Getting Lost in Rome

I now understand why people told me I didn’t need to worry about gaining weight on this trip, regardless of how much good food and wine I consumed.  I don’t feel I am exaggerating when I say you CAN see all of Rome in one day.  I think that is exactly what we did, unintentionally.  That is the most I've walked in a very long time. 

The day started off as we hoped it would.  Nice filling breakfast, quick trip on the metro and at the Vatican by 9:00 a.m.  We didn’t have to wait at all to get into Basillica of St. Pietro.  It is hard to question the power God has when you look at such an ornate structure such as this devoted to Him.  I stood in awe of the detailed statues, extensive marble work and the massive size of the building.  As I watched nuns and priests touring the facility I realized this must be a Catholic’s dream daytrip.  I finished the visit by saying a quick prayer and soaking in one last time the beauty of the building. 

While we were in Vatican city we of course visited the museum.  It was no wonder they saved the best for last because getting through the museum was a bit difficult for me.  Normally I love wondering around various wings of museums, taking my time to take in all the artifacts and various works of art.  This museum was not lacking any of that.  However, the amount of people that were poured into the rooms like cattle made it a bit difficult to appreciate.  We moved through the museum as quickly as we could while trying to take in the beauty around us.  Finally we arrived at the spectacle we came to see:  Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.  We approached the room where there was silence.  Everyone with their necks as far back as they could go looking up at the astonishing work of art we’ve all read about in textbooks.  But now for the first time, I got to see it in person.  Photos might be able to showcase the details of his painting better then what I could see from the ground floor, but no image can truly express the magnitude of this piece.

After the Vatican our mission was to slowly make our way back to the hotel while hitting a few landmarks on the way, and of course stopping for vino on the way.  On our detour back we were able to see the Piazza Navona (along with a bunch of other Piazzas) the Pantheon, and many other land marks that weren’t as meaningful.  The Pantheon was my favorite site of the day.  Even though the Basillica was much grander, the Pantheon was more beautiful.  The idea of a place where common people of all faiths can come and worship no matter what their belief is remarkable. 

After eventually making our way back to the hotel, relaxing and cleaning up we made our way back out to the city.  We continued our theme of ‘getting lost in Rome’ by wandering to the Spanish Steps followed by a nice relaxing dinner.  I finally got the pasta carbenara I had been craving.  It was simple and balanced just as I hoped.  When we made our way back we took several ‘alternative routes’  making it a long leisure walk home.  The nice thing about being on vacation is we had no where we had to be and no time we need to wake up, so the extra hour of walking was just a funny story to take home.

To cap off the evening we picked up a few bottles of vino and are now back at the hotel unwinding.  I can’t believe we are only in day two.  We still have so much more to experience.