I was thrilled that I could now see the Vatican. The St.Peters church and the sistine chappel… AndI wasen’t disspointed! I rushed to the vatican museum and found it so interesting, that I spent more than 4 hours there looking at all the artefacts. Of course the frescoes of Raphael was a highlight. A few pictures of the paintings are shown here – but they are HUGE and breathtaking beautiful… A must see…
The sistine chapel is also amazing. The optical illusions are beyond description, and of course the legendary hands of god and man is painted in the center of the ceiling. I do not have any pictures, as this room is so holy that photography is forbidden. Silence is also required here… But imagine 1000 people whispering and taking pictures while a dozen guards try to stop them?
The Sistine Chapel is THE place, where new popes are elected and are therefore the crown jewel of the Roman-Catholic Church… By the way: Have you ever thought about that the Vatican is a sovereign state? Complete with foreign service, diplomatic immunity, embassies around the world, ambassadors and seat in UN?
Just to be more precise: The Roman Catholic church – one of the major religions – are represented as a country? Imagine if Protestants, muslims, hindus and all other religions were represented in a similar way?
The St.Peter square is big, but much smaller than I expected… However, the Basicila itself is much larger than I expected… And the fact that they cater to many languages in the confessions was also a surprise – but probally due to my ignorence…
Did you know that there is a souvenir shop, toilets and a cofee shop ON THE ROOF of St.Peter Cathedral? There is. And the coffee is actually good and cheap. And the view is phenomenal also… Talk about holyness and tourists and do the math. 😉
St.Peter cathedral is a must for anyone visiting Rome… and a trip to the dome is likewise mandatory in my book. The view over Rome is breathtaking… A warning though: There are 551 steps to the top (and an elevator taking you the first 220)…
