the pope's house

While in Rome, I was able to visit Vatican City. It was just like the movies! As soon as I walked through the large pillars that surround it I was immediately transported into the movie Angels and Demons. I was waiting for Tom Hanks or Ewan McGregor to run past me at any moment. Of course, it didn't happen.

I was standing in the line to enter St. Peter's with Jessica and her boyfriend, Brandon. She kept complaining about having to go to the bathroom so Brandon told her that they only allows Catholics to pee in Vatican City...something to do with “holy water.” Well, I laughed and moved on. About 15 minutes later, Jess started complaining again. “I can't believe they won't let you pee unless your Catholic! That's wrong!” Brandon and I lost it. Couldn't believe she had actually fallen for that one.

Now St. Peter's has the tallest dome in the world and is the highest point in all of Rome. It is illegal for anything else in Rome to be taller. They allow you to go to the top of the dome which was designed and created by Michelangelo. Now, I love art so naturally when given the opportunity for an up close view of his work while seeing the best view in Rome, I took it. It was 500+ steps total. You could walk up all of them or take an elevator part way then walk up 200+ steps. I took the elevator. The elevator lets you off on the roof level just below the dome. You can walk inside of the dome and see the church below you and the breath-taking mosaics on the walls.

It was so beautiful and I would have been content with that and I wish I had stayed there instead of going forward. There was this staircase. It was fine at first, then it started getting more narrow. Then it turned into what felt like an endless spiral staircase followed by an even more narrow staircase. Now at some point I became a little winded which is only natural but I did not notice because this is when the claustrophobia set in. There was no way I could turn around. There were people in front of me and people behind me. I couldn't find any escape. My shoulders literally touched both walls. I thought I was going to die in there. Then the outside wall started slanting inward causing everyone to walk through sideways. FINALLY it opened up a little and I was able to sit down and try and bring my heart rate down. I had no clue how much further it was, but the next stair case was the killer. It was a spiral staircase with no room for a handrail. It was so steep that it was literally a spiral ladder. They had a rope hanging down the middle for people to basically pull themselves up. Then it opened up to the outside. Praise Jesus! I had just experienced the worst case of claustrophobia I had ever had. It didn't help that there was a kid somewhere behind me who was voicing my fears at high decibels. There were so many people on top of the dome. From what I can recall, the view was amazing but once I recovered from the claustrophobia, I was slapped in the face with a fear of heights I was unaware I had. This picture is from the top taken by Ryan Gallo since I was a little incapacitated. Oh, it was a traumatic experience! Of course the exit was a mirror image of the entrance, and the mere thought of returning to those hallways from hell sent me back into hysterics. But I did not scream like the little boy behind me and eventually I made it through. I survived the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. I need a t-shirt now.

We went inside the church next and I was astonished by all the abundance of marble and gold. I have never seen anything more extravagant. We even caught part of a mass. St. Peter's is definitely a beautiful place to visit, but I still had trouble separating it from Angels and Demons. I just kept seeing McGregor's character on the steps near Peter's tomb or running through the massive church or underground where all the pope's tombs are located. It would have added another interesting level to the church if it had actually happened.

That night Jess, Brandon, Jill, and I ate at this wonderful restaurant called Bibo Bar. There was this small older waiter that continually walked through the restaurant singing in Italian. It was exactly like I had always pictured...except I looked into Jill's eyes instead of the eyes of some mysterious man. Not quite the same ha. The food was divine though. We walked back to our hotel and past the enormous Vittorio Emanuele Monument, passed the ancient Roman Forum. The Colosseum lit up in front of us. So magical.

Now at this point, these places really have little Biblical significance, but as I continue to blog about my experiences I will point out the places that do especially when I get to Palatine Hill in Rome.