The Bizzare Last Day in Rome

We should have had more time in Rome. We knew that when we got there. Little did we know just how true that would be, but, when we arrived at the Vatican, we found that the Sistine Chapel had closed at 1 p.m.--we were about three hours late.
The second day in Rome was all kind of like that. We woke up dreading the heat that lied beyond our air-conditioned cabin. Rome, though I hadn't realized it until I arrived, is tropical. In the summer, it is excruciating. But despite the heat, I was able to appreciate the beautiful flora that comes with it. There are cyprus trees all over Rome. They are tall, skinny trees with big tufts of rough greet leaves at the top. They are just beautiful and cover the city and surrounding areas. Below the canopy of cyprus trees, there are tons of oleander bushes that line every street and passage that still has room for life (almost every square inch of the city is concrete or stone). Not only do oleander blossoms paint the view, but other flowers too, including ones that smell somewhat like chocolate even though they are a bright fushia.
There are lizzards climbing the trees and scurrying around the pebbled streets, and either birds or bugs in the trees making the most obnoxious racket that I resolved to appreciate because it lent more to the tropical atmosphere.
My favorite part of Rome, however, might have been the kitties! Back in the day (sorry I heard too much history to keep it all straight) an emporer brought cats over to help fight the rat problem. Now, hundreds of years later, there is an ENORMOUS cat population in Rome, which was once viewed as a problem, but eventually, ruins were sectioned off as cat sanctuaries and one leader made all cats official citizens of Rome.
Around our campsite, there were at least two resident kitties, both of which Collin and I happily made friends with.
So, in this steaming, tropical cat-haven, we decided that we needed to get going and make the most of our time in Rome, which was of course, the most powerful empire that the world has ever and probably will ever see. At one point, it spanned from the middle east to the Atlantic ocean, and into what is now northern Germany and down into Egypt. It is amazing to think that a place with that much power is just one city in Italy now. By the way! Did you know that Italy only became a country in the 1860s?! That blows my mind! Originally, it was just a bunch of separate regions that only became a solid country around the time of Napoleon.
Anyway, after our lousy tour the day before, we still had a few very important sights to see: the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and of course, the Vatican and all that goes with it.
Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain and it was absolutely beautiful. It is HUGE, which is a little strange because shops and other buildings are crammed so close to it that it is hard to get a good picture of the whole thing. But it is magnificent and the water is a crystal blue (probably because of chlorine). Collin and I each threw a penny over our shoulders into the fountain, meaning that we would some day return to Rome, which is going to come in handy given that we missed the Sistine Chapel.
We left that beautiful place because no matter how amazing a sight is to see, it is very hard to appreciate for very long in throngs of other tourists. So we made our way toward the Spanish Steps.
Another of my favorite things about Italy will have been the slushies that they sell. We got our first one in Venice, and I thought it would be better than a warm Coke. Little did I know that the MOST relieving thing in the blistering sun is sitting on a shaded step--slushy in-hand. We had two that day because of their powerful cooling abilities! So when I saw people walking around Rome with slushies (mostly little kids, but hey! if it works it works!) I knew the only way to make myself more comfortable was to get my paws on one of those puppies. we searched and searched for the best deal, passed it looking for a better one, and got a mediocre deal on a small slushy, but as I have said, it was worth the chill that comes with losing two euros for three tablespoons of slushy.
We headed out and made our way to the Spanish Steps, which Collin said were beautiful when he saw them last. However, when we got there, there were boards covering what we assumed were windows, but they were oddly placed if they were. Collin mentioned something about flowers, but the only ones we saw were the ones that rose peddlers were pushing into our hands. After a good 20 seconds of fending off one of these salesmen, we both had to shout "NO!" at him, and he got defensive. We exchanged some grimmaces and moved on, only to find three more in our faces, pushing the roses against my body in an attempt to get me to grab one. Again, we shouted "NO!" They started calling us stupid bastards...which I didn't much apprecite--to say the least. I stepped closer and asked "what?!" And they repeated the two or three insults they knew in English until I threatened to call the police, who were standing just a few meters away. Finally I opened my arms, and raised my voice for them to get out of my way. I formed a space around myself so that they would move from it. They did, still murmuring "...stupid..." among other things, but they had moved, and I got to take my pictures of the Spanish Steps. Collin and I stood our ground until we got all the pictures we wanted, and finally moved on toward the Vatican.
Another thing we've picked up along our journey is an intimate knowledge and understanding of public transportation. I have never taken so much public transit before in my life! But Collin is the lead, and I the understudy on the Metro stage! We can easily and cheaply get anywhere in any city we visit. Getting around Rome was no different. We hopped right on the Metro and made our way to the Vatican City, which is technically not even part of Italy--one leader along the way (post reformation I assume) made it it's own "country" so that the Pope could still be the head of church and state.
We got off and followed the signs and the slew of people heading toward the capital of Catholicism. We saw a sign and decided that it was good enough for us, and as we headed in, we were stopped by a guard, whom we asked where to find the Sistine Chapel. After providing a detailed set of directions, he said, "but it is closed." What? "It closed at 1 today."....What? "You can come back tomorrow at 9 a.m." Um...no we can't--we're leaving. THIS IS THE SISTINE CHAPEL! What!? How, how, HOW can you close at 1 p.m. without making sure every single tourist knew it so well that even their grandmothers had planned ahead?
There was nothing we could do. One of the most amazing things in all the world was closed the only day we had to see it. So, baffled, we walked on toward St. Peter's Basilica, in a dehydrated and disappointed stupor.
Despite our dejection, we had to appreciate one of the best features in Italy--free, ice-cold, ever-flowing, public drinking fountains. Anne, thank you for reminding us to get a water bottle because we filled that thing tons of times during our trip but especially in Italy.
After filling our bottle, we walked into the center of the Vatican City, where the Pope addresses the people seated below the balcony twice a week (this week, however, the Pope was on vacation...yes...vacation...). Then, "queued" for the basilica, which didn't take long--thank God.
Once we passed through security and the dress code, which requires shoulders and knees covered before entering, we saw the beautiful ceiling of what might be called the porch. It is an pillared entry way with ornate, gold-painted, and layered ceiling patterns that were so intricate that I forced myself to stare for at least a full minute so as not to miss the beautiful intricacies.
Then, we moved into the cathedral, whose ceiling was even more ornate than the previous one. Through Sistine-esque painted domes in the ceiling were cyllindrical extensions to even higher gold and blue painted domes with windows letting in enough light for you to see the art without compromising that holy ambiance they were going for.

We've seen a lot of churches in Europe--all of them enromous, ornate, and a little rediculous. But St. Peter's has something more. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems more pulled together. The architectural and artistic styles and the way they used the gold to embellish each item seemed to be done in a very consistent and pleasing fashion. The ceilings were so detailed and beautiful. I was captivated by the textures that delicately covered every surface.

We weren't there long. Even though we'd only seen three sights, it had been a long day already, and of course, the sun was barely tolerable. We headed to another convenient Metro stop and headed to our campsite.

I left Venice wishing that I had taken more time to relax by the pool, so even though I was digesting our picnic-in-the-air-conditioned-cabin dinner, I decided that it was important to me to go sit by the pool at least one more time.

So the loving Collin came with me despite his aversion to heat and bugs, and we sat at the pool reading. Well. I sat at the pool reading. Collin has been miserable for the last week and a half without something to read, so he blogged about the daybefore while I sat and read my book. Before I left, I bought myself a summer read for the trip. I am not much of a reader, but something told me that I would want something to preoccupy myself with. So I bought "Love in Excess, or The Fatal Inquiry" by Eliza Haywood. It is kind of a Crusoe-era soap opera romance with a theme of female freedom versus virtue and love versus "ambition," which refers to people marrying for social or finanacial gains. I have been glued to it for the last few weeks and am about to finish. So at the end of the day, with the smell of tropical flowers in the warm evening air, the sun setting over the cyprus-covered Roman hills, and a Diet Coke in my hand, we whiled away an hour or two just relaxing before heading on to Florence.