Vatican City - Part One....

Part of my visit to Italy

included Vatican City...

While I am not Catholic

I thought the way it was put to me by a

fellow traveler made sense..

The Vatican - especially the Sistine Chapel

is a place that belongs to the world.

Weather you are on a spiritual journey,

there to appreciate the artwork and architecture,

or just curious,

this is a place I think anyone can appreciate...

I wanted to share some of the photographic highlights of my time there.

Entrance to the Museum...

 Bruno explaining the significance of the fountain,

symbolism,etc.

not such a great photo

but to be next to such a famous statue 

that I remember studying in Art History

is kind of a wonderful and awe struck feeling...

 So beautiful

and look at the details in her hair - amazing...

I have had a thing for Angels for years...I love the details in gold of the one above....

 How the artist made the background pale

in comparison to the focus...

The above paintings were on a ceiling

these photographs in no way show the magnitude of how

large they really were ...

maybe the size of my whole living room ceiling?!

 This is one of my favorites...

all those paintings and carvings on the ceiling 

are so overwhelming in the Hall of Maps...

This is a small detail from one of those maps..

just the size of a piece of notebook paper ...

a mere speck compared to the rest of the Hall.

 I believe the angels here in this dome

are dealing with the Seven Deadly sins...

 There is so much to see...

it can kind of get overwhelming...

You walk around with your head pointed up staring..

there are so many people

just being herded in and out of the buildings...

Thought I would wait and share St.Peter's tomorrow.

Traveling to Italy made me realize

even more that there is so much

to experience in this world.

A lot of times we hear those words and it sounds cliche'

Every now and then I have to be reminded

that a new pair of shoes,

the latest gadget, jewelry, endless craft supplies...

none of those things add up

to the experiences

the joy

the things you learn

when you

DO

things.

When you travel,

when you spend time with your children,

those are the memories.

Not what you had on that day

or what kind of car you drove to get there...