we chatted with a German couple at the next table and met up with some of our fellow tour members. Maybe if we were a few years younger I could tell you about Rome's night life. What I can tell is that our bed was really comfortable.