(cont’d…) I thought I’ll be able to finish my blog about our European tour around this time. It’s close to approaching the anniversary and yet I still have lots of vivid memories of the travel I’d like to put in writing - photos do not suffice, not to mention my recent travel write ups that may continue to pile up. Well, there’s the fun in it, to continually write and enjoy every moment of it!

So, going back to my story about our Rome/Vatican City experience.

After alighting from our bus, we walked towards Saint Peter Square, the place where we suppose to meet our contact.

It was just in early morning, so the chill was still in the air. The early sun did not help to alleviate the cold breeze caressing our cheeks; its rays, blocked by these massive pillars standing in a semi circle array forming an impressive colonnade on both sides of the Square. Statues of the saints atop these pillars are strikingly awesome, by the way.

We kept our clothing layers intact amidst some brave souls doing their morning jog. Actually, there was only a few of them, so I could say that we were geared more appropriately as most of the crowd was.

Regardless of one’s religious persuasion, no one can deny the positive impression the Square could provide since this is where all Roman Catholic major undertakings happen, i.e. Papal Christmas or Easter blessing. The Square can accommodate thousands.

Setting aside the cliche description for Square’s immensity and grandness, the oversize mock-up manger in between the Basilica and the obelisk is worth mentioning as it suggests a recently held Christmas commemoration activity prior to our visit.

Some Polizi were in sight; with big waves of visitors gradually pouring into the Square and the Basilica, I figured they’ll be handy for those inquiring visitors.

The line build-up going inside Saint Peter Basilica was a bit heavy by this time, I observed. So we agreed to have a glimpse of its interior at sunset rather than force ourselves to line way down at the end of the long queue. We opted to head elsewhere instead.

Fast forward to the end of that day, the queue going inside almost quadrupled! And this was near the day’s closing of the Basilica. We missed our chance. That event could only tell us how much visitors this city could have in any given day!

From among 11 cities we visited with this tour, Rome somehow topped the list with the most volume of visitors; Paris and Venice numbers may pale in comparison, I suspect. Although it was just a personal observation, I was, nevertheless impressed at the statistics.

As much as we enjoyed the spectacular Square, I still feels drawn in to come back here someday and witness for myself the awesome interior of the Basilica.

Realising the huge amount of time we would spend to explore the whole city, and our slim chance to be back in the afternoon to Florence, I asked our guide if he could help us find a hotel to stay for the night, just in case we run short of time. As always, same-day booking could cause a fortune in Rome… TO BE CONTINUED.

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