God Box

Today was my full-on catholic day.  I got off the Metro about six blocks from he Vatican and began my pilgrimage past the vendors, the beggars and the aggressive, enthusiastic tour guides.

Tour Dude:  I give you extra special tour of the Vatican for a good price.

Me:  I am a pilgrim. God is my guide.

Tour Dude:  I am better.

First stop was the Basilica which is open to the public.  It is like Notre Dame except on a much grander scale.  Every part has spectacular art, sculptures, ceilings.  It is sensory overload.  I'm trying to find and analogy or some kind of comparable, but haven't really thought of anything.  The Basilica isn't like anything.  It is.

After spending the morning at the Basilica, it was clear that wandering over into the Vatican Museum would be foolish.  I needed some food and, especially water.  Finding a place to sit in the shade outside the Vatican is harder than you might think, but finally I found a spot next to a guy who sells holy trinkets...rosary beads, crucifixes, things like that.

While I sat there, he would call out something in Italian.  Everyone ignored him.  After a few minutes, he got up and left.  I presumed it was to find a bathroom or get a drink.  But he didn’t come back.

Soon people came over and started asking me about the holy stuff.  And, yes.  They started buying from me.  I collected the money and just put it in his little box.  Then it occurred to me: maybe this guy didn't own the box.  It is just there for someone to sit next to and make money until all the trinkets are gone.  It also occurred to me that I might have a career in selling trinkets.

Finally, it was time to go so I gathered myself, left the money and had lunch at a little pizzeria.  Street vendors are quite common here and in many cities.  What is different in Rome is the types of products that are sold on the street.  A tremendous number of high quality clothes are sold on sidewalks.  There are fruits and vegetables.  But only in Rome:  they have sidewalk vendors for gasoline.  I'll try to get a pic.  I’m sure it would go over big in Santa Cruz.

Refreshed, I walk to the Vatican Museum.  It is a little more universal that I thought it would be with exhibits from Ancient Greece and art from the Renaissance that was clearly beyond the bourn of religion.  The gardens, the sculpture, the art, the tapestries....all amazing.

Beyond the first exhibit there was a little sign with an arrow that said "Sistine Chapella".  We all went in that direction (I was not alone, although there were a few times that I didn't feel like I was on a Shanghai subway.  But just a few.)  But prior to the chapella, there was another exhibit of statutes, and then another sign to the Sistine.

Then a few more rooms and a long hall of maps.  Then more tapestries.  Finally I realized.  We were on an arts death march to the Sistine Chapel.  There were no exits from the pathway.  We were going to see all the art, then we were going to see the Sistine Chapel...and THEN we could leave.

At long last, the chapel  (no cameras, no talking).  And it was magnificent.  Michelangelo was a genius and it was a great privilege to see his magnum opus.

I made it home on the Metro, took a shower and fell into bed.  Quite a day.