Our cab driver dropped us off right outside the entrance to the museum, and instead of going in, we went across the street to a restaurant to get some good ole Italian grub! Minestrone style soup for me, and pasta and meat for Adam and Erik. Finished up with some fruit salad for dessert, and we were on our way back across the street to get into the museum. I heard the Sistine Chapel was worth seeing. You know, that little painting by Michaelangelo. So we walked all the way through the museum, looking at paintings, sculptures, tapestries, stained glass, and other works of art (and archaeology) before entering the Sistine Chapel to see Michaelangelo's famous piece. Unfortunately, it was the ONLY room in the entire building where people are forbidden to take pictures. Not just flash photography, but any photography at all. I thought that was kind of bogus so I took a picture anyway (no flash) and then a nice young police officer looking security guard said in his best English with an Italian accent, "I talking to you, no photo here." I apologized to him and we left the room. I got my one picture! Better than nothing at all.
After we left the museum, we walked around the walls of Vatican City (which really is its own country with its own postal code and uniformed officers) to see St. Peter's Basilica, the most grand church in the world! We waited in line outside, which seemed to move fairly quickly, taking pictures of the square and the fountains and the pigeons around us. We got to the main entrance of the church and walked in slowly and quietly. There were tons of other tourists around, but I'm sure that the semi-rainy weather also scared away some other potential tourists who chose to stay indoors to stay warm and dry. The church was huge and beautiful, to say the least. We walked around for probably around an hour, looking at different statues, paintings, Latin letters, the altar, and more. It was so impressive! My camera hardly captured its fullness in photos.
We left the church and began to walk toward the downtown part of Rome to see what else this lovely city had to offer. We made a pit stop in a little cafe on our walk, and ended up stopping at Campo di Fiori, an area of Rome we heard was very popular for going out. It was way too early for the bars, and we really wanted dinner, so we ended up going to Piazza Navonna where I had heard there were lots of restaurants. There was also a fountain there and a big square, so we walked around for a little bit until we could decide which restaurant to go to. We sat down at one restaurant right across from the fountain (great view!) and had an incredible meal. Well my meal was incredible! Probably the best I've had so far on this trip! Gnocchi with gorgonzola and spinach, and of course I put more cheese on top - grated parmesean! So Italian! And so fattening. All I'm doing on this trip is eating. Cheese. Lots of cheese. Formaggio!
We knew we wanted to get back to Campo di Fiori for the bar scene later, but we also knew we had time to kill. A lot of people had said that the Trevi Fountain is beautiful at night, and also traditionally a place that people throw coins to signify their return to Rome. The walk was just a few minutes from the Piazza, so we went there to take some pics and throw in some coins, and then got to Campo di Fiori. Someone we had met earlier said that all the Americans go to "The Drunken Ship" so needless to say, that's where we ended up! There were maybe 2 others in there when we got in (around 9pm, way early), but by 11pm it was way crowded! Lots of Americans came in and filled up the place. By around 11pm I had enough, so I took a cab back to the hotel to call it a night.
Tomorrow, we explore Rome's ancient history - Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill!
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