Wed 5-19-04 Vatican & St. Peter

We get to sleep in today because we won't meet our guide for the Vatican until 11 am. He's going to meet us in front of our apartment.

Rome is not a dirty city. It is an old city. It suffers the graffiti curse of all large cities. But I think it's pretty clean, considering. Every morning you see the shop keepers out, sweeping the sidewalk and washing down their doors.

This morning there is another pilgrimage outside our window. This time everyone is going to see the Pope. More groups and interesting costumes, and bands, I assume they are going to do a presentation for their audience.

There's a 1 hour photo shop around the corner, at 9 I think it might be fun to see some of our pictures. I take a couple of rolls in. 11 he tells me. Okay so 1 hour means 2 hours here.

11:15, no sign of our guide. I don't have a telephone number; I have no way of contacting him. That was not smart on my part, I should have asked for a telephone number. 11:30 we decide to get our photos. They still are not ready.

Okay, well I guess we'll just go see the Vatican on our own. We only live a few blocks from the museum. The line looks long but it moves quickly and we are in after about 10 minutes. I don't want to get the audio guide because I've heard it's a pain to get them back where you got them. But we have no idea of the layout of the museum or where anything is.

In one courtyard Isaac listened in on one group with an American guide who was very interesting. Isaac wanted to follow them around but I was afraid it would be too obvious after while. After some frustrating wandering we decided to just join the herd in the inevitable march to the Sistine Chapel. At least we'll see that.

Oh my, what an ordeal. It was hot, crowded and terrible bottle necks as we all try to squeeze through one door, pushing and jostling. We did see some interesting things along with way. The kids especially liked a room with tapestries telling scenes from the life of Christ.

But on we marched like cattle herded to the slaughter house. It took more than an hour. Finally we shove through a small door and here we are.

At first we aren't even sure this is it, after all, many of the rooms have painted ceilings. But wait -way up there - that's God reaching out to Adam. And the irritated shushing of the guards. This must be it.

As I feared, the kids are totally underwhelmed.
"This is it?"
And from Sarah who rarely complains
"Oh. What a disappointment"

I had a feeling that this could not possibly be worth the misery it took to get here. Nothing would be. The room is dark, crowded and noisy until the guards shush us and remind us we are in church. Oh yea, I've always believed that being herded and crushed on your way to church is a wonderful prelude to a spiritual encounter.

Maybe we are just too familiar with the paintings (which are much easier to see in a book than craning your neck as you bump into someone else) Sarah didn't think it was different than all the other rooms with painting everywhere. After 5 minutes we've had enough. Let's get out of here.

We ate at the cafeteria because we were tired and hungry. It wasn't particularly expensive or particularly good.

I have to say so far, this is the lowest point in our vacation. The Sistine Chapel. Who'd have thunk? Reader, beware. Shell out some bucks for a guide or skip the Vatican.

We stopped an an internet point on the way home. When I checked my email there was a note from the guide. He'd been waiting for us at Ottiaviano 9. We were at Ottiavano 91. When I made the arrangements I copied and pasted the address so I'd be sure to get it right. Guess I left out a number. If I'd only had a cell phone # it could have been cleared up much easier and this could have been a much better day.

We came home to rest awhile. But I still wanted to see St. Peter. Isaac had no desire to go. I asked him how he could be this close in Rome and not see St Peter? "Easy" he says. Good ol Sarah is persuaded to come along.

I want to buy a tacky pope souvenir for a friend of mine who gets a kick out of that sort of thing. My kids get the idea that they should have Pope Bobbleheads. No bobble heads but the next best thing -A snow globe of the Pope standing like a giant over St. Peter. Perfect. We buy two. As I'm buying them I wonder what the lady ringing it up thinks. Does she think I think this is a wonderful addition for my living room? Would she be offended if she knew this was a joke gift? Who knows?

I don't know about Sarah but I am impressed and bedazzled by St. Peter. Yes it's as crowded as Disney but it seems to be expansive enough to welcome and assimilate all of us without making us feel like animals. This is a place where humanity is uplifted.

There is the Pieta. It is sooo lovely. It is also lovely to just stand there and hear the gasps of surprise and admiration as people enter and casually look to their right "Oh there it is!"

We passed by the old statue of St Peter and I tell Sarah to look at his foot, worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims rubbing and kissing it. Even now there is a long line of the devoted waiting for their turn to rub his foot.

There is a giant statue of St. Helene that dwarfs Sarah.


St.Peter is a beautiful place to me. I know it was the excess and the way the money was raised to build it that disgusted the founder of my own denomination and was partly responsible for the Reformation, but I'm still glad Christendom has a St. Peter. The world is better for it. We need beautiful places to worship.

I'm dead tired but I'm game to climb the dome if we can find the stairs. We never do. Oh well.

Back home I try to nap. The kids fight. Finally I sent them out for gelato. I have a half hour of peace. I told them to bring me back some and surprise me. They come back with café. Good choice.

Tomorrow a tour bus is supposed to pick us up in front of our apt at 6:45. I pray I have given them the right address. I left my alarm clock in Sorrento and I usually wake up at 6 so I'm worried how I will wake up earlier. I go out for another stop at the bancomat and what do I pass but a little shop that sells nothing but clocks! How can you not love a city that has a shop that sells only clocks! I ask for a little clock to wake me up- only 7E and he even puts a battery in it for me.

We eat in again. I have left over pasta that we toss with olive oil (and some artichoke hearts I add for myself) and I cook the left over sausage just by itself. It's a good dinner.