Eastern European Vacation Day 17

Saturday November 13th, 2010.
Vatican day; we had pre-purchased tickets for a guided tour of the Vatican Museum and the Basilica. Out tickets were for 1PM and so after breakfast we walked to St. Peter’s Square; our plan was to poke around in the basilica for a bit, maybe even attempt and assent of the dome, and then head round to the museum in the afternoon for the tour. As soon as we arrived in the square I realized our plans were shot – the line to enter the basilica was enormous; by the time we got in it would be time to go for our tour! So we took pictures, found a coffee shop to hang out in, and then entered the museum.

Our tour group of about 20 people were issued the same type of radio receivers we had in Ephesus – which we had found very effective. But then the tour guide (a lady whose name I can’t remember) announced that this would be the 3 hour tour, I could not remember what the quoted time was – but I thought it was 2 hours, this should have been a warning. At the very start of the tour we were sat on a bench in front of a small revolving billboard type for display for 45 minutes while the guide explained every single square inch of the Sistine chapel ceiling and walls – I’m not kidding, really I’m NOT kidding.

Finally we moved off for what would be close to 4 hours of excruciatingly detailed explanations of statues, frescoes, tapestries and paintings. What’s more, the guide had a very extrovert and emotive style that verged at times on being evangelistic – I got the feeling that at the end of the tour if I did not instantly convert to Catholicism it would be the catacombs for me! What this lady did not know about the Vatican could be written in 50pt font on the testicle of a gnat. The Vatican collection and the Sistine chapel are amazing – but we could have done with the 1 hour high-speed version of the tour. One cool part of the tour was getting from the Sistine chapel directly into the Basilica along a corridor leading from the papal apartments.

Back at the hotel we quickly changed and headed back to Berninetta for dinner; however we had misjudged Roman dinner times – we tried to get in a 6PM but it did not open until 7:30PM. So we found a convenient bar and drowned our sorrows until the restaurant opened.