Vatican Surprises!

Did you know that if the average visitor were to spend 3 seconds in front of every piece of art within the Vatican that it would take them 4 years to see everything!

Truth be told, I wasn't really excited about seeing the Vatican. However, after listening to our tour guide and viewing the magnificence of the pieces themselves I happy to say that I was not only pleasantly surprised but now I can't wait to go back! For those of you who like myself were hesitant or skeptical about viewing the Vatican I am here to tell you that it is without a doubt a MUST SEE! The various pieces of art are very impressive and thought provoking. In addition, there is a ton of variety in terms of artists and styles of art. No picture within a text book can do any of the pieces of art justice. In addition, our tour guide (via Presto Tours) was very knowledgeable, especially since she is pursuing her PH.D. in art. Thus, the background and insights she provided on the various artists was vast in terms of both breadth and depth. According to her, if a visitor were to spend 3 seconds in front of every painting, sculpture, and architectural wonder within the Vatican they would need to be there for a total of 4 years! Hence, what we saw today was just the tip of the iceberg and honestly I can't wait to go back.

Below are some of my favorite pictures from our trip to the Vatican:

Want to see more? Click on the link below to view the rest of the photos:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100179089485154.2599751.12312611&l=b254d084c9

Always Stamp Your Ticket.....

While in Rome, this has been the most important (and expensive) lesson I've learned. Trying to be frugal and live life like a true Roman, we thought the bus, at a cost of 1 Euro, would be the best transportation to take... Unfortunately, not the case.

We navigated our route and unsuspectingly boarded our bus. Like good travelers we purchased our tickets for a single Euro and reveled in our cheap success.... Two stops later, three gentleman, dressed officially, boarded the bus and asked to see our tickets... No problem! We have them right here sirs... We received a frown. The man pointed at a sign, yet all I understood was 75 minutes. Apparently, there was a second box where we were supposed to stamp our tickets the minute we boarded... Great.

I offered up a Euro to purchase a new ticket and we received requests for our documentation.. They hurriedly ushered us off the bus and told us we would be fined... Confusion doesn't begin to express the looks on our faces. We were told 100 Euro each if he wrote us a ticket, 50 each if we paid now... Awesome. We argued as much as possible, assuming we were being scammed. Alas, we were late for our tour and finally settled on 50 Euro total... Moments later we were running down the street, cursing the men in official uniforms.

But wait! We were still late for our tour, we needed to find a taxi stat. I poked my head in a restaurant to find a smiling server and asked him for the nearest taxi stand (you can't catch a cab just anywhere).... He laughed and pointed right down the street... I turned to leave when he grabbed my hand and asked my name.. I explained we were in a rush and he promptly kissed my hand goodbye... So charming.

We finally reached the taxi stand to be interrupted by a parade.... Luckily, a cab came through at just the right moment and we made our tour on time... At which point our tour guide informed us that what happened on the bus was proper law and we had received a deal... Good to know.

So the lesson here is: always stamp your ticket, but even if you don't you might get your first kiss on the hand from a handsome Italian...

PS... I'm still in love with this city.

Bonjourno Roma!

Less than 24 hours since we arrived in Rome and I am already in love with this city. The weather is beautiful, the food is amazing, and the culture is everywhere. We are still getting used to the time, but all in all are adjusting well.. Today we embark on a mission to explore some of the city's most famous sites... Pictures coming soon. :)