The Pantheon
Happy… But HOT.
The Vatican
Damn you Pythagoras and your theorem.
So Italy is as hot as Texas. No lie. Thought I was going to come here and get some relief but it’s pretty much the same as Dallas. So instead of frolicking around Rome like teensy gals that don’t ever break a sweat, I’m sweating like a man. Thank God for deodorant.
Anywho, we woke up extra early to meet our tour group for a tour of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the ultimate Catholic pilgrimage… Very old, very historic and very artistic. I’m really glad we bought tour tickets because it allowed us to skip the line. And the line was looooong… In 98 degree weather, I suggest paying a little extra for tickets to avoid the line… Plus having a tour guide to explain everything is very helpful.
It was a four hour tour, starting with the Vatican. We saw frescos by Raphael, lots of art depicting the history of the Catholic Church and ending in the Sistine Chapel, painted in part by Michelangelo. For Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans, the Vatican tour included two of the famous namesakes. We then went into St. Peter’s Basilica, which was the Rolls Royce of Catholic Churches. Opulence… It has it. Dress codes for the tour are enforced (yes, they actually do enforce)… Women are to cover their shoulders, and dresses (if worn) have to be past the knees. Men should wear pants. I ended the tour by purchasing a new rosary from the gift shop. I can’t say my fellow shop-goers adopted a very Christian attitude by pushing and cutting in line in the store, but nevertheless I finally got my rosary.
We headed out from there. Todd was hangry from not eating earlier so we walked around until a man on the street took us to his restaurant, which was un-air conditioned. We left and found a better place that had AC and free wifi. Going back to EuroTrip part one, it’s the same deal with drinks here in Italy. Europeans don’t have a lot of soda fountains so Diet Cokes are by the bottle with no ice. I’ll be having a Route 44 soda from Sonic when I get back.
We ended the day at the Pantheon. Rome definitely doesn’t disappoint with their ancient landmarks and ruins. It’s kind of cool to be in a city that existed in ancient times.
Anyway, that’s it for today. Time for sleep.
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The Sistine Chapel was one of my favorites, but it was crowded. Our group also had an audience with the Pope, which was pretty impressive as well. Sounds like a very fast trip through Rome.