Day Three in Rome

What a day. Notice that Sweetie still can't seem to sleep in one place or position. She was in at least two different beds last night and ended up on the sofa.

DH & I were fortunate enough to participate in the Scavi Tour that is held under St. Peter’s Basilica. WOW! LOTS of excavation that yielded both pagan tombs as well as Christian Mausoleums… well cared for, ancient mosaics, frescos… and at the center of it all… beneath it all… it is believed they discovered the bones of St. Peter… where they had been originally believed to have been all along, wrapped in the red cloth of the stories of old. There were other tombs, relics… all in all well worth the price of admission and it exits past the exit of the Church and you’re allowed entry into St. Peter’s without waiting in that extremely discouraging looking line. The ornate-ness is unbelievable… and just as I’ve always believed… Ancient Churches… from the moment you walk in, cause you to look UP toward Heaven… not around the room at each other. What a testament to the focus of our ancestors.

DH and I journeyed home, faster than our journey out during the morning rush hour, and found the kids in the apt courtyard playing an odd game of Dodge Ball with the In-Laws (which beats the game of Dodge Car any day). We ate lunch, and then all 8 of us journeyed out to visit the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. That tour, also leads one to contemplate our Christian heritage… all those that have had their faith tested in trying times and come through on the other side.

The Sistine Chapel, in and of itself, is incredible. Thinking of Michaelangelo lying on scaffolding high above the floor, painting on his back with a candle on his forehead… making little to no money from a Pope that aggravated him immensely, but whom he felt it his duty to serve… it is an impressive testament to what Men CAN do, even when they don’t really want to. Standing there I could almost hear the shout, “WHEN will you make an END?!” and the forever reply, “WHEN I’M FINISHED!” :D (Reminds me that DH's grandfather was Charlton Heston's voice-over here in Italy for many movies. I'll have to see whether he did that one). Another WHOAAAAA moment (as on the plane - only this time the adult version). The Chapel is kept fairly dim to protect the frescos, but they turn on the bright lights for about thiry seconds every hour (and few people know this). We were fortunate enough to be there at the time (along with 300-500 of our closest friends). The entire crowd gasped "ohhh!" and dropped to silence.

No photos allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but we have plenty of the rest of the Vatican Museum. All I can say is WOW. DS1 was given a camera for anything he found interesting and almost used up the battery before we were half way through.

Once again, rather poor planning put us riding the Subway and the buses home in evening rush hour, but tomorrow promises to be a much calmer day. Rachel’s comment of the day, “We didn’t see very many pigeons today.” (DOH!) The kids have done well with their own journaling. It’s been good to see how they each take in the sites and what things are important. They’ve each noticed the gypsies/beggars on the street, and I’ve been pleased with their generosity of their earned money from their prizes from grandparents. Their prize money has gone, almost without fail, into the cup of some beggar on the street… and followed by a saddened, ‘I’m sorry about your hands/leg/foot/ etc”. Their willingness to share with those who are obviously (and sometimes NOT so obviously) less fortunate is admirable. When Boo-Boo was asked about handing over the single Euro coin he’d been holding onto all day, his immediate response, “That’s okay, I’ll just earn more… I don’t think that man can.” Oh, the things these kids can teach me.

We’ll not journey to Naples until Tuesday and since Sunday promises to bring rain, perhaps we’ll hit the Pantheon, or some other “less trafficked area” as it’s the beginning of the weekend.