Since I was a hermit on Thursday, yesterday was my official first day in Rome. It was another early rise, 6am, so I could make it in time for my tour of the Vatican City. I have to admit, this was my least favorite tour during my entire trip. The museum itself was somewhat boring, but I wasn’t sure if it was because my brain wasn’t fully functioning at 8am or I just was accustomed to very lively tour guides and this guide was more mellow focusing on covering all the facts as opposed to telling a story. All that aside, it was amazing to finally enter the Sistine Chapel. It made the yawnfest of a tour completely worth it, and although this trip isn’t over, I’m pretty sure I can say that this was the ultimate highlight for me. Seeing Michelangelo’s work in person is emotionally ground-breaking, like you’re about to embark on some sort of out of body experience and feel completely immersed in brilliance. You are surrounded by people, but don’t even realize they are there. You don’t need to be Roman Catholic for the Sistine Chapel ceiling to touch your soul. The art work is so vivid and alive, I almost cried and not from being exhausted this time. I wish I could lay on the floor and stare at it for countless hours in complete silence. You aren’t allowed to talk in the Sistine Chapel, nor take photographs so again, I have nothing to share, but you’ve all seen photographs of the ceiling – none of them does it any justice what-so-ever. Seriously, come see it for yourself.
I was able to take pictures in other areas of the tour:
The tour ended around 11:30 a.m. It was a great morning in Rome, but I was beat and needed a power nap. I went back to the hotel, opened up my windows since the weather is amazing here, and fell asleep with my laptop…
Katherine Rodriguez 
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