Vatican City

Our tour guide and company helped us to avoid all lines due to our reservations - and there were very long lines! This city (actually a country) is entirely walled. The picture is of St Peter's Basilica taken outside of one of the many museums. I could have stayed in the museums all day surrounded by ideas for making pots, vases and other vessels. And then there were the ceilings that looked like ornate plaster only to find out it was a painted illusion and the handwoven rugs almost as big as my whole house that took 5 years to create.
Then we moved on to the Sistine Chapel. Totally awesome! But no pictures allowed here. The Sistine Chapel has many stories to tell with 9 stories from Genesis in the ceiling center and prophets surrounding these scenes - and get this every other prophet was a woman! I never understood that women were prophets; I'm going to investigate further on this. It took Michelangelo 4 years to complete this epic work. The Last Judgement on the altar wall was incredible. Jason told me 15 years ago that this was the most splendid art he had seen and -totally agree. Then to walk across the beautifully tiled floor where cardinals gather to name a new pope just left me in awe. I could just imagine where that stove was placed to let out a smoke signal for the rest of the world. It is so hard to believe that we are really here absorbing so much wonder and beauty.
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