Yesterday morning, I used the phrase "When in Rome..." and then realized that it was not a figure of speech. Because we were in Rome. We did a number on the checklist of recommendations: Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, Jewish Ghetto, Teatro di Marcello. And today, we hit the Sistine Chapel. Twice.

We'd been warned of massive but ultimately worthwhile lines at the Vatican, so we decided to wake up early (alarm set for 7:45) and head over, make a run to the Sistine Chapel, go through the museum backwards, and then do St. Peter's last. It was mostly successful. We did gun it to the Chapel, and neither of us was sure we were there until seeing Adam and God (Alyssa) and identifying the popes (me). It wasn't too full, we could stand and stare, slowly rotating; we sat down and just craned our necks for a while. We spent an hour in there and I forgot for a while where in the world we were, other than in that space. After a slow move through the whole museum, we ended up back at the Sistine Chapel, which, funny enough, was exactly where we did not want to be. It was ludicrously crowded, loud, and full of assbags taking flash photos. That's right. Assbags. It's an historic, religious space. It explicitly says that photography is not allowed. If you're going to stand and point your crappy little Panasonic at the ceiling, I'm annoyed with you. A. You're not Annie Liebowitz. Get over it. Your photo of one of the greatest works of art in the history of the Western world is going to suck. B. You're flaunting Vatican rules. For some reason, I'm not okay with that. C. Flashes are bad for old paintings. Who doesn't know this? D. If you're going to take a photo, at least be awesomely creative about it, like the guy who set his timer and then put his camera on the floor facing up. On our second visit to the Chapel, I may have pushed through it intentionally bumping into anyone taking a photo.

The line to St. Peter's Basilica went more than half the circumference of the square (I realize that is a contradiction in geometric terms, but that's Rome's fault), so we opted to go see the Catacombs instead. Totally worth it. Great tour. I wished I could wander off and explore on my own, but I had a feeling Alyssa wouldn't be too pleased at having to search for me in an underground maze of tombs. And, we had to walk along the Appian Way to get there. So we were walking along the old road to Rome.

We're going to the Basilica tomorrow. There's an exhibit of Hiroshige paintings at one of the museums that I'd like to see. We may search for the drain cover that Audrey Hepburn puts her hand into in Roman Holiday (I know Alyssa wants to do this. And I do love Roman Holiday).

Re: who is most likely to bring a rat onto a train. It's just a gut feeling. Sometimes, a perfectly dapper man can seem like he might have an odd attachment to his little pet rat. Or it's some punk with greasy hair, torn clothing, and a pervasive stench.