Rome ... Day Eleven

Day eleven started with us getting up really early with plans to go all over the city.  We just had breakfast at the place, more of those delicious bars that I was drooling over from Prague.  I think we may daydream about them every now and again.  

After strapping up for the walk, we made the 20 minute hike to Vatican City.  Needless to say, the entire journey was absolutely gorgeous.  In Rome, every other foot there is a historic something or other.  I starting taking pictures, not even knowing what some of the buildings were.   

It was interesting as we were approaching the city.  We approached what we first thought was a set up for a concert, but we realized that really it was preparation for the newscasters covering the upcoming announcement of the new Pope.  There was definitely a buzz in the city as they waited during this unsettling time with out a Pope.  (Side note: They didn't actually announce the new Pope until the day we left Europe, and we saw once we landed in Chicago). 

After we took a few moments to appreciate St. Peter's square, we headed to beat the line and actually get into the Basilica.  Your bags get checked as you go through security, and the first thing we do is get our tickets to the top of the dome.  I had heard it's best to go up first and avoid the crowd.   When you want to go to the top you have two options, to take the elevator or take the stairs.  Since we were touring on a dime, we decided to take the less expensive approach and climb the 524 stairs.  Sounds fun, right?

Actually, I think if you took the elevator you miss a lot of neat aspects of the climb.  There were all these little windows and holes that you could look out of and see different areas of the city.  When you are about part way up the climb, you actually get to the start of the dome.  They actually let you walk inside and around the bottom of the dome, which is pretty amazing.  If you are afraid of heights, this would definitely not be something you'd enjoy.  You also get to see an up close view of the wall/ceiling that are filled with these little squares that have been painted. 

After we spent some time there, we continued our climb to the top.  The stairways start to get really narrow and the walls begin to slant with the dome.   It was great to be up there with out all the crowds.  We got some amazing pictures and you could see all over Vatican City and Rome.  

How beautiful is this view? 

As we walked back down another way, we stopped by the store and got a few souvenirs for my family there.  I of course had to be a goober and show how large everything was. 

 

We made our way all the way back down, which I think was actually harder with the long slanted steps.  We entered into the main space of the Basilica and HOLY CRAP.   This was truly the most overwhelming space.  There were SO many people and so many different alters.  It was all beautiful, but I felt that things didn't really flow.  It felt disjointed to me.  They were having mass in one area, which they have five times a day.   

 

This was one of my favorite statues by Michelangelo in the Basilica, called Pieta.  I also liked the list of all the Popes that was off on one of the sides of the Basilica. 

Once we'd had our fill, we left the Bascilica and headed to our next big stop, the Vatican Museum.  Walking through these gigantic columns were amazing.  As we rounded the corner, we saw the line, but it actually wasn't as bad as it seemed.  We really only waited out there for maybe 5 minutes. 

There really is just so much to see everywhere.  We got in the museum, got our little map and were on our way to decipher the maze of this museum.  They have everything from statues of Greek gods, amazing hand painted maps, elaborate ceilings and tons of famous paintings. 

 

 

My absolutely favorite part was walking through the Sistine Chapel.  Although the guards were yelling at people to be quite, they did have this heavenly psalms being sung over the speaker, it gave me chills.  It was so neat to see Michaelangelo's work.  I was even able to sneak a picture of the center. 

After all that walking, and climbing all those stairs, we headed back towards our place in search for lunch.  

 

We really had no idea what we wanted and stopped in and out of a few shops before we finally settled on one sandwich shop.  At this point we really were still amazed that the Italians just run in for their caffeine fix, take their espresso shot and then leave.  I think it was in this shop that we realized that there is a different price for the 'locals' who do just eat at the counter and the 'tourists' that actually want to stay in the cafe.

Since you really have to have gelato with every meal, we decided to get some from a new shop.  We ate it in a square that was near our place.  

Our next major stop was the Pantheon.  It amazes me that we are walking towards this building and it literally just appears out of nowhere.  There were tons of people waiting out and around the square. 

They were able to have mass there, so again they ask that you be silent through out the space.  It was quite lit when we were there.  I again, thought it would be great to show the proportions of the columns. 

From there we decided to walk towards the Trevi Fountain, since it really wasn't too far away from us. I loved the fountains.  You see all these people tossing coins in the fountain.  I actually had to look up what the reasoning was behind throwing them in. 

Legend has it that if you are in Rome and toss a coin into the fountain over your head, you will return to Rome.  Yes, please.

 

Apparently now, if you return and throw a second coin, you will fall in love and return a third time and you'll marry.  Look at the amazing photo D took of me with the coin in the air!!

Then, because we hadn't walked enough, we made our way to the famous shopping streets that lead to the Spanish Steps.  This is where you can do some amazing people watching.  Of course if you sit long enough, you are guaranteed to have someone come and try and sell you flowers. 

 

It actually started to sprinkle on us for a bit, but we sat it out.  We walked to the top and I loved some of the sketch artists that were up there, they definitely were actual artists, not the awful cartoon ones that some do.  

 

We went pack to our place to freshen up, but then we decided to go down our street to a popular bar called Bardelfico.  I think it's mostly popular because they actually offer other drinks besides wine and beer. 

We found this wonderful place on trip advisor for dinner.  It actually took us a few trips around the block to find where it was.  We, as Americans, arrived a little early.  However, it was perfect because the owner came out and offered to get us reservations for when they would be ready (30-45 minutes).  We decided to walk around a bit and explore the neighborhood.  You definitely have to watch out as to not get hit by scooters and cars since you walk on the narrow streets.  

When we returned to the restaurant, we got a better treatment by having a reservation.  They sat us in a separate room and were much more attentive than other experiences we've had.  Dinner started with a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese.  We both had to get pasta for dinner and by then we were stuffed.  It was not fair how good it was.  We opted out of dessert, but they brought over limonchello and little pieces of fruit bread.

Did I mention that in Italy you have to have gelato with dinner?  Okay, so we weren't that stuffed to not get it.  We went to our favorite shop and ended the night with a lovely stroll back to our place.  D wasn't feeling the best that night, so we ended a little early.