Pope, Pantheon and feeling pooped
Posted by Christina | | Posted On Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 4:15 PM
Now in day 4 of our adventures, the sleep deprivation is catching up with us. Days 1 and 2 were a breeze, but yesterday the lack of rest hit Matt like a ton of bricks and he opted to join the Italian masses in a nice afternoon siesta. Today was my breaking point. After a brief jaunt this morning and a long lunch, Matt and I crashed for the better part of the afternoon, foregoing a bike riding adventure for a 4 hour nap. Thankfully there is little to do in the Cinque Terre but relax, so we plan to take full advantage of the easy lifestyle.
Despite our exhaustion, we managed to fit in a few things around our siestas. The Vatican, our Saturday morning excursion, proved to be one of the major highlights you must see in person to truly appreciate. Having seen it on tv countless times, we figured it would be underwhelming. However, St. Peter’s Basilica, in particular, did not disappoint. Upon first walking in the massive doors, I was a bit put off by how showy and wealthy the church was. But once I moved past my differences of opinion with the Catholic church, I could truly appreciate the massiveness of the structure, the architectural details, the incredible art by Michaelangelo, and the thoughtfulness of all the relics and traditions of the church. As part of our St. Peter’s experience, we climbed the 320 stairs to the top of the dome to look out over Rome for an incredible view. No pope or popemobile sightings, but definitely a good time.
The Pantheon also was a huge highlight. Dating to the same time period as the Roman Forum, it is one of the best preserved ancient Roman buildings and one of the most remarkable engineering feats we’ve ever seen. It brought to life every piece of ancient Rome we’ve taken in, and put into perspective just how advanced the Romans were more than 2,000 years ago.
Here’s a sampling of our photos from Days 3 & 4 – VerHeuls Do Rome:
Photo #1 (above): The dome of St. Peter's Basilica
Photo #2: The Pantheon
Photo #3: Looking toward the altar at St. Peter's
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Lesson learned that a 4 hour nap is a bad idea. It's 5 in the morning and we're wide awake unable to sleep much last night. It's definitely a challenge to balance resting and sleeping to make sure you keep your body on local time.