Vatican City- smallest country of de world
i) Vatican Museums
Vatican museums are de museums of Vatican City and they are located within de city's boundaries. in order to skip de long ticket line, I would suggest to get your advance ticket and go at your own pace. we bought de express ticket priced at €27.50 per person from a cafe located opposite Vatican Museums (not exactly a good choice but this was de only option available). a few men (and in fact, many) might approach you by offering guided tour at a higher price. de actual ticket fee may cost only €11 but it will probably take you forever to queue. some say that de lines are de longest in de morning so perhaps you may consider to go at late afternoon in order to skip de endlessly long lines. here, it contains masterpiece of painting, sculpture, and other artworks that are collected by de popes through de centuries. definitely a lot to see but one place you must not miss is de exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel for its fresco painted ceiling. in order to get to Sistine Chapel, you must go through Vatican Museums (only).
before entering Vatican Museums, we were required to pass through an airport-like security check. once we entered there weren't any proper signage to lead de way- things were not so organized as overall. it is a one-way entry museum. minimum time spent would be approximately 1 hour (even on a quick stroll of everything). by de end of de museum our legs were just too tired for anything.
"Sphere Within Sphere"
this is a masterpiece of an Italian sculptor named Arnaldo Pomodoro. similar versions of de sphere sculpture can also be found across de globe, including Ireland and New York.
de Vatican courtyard.
ceilings with impressive art.
on left it's a 2-dimensional art that mimics 3D. remember to turn off your flash.
de famous section of Michelangelo's fresco Sistine Chapel ceiling-
"The Creation of Adam"
it is not exactly a huge painting. when you are finally in de Sistine Chapel you will be told no photograph is allowed. please remain silent.
spiral stairways at de Vatican Museum.
ii) St. Peter's Basilica
we gave up on this church as de queue to enter would obviously took de whole day and keep us waiting under de HOT sun after Vatican Museums. I guess there were just too many people for us to enjoy anything in peace. crowds in Rome were just ridiculous.
we didn't have time to enter de castle (not really interested anyway) but we made an effort to walk across de bridge and see all de angel statues. again, beware of person who approached you with a pen and asked you to sign for free but ended up paying some money. being generous enough, Saam donated €1. I wonder what is really FREE in Rome.. haha.
a bad poser =P
Angel with The Cross.
lovely sight of de River Tiber.
a beautiful windy day =)
a lonely man spotted outside de castle.
he was just a quiet street performer, oh not de one with pen.
lovelocks at de bridge.
iv) Colosseum- World's Seven Wonders
entrance ticket: €12
again, book your ticket in advance to avoid de long ticket line (a small booking fee may be required) otherwise you may consider to visit Colosseum during evening. but please be aware of its opening hours as it may be different according to season.
Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial games as well as a variety of other events such as animal hunt. games were held for a whole day or even several days in a row, including fights to de death between animals and gladiators or between gladiators. fighters were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals. these games were a symbol of family prestige and power. should de arena floor become too soaked up with blood, it would be covered with a layer of sand. these games continued until Christianity progressively put a cease on human deaths.
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Arch of Constantine.
not exactly a restaurant with cut throat price hence we gave in. de waiter was friendly and welcoming. most importantly, it has free WiFi! there are also similar restaurants located within de streets. you can slowly choose your favourite if you are not in an extreme hunger mood like us.
v) dinner @ Bar Centralissimo (nearby Trevi Fountain)
free WiFi available
not exactly a restaurant with cut throat price hence we gave in. de waiter was friendly and welcoming. most importantly, it has free WiFi! there are also similar restaurants located within de streets. you can slowly choose your favourite if you are not in an extreme hunger mood like us.
bacon carbonara and spicy spinach were my top recommendations. pizza and risotto were mediocre in taste even though risotto looked slightly more tempting in de picture. grilled chicken on de other hand, was pretty bland and was too overloaded with potatoes. total bill costs around €105 but overall we enjoyed our food very much.
a sweet ending with Trevi Fountain ice-cream.
=)
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