The Vatican

On my second day in Rome, I got up early, though not as early as planned and took the metro to the Vatican to see the pope. I got a seat fairly close to the walkway where the pope would be passing by (6 rows from the front) and sat down to wait for 2 hours.

There were a bunch of kids behind me, who kept yelling "seduti," sit down in Italian, or something like that, to the people at the barricade. It was rather obnoxious. Before the pope came out, they read of lists of all the groups from different countries that were visiting. They then showed Papa Francesco greeting children and others inside the building. He then went outside to the front of the plaza and rode around several times, greeting people. There were then some readings in several different languages, including Italian, German, and English, and representatives from different countries thanked the pope and read his translated reply. Fin.

The front of St. Peter's Basilica

Square packed full of Catholics

Papa Francesco!

The second time around

Out come the umbrellas

The dome

St. Peter's Basilica didn't open until 1, so I wandered around a bit before going in.

Cute steps leading up to a Norwegian? church

Holy stairs, go up with devotion

Some people had brought this altar with them and paraded it around

As I walked in I was literally awestruck. The place is ridiculously resplendent.

One of the many large paintings

Shrine

Altar

Colorful guards outside

 After visiting the Vatican, I went to the Castel Sant'Angelo, a lovely old castle used by several emperors and popes. It consists of a circular inner tower with square walls, with a tower named after one of the four Evangelists at each corner.

Castel

Bridge of angels

I particularly liked the wings of this statue, even though they don't quite fit with the rest of it

So happy! Such Vatican!

I like doors

I found a bust of Voldemort

Colosseum and Wandering Around Rome

I still have a few things I want to share about my stay in Croatia, but before I get too far behind, I'm going to write about Rome.

The first day there, I went to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain (closed for cleaning), the Pantheon, and a cat sanctuary that I stumbled upon! I also went into a large number of churches, so many that they started to blur together. None of them were as splendid as St. Peter's Basilica, so I'll leave the pictures out for now.

Everywhere was ridiculously crowded, but I had a good time anyway. Also, tons of people were wearing fedoras (sold by Indians on the street).

First glimpse of the Colosseum

On the inside

I take a picture of you, you take a picture of me.

Another view

The basement

Last time from the outside

Triumphal arch in the Roman Forum

Ruins on Palatine Hill

A garden on Palatine Hill

 The cat sanctuary might have been my favorite part of my first day in Rome. They have over 200 cats there, some of which are up for adoption. Other disabled cats are there permanently, but can be adopted from afar, in which you pay for their food and upkeep. I spent a good 30 minutes petting all the adorable cats.

The black one had a neurological condition and couldn't walk without stumbling

Sweet blind cat

This one had ear cancer

Ruins where some of the healthier cats are free to roam around

 I randomly stumbled across most of the things (other than the Colosseum) that I saw the first day. This is how I found the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain. There was a concert/sung praise going on while I was at the Pantheon, which I rather enjoyed, but the fountain was a bit of a letdown.

Outside of the Pantheon

Inside of the Pantheon

Scaffolded Trevi fountain. Boo. :(

Diocletian's Palace

Split's "ghetto" isn't given a negative connotation like it is in the states. For Croatians, the "ghetto" is usually the historic part of town, in this case, the remains of Diocletian's Palace. Over the years, many of the arches and windows have been bricked over, either completely, or to fit modern windows. Most of the palace now houses apartments and cafés.

Some of the ruins

They had a sort of gladiator/emperor show at noon

Rooftops while climbing the church tower

Higher up now

Highest of all

Before the trees is all parts of Diocletian's Palace

View of the bay and Riva

Stairs heading down and full set of bells

Cafe offering seats on the stairs with cushions

Church tower from the bottom

Altar inside the church

Entry doors detailing Jesus' life

House entry

Ruined basements of the palace

Church from afar

Oldest bookstore in Split

I like doors, particularly Catholic ones

Church through an alley

The numerous stray cats in Croatia almost killed me with their cuteness

I like doors

I also like the green shutters on all the windows

Between Diocletian's Palace and the water, there is a broad alley called the Riva, full of restaurants, sometimes performers, and paved with stones mean to support the landing of an airplane.

Riva lined with palm trees, in front of Diocletian's Palace

Potato Riva, due to night-time photo