Vatican City

Today we went to see Vatican City. For those of you who don’t know, it is the smallest country in the world and is owned completely by the Catholic church. You can find more about its cool history here.

We bought tickets in advance so we got to skip most of the line. We went straight in and while most people took the escalators to get in we went up the ramp. This is because the ramp has exhibits about all the different native boats around the world. We then went into the ancient Egypt exhibit. We saw all sorts of statues and even a few unwrapped mummies! We then went to see the statues of long-dead people often pointing at things. These were mostly Greek gods and heroes but a surprising number of them were pointing at things.

We found we could not get to the Sistine Chapel this route so we went back to see the evolution of the Popemobile. It was cool to see all the nice cars the pope has had along with his horse carriages. We got a really good cheese calzone from one of the shops and went to look at more Greeks. Then we went in the hall of maps where there are maps painted covering the walls showing different cities and areas around Italy. They were so complex. Next, we went to the tapestry room. We all loved this one but Mom the most. It looked like a lot of work and I would not have been good at it. 

Next, we went to the Sistine Chaple. It is so big and was painted by some very famous artists. The two ends of the room were painted over by Michelangelo after it was built so no one knows what was originally below that. We sat and watched a man get thrown out for taking pictures and then went to the Basilica of St. Peter.

Tip: don’t go out of the chapel through the main exit. that dumps you on the street and you have to wait in line again. Sneak out with a tour group and the exit they go out dumps you in the basilica. We went and enjoyed one of the biggest basilicas I have ever been in. We went outside and saw the Swiss Guards whose job it is to guard the Pop. Unfortunately, no Pope today! 

Vatican city was really cool and I hope to come back soon.