Throwback Thursday #11 (again): The Vatican

"Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." ~Benjamin Disraeli

I am happy to report my technical difficulties have been solved and Throwback Thursday is back in business! Now, as you will recall from two weeks ago, I survived the scariest taxi ride of my life, and we were on to day two in Roma, Italia! This was our day to be spent at the Vatican.

As you know from my prior bucket list blog, I was extremely excited to see the Vatican. Although I loved Switzerland, and if I could only go back to one I would choose the Alps for sure.....the Vatican was one of those places you've seen a thousand times on tv.....so when you walked up and were actually standing there, it was just amazing.

First, we headed to the Vatican Museums. These are rooms and rooms and rooms filled with beautiful art---frescas, statues, paintings, tapestries......it would take you two weeks to see everything in there. I mean they are everywhere---the walls, ceilings, floors, it was amazing! I only have these few pictures, because most of the rooms prohibit picture taking and I, unlike a lot of the other people, tried to follow the rule.

The Vatican Museums also house the Sistine Chapel. It was really cool to see it---it is such a beautiful place with the amazing painting of Michaelangelo on the ceiling. Again, no pictures due to me being a rule follower in a house of God. Crazy, I know. Surprisingly, I didn't find this to be the most beautiful, or most spiritual chapel we saw on the trip.....but that's a blog soon to come.

Then we made our way to St. Peter's Square. This was my favorite part of the Vatican. It's the place you see the most on tv. The Pope lives in an apartment overlooking the Square, and speaks to the public from the Bascilica, which is the beautiful church located in the middle of the square. It's a beautiful sight to see!

The square is surrounded by these statues of saints.

Here is the statue of St. Peter right in front of the Bascilica.

So we were walking around and saw a huge line to get into the Bascilica. We got in the line and talked to some really nice people from England who had been to the Vatican before. They told us that we could go up to the top of the Bascilica. So, of course, we did. It was so awesome...we had great views of the square and the whole city of Rome.Then we went inside the Bascilica. First we went to the grotto--which is where many of the prior Popes are buried. This includes the late Pope John Paul II. Seeing his grave and all of the people gathered around was very moving. It was also very angering---because the rule is you don't take pictures of his grave, but people were just snapping away. Grrr.
Once we got inside the actual Bascilica, it was huge and beautiful. The artwork and detail was just breathtaking. This picture below is the alter above the spot where the bones of St. Peter are buried. Again, it was amazing to know that you were standing right above where the bones of one of Jesus' Apostles are laying.

Then that afternoon, we went on another tour to the underground part of the Vatican called the grotto. This is the excavations under the Bascilica. You have to book these in advance, so if you're going to Rome, you should totally book it. The most amazing part was actually seeing the bones of St. Peter. Again there were no pictures allowed, but I did get to tke this one of these lovely gentlemen we had to check in with for the tour. They are the Swiss Guard who are the police force for Vatican City. They were super cute! ;)

Anyway, these pictures really don't do it justice. The Vatican is just a spectacular place that everyone should visit if they have the chance. Stay tuned next week for our night out on the town in Roma!