Woke up at about 06:20, Mum slept til after 7.
Got up and ready then headed out. Went to The Scottish Restaurant again for breakfast. We tried to use the machines, but they didn't have the option for orange juice, or double cheeseburgers, only single cheeseburgers. So we tried to go to the counter but the dude refused to serve us and told use to use the machines. Which would be fine IF THEY HAD WHAT WE WANTED!!! Was so pissed off. In the end we ordered a single cheeseburger for mum (I got a bacon and egg mcmuffin) and pear/peach juice. Then went to the counter and said wtf on the juice and someone different said oh the juice machine is broken. But we just wanted the bottled orange juice in the fridge right behind her. Why do they make things so difficult???
Train to Colosseum where we met up with the walking tour group. I didn't have time to go to the loo because we left early, so that was a bit stressful, but he let us go once we got inside.
The Colosseum
Walked around the lower level and middle level so that was pretty damned cool.
Interior of the Colosseum from the southeast
Seating terraces in the Colosseum
Mum and me at the Colosseum
Interior of the Colosseum from the west
Arco di Constantino and Meta Sudans from the Colosseum
Southwestern side of the Colossuem and the line marking the original outer walls
Western side of the Colossuem
Except for where I stopped for a few seconds to take some photos and looked up and the group was GONE. Nearly had a panic attack. But they'd just gone off into a side alcove so hadn't gone on ahead. Phew.
Then we walked and walked through Rome.
Tempio della Pace
Ruins of ancient Rome
Curia Iulia and Chiesa Santi Luca e Martina martiri
Via del Vaccaro and archway
View south along Via della Pilotta showing several arches
Miniature cars are popular in Italy
Crowds at the Trevi Fountain and Palazzo Poli
Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
We even got to go into the Pantheon which was pretty cool. It's free entry, just takes a little while to get through security.
The Pantheon
Fontana del Pantheon
Interior of the Pantheon
Interior of the Pantheon
Roof of the Pantheon
Walked some more. Ended up near the Vatican where he gave us an hour for lunch. Had a nice chicken salad for lunch at a place the tour guide recommended. Although Mum missed a small step and fell over onto a chair hurting a rib. Hmmm.
Fontana dei Fiumi and Sant'Agnese in Agone
Ponte Sant'Angelo and St Peter's Basilica
Met up with the group again and walked into the Vatican. It's like airport security there with a huge hall and a tonne of xray machines and metal detectors.
Wandered through the Vatican Museums, and through the Sistene Chapel which is pretty cool but a very long way up so you don't really get to *look* at it. Photos in the Sistene Chapel are now STRICTLY forbidden (unlike when Mum and Dad were there in 2009). Their argument is the 1% of people that are idiots that don't know how to turn the flash off on their cameras would damage the frescos. Well I'm not one of those idiots and I wanted my own photo dammit.
Northern entrance to the Vatican
Model of Vatican City
Photo by Mum
Galleria dei Candelabri and Cortile della Pinacoteca
Giardino Quadrato
Sfera con Sfera (Sphere within a Sphere), by Arnaldo Pomodoro (1990)
Museo Pio Clementino
Amazing mosaics in Museo Pio Clementino
Sala della Biga
Roof of Galleria degli Arazzi (Gallery of Tapestries). It looks 3D but is actually a flat painted surface
Photo by Mum
The Resurrection of our Lord tapestry
Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (Gallery of Maps)
Map of Italy
View of the side of the Sistene Chapel
Roof of the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) (just don't tell security!!)
The tour finished outside St Peter's, but since we'd already been through security we could just go in. The place is enormous! And we just happened to be in the right place to see a sudden procession with Jan Baxant, a bishop from Czechia.
Facade of St Peter's Basilica
Vatican Pietà (1498-99) by Michelangelo
Interior of Basilica di San Pietro (St Peter's Basilica)
View into the apse with Bernini's Cathedra Petri and Gloria
Dome of St Peter's
Stairway down to the traditional location of St Peter's tomb
Jan Baxant a Czech Roman Catholic bishop celebrating the national patron saint Wenceslas
Interior of Basilica di San Pietro (St Peter's Basilica)
Piazza San Pietro from the basilica
Swiss Guard outside the basilica
Statues on St Peter's Basilica
Colonnade of Piazza San Pietro
Then walked back to the metro station and caught a train back to Termini. Well, after dealing with the crowds of tourists trying to figure out the ticket machines heh.
S.P.Q.R. manhole cover
Backed up photos then went to the same restaurant downstairs again for dinner. The serving size was tiny compared to last night, so we had dessert as well.
Got some stuff organised from past few days but still have a lot to do.
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