Rome Day 3: The Vatican

I booked a Vatican tour through my travel agent before I left Australia. It was a three hour English speaking tour through the company Enjoy Rome.

I've said before, I don't enjoy group tours. It's not something that I can place, but I guess maybe I don't enjoy being around people that I don't know.

I think a tour is a good idea for the Vatican, because there is so much to look at. It would take more than a day to look at everything, and a tour group focuses on the more interesting things.

This tour skipped the main line for the Vatican, which is good because the main line was very long.

The woman with blond hair was our tour guide, I think her name was Francesca?

Inside the Vatican courtyard. The place was packed! The weather was humid and raining again.

There are rooms filled with busts. It's so interesting to see what Romans looked like, especially their hair!

Animal sculptures

You can see how packed it is, there is no room to turn. You can also see other tour groups, as the leader usually holds up an umbrella, or ribbon on a stick so they can stay together.

Sadly, there are no photos of the Sistine Chapel. Kodak owns the rights, and photography is not allowed! The chapel was my favourite part, but very very busy. There were guards who had microphones to tell everyone to stop talking, because a chapel is a place to be quiet. It would get quiet for a little while, and then the noise would get louder again. If I was a guard, I would HATE tourists!

They also had to tell people not to take photos "no foto. silencio!"

The tour ended with the St Peters Basilica which is apparently a hot place for pick pockets.

This is Pieta by Michelangelo, it is behind glass because a geologist with mental problems attacked it with a chisel. Wikipedia says that many people took pieces that came off, some got returned but Mary's nose didn't. So they had to make a new one from stone at the back.

I posted a few postcards, which cost 10euros (such a rip off!!)

I looked around the different souvenir stores, and tried to find some rosaries that I liked.

I accidentally haggled! The man told me a price and I started walking away, then he told me a cheaper price! Haha!

That was my last day in Rome. I really enjoyed the architecture, but I have to say that Rome was the lowlight of my whole trip. I didn't enjoy the tourists or weather, and the amount of hawkers and beggars was annoying. It's funny because the highlight of my whole trip was probably the Capuchin Crypts.

The next stop on my trip was Vienna. I left Rome by night train, which was the worst. It didn't help that there was a creepy Italian dude at the train station that wouldn't leave me alone!! :(

My compartment on the night train was full, but luckily I had a window seat so I could lean my head on the side and sleep. On to Vienna!! :)

2013 Trip:

Paris Day 1 [here]

Paris Day 2 [here]

Paris Day 3 [here]

Rome Day 1 [here]

Rome Day 3 [here]

Rome Day 3 [here]

Vienna Day 1 [here]

Vienna Day 2 [here]

Vienna Day 3 [here]

Berlin Day 1 [here]

Berlin Day 2 [here]

Berlin Day 3 [here]

UK [here]