The Vatican - a blog post from Mark

Let me start by saying Rome was very interesting, exciting and fun to visit.  My only regret is I wish I would have done a little research before going.  The guide book helped, but I'm sure we saw things but didn't know the story behind it.

So for the Vatican...  I was absolutely enthralled with our visit there.  From the visit to Castle de Angelos to walking in St. Peter's Square, to the Basilica and finally Sistine Chappell.  The whole time I was there I couldn't help but think about the history, wealth and mysteries of my faith.  When you see the inside of the Basilica, it overwhelms you with the size, color and beauty.  There were so many statues, each with a special or significant meaning.  Jill and I did get to see the end of a mass, but we were too late to participate.  Too bad, I would have been pleased to say I attended mass and received communion in St. Peter's.

We did get to see the tomb of St. Peter.  The alter is built over the top of it.  This is the second apostle tomb I've seen.  About 11 years ago I saw St. Thomas' in Chennai.

My favorite part of our visit is when we took 10 minutes to entire a special prayer room to pray together.  Jill and I knelt in front of a side alter and spoke with our God.  For me it was a nice time to reflect on Gram Forsyth.  If she were still alive I would have called her to share the experience over the phone.  Im sure she was there with us...

As for the Sistine Chappell -- the art was incredible.  However getting to it in the center of the 1000 other museums was overwhelming.  Both Jill and I experienced sensory overload due to all the painted ceilings and walls, but also the crush of people.  When we got to the Chappell, both of us were surprised by its size.  It wasn't small, but it didn't have the majestic religious feeling to it.  It was one big painting - walls and ceiling.  Once we realized the historical significance we were able to better appreciate it.  There was a bit of sarcasm there -- you were suppose to be quite in the Chappell, but there was a couple of guys constantly shishing people or telling you no pictures.  They were the loudest noises in the place with ~500 people in it.

We ended our visit by resting under the trees outside the castle.  I called Mom and let her know I was thinking about her.  We talked for ~20 minutes.  I'm sure that Gram was whispering in my ear to make the call.