Saturday, May 13th
We woke up early (by our standards) and headed to the Vatican to try and see the sights before major things closed. On Saturdays the Vatican Musuem closes at 12:20pm. We took the metro which smells absolutely awful in Rome and then stopped for a pastry and espresso (or coke, water, etc.)
As we approached the Vatican we started to see a HUGE line of people. The Vatican is surrounded by tall brick walls, probably at least 30ft. high. There was a huge mass of people lined up against the wall, and we assumed they were waiting in line to get into Vatican City.
We got closer and we approached by people who spoke English, asking if we were interested in a “free” tour. When approached by people on the street we are always cautious, but we stopped to hear their sales pitch. Apparently they were grad students at the University of the Vatican, giving free guided tours of St. Peters Square and the Basicila. It was a way of promoting their paid tours of the Sistine Chapel, etc. So we went with them because they also promised to get us through the lines quicker. We saw the square (which is huge and looks just like it does on TV) and toured the Basicila, and it was nice having a guide to tell us exactly everything we were looking at. There is so much to see, and unless you are a history expert or have every possible guide book before going you really have no idea what the different statues are for, or which tomb belongs to whom.
So the tour was nice and we finished up and had to RUN to get in line for the Musuem. It was just after 11am, and the musuem closes at 12:20pm. (stops letting people in, they kick everyone in out at 1:45pm) The line was still several blocks long. The guides said we had a good chance of getting in at that point, so we stayed. We made into the musuem at 12:10pm. There were so many people there, I have never felt so crowded in my life! We ended up splitting up and ended up literally running through the musuem so we could see as much as possible. The guides had told us it was the second largest musuem collection in the world, and if we stopped to look at EVERY piece for only one minute, it would take 12 years to look at everything. Again, they artwork was fabulous but the signs were in Italian and without paying for a tour through the musuem we didn’t know what most of the stuff was anyways. We just wanted to be sure to make into the Sistine Chapel.
The entire time we were in the musuem we were elbow to elbow with other people. When we finally made it to the chapel, it was absolutely amazing. However part of that was tainted with the fact every inch of the floor of the chapel was covered with people squeezed together, and guards attempting to silence everyone (saying shhhhhhh constantly) and also stopping people from taking photos (apparently the flashes destroys the paint after time)
All in all the Vatican was a cool thing to see, however the MASS crowds of people and lines slightly ruined the experience. One of the largest crowds I have ever been in.
After seeing the Vatican I needed a break from the major tourist attractions so I split off with some other girls to walk around, window shop and buy souveniers. That too was frustrating because no matter where you go in Rome there are thousands of tourists. Oh well.
The best part of the day was when we all ended up back at the Hostel, exhausted and hungry. We found a cheap CHINESE restaurant and decided to take the chance eating there. It had been recommended by the hostel and was right down the street, so we just hoped we werent eating dog or cat. After 2 weeks of eating nothing but pasta, pizza, and bread the chinese food was incredibly refreshing! Different than the chinese food in the US, but still familiar and recognizable.
CIAO
Cheryl
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