Day 2 in Rome

Ciao! We continued blending with the Roman culture today (I'm sure the blonde hair, six feet long legs, and clueless expressions when dealing with anyone speaking Italian didn't give our true American identities away!) Today we all took a trip to the Vatican today. Because it is a country within itself therefore it is the third country we've been to since we've been here! It is extremely large and extremely elaborate. We saw several sculptures, paintings, tapestries, and mosaics. There was something to be seen around every corner. It really was breathtaking, all the detailed decoration in the whole estate. Our tour guide really made the experience for us. We finally felt like true tourists as we followed her little red scarf on a stick, and listened to her oh so soothing voice thru the headsets in our ears. Tell me that doesn't scream tourist! But it was a great experience and we really learned alot. Corridor after corridor we made our way to the famous Sistine Chapel painted by Michaelangelo. It really was amazing. Unbelievable to think that it was accomplished in a mere four years. Also the famous "Last Judgement" painting in the Chapel was quite a sight. We then made our way to St. Peter's Church. It is the largest church in the world, and it was indeed huge! Unbelievably huge! But a great experience for all of us. Then we all left the Vatican and finished our day sightseeing and/or shopping. We saw the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps. We have absorbed so much history these past few days it is unreal. We have truly seen another culture, and sometimes, it seems, another world. This has been a once in a lifetime experience for all of us. The things we have seen here this week will never leave us. However, the time has come for us the leave Italy and return to good ol U.S. of A. We will leave first thing in the morning from the Rome airport. We are scheduled to arrive in Charlotte at 6:30pm tomorrow evening, at which point we will take our culturally enhanced selves and proceed to party it up all summer long! We will see you all soon! Ciao!
Your World Traveler,
Whit