Today was our first day in Italy - and it was exhausting! We took an overnight flight and landed at around 9:00am this morning; after getting off the plane, navigating through the airport, buying a "Roma Pass", taking a bus to Termini Station, taking the Metro to the Barberini Station, and wandering the streets until we found the Boscolo Hotel Roma where we were staying, it was after 11:00am. No time to sleep though - we were off to Vatican City!

Just outside the Vatican Museums, we had our first Italian meal - a pizza! Then we headed to the Vatican Museums for a guided tour. The first stop was an open courtyard with a view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, and we continued on through the museums as our guide explained the art and history. The sheer number of statues, pantings, tapestries and decorations were completely overwhelming - in total, the Vatican has over 7 km of hallways displaying the exhibits, and every one we saw was amazing (except the contemporary art wing - it looked silly and out of place compared to the masterpieces from the Renaissance and Ancient Rome).

The tour ended in the Sistine Chapel, which was as amazing as expected. Even though it was packed with hundreds of sweaty tourists, we couldn't help but be overwhelmed looking at the beautiful ceiling.

To finish up the day, we headed to St. Peter's Basilica. This was Peter's favorite part of Rome - the exterior is impressive, but inside can hardly be described. As soon as we entered we could see the evening sun coming through the windows filling the massive hall and illuminating the dome and alter. We just stood looking for a while. After exploring a few of the halls to the side, we realized how hungry and tired we were, and headed back to the hotel, where a shower, a delicious cheese plate, and a bottle of wine were waiting for us.

Tomorrow is another full day - we need...to......get........to.........sle.........zzzzzzzzzz