Italy: The Vatican & Sistine Chapel

I'm not Catholic, but when in Rome, you absolutely must see Saint Peters Basilica.


We got up early, made sure to cover our knees and shoulders and set in for the traditional tour, complete with the climb up to the Cupola (dome). Patrick didn't want to spend the 2 extra Euro so we hiked all the way up. But the view from above was more breath-taking than the 500 and something stairs.


Next stop, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Here are a few things that caught out eye along the long way to the chapel... we were allowed to take pictures of these:


But NOT of this:

Obviously, some people did. As fascinating and awe-inspiring it was to see Michelangelo's masterpiece...(It brought tears to my eyes,) it was so distracting. So many people did not respect it. It was so loud in the chapel, despite warnings to be silent. And so many people were taking FLASH pictures! HELLO. Their cameras are destroying history and they don't care. The security guards were yelling at everyone. Needless to say, it took away from the moment. To think it only took four years and was a pay-back for a debt.