Roma (Part 2)

1) Vatican City

2) Saints

If the rest of Rome was crowded, the queue to get into the Vatican City was insane. We bought queue-jump tickets and by-passed hundreds and hundreds of sweaty people waiting under the sun. I knew I was very blessed to be back again, so I was determined to admire the artwork inside for as long as it took.

3) Part of Raphael's The School of Athens

4) Raphael's The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple

We were packed like sardines inside the Sistine Chapel. Ventilation was poor and tour groups were quickly herded through the room like sheep. I wonder if anyone actually saw the beauty Michelangelo created. We were lucky enough to grab seats as soon as a couple left. We sat there for ages listening to our audio guide and we took our time appreciating the paintings. My neck ached like crazy because the ceiling was very high, but I knew that I couldn't take my eyes away from the world-famous Sistine Chapel ceiling. I kept staring and staring at The Creation of Adam until the image of God's hand giving life to Adam was burned into my mind. The Last Judgement is also another Michelangelo masterpiece I'll remember for a very long time.

5) Spiral staircase

6) The Mouth of Truth

Fans of Audrey Hepburn who've seen the movie Roman Holiday would know that the Mouth of Truth would bite off your hand if you were a liar. Well, I'm glad to report that both of us have still got our hands intact. I guess we're very honest people.

7) Inside a mini church

8) Piazza Navona

9) Artist at work

10) Tiramisu

11) Protest

On the last night we were in Rome, there was a peaceful protest just right outside our hotel. We weren't caught in the commotion, but did have a bit of trouble getting back into the hotel. It was peaceful, though, so there was no cause for worry.

I realized I'm not very good at talking about my trips, but they say a picture paints a thousand words so this post and the last should be worth a lot. I hope you've enjoyed the pictures, anyway.

Check out Roma (Part 1) here*click*!