A Birthday Weekend in Rome

As the mercury rose to 65 degrees and the plane descended, I knew I was in for a wonderful weekend. The Roman temples in the distance and the night of my 23rd birthday ahead of me. I found out the hard way that the Roma pass does not cover your train ride from the airport to the metro and it is best to buy a ticket beforehand. However, the train official was very kind and waived the fee; charging us the normal price for a ticket. Birthday luck #1. That night, after finding the hostel and eating a non-authentic Italian dinner we hopped the metro to find the Trevi Fountain. We made a quick pit stop at the gelato shop and got ourselves a birthday ice cream; chocolate and banana. Delicious. We ate our ice cream and followed the signs to the fountain. The sound of falling water was rising and the street became crowded as we neared. I could see the turquoise water reflecting off the statues. It was beautiful. I made a wish into the fountain as I flung a coin behind my back. If the wish comes true; I will be sure to let everyone know. After a few moments of picture taking and wishful thinking we headed back to the metro. Our next stop, the mighty Colosseum. As I ascended the stairs from underground I could see the massive arena itself. The Colosseum was erected by thousands of men right in the very spot that I stood, I was amazed. The moon was glowing, nearly full against a deep navy sky. My eyes widened as we got closer and I put my hand against the structure to feel its strength. With the Colosseum to my left, the Roman Forum to my right and the Arc of Triumph in front of me... I celebrated my birth. 23 years and many more adventures await.
As I woke on Saturday morning, I was anxious to get going. The adventures from the night before had pumped me up for a thrilling weekend. I hurried out of the hostel, grabbed some food from the train station and ate as I headed back to the Colosseum. I was anxious to get inside. When we arrived at 9am, we found out that we were too early to go inside... but the Roman Forum was letting people in. We waved our Roma pass to the man in the ticket window and he gave us tickets to go inside. No line at all. Birthday luck #2. As I walked through the forum I tried to imagine the ancient Romans at work; building these great structures, working endlessly on brilliant architecture and paving the path to my modern world. Quite honestly, if it weren't for the Romans... I would not have been in Rome. Their innovations with concrete, structures, plumbing, architecture and mobility led me to them many years later. The sky was the bluest I've seen since summertime and the grass as green as the Irish field. I took too many pictures and spent hours in the forum. As we made our way out of the forum, we headed back to the Colosseum for the internal tour. We decided to take the stairs as the Romans would have done, and bypassed the lift. The inside of the arena was just as glorious as the outside with its enormous arches and stadium seating. I stared out at the playing field and tried to imagine a full house cheering for their loyal warrior; the entire stadium erupting with excitement.  We walked along the edges of the stadium, on each level making our way to the top. Each seat in the house was just as good as the one below it. No wonder our modern arenas are modeled off of this magnificent structure. It's simply ingenious.
We continued our journey around the center of Rome and found ourselves inside a military building walking through an exhibition on the Italians affected by Nazi Germany. The photos displayed many children and put a damper on the moment. However, the exhibition was eye-opening and displayed some great opportunities for knowledge. We sifted through the museum and went on to visit the site of the Roman chariot races. We happened to come across this field and children were playing soccer and rugby on the grounds; while the adults enjoyed a book in the cool grass and springtime weather. It was a neat sight and the dirt path sketched around the pallet of green grass blew dust in the air, just as if a chariot had passed. That evening we found the Porta Pia and Republica, then headed for the Pantheon. The Pantheon was a great structure as well, however it was being renovated and half of the front side was covered with scaffolding. The inside was a beauty though, lined with sculptures and paintings. We left the square and found some dinner on a random street to relax for a bit. After dinner we wandered through the big shopping street and went into a few shops. The streets were full of Scottish men and women in kilts; pre-gaming for the Scotland v. Italy rugby match. It was madness and I got a kick out of their spirit. We called it an early night and made plans for Vatican City in the morning.
My alarm woke me at 7am and I quickly showered and dressed in my best. I was going to the Vatican and eager to be on my way. We found out that on the last Sunday of the month.... everyone is headed to the Vatican. The train station was packed with one destination on everyone's mind. We arrived at St. Peter's Square (which is indeed a circle, strangely enough) and walked underneath the huge pillars making up the square. We passed the line of people waiting to get into the Sistene Chapel and decided to see St. Peter's Basilica first. The line moved quickly and before we knew it we were inside. The basilica is gorgeous (for lack of a better word) and the vibe was breathtaking. All of the beautiful sculptures of saints and patrons surrounded me and the artwork displayed was priceless. I walked along for quite sometime and went as close to the altar as possible and stood amazed at its precision. After many minutes on the ground floor of St. Peter's Basilica we made our to the cupola; or dome. The cupola was the first hike of the day and certainly not the last. Burning legs, rhythmic breaths and 551 steps later; I stood many feet above the altar of St. Peter's Basilica and watched mass in procession. It was a sight that not everyone has the opportunity to see and I am honored to have witnessed such solemnity.  I made my journey back down the steps and narrow stairways and ended up outside the basilica in St. Peter's Square, once more. The next stop - the Sistene Chapel. And this brings me to birthday luck #3, and my new lucky time, 12:24pm.
As we approached the line to enter the Sistene Chapel and get inside the Vatican walls it was inching around  ten minutes to noon. The line was relatively long but still shorter than it was a few hours earlier. I stood patiently, resting my legs and awaiting the moment when I could look to the ceiling and see 'The Creation of Adam'. However, as I overheard the folks behind me in line I became anxious. Apparently the Vatican is free to everyone on the last Sunday of the month; but it also closes at 2pm. No problem, that would still give me plenty of time to see Michelangelo's masterpiece. But there was one more condition, the last person would be allowed in at half past noon. I looked alarmingly down at my watch and saw it was 12:11. The line seemed to have grown in that moment and goosebumps lined my arms. 19 minutes remained. As time ticked away I lost a bit of hope. But the gates ahead were getting nearer. I didn't know which would be worse; being the first person turned down at the entrance or finding out later the gates were closed. The entrance was in sight now and I could feel the tension of those behind me. I moved quickly each time the line took one step closer and at 12:24pm, I walked through the entrance of the Vatican museum. I was so relieved, I made it. Hence, birthday luck #3.
As we piled through the crowd to see the Sistene Chapel, I felt like a sheep being herded into the grassy field. Single file and sometimes in mobs, we walked and walked and walked and walked. Let me remind you, I had just climbed up 551 steps and then back down 551 steps. My legs were feeling it for sure. Oh and one more thing, I hadn't eaten since 630pm... the night before. My anticipation led me most of the way. After 45 minutes of following the sheep ahead of me, I was winding through the museum like I owned the place. The signs were leading my way and at one point I was convinced it was a big joke. I felt the Sistene Chapel was so far away, and it was. I thought this journey through the museum was a great metaphor for the time it took Michelangelo to create his masterpiece; 4 years. I'm sure the museum workers had planned it that way. But the sight of the Sistene Chapel was the only thing that truly concerned me in that moment and I trekked on. I finally made it and the total journey was about 1 hour 15 minutes. As I stood before the entrance of the chapel, I took a deep breath. I walked in silently and stood in pure amazement for about 5 minutes. My eyes wandered the walls and ceiling and I couldn't have been happier in that moment. I would have gone through many more winding hallways and rooms to see the precise brush strokes of the paintings above me. I would have spent many more hours waiting outside the Vatican walls, just to see the beauty of 4 years worth of masterful work. Words cannot explain.
This was a great ending to my trip and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend. Sunday evening was spent at a restaurant near the Pantheon where I enjoyed authentic Italian food and marveled over the countless journeys of the weekend. My camera topped off with 333 pictures and Monday morning's plane ride brought me back to The Netherlands.