Last day before heading home. We had a private car transfer back to the Naples train station and took our final train ride of the trip. After having waited so long to see David, we had prebought tickets to the Vatican for 3:00. The train arrived in Rome at 2:00 and we had to check into the hotel and drop off our bags first, so it was a little tight, but we made it perfectly on time. We spent over two and a half hours wandering through the Vatican Museum checking out the old civilization museums, and marvelling at the mind blowing accumulated wealth of the Catholic church. We probably spent around a half hour entranced in the Sistine Chapel. I feel a little bad for the guys that watch the crowds in there. There are signs everywhere asking for quite and forbidding pictures, which of course are ignored. The three employees spend their time alternating between "SHHHH!!!" and "NO PICTURES", occasionally walking up to people to reinforce their point, only to turn around and walk away to the sound of camera shutters snapping resuming. Talk about an impotent feeling... Perhaps enforcing it with a "Anyone caught taking pictures will have their memory card confiscated" policy would have more of an effect.
After we finished at the Vatican we walked into the center of old Rome to do some wandering and a little last minute shopping. We wandered over a bridge into the downtown area and up and down the streets peering into some of the shops. We ended up coming across Piazza Navona (one of the larger plazas with a few bigger fountains and a large church) and the Pantheon. By this time, we were so tired we didn't even go into the Pantheon, just viewed it from the outside before continuing to make our way towards the train station. We stopped at a small resteraunt near the hotel for supper, finishing off our last day abroad.
We were up and out of the hotel by 8:30, headed for the airport in the 2nd cab we took the entire trip. A nine and a half hour flight found us in Toronto where we were supposed to have a 4 hour layover - left ourselves lots of time as a.) we had to clear customs and go through security again before heading to Regina, and b.) we were flying Air Canada... - and were glad we did as our other option was a 2 hour layover, and Air Canada was 25 minutes late arriving, and took 45 minutes to get the bags from the plane to the carousel. We probably would have still made it, but it would have been really tight and the longer layover gave us time for supper (the Toronto airport has a Mill Street Brewery resteraunt - bonus!). Of course, Toronto was getting a huge downpour that day (and was apparently down to using one runway for a while) so our 4 hour layover turned in to 9 hours... We got home around 3am - 11 am in Rome - and managed to get a couple hours sleep before heading out to Mosaic and returning to a normal, stationary life where people drive sanely, road lanes are bigger than that cars that drive in them, and I don't fear for my life every time I step into a cross walk.
After we finished at the Vatican we walked into the center of old Rome to do some wandering and a little last minute shopping. We wandered over a bridge into the downtown area and up and down the streets peering into some of the shops. We ended up coming across Piazza Navona (one of the larger plazas with a few bigger fountains and a large church) and the Pantheon. By this time, we were so tired we didn't even go into the Pantheon, just viewed it from the outside before continuing to make our way towards the train station. We stopped at a small resteraunt near the hotel for supper, finishing off our last day abroad.
We were up and out of the hotel by 8:30, headed for the airport in the 2nd cab we took the entire trip. A nine and a half hour flight found us in Toronto where we were supposed to have a 4 hour layover - left ourselves lots of time as a.) we had to clear customs and go through security again before heading to Regina, and b.) we were flying Air Canada... - and were glad we did as our other option was a 2 hour layover, and Air Canada was 25 minutes late arriving, and took 45 minutes to get the bags from the plane to the carousel. We probably would have still made it, but it would have been really tight and the longer layover gave us time for supper (the Toronto airport has a Mill Street Brewery resteraunt - bonus!). Of course, Toronto was getting a huge downpour that day (and was apparently down to using one runway for a while) so our 4 hour layover turned in to 9 hours... We got home around 3am - 11 am in Rome - and managed to get a couple hours sleep before heading out to Mosaic and returning to a normal, stationary life where people drive sanely, road lanes are bigger than that cars that drive in them, and I don't fear for my life every time I step into a cross walk.
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