Sistine Chapel-Vatican Museum Part 4

I was very surprised when I walked into the Sistine Chapel, you don't ever really know until you see it in person I guess. The chapel was one big room, it was filled with at least 1000 people smashed together with their heads tilted back to see the ceiling, but even so, you can't help but do the exact same things. This is the room we spent the most time in. This is where the history really hit me.

Vatican Museum Part 3

The Holy Family

The Hall of Maps

Who can name the greek myth?

The School of Athens

Did you know the School of Athens covers one huge wall? I didn't...Raphael has more talent than I thought

panic

I'm going to take a break from The Vatican for a minute...

I've had a bunch of comments and emails about when I'm getting back to the states. I'm already here, people. I've been home for about a month now :) Click HERE for a shortened version of what happened...

Today I spoke to a guy holding a gun to his head. It is my job to help people receive disability benefits through social security, and he needed them. This man was as close as you could get to having "suicidal tendencies". He calmly answered my questions as I cried and asked him to please put the gun down. "It's ok sweetheart, just finish the intake" he said to me.

After getting all of the information I needed, I ended the call informing him someone would be calling to help him with the paper work he will receive in the mail the next day and then I went and cried on the floor next to my team lead.

We all know I'm taking medication for anxiety and depression...I've been lowering my doses to ease myself off so I don't have to be dependant on medication for the rest of my life.  This last weekend I made my last cut down, 1/4 of the regular dose. So having said that you can imagine the panic I felt getting off the phone with a man that needed help so desperately he was willing to take his own life if he could not find some sort of hope.

I have no way of knowing if he will be alright, I can only hope that this man gets the help he needs and quickly.

I haven't moved much from this one spot since I came home from work early. It's an interesting thing to experience, I know I'm not alone but it really hit me hard.  My biggest fear was the possibility that any second I would hear a gun shot and the conversation would be over.  And a life would be over. Just like that.

I know it wouldn't be my fault. I know there is nothing more I can do. It was just something I've never experienced. And something I'll never be able to forget.

famous statues of the vatican-Vatican Museum Part 2

One of my favorite things of this day was being able to recognize the art work and who it was supposed to be, Em is such a sweetheart, always asking me questions. And I loved being able to answer them.

Perseus with the head of Medusa

Hercules

Suicide of Cleopatra

Laocoon

Apollo of Belvedere

THE Belvedere Torso

Egypt in Rome-Vatican Museum Part 1

The Vatican Museum was soooo big, of course I was sick this day but I wasn't going to miss a single thing. We had to take a break before the Sistine Chapel so I could fully enjoy it. It's going to take more than one post to even try to share the beauty I saw here this day...

We got to the line at about 8am and stood there for at least 2 hours before it even started to inch forward...the first stop? The Egyptian Exhibit:

I'll share some of my favorites, I went a bit picture crazy this day:

 The Historical Scarab of Amenofis III from Thebes-1379 BC

Part of The Book of the Dead

I can't tell you WHO this is, but I can tell you that it's a mummy. You're welcome.

The Ushebti: 365 of these little guys were placed inside the tombs, they would be the workers for the deceased in the afterlife-these 53 figurines are from the tomb of the Priest Amon Djed-Khonsu who died in 945 BC

Anybody a fan of The Mummy movies? This is the sarcophagus of the real Imhotep.

Canopic Jars

Lumps of bread found in a tomb from 1070 BC

Statue of Osiris-found in an excavation in 1736, dates back to the year 131 AD

history

Did you know Rome has a famous pyramid?

It does...The Pyramid of Cestius

Does this look familiar? It's Circus Maximus...it's hard to tell but here's the original:

I'm trying to make timer to do my Vaticcan Museum post....it's taking way too long

giant people

wandering rome

The metros in Rome are so different than Kiev...but the escalators are the same. We started a little game in Kiev...because the hand rail part chooses to go slightly faster than the actual stair case, we see who can hold on the longest with out letting go or moving up a step...it's not easy folks.

check out this European car

I could walk the streets of Rome for the rest of my life and be satisfied...if there was a random elephant every once in a while.

Spanish Step It Up

We went to go see the Spanish Steps one freezing day...when I say freezing, I'm in Rome where there are palm trees so it wasn't an actual "freezing", no big deal.

From the metro we had to walk down this alley way and HOPE we saw the Spanish Steps and we saw the fountain first, which I may have loved more than the steps...

This man came up to us, handed Emilie a rose and then walked away.  We were shocked that he didn't want money from her, then he came back and offered to take a picture for us and gave us both all the roses he had:

...and then he took them all away except one each. AND asked for money, which we did not have. But he let us keep a rose. Precious man. 

Over on my to do list I've got "Sit on the Spanish Steps", CHECK!

Piazza Del Colosseo

My favorite part of Rome was that the metro stops were named after the historical sight it stopped at, you didn't have to go searching. When you get off the metro at Piazza Del Colosseo all you can see out the doors is the Colosseum, it was incredible.  It was breathtaking.

I've never experienced something so unreal, to be able to stand where ancient Romans stood, fought, and bled was something I'll never forget. 

One of the best parts of this day was the amazing deal I got on my statue of The Last Supper.  Just pick 2 or 3 places and go back and forth telling them what the other just offered-I went from 45 Euros to 15 in no time at all. 

PS...It's possible we made a couple stops here specifically for the gelato in this metro stop