(cont'd...)
After alighting from our bus, we walked towards Saint Peter Square, the place where we supposed 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 were being 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 were 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 oversized 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.
I looked around as I wait for our kababayan guide, but he's nowhere. Some Polizi were in sight though. With the big wave 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 sun down rather than force ourselves to line way down at the end of the long queue. We opted to head elsewhere first. 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 felt drawn in to come back here someday and witness for myself the awesome interior of the Basilica.
Soon, we met our kababayan guide. 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 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; we, afterward were offered a hospitable accommodation at his apartment instead.  TO BE CONTINUED...