Day 11: Success in the Final Hour

My last day in Rome, and I finally made it to the Vatican. The Vatican Museum, The Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Buying a ticket yesterday really paid off, as I was able to get into the Vatican quickly and see everything that was important. Of course also having a guide to help explain what exactly I was seeing.

The tour went particularly well in part I think because our tour guide as a painter himself. He held every artist we came across in great esteem and explained why, telling us of the many important artistic changes that occurred during the Renaissance. Many of which I already knew since I used to study art. Not trying to brag or anything, but I probably could have been in the Vatican if I kept up with it.

For those unfamiliar with my artistic youth days, that is a joke. I never really got that good. I remember once spilling orange soda on a painting, and pulling it off by painting the background orange. That was probably my biggest artistic accomplishment.

The Museum was interesting, but I could barely keep up with everything and there were so many people that there was rarely any breathing room. Before you knew what you were looking at, someone was pushing you out of the way to get a look for themselves.

I must give it to Michelangelo though. The Sistine Chapel was something I was very much looking forward to, and it delivered. I never quite imagined the full scale of it, having only seen images of it elsewhere. 

I'm not a very religious person, but religion really can compel someone to make something magnificent. That sentiment extends far beyond the Sistine Chapel as well. Many of these ancient buildings I've visited in Rome are all built for some kind of religious significance. Rarely is that kind of devotion expressed in the same enormous ways as it was then.

Our tour guide was keen on pointing out that the Sistine Chapel was not just a religious work. While religion was key in each part of it, the story it told could extend to anyone of any religion. I am of the belief that any story can reach out to someone in any way, and that each person brings a part of themselves to each story, making it their own. I think this is part of why I was more interested in this section of the Vatican than any other. This chapel focuses more on the overall story than on any specific moment or person, and I think that makes it much easier for people to connect. I don't doubt that people will be coming to see the Sistine Chapel for as long as it's still standing.

After all this, I finally felt as though I had accomplished everything I had set out to do. Hungry after hours of walking and listening, I found lunch.

I really enjoyed the second half of today because I basically went straight from lunch to dinner. When I left the Vatican it was just past 3:00. So I had a late lunch, sat at my table, read my book until around 6:00. Got up, and found another restaurant for dinner, where I did the same thing. It was nice and relaxing after the long beginning of the day.

Every day I have spent in Rome I walked over 20,000 steps (according to my iPhone). On a normal day I might reach half that. So I think I was justified in relaxing for the second half of my day.

Tomorrow I say goodbye to Rome, and get on a train north to Zurich, Switzerland.

I really did enjoy my time here in Rome, and I will look back on these memories for the rest of my life. But I am also excited to get out of this city. From what I have seen I believe Zurich is going to be much more my speed. The city is perched right on a lake, which I hope will give it a more laid back culture than that of Rome.

I'm sure I'll be back someday, but for now I'm ready to move on. I have so many more places to see, and so little time. Before I know it I'll be back in the US. But I'm not going to think about that. I still have so much more to see. And I can't wait to share the rest of it with you.

One last Colosseum photo.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow.

**Just to be clear, that thumbnail image is not of the Sistine Chapel. They wouldn't let anyone take photos in there. It's of a gallery right before the chapel. This was probably my second favorite one after the Sistine because it had a bunch of really cool ancient maps of Italy along each side. Each frame contained a different part of Italy, some islands, some just areas of the country. Each had the location of every castle, village, and city. I thought it was interesting.