Walking into Vatican City is like walking into some giant’s courtyard.  The buildings and columns tower around the main plaza and terraces over six stories high look down over the multitudes gathered there.  St. Peter’s Basilica is indescribable.  I don’t really know how to capture the immensity of architecture or the brilliance of design in writing (or photograph for that matter).  It is definitely something that needs to be experienced first hand.  I joked with Shazeen that the plaza could fit one massive giant or one million little guys like us.  You know how sometimes you exaggerate a situation with outrageous values like one million?  Ya, I think I’ve underestimated this time around.  Standing in the centre of the piazza, the only thought I could think of is how incredibly small and insignificant we humans are.  All around me were massive structures and if that weren’t enough to convince me of my smallness, I look up and see the moon shining in a clear expansive sky.  As I reflect on it, I feel like it’s OK to be small and in fact, it’s good to be reminded of our relative insignificance.

After exploring the arms and the inside of the basilica, Shazeen and I paid seven euros each to climb to the top of the dome.  The Cupola, as it is called, looks down over all of Rome.  We got to the top at the perfect time when the sun was setting and day turned into night.  The view was breathtaking and it was a full 360 degree of it.  Again, I wish I could describe the awesomeness of the experience but it’s truly something that needs to be felt first hand.  Soon after, the sun set and all the main tourist sites close down when this happens.  We didn’t see the Sistine Chapel but we’re going to head back there on Tuesday to do that.  I hear it’s utterly amazing.  We’ll see and I’ll definitely let you know.

For those following my belly pic progress, Rome is outstanding for belly pic shots.  I limited it to only a few of the sites but realistically, I could have done a belly pic for ALL the sites that I saw.  I’ve picked the more famous ones to post on the site.