Adventure Number 2: Vatican City

Knowing this is counted as a separate city-state I was almost expecting to have to show my passport on entering ... once i had found my way that is! On this occasion I decided to take the metro --- this was not within my 2 mile walking boundary (might not sound far but bare in mind that once you get to a place, you walk round for a few hours and then have to walk back!) The metro was easy enough with only two lines and tickets sold by time allowed ... I bought a 100 minute ticket each time. With lots of 'good advice' ringing in my ears I set off at 8.15am for my day exploring the Vatican: and promptly go caught up in the Rome rush hour. After standing in the crush (staying behind the yellow line was impossible) I managed to squeeze onto the third train! The sun shone and I headed straight to St Peter's (this computer has an easily available apostrophe you will be pleased to see!) as it was due to close at mid-day. It is impressive as are the security checks to get in. Those wearing religious dress, numbered about the same as those not and there were even people carrying a huge cross implying that this was the end of a long pilgrimage for them, The sheer scale and opulence of the place shows how much this community values their God, but unfortunately as I walked down the vast nave the words of a song popped into my head and would not go away. It was a song I learnt in school: "The poor of the world are my body, he said. To the end of the world they shall be. The bread and the blankets you give to the poor, you will find you have given to me, he said" And I couldn't help but think, how many blankets could be bought for the price of just one of the frescoes in St Peter's. Call me shallow, but my visit lasted less than half an hour as my ear-worm would not leave me alone.

Anyway on leaving, I reprimanded myself for being a heathen or whatever and moved swiftly on! Having been to various Buddhist shrines over the years, I find it difficult to walk anticlockwise around a building and so began my trek from Basilica St Peter to the Vatican Museum – over half an hour in glorious sunshine, passing the place where train tracks disappear into a wall, and hugging the high red walls, surmounted by hundreds of security cameras, I arrived at the entrance at 10.10 and queued until 10.40 to gain admittance. This was, however, a useful opportunity to practice my rusty French with the couple next to me in the queue. The Vatican Museum is bigger than you would think ... well than I thought anyway as it kept extending off into different sections and I am sure I missed several rooms. I did however hire an audio guide and set off eagerly. Leonardo da Vinci, Bellini, Veronese, Carravagio, Titian, Giotto and of course Raphael all awaited me! There have been times when I have looked at something and not quite Got It, however the Raphael rooms were breath taking and the Sistine Chapel was awe inspiring. The audio guide told me all sorts of interesting facts and, with the help of my driving glasses, I found that I could study the walls, as well as Michelangelo.s ceiling and Last Judgement for the longest time. Considering himself a sculptor Michelangelo was not keen to undertake the painting of the ceiling in his mid thirties. However the Pope apparently changed his mind by applying his Papal mitre to the artist in no uncertain terms. Years later the artist got his own back when , after being refused entry on numerous occasions to see how his money was being spent, the Pope dressed as a workman and gained admittance behind the screens Michelangelo had erected. Spotting an approaching figure out of the corner of his eye, Michelangelo threw a plank of wood at the interloper! Woops! Another story suggests that when painting the Last Judgement, but this time aged in his sixties, he was given strict dress-compliance advice for his figures: the man who gave those orders had to leave Rome when the painting was finally unveiled, as his portrait had been placed on the body of a despicable figure in the underworld – the shame of it! The artist also painted his own face on one of the figures in the painting; the whole of which depicts a sort of vortex with Christ shunning the wicked with one hand, sending them across the river to Hell whilst welcoming the righteous with the other. A fascinating visit indeed.