Day 7: Vatican and Rome Night Walk

We got to our metro station around 8am. It was supposed to arrive at 6:35am, but the train back to Rome from Venice was a little late. I was surprised and thought we missed our stop because all the other trains had been exactly on time. Luckily Rome was the final stop of the train so we couldn't have missed it!  We walked back to the hotel to enjoy our complimentary breakfast. Then we went back to the room and everyone had showers and got ready for the day. Our pre-booked appointment with the Pope wasn't until 2pm, so we had time. By the time we left the room, it was probably about 11am. I had read on the forums that usually they will let you in before your scheduled time. I also didn't want to be late and figured we could always eat our sack lunch as we waited.

So, we went down to the front desk and bought our tickets for the day. We were happy to find out that the bus we had planned to take came right outside the hotel. We walked outside and within just a few minutes our bus arrived! I was so happy it came that fast. About three stops into the ride, I realized that I didn't have my backpack. I panicked. Priyana mentioned she saw it on her bed. I knew I hadn't set it down anywhere so I was pretty confident it was in the room, but not 100%. We got off the bus and walked back to the hotel since we were still fairly close (15 minute walk).

We got back to the hotel and to the room where, yup, the backpack was sitting on Priyana's bed. I was relieved to see it, but also a little bummed that I left it in the first place. So unlike me! Anyways, we went back down to the bus stop and as we were walking up, we saw the bus we needed! I couldn't believe our luck! Unfortunately, the bus didn't stop! We ended up having to wait about 20 minutes for the next bus to come. It was truly a bummer!

We got on the bus and got off at the Vatican stop. We literally walked right in. It was awesome. Zero wait time. We got in and fed the kids lunch and then made our way through the Vatican. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all being in the Vatican with all the recent activity. But, all in all, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. The place was pretty cool!

                               Anyone notice how Ive tried to match the girls outfits each day?

 So we walk into this large open hallway lined with statutes. It was a sight to see! You could literally spend a whole week in the Vatican museum if you wanted to see and read everything. We didn't. In fact, Im really not a big museum fan. But, I did read excerpts for the statues that really caught my eye.

                                                      Beautiful ceilings everywhere!

So, we walk into the next room and my jaw literally drops in awe. The colors of the room from the work of art on the ceiling was simply magnificent. I am going to totally call myself out here, but it was so freaking amazing that I said, "Is this the sistine chapel?" To which the guy standing next to me informed me that it was not. Seriously, it was beautiful. Pictures don't do it justice, but take a peek anyways...

                           

We finally made our way to the infamous Sistine Chapel. We couldn't stand too long right in the center but we were able to stand off to the side for awhile. The stuff that I had been reading beforehand made it seem like we would literally be packed like sardines. But that wasn't the case at all.  It was also bigger than I expected. We actually were pretty comfortable standing there even with the stroller and kids we had with us. We stood for a while just admiring what has been said to be some of the greatest works of art by man. The biblical frescos were beautiful, thats for sure!  We didn't get pictures because you aren't allowed to take pictures in the chapel and you know, we are rule followers. It was nice to spend some time admiring the works. The girls did great. I was worried Veena would be noisy (you have to be quiet in there because its a sacred place), but she was awesome.

We made our way out after some time. We spent some time wandering the gift shop looking for the perfect gift for my sister in law who is very religious, but alas, nothing stood out as grand. We had left a stroller in the cloakroom. Funny thing, before we got into the cloakroom there was a turnstile. Sariah almost literally got her head stuck in it. I was panicked for a good 5 seconds before we were able to release her head. Good times right there.

 The wall around Vatican City. Did you know Vatican city is the smallest country in the world?

We headed out in search of the Pantheon where our night walk would start. I figured we'd head over there, grab an early dinner and wait for the sun to set. We got to the Pantheon and took more pictures.

There were a lot of police there. They had been there before and have been all around Rome... at all the big locations and at least 2 guards at each metro station. But, for some reason, it seemed like there were more of them today. I was a little nervous. We found a place closeby to eat.... Pesto pasta was one of our favorites on the trip!

                                   

                                      Veena slept the entire dinner, which was awesome!!!

Throughout dinner we heard a lot of sirens. We also saw a bunch of policemen on motorcycles drive by, seemingly going towards the Pantheon. I got more nervous. I wondered if something was going on and we didnt know. I was wondering if maybe there had been a credible threat and therefore they were upping security. Whatever it was, I didn't have a good feeling about it. I decided that seeing the Pantheon at night wasn't a top priority for me. I just felt so uneasy that we decided to skip that and headed in the direction of the Trevi Fountain after dinner, stopping to check out some souvenir shops.  By the time we got to the Trevi Fountain, the sun had set and it was all lit up. It was our second time seeing it at night, but it was so gorgeous Priyana and I wanted to see it again. Plus Sariah was practically sleeping the last time we saw it at night.

I only had 1 small coin in my purse so I told the girls to through it in together. What a sweet memory. 

After the Trevi Fountain, the girls choose their souvenirs, I purchased my Rome magnet (we collect a magnet from each place we visit), and we headed towards the Colosseum. 

Mid walk antics...

Seeing the Colosseum at night was a must see for me. It was spectacular.

The metro stop was literally right in front of the Colosseum so we decided to take the metro instead of trying to figure out which bus to take back. We got back to our metro stop and walked to our hotel. 

We were pretty exhausted but we couldn't go straight to bed because we had to be ready to leave the next morning. Daniel somewhat begrudgingly gave the girls showers while I packed up our stuff. I had to pack up our suitcase, a day backpack for tomorrow's before-flight adventure, and then the stuff for the plane. 

I was more excited than normal to be going home tomorrow. In the back of my mind I still just had this uneasy feeling of being in Rome during this time. I don't think I every fully relaxed and I was excited to be back to the safety of our home.