Arrivederci Rome! Ciao Florence!

Our final day in Rome! One afternoon left to fit in Vatican City then off to Florence.

First off. Let me reiterate how hot it is here. Plus we wore pants because you have to cover your shoulders and your knees in order to get into the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica.

First we went into the Vatican Museum aka the maze to the Sistine Chapel. Tons of sculptures, tapestries, paintings, and murals paved a path to the Sistine Chapel. 

 Finally we got to the Sistine Chapel. Of course I broke the rules and had to snap a pic of the ceiling. I never knew how many paintings were on the ceiling, I just thought it was The Creation of Adam. The room was chilly and eerie and you were not allowed to speak. I had chills running across my body as I saw it. 




After we left the Sistine Chapel we went to the cafeteria ( I KNOW HOW COULD I HAVE FALLEN FOR A MUSEUM  LUNCH IN ITALY) It was terrible. That is all. 

Aww look at me in front of St Peter's Basilica with my awkward arm pose. Its just wonderful. The entrance of the Basilica is one of my favorite things. Seeing all the statues around it guarding it, and to imagine how long they have been there watching over this sanction its just incredible.

Once we were inside the Basilica I couldn't help but feel so overwhelmed. It is enormous and floor to ceiling marble.  Inside we saw The Pietà and Pope John Paul II tomb. The Basilica is so grand that you can spend hours just walking around admiring the architecture and attention to detail .

After Vatican City it was the end of our trip to Rome! This is where the day got eventful. Living in another country where English is not the main language is hard enough, but trying to run around a train station wondering where your train was while no one spoke english was the most stressful experience ever! When we finally found the train, we had to lug our 7 pieces of luggage on down these tiny aisles bumping into everyone on the way. The train itself was great and after we settled in the next two hours were amazing. The scenery as we travelled was breathtaking. Rolling hills, vineyards, farms, mountains and small towns passed along side of me on our way to Florence. I can not wait to take the train again, with less luggage! 

Once we were in Florence we settled into our apartment ( home for the next 4 weeks! ) Its located in a Hostel which is beautfiul. We have a pool, poolside bar, restaurant, club, rooftop terrace at our disposal. The only negative thing is the AC is not working at all and we are about to hit a heat wave in Florence with temps at about 105 for this coming weekend! Other then that the city is beautiful, after we ate at the hotel restaurant - and caught some of the Italy - Germany Soccer game - we sat on the Rooftop Terrace overlooking the entire city and Tuscany. 

I am so happy to be here!