Italy - Rome - Vatican Museum
Friday, December 7th, 2007
|
 After seeing the basilica, it sounded like a good idea to head right over to the Vatican Museum. We didn't get far when we hit the end of the line. It must have been a few thousand people waiting in that line and it was probably about half a mile long line 2-3 people across.
The wait wasn't that bad since Westin was there to keep company with. We probably waited 45min - 1 hour before we got in, but from what I heard the line is about that long at 9am when the museum opens because people start lining up 2 hours before.
There was a large amount of artwork. Some amazing pieces like large tile mozaics, huge and ornate ceiling paintings, and detailed statues. I purchased an audio guide to tell me about some of the pieces that we were seeing. The two stories that I remember the most were the bust of Socrates and how none of his actual words survive, only what was written by Plato. The second story was the depiction of two fighters who struggled, one killed the other by pulling out his intestines; then the referee declared that a cheap move and then awarded the victory to the fighter who was now dead. What a bummer.
We arrived in the museum by 12pm and they closed at 1:30pm, so before we knew it, we were rushing off to see the Sistine Chapel before the place closed. On the way we had to race throught the hall of maps which was a disappointment to miss all the beautiful paintings on the ceiling.
 Compared to what I remember, the Sistine Chapel was a disappointment. The gallery is supposed to be no cameras and quiet, but it was the complete opposite. Everyone was taking pictures (with flash), completely blatant, And everyone was very loud. Those combined with how packed the place was this time, opposed to the last time I went, really lessened the experience. I had hoped that it would be a recent experience, but it was really just an overloaded tourist attraction this time. I had thought that it was a result of us being so close to the closing time, but from what I heard, it was like that the whole time.
I was glad I went, the 11 Euro was well worth it. I only wish that I had gone there before the basilica so that we wouldn't have been rushed.
click here to see pictures from the Vatican Museum
|
| |
| |
digg this blog 
|
|
|
