Rob, Chris, and I woke up at 6:15 to get ready for an early train to Rome. We took the fourth fastest train in the world for a trip just over an hour and a half. The second we got there, a large group of us headed for the B line to get to the Vatican. We got on the wrong line, however, and realized the A line was the correct one. The subways were shady. B line was covered in graffiti, and a girl in my group was groped on the A line (she was fine; she just elbowed him and moved away). We finally made it to the Vatican only to find that the line for entry into the museums wrapped around three blocks. Apparently, within the last year, they decided to significantly limit the amount of non-group visitors into the museums. They also closed entry for tourists at 12:30pm. While waiting, we had a nice parade go by that surprised us all. We made it inside a little past 11:30. The problem with the inside was that there were so many statues and paintings that without a guide of some sort, I was lost. I’m sure I missed something important, but the signs for the Sistine Chapel loomed heavy on my groups shoulders. We booked it for the chapel, taking pictures all along the way, hoping we captured something of importance.
The Chapel was awe-inspiring. I just zoned out in its beauty while people laughed at the guards saying, “No photo! Shhh!” I especially liked the depiction of the Final Judgment. The progression from the heavenly bodies at the top, to Jesus in the middle, to demons below was so masterful. We left after a long time of gaping and had some pizza in their cafeteria.
Direct from the chapel, we headed to St. Peter’s to look around. There were no lines outside the Vatican anymore, and the inside of the cathedral was not overcrowded. I rubbed my hands on St. Peter’s feet (though apparently people usually kiss them), and admired Michelangelo’s Pietà. The beauty of the cathedral was overwhelming, and I wish we had spent more time exploring. Feeling rushed to see all the sights in one day, we left for the coliseum.
Taking the B line there, we waited in line for about twenty minutes to get in. There were not any student discounts, so the money we saved at the Vatican went into seeing the Coliseum. It really was not anything special. There were no guides that could explain what I was looking at or any gladiator history at all. I thought I’d enjoy it more if there were more spaces for tourists to walk around. Really I wish they just restored it, or part of it. It was so crowded with tourists and so soulless that I did not really enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. I did get to take some pictures with gladiators outside though. What I didn’t realize was that the 5 euro fee for the picture was actually 5 per gladiator. Three gladiators equaled a hefty bill.
We walked from there to the Pantheon, passing the Roman Forum and the Vittoriano on the way. I really enjoyed the Pantheon, and there were enough signs and readings to guide me through its history. I took a few pictures, and we met up with Dr. Bob to go relax at a bar called “The Drunken Ship” in a piazza just a few blocks from the Pantheon. We stayed until everyone else met up with us. We ate nearby, and I had spaghetti alla carbanara. It paled in comparison to anything from the night before, but it was still very good.
We left for the train station at 8:30pm. On the bus that we took, however, Dr. Bob started becoming very upset. It turned out that a pickpocket was noticeably spying on our bags and pockets. He physically pushed the man away from the group and stood over next to me in a central position. He discovered that there were three of the men all working together to seek out something to take. You could literally see there eyes moving downwards over people’s belongings. One positioned his hand behind him and near the pocket of one of my friends next to me. My friend quickly covered his pocket. Dr. Bob alerted as many people as he could to what was happening. The front man even tried to put a jacket up on the handrail to block Dr. Bob’s sight from what they were doing. They left unsuccessful and flicking us off. No one lost anything.
The ride was noticeably longer coming back, and we did not arrive until 11:30. It had been a long day, and most of us just went to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment