Nice to Meet You, Vatican City!
It has been a year since I was on European ground! I am so ready to be back! I missed the architecture, the history, the food, the people, and most of all, the atmosphere. :)
Even though Bubble and I planned our trip a few months ago, last week was still a struggle gathering all the documents together while balancing a full plate at work. But as you can tell, it didn't stop us from flying over the Atlantic Ocean and off to Italy we go! :)
- How to entertain yourself on place: Selfies
As advised by all those before us, booking our tickets for the Vatican Museum in advanced is a wise choice. Great advice ... except when your flight delayed, you can't find the airport bus, and have no map. #lostinrome
Have no fear, after a round of struggles, we made it to our first stop! Day and Night Hostel :) We were greeted by a very warm and welcoming host. She managed to brief us on everything Rome within 10 mins! That's a record! :) She prepared us a map with the most essential Rome spots circled. Where to find the best local food stops, must visits spots, she got us covered! :)
Running a bit behind schedule, we hurried and headed off to see the prestigious Vatican City. One thing I forgot about Italy is the lack of signs...by lack, I mean none. We found people, we found a line, but we found no directional signs for the entrance to the Vatican Museum. Tricky! We were wandering in the plaza when we overheard a tour guide explaining the direction to his group and we just kinda tagged along and found the entrance. :)
Buying our tickets in advanced allowed us to skip everyone. Score! We followed the flow exploring each room and gallery. It is fascinating see artworks and artifacts from different eras of history from around the world! :) Gallery of Maps is by far my favorite gallery. Map frescoes of the Italian peninsula covered the walls. The maps are beautiful and revealed the historical Italy. It is amazing to see how the world was viewed during that period. :)
The ceiling art from each room is stunning. Just look at the symmetry. :) I literally walked around the place with my head hung back to admire at each beautifully painted ceiling. :)
The Vatican Museum is huge! We walked around for over 1.5 hours before we reached the famous Sistine Chapel. Signs posted in the hallway to advise visitors to be quiet once entered in the chapel. I was quite shocked at the crowd gathered inside. Too bad photos are prohibited inside the chapel, the Michelangelo's ceiling is majestic! :) We took a few moments to truly admire all the details in each painting. :)
- Photo taken from Vatican.com
We wrapped up at the museum and headed back out in the rain. Rain is not ideal, but it is a bit refreshing to get away from the crowd. :)
The day is not over until we get an official Italian meal. We tried our host's recommendation for a restaurant nearby the hostel. We are so tourist-like by showing up before official Italian dinner time. Note to self: next time, show up for dinner at 7pm and after... :)
The menu is just full of options! Do I want my usual spaghetti alla carbonara or try something new? I am in Rome afterall, so why not try something special! I ordered Seabass pasta with lemon. I'll just say I made the right choice! :)
Bubble ordered Osso Bucco, which translate into marrow bone. It is a specialty dish originated from Northern Italy. He had the biggest food orgasm! :) The meat was very tender combined with a almost sweet tomato sauce. We even ordered wine! We are so fancy, jk! The meal is just perffetto! :)
Rain rain go away, please come back not for another few days!
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