The Vatican

The last couple of days of our trip were such a whirlwind... Rome is an enormous city with a population of almost 3 million people, and we had less than three full days to explore it!

Since I skipped the Vatican last time I was in Rome in 2001, we had to visit this time around. Its museums and gardens are very elaborate and full of priceless art, and the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica will take your breath away. We got lucky enough to encounter a Mass while we were in the basilica, and were able to take Communion there.

I guess my only wish would be to have a few peaceful hours to wander the holy grounds of Vatican City without all of the teenage tour groups (acting up, as teenagers do), aggravated staff members, and hordes of people. I know that is a lot to wish for, it's just a limited amount of space for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people that visit each day. I am a practicing Catholic and I definitely appreciated the sacred nature of Vatican City, but I appreciate all of the beautiful, peaceful small churches we have encountered on this trip just as much.

However, out of the hundreds of people surrounding us at the Vatican, Roberto says he noticed one family that made him realize how small the world really is... Ava, the little Australian girl from our train ride from Barcelona to France, and her mother were looking at some of the tapestries on the wall in one of the galleries. I didn't see them, and Roberto says it was so crowded and we were so rushed to get to the Sistine Chapel that he didn't go over to say hello. I hope they've enjoyed their stay in Rome as much as we have.