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We woke up with the birds today in order to make it to the Vatican by 7:30am. We booked an early morning tour so that we would have time to tour the Colosseum in the afternoon. Both tours were amazing and filled with too many facts and stories to retell here, so I'll just go over a few of the highlights of the day.
Finding the Vatican was easy once we figured out which direction to walk after exiting the metro. The wall surrounding it is HUGE. Before our tour we stopped at McCafe for cappuccino and pastries. It was the only place we could find that was open that early. McDonald's in Europe is completely different than McDonald's in the states. Check out the picture of our order.
Our tour guide for the Vatican was excellent. She spent over a year studying the Vatican Museums, so she knew her stuff. Unfortunately, St Peter's Basilica was closed due to Bishop's being ordained that morning. We did go back at night, after the Colosseum tour, and it was open.
We saw the Rafael rooms, Hall of Maps, The Modern Art rooms (not my favorite), and eventually made it in to the Sistine Chapel. The impressive thing about this Chapel is that Michelangelo had never painted anything before and that it was completed in only 4 years. The Pope forced him to paint it against his will, which is why he finished it so quickly. He wanted to return to his home in Florence as soon as possible. There are also many hidden messages in the fresco on the ceiling, including a full moon (bare butt), above the Pope's seat, and a figure giving him a hand gesture that was equivalent to the middle finger of today.
After the tour we got some pizza. European pizza is good, but I must say that I prefer American pizza with lots of cheese.
The Colosseum Tour was amazing. We had a small group of only about 6 people and they took us to the underground, the third tier for an incredible view, and out onto the Colosseum floor! We were followed around by a lady who unlocked the gate at each section. They only let one tour group in at a time, so it was like we had the place to ourselves. We stood in the exact place where the gladiators once stood and walked through the Gate of Death - where they dragged the dead bodies out after the games. We walked on Palentine Hill and through the Forum, seeing the Arch of Constantine and Julius Caesar's tomb. I would definitely recommend this type of tour for something you will remember for a lifetime.
After the Colosseum tour, we got back on the metro to see St. Peter's Basilica. The Swiss guard stood their post at the entrance to the city, only letting in residents, and humored the tourists taking pictures of them (yes, I was one of them).
This was our last "must-see" of the trip, so we ate nice dinner of pasta, found souvenirs, and went back to the hotel. It was an intense trip of sightseeing, we didn't get to sleep in one day, but was completely worth it!
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