Visting the Vatican

Today we spent the greater part of the day at the Vatican. We visited the Vatican Museum not once, but twice!

We wondered through various rooms slowly making our way to the Sistine Chapel.

After spending some significant time in the Sistine Chapel we exited and found ourselves back in the museum's vestibule. However, the goal was to exit in such as a way as to bypass the line and the second security check for entering St. Peter's Cathedral. So... we took a break and grabbed some very mediocre but filling pasta at the self-serve cafeteria. Then we started the pilgrimage to the Sistine Chapel again together with the tourist crowds just entering the museum. Only this time, we took all the shortcuts.

Our second exit we more successful, and we were able to go inside St. Peters without standing in a long line out in the sun.


It was hard to spend any time in the St. Peter's Square because there is no shade, but we came out for a little while to enjoy Bernini's colonnade.

There are 2 spots marked on the square that indicate the center of the circle for each colonnade. Each colonnade has 4 rows of columns and they line up as one when you stand in the circle.

Here I am standing in the special spot:

View from the special spot--i.e. the center of the circle of one of the 2 colonnades.

View of the center colonnade from about 10 yards away from the special spot: