Rome -- Day 1 The Vatican

Update: We took jobs in Al Khor, Qatar for next year. Here's a video about our new school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhQtcC5JHeQ

On to the blog...

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After New Year's Eve in Budapest, we returned home to our new flat (and new hometown) in Gyula. As much as we enjoyed living in Sarkad (and we really did -- there was nothing to do, it's just a little town in the middle of nowhere, but it gave us a pretty solid initial perspective as to what daily life was like for Hungarians), we have really enjoyed Gyula. For January and February, we pretty much just continued cleaning and organizing the flat, as well as exploring our new city. Oh, we also were a nervous wreck about having to tell our parents that we were going to stay for a 2nd year...in fact, that was pretty much the gist of every conversation we had for about a month. 

After that was all settled, we started looking at taking another trip. We had been in Hungary for over six months at that point and had only been to Budapest and Vienna. We had also found out that the Hungarian airline had gone bankrupt, which, while bad for Hungary, was great for us because two cheap flight airlines (Ryan Air and Wizz Air) bought up all their flights. This meant that there were some pretty incredible flights available. 

I remember us talking for a few days about whether we should go to Barcelona or Rome until we finally just looked at each other and were like, "uh, Rome duh." The flight was something crazy like $150 round trip for the both of us. What we didn't know then, and what we have learned several times since, is that the flights are cheap but you definitely get what you pay for. The flights are on random days and at weird times -- and they don't maybe fly directly to the actual city to which you want to go. It's still a good deal but it can be a major pain the ass -- just ask my parents! (why are we going here? Because that's where the plane lands)!

So, about this time last year we hopped on a train (bought tickets by ourselves and everything) to Budapest. When we got to Budapest we had to take the subway to the bus then take the bus to the airport -- again, we nailed every part of this -- impressive (for us). We got on the plane just fine too (notwithstanding a random and unexplained 45 minute waiting period) and were feeling pretty good about ourselves. 

The only problem we had was that we were on late flight (like 8 PM) and the subway in Rome, which we needed to get us to our hostel, shut down at 11:30. Now, I mentioned that these cheap flights don't drop you off in the center, so we also had to take a 45 minute shuttle ride from the airport to the subway. If all this didn't work out -- we would have had to spend close to $100 extra to take a taxi to our hostel and then, well, what's the point of taking the cheap flight. Anyway, we landed on time (somehow? How does a plane leave an hour late and still arrive on time? Is it like time travel?), took our shuttle (during which we saw a guy on a motorcycle doing about 100 mph pass us only to see him get arrested a few miles up the road -- oh, and some hookers too), and got off at Termini Station in Rome. 

Termini Station is the main public transport hub in Rome (buses, trains, subway, taxi's)...it's also one of the shadiest places we have ever been. Granted, it was 11 PM by then, and I am quite certain that any train station in the world looks and feels the same at 11 PM, but wow -- that was a LOT of homeless people. Anyway, we scrambled with the crowd to find our way down to and through the metro to find the one we need to get us to the right part of town. For once, we made some right decisions and made it to where we were supposed to be going (due in no small part, I might say, to me -- usually, Meliss is in charge of all directions and I just carry stuff. But, for some reason, in Rome {and, in Italy in general} I get to carry stuff AND figure our where we're going. It was great!). 

Our hostel was near the Vatican and so after the subway we popped out and after a few blocks of deserted streets found ourselves right in front of it.

St. Peter's Square and Basilica at night

We strolled by it and took some pictures but were really more focused on figuring out where the hell we were staying that night. We had a general idea of where it was and were following our map and pulling our luggage through Rome (in what was rapidly becoming the middle of the night) and not looking at all like tourists ripe for a mugging. We also were still a little unnerved by the scene at Termini Station, so while this was quite impressive, we were in a "heads on a swivel" mode and moving on.

We eventually walked our way to the area in which our hostel should have been -- but all we found was a creepy guy eyeballing us from across the street and then following us as we walked away. So, we ducked into an actual hotel, asked directions, looked at a map, and just waited him out (which took quite awhile, by the way). When he left, we headed out in what we thought was the right direction and found...nothing. A taxi happened to be going by and, after flagging him down and showing him the name and address of our hostel, he just pointed across the street and said some stuff in Italian (which Meliss thinks is the most awesome language and immediately fell in love with the 55 year old taxi driver). We said thanks and headed that way -- and after walking up and down the street succeeded only in finding another taxi. We showed this guy our info and he literally pointed right behind us. This was right behind us...

This is our hostel (not the "Hello Phone" place -- next to it)
How are we supposed to find that at midnight, I ask you?

Of course we should have noticed this door.

And pressed this buzzer...at midnight.

This place was cheap and clean but we did have to share a bathroom which was a first (and last) for us. In any event, we found it and crashed for a few hours because we were getting up early for the Vatican the next day.

Here's the thing about sharing a bathroom. When our alarm went off we immediately heard scurrying from the other room -- doors opening, shutting, and...there's the shower running. Great! Now, we can't shower OR go to the bathroom. Fast forward an hour or so later and we were on our way to the Vatican. It's pretty freakin' impressive. St. Peter's Basilica is monstrous and an imposing backdrop to his square that sits in front.

St. Peter's Basilica and Square --Vatican Museum off to the right

We just walked around the square for awhile taking pictures and trying to take it all in.

Oiler man made it!

These are just the columns on the left side of the Basilica -- we found that it was difficult in all of Rome to get full pictures of all the awesome things because A) these things are huge and B) there's not a ton of room -- we couldn't back up far enough to get all the pictures we wanted -- mainly because of other buildings but also because of traffic.

We loved those trees (Avatar!)

We were in line to enter the Basilica at this point...we thought all the chairs were due to an impending Papal visit the next day -- but who knows cause they were still there two days later.

Map of the Basilica -- and all the things one shouldn't have/take/or do in the Basilica

Looking back from the entrance

And the entrance

And just a step inside St. Peter's Basilica
You know, it's hard not to cuss when you walk into places like this.
Also, you can see the middle aisle that is roped off -- inside that, on the floor, is a list of the great churches of the world and where they would stop if placed inside St. Peter's. 

We listened to Rick Steve's podcast tour of St. Peter's as we walked through. We highly recommend it as A) it's free and B) awesome. Here's some stuff we looked at as we walked around.

Michelangelo's Pieta
As stated in a previous blog, we are not "art" people but this is breathtaking.
Also, you can't get close to it because, and I quote from Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring Guidebook, "in the 70's, a hammer wielding  Hungarian tried to destroy  the sculpture." So, thanks Hungary!
Also, more on Hungarian-Roman culture clashes next blog.

Close-up

Oh, and there were little masses and ceremonies going on around us this whole time. 

Dome above St. Peter's tomb

And...St. Peter's Tomb

Back towards the entrance

Don't remember who this guy was (St. Something) but everybody was rubbing his toe, so I did too -- can't hurt, right?

Ooooh, is that the Pope?
It wasn't. Plus, he quit, what is that about?

These statues are everywhere and they are huge. But they only look huge when you get up close to them because the rest of the Cathedral is so big.

Ok, this is the spot at which Charlemagne was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor. 

We walked around the Basilica for a few hours and easily could've done a few more. You know, just seeing the Pieta would have been enough -- but to have that sculpture housed in that church is pretty amazing. Outside, we headed immediately for the Vatican City Post Office to send postcards home to our families.

Smallest Sovereign country in the world. 

And these guys...not intimidating (I'm not saying they couldn't/wouldn't take me down in a heartbeat, just that they don't necessarily look like it).

On our way back out

St. Peter

From the Basilica, we headed straight to the Vatican Museum, home of the Sistine Chapel...Oh, wait, no we didn't. We tried to get in line to go up in the Dome of St. Peter, but we GOT LOST! So, we ended up going to the Vatican Museum instead.

First, a gigantic museum.
Second, it was nice because we could walk inside and outside so we felt a bit less trapped.
Third, St. Stephen's Dome in the background.

And again

Us, with St. Peter's Dome

Inside one of the courtyards

Well, this thing is neat.

Copy of the head of Michelangelo's David.

Once inside, we really just wanted to see Raphael's rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

but...

There is so much awesome stuff in here...

Like Medusa

Ceaser

Hadrian

And Hercules, Hercules!

And Hercules again...

And a bust of the great Roman Hero, Marc Patton. Ok, Melissa physically made me put this picture in and say these things because she thought it looked exactly like me.

We walked around in the museum for HOURS and just like the Cathedral, we could have walked around for hours more. I don't have the words for it.

Egyptian rooms

Ancient Scrolls...

and tablets...

Long hallways covered with awesomeness...

and then, the Raphael Rooms,

This is the size of the front of a house.

And this...

And this.

Meliss immediately fell in love with these paintings/murals. She is a Raphael lover now. You just stand there, and you are in a room looking up, down, left/right and everywhere is covered with stuff you have only seen in books. And then you go to the next room and it's more of the same. Then, you finally go to the next room and...

Oh, yeah.

Pretty strict about the no picture policy in the actual room -- which is huge. It was unbelievable to walk into this room and look up and around and see...this. We had both seen this before -- again, in books and on tv and whatnot. But to stand there, underneath and surrounded by...THIS. Wow. It is just hard to explain. We enjoyed it -- but, I will say, if you are going to the Vatican Museum -- go directly to the Raphael rooms and Sistine Chapel and then go back and tour the rest. We did the opposite and I don't care how awesome everything is - walking around a museum for 3-4 hours just takes its toll.

Plus, we wanted to go up in the Dome of St. Peter -- we just had to figure out how to get there.

Out of the museum we went...

It turns out the entrance to the Dome of St. Peter was right next to the exit of St. Peter's Basilica...who knew? We didn't know, that's who. But we found it now and, luckily, there wasn't much of a line so we got right in. Then we climbed up a bunch of sideways passages to get to the top of the dome and I am not kidding when I say that if you are claustrophobic at all you should not climb up to the dome. We are not, but it still felt a little screwy.

Once up top, we just walked around and took in the view...

You can just make out the courtyard of the Vatican Museum on the very left -- but that whole structure is the museum.

Close-up. You can see that cool sphere thing.

And then looking out over the square

Us atop St. Peter's Basilica

Oiler-man made it!
Hmmm, this picture is supposed to be above the one of us...oh, well -- deal with it.

As we headed back down, we got some more looks at the dome

And these guys over-looking the square

Funny, they don't look this big from down below

Ok, that was day 1 in Rome and it was exactly what we hoped it would be like!! It was nearly evening when we left Vatican City so we stopped for a glass of wine and some dinner on the way home. We needed to make it an early evening though because the next day was Coliseum Day.

Again from the dome

And just below it -- you can already see my head getting sunburned.

Up next -- The Coliseum...and other stuff.