Monday, The Vatican City

After waiting in line for about an hour and turning down several expensive offers to skip to the front and have a guided tour, we arrived at the Vatican Museum. We did "splurge" 6 euros for a walkie-talkie type tour handset that we conveniently shared by taking advantage of the headphone jack...we each had one "earphone." sneaky AND economical. Dimitri's: One Point, People trying to take all our Euros: Zero




Famous "School of Athens" Fresco

Spinning Globe in the Vatican Museum courtyard

ahh...one of my favorite places in Rome: Saint Peter's Square.

love the clouds.

Michelangelo's Pieta inside Saint Peter's Basilica. Apparently, Michelangelo overheard someone say the sculpture had been done by another artist, and his pride led him to carve MICHAELA[N]GELUS BONAROTUS FLORENTIN[US] FACIEBA[T] (Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made it) on the sash running across Mary's breast. He later regretted his outburst of pride and swore never to sign another work of his hands.

After centuries of pilgrimages to touch or kiss the foot of St. Peter, you can see the significant impact of countless brushes of the hand or lips: his toes are so worn down that his right foot is flat as if he was wearing a sock!

St. Peter's Basilica

Crossing back over the river.