16:10

"We ARE going to do this, no matter what!" That's what I'm saying as we wait in our second one hour line up, seeing the St. Peter's Basilicia, the epicenter of Rome, and the heart of the Vatican. It's a sweltering 35 degrees out, and water is about $5 a bottle. Gotta love it. But as we enter the basilica, conceivably the world's largest church and most fantastic structure made by man, we are overwhelmed once again.

It's really hard to put into words the smallness you feel as you enter the front doors of the cathedral. It's about two football fields long and could house the Statue of Liberty with about ten meters to spare. Pretty impressive. We splurged and hired the guide this time, which was well worth the price. He's so enthusiastic about everything and it's kind of contagious, even though we don't understand all the nuances of Roman Catholicism.

The most impressive sight has to be the Sistine Chapel, though after wandering through 7km of the Vatican Museum, it's feels like overload. I buy a book and vow to read it to discover more about this fantastic place when I'm not dragging along my family :-). They say that if you spent one minute on every piece in the Vatican Museum, it would take you four years to make your way through it. Crazy.

We planned on being in the Vatican area for about two hours, but end up spending about 6 there, and don't even feel we've scratched the surface. It goes without saying, the kids are getting a little tired of walking, and sight-seeing. More than once in every hour, someone mentions the pleasures of home: horseback riding, quadding, time alone in your room, XBOX 360, pancakes/eggs/bacon, and on the list goes. Rome is awesome, but home beats it hands down!

I'm struck once again by the history of the early church and it's journey into this massive religion of Roman Catholicism. There's definitely truth to be found, but so much of man's own wisdom, traditions, mysticism, and ideas have been mixed in. Mary is without sin (?), Peter is a superhero (?), and the pope is somehow the connect point between earth and the kingdom of heaven (?). It makes for great dialogue with the kids as we explain that OUR beliefs of what is true and what is not are whatever the Bible says. So we believe Mary didn't remain a virgin, that Peter was just a guy, and that the Pope is just another guy who got the votes.

So after about 15 km (I'm sure) of walking, we decide to head back to Anthony's for a quick packing session (as we're planning on being out late tonight) and a little down time. Sara and Jordyn are the hard-core shoppers of the fam', so they take the opportunity to find some Italian deals.

Here's how the shopping works in our family:
Dad: Would MUCH rather see a museum, but when he's in the mood, spends money fast and hard.
Mom: Loves shopping, and Loves Seeing the sights. With limited time, feels torn between the two. Sometimes shopping wins out, sometimes the museum wins out. Says she has mastered the art (on this trip) of shopping ON THE WAY to the ancient sight, and thus satisfying both of her inner desires.
Luke: Has has the mark of Dad in him (tendency to not spend money) and Mom (loves to shop and spend) which puts him in a quandary anytime shopping is on the agenda. Leaves stores frustrated that he didn't buy, even though he found what he wanted.
Tiana: Would rather hang out with Dad in museum (maybe :-) and avoid shopping altogether (unless like Dad, she is in the mood, then she spends with abandon until the fit passes).
Jordyn: LOVES to shop. Would choose a shoe store over the Pantheon (which her Dad does not even pretend to understand). Thinks that Rome is about the Shopping.
Levi: Kind of like Tiana, though seldom has a spending pandemic. When he locks onto something he wants (like a miniature bronze gladiator helmet and stand), he thinks about nothing else until it is safely secured in his shopping bag.

After the girls get all dressed up, we jet back into the downtown area of Rome for one more evening on the town. I suggest a new area: the Spanish Steps and Piazza Popola, both are beautiful but kind of lost in the afterglow of the St. Peter's Basillica which we saw earlier in the day. After a bit of meandering in the area, we return to the Piazza from the previous night. Again, it doesn't seem quite as glamorous as the day before, and I can't help but think that all of us have eyes and hearts turned towards our beloved British Columbia.

As we ride Bus 87 back home, we all opt for one last walk through the Eternal City. As we sit beside the night-lit Colliseum with the moon in the backdrop, we snap a few final pictures.

It's a footsore, homesick gang that finally returns to the flat at around 11:30pm. Tomorrow is an early start with a taxi ride to the airport at 5am. We consider staying up all night as it's 5pm at home - maybe we can start readjusting our clocks...NAH! We're too tired and sleep wins over.