Thursday, 3rd April 2008

	18ºC
	8ºC

Just a 15 minute metro ride and a short walk later, we were in different sovereign city-state – Vatican City!

Our first objective of the day was the Vatican Museum. Knowing that the long queues and hours of waiting in line were more than a tthing of legend, we got up very early this morning, and joined the (already long )queue even before they started allowing visitors in. It was a shrewd move, as only after 30 minutes of standing in line, we were allowed into the museum. Passing through the tight security of metal detectors and x-ray machines, we continued to purchase our tickets, and not long after, we were off to explore the museum.

While the Vatican City is most well known as the home of the Holy See, it also houses this museum, which boasts an impressive collection of art and artifacts of various cultural and historical importance. As was always the case, the group split, to accommodate the different interests and objectives.







Towards the end of this museum was the famed Sistine Chapel. This is best known as the conclave in which a new Pope is selected. Its interiors have been frescoed by the world’s greatest Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. It was here that we say the famous Michelangelo work, “Creation of Adam” on the ceiling of the chapel.

Also, we saw frescos by the master Raphael, and these, together with Michelangelo’s works in the Sistine chapel, mark the High Renaissance in Rome. With all said and done, it was an inspiring visit to the museum.



Exiting the Museum back into Rome, we walked the perimeter of the Vatican City towards St Peter’s Square. This is the famous square at which the Pope gives his blessing to the thousands of people who can fit in this expansive square. In the middle of the square stands an Egyptian obelisk, and behind it, the Basilica di San Pietro.





Finishing with admiring the Baroque masterpiece that the square is praised to be, we continued toward the Basilica. Here, again we started with climbing the dome. This is the largest dome in the world. Being cheap, or rather, being fit young men, and wanting to save the extra €2 euros, we bought tickets for “Stairs only”. In hindsight, it was a wise choice, was the lift only brought you up about 220 steps, after which you would still have to climb the 331 to the top of the dome!




The climb was long are arduous, as the passageways were steep and narrow. And with such a large crowd wanting to climb the dome, the paths often got jammed when one person in front was too tired out to climb and stopped for a breather, as the passageways were usually only wide enough for one person to pass. It was not long after though, that we arrived at the top of the top. Here, we caught views of the Vatican City, and amazing views of St Peter’s Square, as well as of the rest of Rome. It was a nice cooling respite from the heat of the city below as well.





As it was really crowded, we decided to not dwell too long, and continued with our slow climb down.

Having done with seeing the dome, we entered the basilica. The basilica (not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop) is most famously associated with the papacy, the Counter-reformation, and various artists, most notably, Michelangelo, and is considered architecturally, the greatest building of its age.

Entering the basilica, the first important monument, just on the right of the entrance, was Michelangelo’s most highly finished work, Pietà, considered to be the greatest example of the artist’s craftsmanship, behind bulletproof glass. It depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus.



We continued to explore and admire the interior of the basilica. According to Roman Catholic traditions, the burial place of St Peter was below the altar, and today, it is also the burial place of Popes.




Next, we visited the Popes’ tomb, where we saw the tombs of various Popes, including that of Pope John Paul II, where there were still mourners crying and grieving.

When we were done, we took our last few pictures of the Vatican City, before leaving back to the main train station of Rome.

Here, we boarded the long bus ride which took us to the airport in two hours.

Our flight out of Rome towards Girona on Ryanair was uneventful, except that Daryl, Chun Yang and Alwyn sat at the first row of seats, and spent the flight chatting with the flight crew.


Upon arrival at Girona, we proceeded to take the airport bus to Barcelona, where we were to be stranded with no public transport. Thankfully, after navigating around feeling lost for a while, tired and exhausted, carrying large loads on our backs, we eventually found our hostel where we had a good night’s sleep, readying ourselves for a new adventure in a new country!

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