Last Day in Rome

Today was our last day in Rome and we have seen most of the things that we wanted to see so it was nice to have a more leisurely day. We saw a last couple churches and a Michelangelo and, of course, tested some Lonely Planet restaurant recommendations.


We went inside the Basilica of St. Pietro in Vincoli to see the chains of St. Peter and also Michelangelo's statue of Moses. I am not sure why St. Peter's chains are famous, but there was a major alter built to honor them.










The Moses was pretty impressive, probably the most impressive thing in the church. And it was nice because we didn't even have to sneak a secret photo for the blog.
















Visiting Basilica of Maria Maggiore was the most amusing part of the day. Syd and I were wearing the exact same outfit, Adidas shorts and a tshirt , and as we were walking into the church the guards pointed at us. The guard pointed to Syd's shorts and said OK, and then he pointed to mine and waved his finger meaning that I couldn't go inside. He handed me this sweaty piece of gauze to make myself more presentable. I tied it stylishly on one hip and then proceeded into the church. Syd could not stop laughing and we both got a few good jokes in about his "male privilege" and my "outfit."

They were also offering confession in the Basilica and any confessional with a red light meant that it was open for business. As we were walking up to this box, we heard a cell phone ring the traditional Nokia ring (you know the tune). We were surprised to hear a cell phone, and then as we passed the box, the priest inside answered his phone and then closed his window. "Hold on guys, gotta take this one..."

Aside from the funny situations we ran into, the basilica had Jesus' crib (the wood, not the flashy stuff), and an at least 1000 year old painting of Mary and Child painted by St. Luke the Evangelist painted on the wood of Mary and Joseph's table. This painting reportedly kept Rome from experiencing the plague. No big deal.

And the Lonely Planet restaurant score of the day was Roman fish and chips, minus the chips, but the fried cod was delicious. It was in a little hole in the wall that only had one thing on the menu in Piazza di Santa Barbara. Fish or fish? We had the fish.

We had an awesome week here in Rome. Blew ourselves away with all kinds of history. Now off to Milan in the morning.