The Vatican Museums

An amazing place to spend several hours, wandering along its vast corridors from treasure to treasure. It's especially delightful when it's not crowded...









The Sistine Chapel is far from the only place worth looking upwards...



Here's a closeup of the same ceiling...



Here's another ceiling...



Etruscan, Greek, and Roman statues must comprise a larger population than the living population of The Vatican.



Interested in "old stuff?" How about numerous antiquities like these from the seventh century BC?









We walk along the seemingly endless corridors, sometimes walking downstairs only to walk back upstairs as we make our way toward the Sistine Chapel, the grand finale of everybody's visit.



The ceilings are truly amazing...









Finally we're standing inside the Sistine Chapel for the second time in our lives. The guards yell "no photos" about every two minutes but that doesn't stop the tourists from snapping photos. We're too respectful (or is it timid?) so you'll have to settle for this. We continue to make full use of the video guides we rented and spend the better part of an hour gazing in all directions at walls and ceiling.

Finally it's time to go. We leave via the massive helicoidal ramp, 165 meters high, and opened in 2000 to help manage the crowds that are thankfully absent the day of our visit. Yes, that's Brian at the bottom, posing for Kathy.



And here's what it looks like from the bottom...



A quick stop to buy stamps and mail post cards to grandkids from the the world's smallest country (and the country with world's lowest per capita birthrate!) and it's outside and a long walk "around the corner" to visit St. Peter's.