May 16:
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Standing since 1626, St. Peter's Basilica is considered one of the holiest shrines of the catholic church. We were in awe at the breathtakingly beautiful and ornate works of art that adorn the walls and ceilings there.
The artwork honors our 1 true God!
We faced the choice of paying €7 to take an elevator to the top of the cupola (the dome of St. Peter's, which was created by Michelangelo) or €5 to walk up the 551 steps.
Our family did not hesitate for 2 seconds before deciding unanimously to take the steps! The steps were narrow and jam-packed with people, but it definitely added to the adventure of being there in the first place.
The 1st view we came to was very lovely, but a bit of a disappointment for the amount of euros we'd paid to get there. 
Then we found some more steps--even narrower and more crowded than the first set--and eventually got to step outside to this crowd of 1000s.
We trepidatiously made our way through the masses and finally got a picture of 5 of us.
And, even better, got to see this €1,000,000 view of the city!
Wow times 10!
After Saint Peter's we found ourselves 1 good place to get some lunch (at a restaurant called Fa'bio)...
but there were 0 tables, so we ate on the sidewalk.
After lunch we headed to the Vatican where the line was said to stretch for more than 2 hours.
Luckily we had pre-reserved tickets for the 6 of us and we got to skip the lines.
We got audio guides and started wending our way through the 40-gazillion other people that decided to visit the Vatican at the same time as us.
but there were 0 tables, so we ate on the sidewalk.
After lunch we headed to the Vatican where the line was said to stretch for more than 2 hours.
Luckily we had pre-reserved tickets for the 6 of us and we got to skip the lines.
We got audio guides and started wending our way through the 40-gazillion other people that decided to visit the Vatican at the same time as us.
The statues and artwork were amazing and it was crazy to think how they are 100s of years old.
It's hard to imagine the 1000s of hours that went into creating artwork of this magnitude, detail, and beauty! (I know I'm stretching myself here with the whole NUMB3R thing now.)
I knew that my sister, Heather, would appreciate this finely crafted reproduction of a mama swan and her 3 babies.
I'm so glad to have these 4 kiddos along for this adventurous ride through Europe!
After spending the day in the crowds, we were ready for a little fresh air and we made one of our last stops of the day to Villa Borghese, a city park right in the heart of Rome. After wandering for a bit, we found this overlook that really made us want to stay an extra week or 3 and explore this fascinating city more.
We kept up our tradition and made sure we gelato 2 times again today!
But with the 25,000+ steps we walked again today, it's hard to feel too guilty about that!
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Love to hear of your adventures across Europe. What an amazing trip!
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming you went into the Sistine Chapel? Are they still sssssshhhhhhing people every two minutes (which is rather ironic, in my opinion!)?
And keep eating that gelato twice a day. When in Rome . . .
A trip of a lifetime!!! Sooooo amazing!! your pictures are fabulous and so are the smiles on your family!
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing things you saw on this trip. I've been to Italy, but barely, so have never seen any of these sights. Your pictures are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThis numbers post really tickled my funny bone and I laughed all the way through it. Can't even imagine climbing all those stairs with all those people. But it sure did get you to a great view.
Plus I like the replica of the swan and babies. But then I have never been bitten by a swan.