CHRISTMAS IN ROME: FEELING BLESSED AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA!

today, we visited the vatican city! we started the day with brunch at myrko – a very cute cafe right outside. after happily stuffing our bellies, we were ready to explore! the day turned quite warm (high of 65 degrees!) so we threw off our jackets, grabbed some gelatos, and headed over to stand in line (which moved fairly quickly) to enter st. peter’s basilica.

while we waited for breakfast to come out, we had the kids learn about the vatican city. here are some interesting facts they learned!:

* the vatican city is the smallest country in the world.

* st. peter’s basilica sits atop a mass labyrinth of catacombs called the ‘city of the dead’ where thousands of skeletons of people exist.

* there is a half-mile elevated covered passage that leads from the vatican to the fortified castel sant’angelo and was built as a secret passage for the pope to escape in case of attack.

the visit to enter the st. peter’s basilica is free (the line is for security check). for a small fee of 6-8 euros you are able to climb up to the top of the dome – after security check, look to the right where you will see the sign “cupola.” follow it until you reach the ticket office. from atop you will have the opportunity to take in the spectacular panoramic view of st. peter’s square and the city of rome! we didn’t get to climb the dome on this trip, but we are certainly excited to experience it on one of our future trips to rome!

get it alllllllll out of your systems, kiddos!!! before we head into any place that requires quiet and hushed respect, we make sure to encourage them to get their giggles and gaggles out! love how happy they are to let loose! so funny..

ahhhh! such a gorgeous crisp BRILLIANT day! it was a bit warmer today and it felt incredible walking around. look at that sky!

stepping out of the foyer into the main sanctuary was beyond surreal. as i looked up and tried to take in all the GLORIOUSNESS, i had to remind myself that this was not a dream, but a dream come true! what a blessing it is to be able to visit this holy place in person.

this is jack standing in the doorway about to enter the sanctuary. he was just so mesmerized, he couldn’t move.

it seemed as if everyone there visiting this place felt like we did. we were all humbled and awed, reverent and …at peace. it was an experience we will treasure for life.

even after seeing all the internet photos of st. peter’s basilica, we weren’t quite ready for the absolute majestic GRANDEUR of this place. all we could say was, “WOW…!” repeated about a hundred times in awed whisper.

a fascinating fact we found out about the many huge “paintings” in the domes and on the walls: they are not paintings, but actually a mosaic, done with such painstaking detail, with tiny little pieces of glass, that they only appear to be paintings.

the kids saw some of the visitors putting holy water on their foreheads and blessing themselves. they wanted to do the same… ♥

the swiss guard: they were originally hired as mercenaries and are in charge of the vigilance, safety and protection of the pope.

i fell in love with this gorgeous green gate and my little jack jack happily posed for me! sweet boy…

our plan was to return to our hotel to take a break, eat dinner and then head back out, but both kate and i were tired, so we rested and ate in our room, while the boys went back out to explore the streets some more. i think if we had to do today over again, we would have brought our stroller (at four years old and especially on week long trips with loads of walking, it is a sanity saver)! we will most definitely bring it to the colosseum tomorrow!

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