It was a beautiful day as we stepped out. The sun was shining and after yesterday it was beautiful to be outside. Jac even elected to forego a jumper which really gives a fair indication to how much things had improved.
The decision was to head to a free tour which was a few sights on the way to the Vatican. The starting point was Piazza Di Spagna which is a famous meeting place of lovers and pickpockets. The main feature is the 138 steps where romance blossoms and was built some time in the 1700's. We managed to keep our valuables and headed towards the tour meeting place.
As it turned out Jac & I were the only ones on the tour so we headed off taking in a few sights. Our guide wasn't very charismatic which was a bummer but she got us where we wanted to go, the holiest place on Earth. We said our goodbyes and she left us to bask in the glory of St Peters Basilica.
It is an imposing complex so we grabbed some panini sandwiches and sat in the sun enjoying the awesome sight, feeling great about where we are. St Peters courtyard is designed to look like arms embracing it's people and was built with parts from the Coliseum. Just beautiful every direction you look.
We were approached by a guide to come on a guided tour of the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel. We accepted and forked out our cash and joined the group. It was money well spent as we learnt so much more than if we had wandered round by ourselves. However we still only saw about 15% of the museum so definately something we will return to. The artifacts are all priceless and we saw many famous works. The highlight of course was the Chapel. We spent 30 mins killing our necks in awe of what has been created. Our guide was fantastic telling us the stories associated with the painting between Michelangelo and the church, actually quite hilarious, and describing all the different scenes depicted.
After the few hours we headed into St Peters for a look. It was pretty late in the day so we only spent a short while. They had a fair bit blocked off for mass and we couldn't get down to the tombs. But tomorrow the big kahuna appears at his window to bless his people, so we will go and see him and spend the afternoon wandering around The Basilica. It is just an inspiring place so we will have plenty to explore.
With that done we navigated the labyrinth back home and came across a few markets and a fair. With all the lights and music it was just a perfect time to be out amongst it. We knew of an English movie cinema so we headed towards that to have a relax with a film. We turned into Via Del Corso and were met by most of Rome. It was a sea of people out doing their Xmas shopping and horrible to navigate through, although something we should get used to for the next week.
We saw The Tourist with Johnny Depp & Ange Jolie. It was a lighthearted movie and well worth a few hours. Nice to watch something in English other than the bloody BBC news. Then back home so Jac could Skype the family before a good nights sleep. Big day of blessings tomorrow. Think we both need it.