Saturday night, Nov 5th, 2011-DAY 11 of trip.

More Swiss Guards all over the Vatican.

St. Peters square.

There were chairs set up outside for Mass on Sunday.

Saturday night, Nov 5th, 2011-DAY 11 of trip.

The Vatican at night.

Swiss Soldiers that guard the Pope

Saturday afternoon, Nov 5th, 2011. The St. Peters Museum at the Vatican.

This statue was at the entrance of St. Peters Museum, it was gorgeous.

When we went into the Sistine Chapel they would not allow anyone to talk or take pictures.  It was a very sacred room, so all the pictures we have are in our heads.  Sorry I can not share those with everyone.  We stayed in the Sistine Chapel and sat on benches and looked at each individual fresco, each told a story.  For example Michael Angelo did the creation which was in the center of the ceiling(which is familiar to everyone).  He painted 12,000 sq. feet of the ceiling between 1508 and 1512.  Today the ceiling and especially "The Last Judgment" was his crowning achievement. The frescoes depict the life of Moses and Christ. 

Art work  in the Museum

I loved learning the meanings behind the Art.  The colors were so vibrant and detailed.

I loved this art piece. They are removing the Savior from the Cross after the Crucifixion.  The expressions in the faces were so real.

Art work was everywhere, you had to stop to take it all in.  Unfortunately, you have to move with the crowd or try to stand off to the side.  There was so much to see and such little time.

This is a rug which had tremendous detail, it was amazing.

This hall of fresco's was the direction to Rafael's room and the Sistine Chapel which was done by Michael Angelo

This rug was the largest I have every seen, each Muriel told a story from the artists point of view.

WE DID A WALKING TOUR WITH OUR END DESTINATION TO "TREVI FOUNTAIN" IT WAS NICE TO SEE ALL THE SIGHTS IN ROME, WE WORE EAR PHONES AND PHONE DEVICES SO WHILE WE WERE WALKING WE COULD HEAR OUR GUIDE TELLING US ABOUT DIFFERENT SIGHTS OF ITALY. text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhSCTO6o0j1TIo5q_umNHYXSrlZg9C8Z2DAJk9EQiirQhhYZReahz1558JyckAFy000DJQ6UwEXTUVEBP4Zx1-2iCpRYff8UiCnswtjUOpQrKg4Zl6_0mDe9Rc0mBiIGVNBR61AbsQKz3/s400/DSC_0078+%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674303738946993954" /> AFTER ENJOYING THE SIGHTS OF ROME WE FINALLY REACHED THE "TREVI FOUNTAIN" OR IN ITALIAN THEY SAY "FONTANA DEI TREVI. THIS IS A 18TH CENTURY BAROQUE OF STONEWORK RULED OVER BY A LARGE STATUE OF NEPTUNE. VISITORS COME HERE TO TOSS A COIN IN THE FOUNTAIN,WHICH IS SAID TO ENSURE THAT YOU WILL SOMEDAY RETURN TO ROME. IT WAS PACKED WITH PEOPLE AND THE GUIDE SAID IT WAS NOT AS BAD AS IN THE SUMMER. WE TOOK SOME PICTURES AND EVEN THREW A COIN OVER OUR SHOULDER AS TO FOLLOW THE TRADITION. THE ITALIAN PIZZA WAS DELICIOUS-YUM YUM! WE GOT TO SHOP AROUND FOR A WHILE, BILL BOUGHT SOME OIL PAINTINGS AND I PICKED UP A FEW SOVENIRS AND WE ENJOYED TASTLY ITALIAN PIZZA. WE WERE TOO FULL TO GET JELATO (ITALIAN ICE CREAM) BUT MAYBE TONIGHT AFTER DINNER.