Day 2:
The Sistine chapel, we dread the lines, but amazingly we scoot right in, no waiting!
Inside we are packed in like tuna,
slowly drifting down the endless, wondrously painted corridors, our heads craned back to view the ornate ceilings.
At last there is entrance into a huge hall with the famous Michelangelo’s Genesis paintings and the most famous “Gods creation of mankind”, actually a bit disappointing for me (not the creation of mankind, but the painting). I was surprised at how small it is.
But, in context, ones senses are overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of paintings.
After a morning in the rich interior of the chapel we decide to go shopping; both of us find beautiful Italian cut winter coats, though in this heat it is impossible to imagine wearing them.
Our feet are painfully sore, calling for a champagne break. Inside the bar we plop ourselves down at there is a wide selection of deliciously cool bottles of champagne on ice. We sip champagne in the shade of the awning terrace and nibble on the numerous tapas brought to us with our drinks.
At night we catch a cab into the Jewish ghetto, grabbing a slanted table on the sidewalk we eat an exotic meal of; baked artichoke served with chili oil, garbanzo and noodle soup, and an entrée of grilled tuna with tomato ragu. We keep eyeing the gelato shop next to us, watching people leave with large cones of dripping ice cream. After dinner I take a short stroll to the end of the street and discover an ancient arched ruin, illuminated with night lights, and oddly next to it, built into it-as part of the ruin- is a brick apartment. It is a strange sight, to look at this ancient ruin and at the same time see, a lit window with someone inside going about their normal business.
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