Illicit Pictures in the Sistine Chapel

Post-Vatican, pre-bus ride to Florence basement pasta

The dome inside St. Peter's Basilica

I still don't know what's proper: Vatican or St. Peter's Square?

Illicit pictures of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (yes, that's Michelangelo's famous portrait of God creating Adam in the center)

Inside the Vatican

Ditto

In one of the Vatican courtyards

I wasn't able to pay any kind of attention to any of the tours during this trip. I relied on Hans to update me with information afterwards and hope to remember some of the details. I was on duty keeping the chilrun happy (or trying to, anyway...not succeeding in some cases). This was our last day in Rome. We ended up back at the Vatican for our tour of the buildings there, including St. Peter's Basilica.

We actually (GASP!) had a good tour. It was super-crowded, but my big German buggy helped to clear a path. We had to carry the buggy up and down a few steps, but we're used to that. It's better than Japan was, that's for sure.

The Vatican is another of those places that defy words. I could try to tell you about it, but it would pale in comparison. In the pictures above, you'll see a long hallway with a vaulted ceiling. I don't know what it was called, but it was probably the length of a football field. The entire ceiling was composed of various paintings of different shapes and sizes. All of the window frames were painted and anything leftover was carved plaster.

Wow. It was just room after room of paintings and carving and marble and beauty.

Then we came to the Sistine Chapel. Our tour group was herded in with about 300 other people, ordered to be quiet and told that we would have 20 minutes to enjoy the scenery. It is painted, all over, ceiling and walls and corners, with beautiful scenes from the Bible. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but believe me, lots of people were doing it, so I crouched down in the crowd behind the buggy, held down the flash and shot some pictures. That's why they are a bit fuzzy and don't do the space justice by any stretch. I am so thrilled to have seen the Sistine Chapel.

Being there made me recall this obnoxious woman that went with us on our MSU trip to Ireland back in 1998...Lissa. God, was she a rock. She was one of those people who are so sure they're right about everything, when they are just so...well, wrong. I'm pretty sure that not only was Lissa kinda dumb, she was a liar of epic proportions. Why was I thinking of her? Because she kept saying that she had been to Rome and seen the SIXTEENTH Chapel at the Vatican. No amount of us trying to ask her politely if she meant the SISTINE Chapel could sway her opinion that it was the SIXTEENTH Chapel. Ya know, the one that that Mickelgelo guy painted *.

Um, yeah.

Well, Sixteenth or Sistine, it was lovely and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The kids behaved themselves admirably. Annika watched "Higglytown Heroes" on the iPod while we toured, so she was occupied. God bless you, Apple. You have saved my life too many times to count!


* Just so we're clear, I am frequently wrong about things too...