Tuesday, 11 Aug
Just to get it over with, it’s hot and dispersed throughout
this post is the hunt for water, cold drinks, drinking of said drinks, sweating
and looking for shade and air con. But let’s start 16 years ago when Dee and I
visited Rome. *insert lulling music and fade out screen shot*
It was the summer of 99 and I didn't have a grey hair in my head. We were heading toward the Vatican and realise we are not attired in accordance with the dress regulations to enter. At the local market we find a suitable dress for Dee and buy this awesome shirt with a collar and we visit the spectacle that is the Vatican. *fade back in*
As we get ready for our visit to the Vatican with Gene, I put on this awesome shirt with a collar. A bit frayed and worn out but at least I look better than the shirt. Just....
:)
:)
With a successful journey on Roma’s public transport without
being molested, mugged or lost, we embraced the Colosseum. It hadn't changed much but there was less scaffolding but more people trying to sell you guided tours.
As Dee still had a sore, sprained ankle from her trip in Herculenuem, I lent he my awesome walking stick I acquired on the trip. As the walking stick can unscrew into 3 sections, I wondered if it was the same for the head as well as the head felt slightly loose. To my great surprise, it did unscrew and, to my even greater surprise, out popped a spring mounted corked vial from within the cane. How amazingly cool is that??? Unfortunately, where I unscrewed the head of the cane was where the bronze joined with the wood and it wouldn't stay together after that (I glued it back together one we came home but I did a quick fix with sticky tape borrowed from a souvenir stand). Unfortunately Dee dropped the vial half an hour later and broke it but we can get another one. Goodness knows what the cleaning personnel (and possibly security) thought of visitors with vials secreted in canes........
We headed towards the Vatican's Museum and proceeded to wait in a 400m long line to get inside. Some idiot wanted to bring his dog inside but was told no (since it wasn't a guide dog or anything).
As Dee had visited 20+ years before, I followed her lead into the museum and that's when things went awry. After seeing the largest bronze pine cone eva, Dee told us once we see the Sistine Chapel, we get funneled out of the museum. I didn't really want that, so we saw the other side of the museum which was quite boring and not at all air conditioned.
We then started heading past the 'No Entry' sign and against the flow of other visitors. I felt very salmony at this point. After a while of looking at cool things, Dee decided to turn about and go with the flow which led us back and down the stairs to the boring bit where the cafeteria was. A great opportunity for a rest and recharge of the frazzled batteries. We then bit the bullet and went with the flow of all the other visitors and started to see amazing art.
We finally saw the Sistine Chapel and were suitably impressed. I was also amused by the security guards with the loudspeaker telling everyone to be quite. Oh the irony.
We finally escaped the museum and headed towards St Peter's square (which is round unlike a boxing ring which is square) with the hoped of getting into the Basilica. Unfortunately, the line up to get in, with on 1 1/2 hours before closing, was halfway around the circumference of the square. That was at least 400m.
We decided to skip that bit. Gene and I went to the obelix at the centre of the square and found the item mentioned in the Dan Brown thriller 'Angels and Demons'. It was the start of the following days adventure.
By then, the rain had started to come so we enjoyed a rather expensive dinner while the heavens opened. Making our way back to the bus stop, we were informed that our bus now goes every hour instead of every 15 minutes and so it would be faster to catch 2 trams. While we were waiting for the tram our bus showed up, so we bolted to catch it.
A big day out that we won't forget in a hurry.
The next day Dee stayed at home and gene and I continued the search for the remaining clues.
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