Roma Roamings- day 2

Since we had done ancient Rome the previous day, on Tuesday we arose early and headed for St. Peter’s square, venturing thru the Metro system to get there. But, even with the metro, there was a fair amount of walking to do…..

There was already a crowd when we arrived, but nothing compared to the line when we were leaving!! One of the big purposes of the morning was to climb the steps of the Cupola and see Rome from the top. This is the third time in our lives that we have done this, but it was just as much fun as the times before.

Naturally, we could not deign to take the Lift so climbed the ENTIRE 520 steps to the top. The steps vary as you go higher. At the bottom the curve is gentle and the steps are wide….

…but as you go higher, the walls start to curve inwards…..

….but as you near the top, the steps become MUCH narrower until you are walking in a very tight circle. It was good to surface into the fresh air of the morning!!

I loved being able to look down into this “secret” garden…..

We took the requisite selfie….

….although our kids both thought that this photo looked like we were in jail!! And, then they expressed the view that they weren’t surprised!!!

The return to ground level was just as curvy but definitely easier……

We entered the main sanctuary and spent a few minutes enjoying the ambiance. I couldn’t get anywhere close to Michaelangelo’s Pietà, but the zoom on the camera lens certainly made it easier to get a good photo. When we first visited this back in 1997 you could walk right up to it but, for security reasons, it has been encased in a glass chamber.

I often grow tired of looking at endless sculptures of unknown people, so I start looking for interesting tidbits along the way. I loved the details of this book and hand marking it’s spot…..

And, as always, I am on the lookout for quilt ideas. Wouldn’t it be fun to do something with all of these arches…..

I can imagine spending hours trying to get the perspective just right!!!

I have always loved the brilliant colors of the Vatican guards…..

I imagine that he could take me out with that spear if I dared to cross the threshold that he is guarding!!

The last few photos were in the courtyard in front of the church. I have always loved these fountains and am especially happy with how the new lens caught the water….

Here are a few more from the photo shoot….

Don’t you love the blueness of the sky!!! And the clarity of this zoomed-in view….

One last shot……

…..and we were off in search of donuts….you heard me right!! When we were here with our kids back in 1997, we were told to arrive at the church early to be one of the first ones in. Being the “Early Bird Arnold’s”, we arrived TOO early and had to find some way to pass the time. The answer came in the form of GIANT, sugar sprinkled donuts!! We found them again back in 2010 and definitely needed them to complete this trip. And we found them…..

YUM!!!!

We now headed for the Capoteline Museum, next to the Roman forum…..

For some reason, I cant get enough of these columns!!!

Again, I didn’t take lots of photos of the statues but looked for interesting bits…. such as this stylish hairdo…..

….or the use of colored marble to create a drape…..

So much fluidity created from stone!!!

I loved the delicate nature of the music instrument that this woman was holding…..

We both looked at this sculpture and wondered if she was blowing up an air mattress???

We returned to the hotel for a brief rest and to change shoes (always necessary after long walks) and then headed back to OVS….that’s right….more shopping. We had to return one pair of pants and ended up buying a few more items while we were there!! This store was close to our local restaurant so we returned for a very late lunch. The meal was wonderful but the highlight was the Bruschetta……

We returned to the hotel, only venturing out for Gelato at the end of the day.

Thus ends our two day, whirlwind tour of Rome. We both feel a bit like this…..

To end this portion of the trip, let me say a bit about the sadness of today’s culture. Each time that we have visited… 22 years ago, 9 years ago and now… there have been increasing needs for security and we have seen how the implementation of those measures have marred and detracted from the purity of the sights. It is a shame….