See the Sistine Chapel

I’ve been to Rome twice, waiting in line for this twice, been turned away without being let inside TWICE!

It was amazing!

it’s mesmerizing…

An amazing uplifting and strangely spiritual experience. Clear why it’s one of the masterpieces of western art. But so much smaller than you expect. The walls are overlooked masterpieces too.

If only the rest of the tourists would just follow the rules and be quiet! Sigh.

We went in 2000 to Rome and the Vatican. They had recently complete renovations and cleaning the ceiling. It was truly breath-taking. Seeing the actual images that for so long were confined to books and TV, seeing the panels that have defined the concepts of God and creation for Western culture was awesome. Since they paid for most of the restoration, a Japanese tech company actually owns the copyright to images on the ceiling, and you are not suppose to take photos! This is a disturbing element. I much prefered being shushed by the priests( it is a working chapel and they demand you remain quiet and respectful). I would go again, and again, and again. A true masterpiece.

Yup, twice. The second time was to keep a friend who was visiting Rome for the first time company, but I was amazed how amazing it still was the second time around.

This is a wonderful sight to behold. You can feel the history and the passion of the artist when you look at his work. Michelangelo was truly a master. I’d also recommend taking some time to appreciate the wall frescoes, because though they are not as famous they are wonderful works as well!

Unfortunately, I will need to see it again to really appreciate it! The Sistine Chapel came at exactly the wrong time on my European vacation. It was at the end of a long trip, when my friends and I were starting to miss home and get a little tired of travelling. I had not eaten lunch at the point when I went, and that combined with the summer heat, humidity, and cramped space made me a little dizzy.

I wish I could go back in time six years and shake myself into appreciating where I was a little more! I didn’t realize then that it would be so long before I had another opportunity to go, and I’m sad that I didn’t take advantage of it.

There are no words to describe what mysteries and visual delights await you in the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. The pictures I took the day I went only tell half the story. The other, esoteric half is in my heart, in my mind’s eye when I laid my hands upon the wall (quite illegally!) that the Master Michelangelo must have touched.

This is one of the many awsome sights in Rome. We got lucky and found a couple of seats along the wall, so we were able to crane our necks more comfortably. We also had the description by Rick Steves about the ceiling which was a really good walk through of the images and it had a lot of good info. It’s ok that they don’t let you take pictures, since they wouldn’t do it justice anyways. It’s something you have to see with your own eyes.

everyone says that its the ceiling thats famous but if you ask me its the wall that is absolutely breath taking