"NO PHOTO"

After seeing all the main sights in Rome, there was one last thing to check off the list- the Vatican. With my shoulders covered and a floor-length skirt on so I wouldn't get kicked out of the Church, we went to reception to ask what he quickest way to walk to Vatican City was. The reply: "there is no quick way, it's an hour away!'.  So since the man in reception thought walking was out of the question, we opted to try out the city's metro system. Just our luck, They are trying to build a third metro line at the moment, meaning the line was closed from Termini (where we were) to Ottaviana (exactly where we wanted to be). Of course. We weren't too keen to try out the buses since it was a stinking hot day and the buses looked like sweat boxes. So in the end we started to walk. Rome is such a walking city that even in 30+ degree heat, it's still not bad and there's always something to look at. We stopped at Campo Di Fiori where there was a fresh food market in the Piazza and had a gelato stop. 

 Then we walked along the Tiber until eventually we made it to the Vatican city. Side note- Rome is full of street hustlers trying to sell you counterfeit handbags, key rings and '€1 euro, €1 euro' water, that you can't walk down a street near any touristy place without some Indian/Bangladesh guy shouting out at you. Really didn't expect that to happen in Italy. So after visiting St Peter's Basilica and Mike trying to give me a crash course on Catholocism, we made our way through the maze of street vendors towards the Vatican Museum. The Sistine Chapel. I was looking forward to seeing the masterpiece that Michelangelo painted over 4 years that, as legend goes, rendered him blind from all the paint dripping in his eyes, but i wasn't looking forward to its notorious lines  Although luck wasn't in our favour earlier that morning, it seemed our church visit had redeemed us and we got to in straight away!

The museum itself was really good and extensive, but I'm not going to lie,  we were really there to see the Sistine Chapel. The museum had other plans for us though and they closed the 'quick route' to the Sistine Chapel, which made for a 1.5-2 hour wander through the other exhibits. At the end of each room would be an arrow, taunting us in a way that made it look like the chapel was just around the corner. Finally,  we made it to a packed room, and I don't think I have ever craned my neck so much as I did in that place. It was amazing, and it was in such detail that I stood there thinking 'no wonder why he went blind over this'. It is meant to be a place of silence and worship, so talking and cameras are strictly banned. Just to make this point super clear, a security guard stood in the middle of the room, repeating in a booming voice with an italian accent, "NO PHOTO.... NO PHOTO". So much for silence. He even pointed out the offenders who tried to sneak a camera out, just so they knew who was boss. So sadly, no photos of our time at the Vatican Museum, but I will always associate the Sistine chapel with that one phrase.