Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A Whole New World

Today we traveled to a different country that resides within another country. The Vatican. We waited in line outside its city walls excited to get in. I had never realized that the Vatican was indeed its own country and how important it was to the world. It was so odd being there knowing that the pope was actually on the city's grounds and also some of the worlds most famous and life changing people had been there to visit just I had today. As we walked through the museum filled with extravagant paintings and statues, I was struggling to take it all in. So much beauty to see and hundreds of years of history in art that surrounded us was almost overwhelming. I was also getting extremely anxious as we got closer and closer to the entrance of the Sistine Chapel. The signs near the entrance were telling those fixing to go in to remain silent while in the chapel and to refrain from using our cameras. When we were in under the awe-inspiring scenes painted on the arched ceilings and standing by all the painted murals on the walls, I got chills. The amazing beauty and the shocking realization that I was in the Sistine Chapel was so powerful. We looked around and our tour guide said that the building was older than the discovery of America. And I was in it. I could have stayed in there for days just observing in silence the intricate details that years of hard work strived to perfect. After we left the Vatican city, we visited Saint Peter's Basilica. There too were grand paintings, statues, and architectural structures. We also talked to a Roman Catholic priest and a former Swiss Guard member. Today was a wonderful and once in a lifetime experience. Overall, my first impression of Roma left me speechless.

Bethany Roberson

1 comment:

  1. I got chills reading this, such an amazing experience to have at 17 years old! So Proud!
    Pedra

    ReplyDelete



Adventure Details

Duration 15 days
Destinations Athens
Rome
Pompeii
Focus Biology
Culture
Earth Science