Started the day missing breakfast and instead had lunch in what has become the favourite pizza place of the trip. Today, lunch was prawn salad pizza coupled with sautéed mushrooms. Even tejumpa Beard Papa lookalike in a nearby bakery but have to say it’s not the real deal.
The plan for the day was a visit to the infamous Vatican city. Took the Metro (subway) for the first time and must say it’s quite convenient. When we arrived at the Ottaviano stop, it started to rain heavily. Inda lagi membawa payung or raincoat. Sekalinya, out of the blue came an Indian guy offering to sell umbrellas for 5 Euro each. Pandai dorang ani bedagang. Haha. Being bruneians, menawar lagi tu. Mau jua kurang ☺ And then, one thing masa hujan atu tambus lagi tu aying. Heheh. Payung murah tah banar.
Then we started to queue in a long line just outside the Vatican city walls. Another Indian guy (ramai dorang ani sini) offered to join an English speaking tour for 25 Euro with 14 Euro entrance fee. Katanya no need to wait in line and we decided to go for it. He bought us to a café where there was an English lady gathering other tourists for the tour. Then, she led us back to the queue! Kena kelakari rupanya. (Side note: During the queue, overheard another classic American conversation. There was a guy who asked the tour guide whether it’s worth to visit the Trevi fountain. She replied in a mock shock “of course! how blasphemous to think otherwise!” Sekali reply the guy which was classic “hey! a fountain’s a fountain!” Heheh, another one for the books.)
Anyway, when we finally reached the entrance, there were security checks and we got our hearing aids for the tour. Suffice to say, the tour turned out to be good and informative and the museums were very impressive. There were magnificent sculptures, mosaic paintings and golden arches. But the highlight was the Sistine Chapel where no cameras no allowed at all. We were told that it took Michelangelo 4 years to complete the beautiful painting on the ceiling which turned him half blind by the end of it since he was painting it upside down. He wasn’t paid by money at the end of it but was given a bag of gold coins. He was called back later on to paint ‘The Last Judgement’.
Another impressive place in the Vatican city was a big church hall called San Pietro. As expected, the design of the interior was beautiful. Just outside it was the large and infamous St. Peter’s Square.
The last stop was Piazza di Spagna with all the high street shopping. You name all the major fashion brands in the world and they can be found here. The Spanish steps (finally the correct steps!) can also be found in Spagna.
Had salmon pizza and another round of calamari for la cena (dinner). Oh, of course the day would not be complete without another gelato. It was caramel for me today with a side combo of crepe with nutella. Yummy.
That’s a wrap for Day 2. One more Roman day to go. Bye for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment