The Vatican to Assisi

Well I am typing this from the hotel lounge.  No internet in our room.  

Up at the crack of dawn, great breakfast and left for the Vatican at 7:30.  Our audience with the Pope was very early.  lol.  The climb up the circular ramp at the Vatican to see views of the Vatican and Rome was a hard climb.  Bonnie almost didn't make it, but Joe, kindly told our guide she had a problem with the climb (and centred her out quite nicely) and so they went very slow, and for the rest of the day everyone kept asking if I (Bonnie) was okay.  What a view!!

The Sistine Chapel was absolutely amazing.  The ceiling by MichaelAngelo was the most amazing thing we have every seen.  You would swear (not in church though) that the ceiling had sculptures in it, it looks so 3D, but it is all flat.  He was so wonderful a painter.  The hardest thing was trying to look up at the ceiling (maybe 60 feet) because it was hard on the neck. No pictures were allowed.

We went to St. Peter's Basilica where St. Peter is buried.  It can only be called a basilica if a saint is buried there otherwise it is a cathedral. So wonderful to see it all.  By the way The Pope wasn't available unfortunately.

The above tapestries are in the hall near the sistine chapel.

On to Assisi.  Our bus is very comfortable with lots of leg room.  Only 40 seats on the Insight buses as compared to 55 on some others.  Well, guess what!  The town of Assisi is on the top of a hill!  They got at taxi for myself and three other ladies to get up to our hotel, the rest of the group walked up the hill.

However, there was a downhill and then long uphill road to get to the St. Francis Basilica.  I made it though and it was worth the climb.

Tomorrow, off to Venice.