Thursday, April 25, 2019
We had to get up early to meet our driver and tour guide to go to the Vatican Museum. We got up around 5:45 am. They were to be here at 7:15 am. Breakfast was to be provided. We checked the washing machine. It did wash our clothes but the dryer function is much to be desired. They did provide a very large drying rack and we used it. We put some clothes in to wash while we were gone.
The driver was outside waiting on time and our tour guide arrived just a minute or two later. We got the Vatican Museum by around 7:30 am. We had 8 am tickets. He took the time in line to explain what we would be doing inside the museum. He went over the history of the Vatican and the history of the museum and particularly the Sistine Chapel. He had pictures and maps in a binder which really helped visualize what he was saying.
We went in at 8 am. A number of people were there waiting and many were already inside. He told us about 25,000 people visit every day this time of year with up to 35,000 to 40,000 in the summer months. Many people wait in line for hours to be admitted. Tickets are sold not to wait but they cost more.
We took some pictures of St. Peter’s Basilica from a balcony. He said then was a good time as it got very crowded later. We had breakfast in the Cone Area Courtyard. Then he took us on a tour of the museum. It was crowded and he weaved in and out of the people stopping every so often and telling us facts and history. We walked up and down all sorts of flights of stairs which was taxing on Sandy somewhat.
He took us to the Raphael’s Tapestry Room, which he considers the jewel of the museum, not the Sistine Chapel. We spent some time in the room. The tapestries were woven in Brussels based on Raphael’s designs and specifications. They used real gold and real silver thread in areas plus other metal threads. A 3-D effect is apparent. The colors have faded some over time. He said they were brilliant when hung on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. They were used to keep the cold out in the winter and the heat out in the summer. They were hung on the area closest to the floor.
The tapestries are huge and require five to six men minimum at a time to move them and a crew of people to properly hang them. They are impressive even now. Fortunately not many people were in this area when we were there.
We then joined the masses and went up and down stairs to the Sistine Chapel. We were herded in to the room. It is not all that big as I had expected. People cannot take any pictures inside the room. You are supposed to be quiet and reflective but people still talked, most in reduced tones but not everyone. A guard would get on the loud speaker every couple of minutes and yell out “Silencio” or “Silence”! That did not add to the effect of the room. Other guards were having people either move to the center of the room and kept the outer ring moving with people.
Sandy was able to find a seat on the edge of the room and stayed there a while. I moved to the very center. We were all looking up at the fantastically gorgeous ceiling painted by Michelangelo so long ago. I was glad our guide had told us what to expect and the layout of the ceiling and what each section meant. Hearing “Silencio and Silence” so loudly every so often diminished the mood. I would guess at least 800 to 1,000 people were in the room with us, at least it felt like that as it was so crowded.
I found a seat near Sandy after a while and we waited for our guide to return. He did and then we walked over to St. Peter’s Basilica which is immense. It was also very crowded but the hugeness of the room overcame the crowd. Our guide took us around slowly and explained many things to us. The church was built over St. Peter’s tomb. The floor below us is where the popes are buried and the floor below that is the tomb of St. Peter. Only two popes are currently entombed on the main level of the basilica, Pope John XXIII (who died in 1963) and Pope John Paul II.
We saw the area where the Pope addresses the people on special services, like the one this past weekend for Easter. We took pictures.
We went outside and saw the area where the Pope also addresses people in services outside. The workers were removing thousands of flowers in pots that had been surrounding the pontiff’s stand for his Easter Service. We saw the papal apartment where the Pope lives and waves at times from the window while we were walking in the square. The square at St. Peter’s holds 250,000 people. The arched columns on either side give the area a nice border.
The weather was great, 72-75 degrees and a slight breeze. We left the square and the tour guide had contacted the driver and we were driven back to our apartment in no time. We were tired. We took the clothes from the washing machine, put them on the drying rack and then took a nap.
After awakening, we went on a walk of our neighborhood looking for a grocery store. There was one about a block away, a small one but had all the basics. We looked on line and there was a larger store of the same company just another two blocks away. We walked there through the narrow cobblestone streets. This grocery store was larger and had good selections. We got some salad and tomatoes and cereal. The milk was almost all sold out so we went back to the other store and got milk and a ready made salad with chicken on it. We came back to the room and had the salad and tea.
We left the apartment again and went to our left instead of straight ahead as before. To our surprise the backside of the Pantheon was just a half block away. It is an impressive, huge brick and stone building which had the largest dome of the Roman buildings from ancient times and it is still standing in its glory. We got some great gelato at a store just a block from the apartment. We walked to the square of the Pantheon and looked at it from the front. Many small restaurants are surrounding the area. Many, many people were milling about. We found out today is a National Holiday for Families. We walked around the area and looked at the stores, most of which were open. We took our time looking and watching people.
We came back to the apartment and then went out for supper. I had noticed a very nice restaurant on our walk to the second grocery store. We went there and had a very nice supper. We got lasagna and a beef filet cooked in a pepper corn sauce. Both were great. While there we were seated next to 30 high school students from America taking a tour during Easter. They left and another group of high school students came and occupied the tables. We walked back to the apartment and got ready for bed. We have to be at the Vatican Museum no later than 5:45 am for the tour in the morning. We decided to get up around 4:15 am.
The internet here is very slow in the apartment. We have not been able to upload the pictures to the cloud thus I am not able to show much on here. It takes a while for each picture to appear on here. I may have to forgo many pictures during this part of the trip. We took over 400 pictures today and only a few have uploaded. Tomorrow we will take more.