St. Peter’s

Saturday started off rainy and cold, 39 degrees to be specific. Mike insisted we bring rain gear, which was great even if not so fashionable. So I had my light blue rain jacket over my fleece and Mike’s hat from Norway. Not a great look but at least it was not raining so hard that I needed my rain pants agh! I have now observed that Italian women wear black faux leather pants in the rain–brilliant and I am now looking for some and will ship my rain pants home!

By way of a coat update, Mike found an excellent Italian coat, navy blue and made in Genoa, Italy. The older man in the coat store was amazingly helpful and everything was “good quality!” He worked very hard to find a coat for me and was so nice I would have paid 50 extra euros to buy one from him, but sadly none I liked were in my size (36 in Europe). So Mike now blends in perfectly like the Italian he is! I’m not gonna blend in anyway, but still looking for that coat!

When we went to the Forum and Coliseum, the Forum part of the ticket said 24 hours, whereas the Coliseum was a specific time. We did not have enough time to see all of the Forum so we decided to get back there before our 24 hours expired. After a 30 minute walk in the rain we finally arrived only to learn that yes, 24 hours, but single entrance. Duh.

So that was a bust but it worked out ok because we forgot to eat breakfast. We found a busy little pastry and sandwich shop. We almost gave up because the girl at the counter kept saying “get your ticket.” No one had a “ticket” that we could see so we had no idea. We finally followed some people near the counter to a cash register and ordered something, but were not really sure what. It worked out fine and soon I had a cappuccino and croissant!

Everywhere you walk there are beautiful churches to stop in and ruins all within the existing buildings. Virtually no walk is uneventful.

We set our sights on St. Peter’s in the Vatican. A long walk it was, but when we arrived there was only a relatively small crowd. People in line were all trying to ask each other in accented English where you buy the tickets. I have noticed that before–multiple languages means people try to speak English. Great for us! Some nice person knew that there are no tickets required to go into St. Peter’s, so the word spread. The couple in front of us were from Cancun and remarked how crowded it usually is and that they NEVER go to Europe in the summer.

It took about 15 minutes for us to get through security. I reminded myself that in fact years ago the the Pope was shot right there in St. Peter’s square. Certainly that changed security long before 9/11.

When you enter St. Peter’s there are signs for “Silencio”. It is shockingly massive inside.

Every area is covered with ornate statuary, carvings, marble, memorials, alcoves.

We learned that you do in fact need tickets to see the Sistine Chapel and none were available on Saturday. So off we went, heading back toward our neighborhood of Trastevere.

In every area of Rome, the streets, sidewalks, and parking lots are all one in the same. Pedestrians must give way to all cars, motorcycles, and scooters. People routinely squeeze aside a building to allow the quiet tiny electric cars to squeeze by. No huge 4 wheelers here and no trucks or SUVs, except for delivery trucks.

And safety in general is just different. Maybe there will be a railing, but as we squeezed past a family on this sidewalk, the railing was actually more of a danger with a long drop down.

I kept noticing these shotgun-shell sized tubes or fireworks trash in the street, until I realized that wedged into the cobblestone streets are wine corks!

Dinner was another lovely meal in a crowded small restaurant. I noticed a man teaching a young man how to bus the tables. He gave very specific instructions and the boy was nodding and taking it all very seriously. Tonight Mike had pizza and I have maaaaaybe pork in a light sauce with mashed potatoes and salad.

So again we walked 12 miles and finished our day with a cocktail and dessert. It’s some type of bitter and another type of bitter lol, but it was light and warm and yummy with a twist of orange 🙂 A perfect Day 3!