Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Vatican!

No trip to Rome is complete without touring the Vatican.  What we did not realise is the extent of the Vatican museums!  We arrived at 10:30 (be sure to get advanced tickets!), and didn't leave until after 5 PM!  Huge building filled to the brim with art, frescoes, Roman and Greek statuary, and of course, the Sistine Chapel!

Jesus Christ Superstar was also playing in Rome- starring.......Ted Neely as Jesus!  We saw him a few times before in this play- starting about 40 years ago:-).  I was joking that Jesus dies at 33, and Ted Neely is twice that age:-).  But- the production was fantastic!  A rock band was on stage, the dancers were excellent, the cast was all Italian.  They sang in English, and you could totally tell it was not their native language- it really added a new dimension.  Plus the production value using technology.  the star- Ted Neely- totally held up!  I have to say, his voice is outstanding, and he evoked more emotion now than he did before!

We also scored tickets to see the Pope!!  He gives an audience every Wednesday morning in St. Peters square.  What we didn't know, (but should have!), was that there are at least 20,000 tickets given out.  Talk about a sea of people!!!!!  Loved it!!!!  They used a projection screen because the square is so large- t was hard to photograph, but I did get one.  Enjoy:

 St. Peter's Square: obelisk by the Egyptians, colanade by Bernini
 St. Peter's Basilica
 Inside St. Peters- no photo does it justice- it is massive and beautiful!
 Pieta' by Michelangelo
 Ceiling in Sistine Chapel (this is out of order- sorry).  There is no photographing the Sistine Chapel, but Rich was able to sneak this one!
 St. Peter's from the Vatican Museum courtyard
 Me with my ticket to see the Pope!
 Me dipping my crucifix in the holy water
Pope Francis on the big screen 
Advertisement for Jesus Christ Superstar

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