The Vatican

Our final destination was Rome. We spent our first day at the Vatican.

The circle leading up to the Basillica has hundreds of statues (saints and martyrs) and it is magnificent.

It was pretty surreal overlooking a site that we have seen in countless movies. The second I stepped foot on the smallest country in the world, I felt like a new person. (This is a lie. There was no major apparent difference, but it did make my country count increase).

We started at the Vatican museum, where even the hallways are lined with unique architecture.

These doors are only opened every 25 years, on the first day of the holy year. The last time they were opened was in 2000.

We passed through the courtyard that displays a funky globe.

And walked through countless more hallways and rooms full of fresco art (painted by artists directly on wet cement walls and ceilings).

We were finally led to the Sistine chapel. As we cranked our necks to admire the work of Michelangelo, we tuned in to our Rick Steves audio guide that we downloaded to our phones beforehand. The stories behind the paintings were probably the most interesting tidbits of information from all of Rome.

We ended with St. Peter's Basilica. Coming from the Sistine Chapel, we were thinking about how unique and original the artwork was. Stepping into St. Peter's, all we could think of was how much wealth and power the Catholic church had. Every inch was covered in Gold. Statues. Gold. Statues. Gold. Gold. Gold.

We watched a priest set up for confession.

The guards have to come dressed in Renaissance apparel day after day.

After dinner, we walked past one of many of Rome's fountains. It seemed like an opportune time for twirling.

We displayed our "brave" faces as a tribute to Blake.

Amore in Roma.