7-20-09

I woke up this morning, and instantly regretted it. Not because we were visiting the Vatican Museums today, but because I have a problem dressing myself before the hours of 9am. After taking a shower, I tried to put on my pants, but the message between my brain and my feet was lost somewhere along my spine, and I ended up tripping over the clothesline. I slammed against the dresser, waking up my sister, who yelled at me to keep it down. Don't you love sisters?

We made it to the tour bus with time to spare. I hardly noticed our tour guide standing the aisle as I made my way to my seat. She was roughly four feet tall, and as browned and wrinkled as a raisin. I apologized for nearly bowling her over, and found my seat next to cam, who was fast asleep, drooling in the window seat.

Walking into the Vatican Museum, our little old tour guide tried to organize us into lines to make the security checks go quicker. Unfortunately, there were a number of other tour groups, and they were all adamant on getting through first. The result was a massive mob of overeager tourists, some of which were hyped up on too much Italian coffee. I however wasn't, and keeping sight of our raisin-like tour guide was like trying to find a pebble among boulders.

After mobbing the poor security guards, we mobbed the poor assistants handing out the museum headsets. We then miraculously found the raisin-lady and circled around her as she began our tour.



The madness was well worth it. The Vatican Museum was incredible. Everything from the tapestries of Jesus to the Sistine Chapel was breathtaking. I learned what a fresco is, and why Michelangelo must have had a hell of a neckache after painting the Creation of Adam.

Our tour guide

After that tour we caught a ride over to the Coliseum, where we paid a giant German man wearing lopsided sunglasses to give us a tour. He turned out to be a history student studying in Rome, who gives tours on the side to pay for beer - we lucked out. He turned out to a kooky fellow with an odd sense of humor. For example, he was telling us about how back in the day women weren't allowed to sit in the Coliseum (because it was a man's arena, ETC.) As he was saying this two of the girls from our tour sat down on one of the big stone blocks just inside the entrance. The German stopped mid-sentence to tell the girls, "No no, you can't sit there." Which he thought was hilarious.

He then took us to Palatine Hill, where the Romulus Ruins and the Roman Forum are. Though to get there was a short walk, down small hill. Our guide had a bike that he
stashed for the specific purpose to get from the Coliseum to the foot of Palatine Hill. This was great, except none of us had a bike. So here's our tour guide sailing down the hill towards Palatine Hill, and us rushing after him to catch him! Sort of like this ---->

The rushing was worth it, as we walked all over Palatine Hill, and bought ice waters so as not to die of heat stroke. After the tour was over, our guide disappeared as quickly as he had come, on his bike peddling back up the road towards the Coliseum.

That evening we met the group at Campo De Fiori, and sat out on the veranda of Leisha's place to drink wine and watch the sunset before going to the restaurant. After dinner my parents left to go back to their hotel. They were leaving at 3 a.m. the next morning so I said goodbye to them, we wouldn't be seeing them for 2 weeks. My sister went with them to catch some sleep, and I tagged along with Charlie and Cam to the new Harry Potter movie being shown at the local theater. Surprisingly it was in English.

I caught a cab, and said goodbye to Charlie and Cam. As I watched them disappear into the Italian night, I thought about tomorrow, my sister and I would be on our own, in a foreign country with nothing to guide us but a map and our minds.