Musei Vaticani

Oh Vatican Museums, you are so crowded when you are free. Being the last Sunday of the month, there was no admission fee to the Museum so I, along with the rest of the world, got up early to head over there. Waited in line for an hour or so but that didn't matter at all because it's the Vatican Museums! Everything wonderful is there. Augustus of Primaporta, Apollo Belvedere, Sistine Chapel. I saw all of you. And I would have seen the Laocoon but it is in a special exhibition right now which is not free so I'm going to wait until it's back in its proper spot. Also the Pinacoteca and a view out onto the gardens. Yes, this is one of the best museums ever. I can't even name everything that I saw. I still prefer sculpture over other mediums but the Sistine Chapel is amazing (excellent restoration and cleaning; the colors are brilliant) and almost changed my mind. It was quite a sight and seeing the entire Chapel literally packed with people was also a sight. Interesting in that it is a chapel with an altar and everything but nobody is really acting like it is. A jostling crowd, guards yelling for silence as the murmur swells, tourists being scolded for taking pictures. And everyone straining their eyes up to Michelangelo's heavens. There's nothing like it. I will definitely be back, though hopefully when there are fewer people and I can truly take my time. The Sistine Chapel must be quite another experience when one is not surrounded by hordes. And to think, my parents have been able to visit there privately with a small travel group. They are lucky. I was pleased to see some young American priests also going through the museum and making comments such as "Who would ever want to kneel on that?" in regards to an extravagant kneeler. I love seeing priests and nuns doing and saying ordinary things. Because they are people but at the same time, they seem so apart. It's a little strange to hear a priest say something that I'd expect out of my brother but it is fast becoming one of my favorite things. The number of nuns and priests here is obviously very high and I like seeing them around. I would very much like to know a priest or nun here who can explain all the things of which lay people may be unaware. I suppose a priest would be most useful because the Church is a little weird about women, even nuns, so the priests know more of the good stuff and probably have connections. Anyway, today has simply increased my love of museums and the Vatican in general. I was going to go back into the Basilica but it too was jammed so I wandered on home. I also have developed a fascination with the Swiss Guard. What an interesting group. I'm researching them now because I think they could offer a lot of obscure facts that I would appreciate. So a lovely day out on my own. I suspect I will be at the Vatican frequently while I'm in Rome. Also every morning in St. Peter's, priests from all over the world say Mass in the various chapels in their native languages. How cool is that? All at once, there are all these Masses happening because every priest wants to say Mass in St. Peter's. One day soon, I will wake up very early to go. Also, something that I never really thought about: modern religious art. For whatever reason, it seemed strange. Perhaps because I'm so used to old religious art and modern non-religious art that modern and religious didn't even seem like a possible combination. So that was a nice thing to think about for a bit. But for now, I must do some homework because I am a student.