There were locks on the bridge of course - like all these bridges in Europe. It was a pleasant stroll...and then came the barkers. There were people all over offering us “front of the line passes” for the Vatican but we repeatedly told them that we like lines and were happy to wait in this one. Uh, we didn’t know the line was gonna be THAT long. We waited a long long time.
We needed to get a snack and go to the bathroom so the girls and I ventured to an off street and found a place for a breakfast of sorts...Italian breakfast! They ate in line.
Oh these girls were so happy! And after just an hour and forty minutes....we got to the front!
Once inside we were a bit in awe. This place is amazing. So glad we waited in line for ever and ever. The kids were half price! Bonus!!! So here’s a ton of photos from our visit to the Vatican Museum. 
And then there was the Sistine Chapel. You know the place where Michelangelo painted his famous ceiling where God is reaching out and touching man with his fingertip. There were many other frescos up there. No photos or videos allowed sooooo ill let you search for one online.
It was beautiful and lovely. Well worth the wait. We snapped one group selfie at the end of the walk with the dome of St. Peter’s Bascilica in the background.
And when we left we had this interesting walk down through this lovely staircase. So many beautiful things here!
After our morning at the Vatican, we needed to get some food and rest our tired feet because believ it or not, it was already 1:30. So we found a little place right by the Vatican, which seemed like a crap shoot, but boy did it turn out well. From the minute we sat down, the family style service was amazing. We were brought prosciutto and salami as “gifts.” Then they brought Todd and beer and Papa a glass of white wine (which he proceeded to add to his Coke Zero..and claimed it was
wonderful) - again, as “gifts.” What! In Rome? Free stuff?!? We ordered $8 meals and were thinking
this was a good deal. Then came the food. Oh no. We are going to have way too much food. Check
out grams and papa...
Emily tried lasagna again - sadly it wasn’t the best. That was really the only bummer of the lunch. 
Shell got herself a coke in a bottle. They serve it like that all over Europe. No fountain drinks with free refills like the USA.
After lunch they brought us panettone bread, homemade biscotti, limoncello, and some licorice liqueur with shot glasses! Guys, we had already had a bottle of red wine and about ten pounds of pasta. Wowza. We were FULL - but they brought it. And it was a gift! So we obliged and did shots to our kids chagrine. They were embarrassed. Their mama doesn’t drink much and doesn’t drink often, so it doesn’t take much for me to get loud. I think they took pictures. There may be video too. I had fun! Check out our group. So much love for all these people.
Off to St. Peter’s basilica we went! And guess what...another line. We didn’t care. We were willing to get all of this done in one day so we got in line. What a beautiful plaza!
While in line Papa met a Korean family and proceeded to tell them everything about his time in Japan while he was in the military. Turns out the family used to live in Santa Barbara, so their daughter spoke wonderful English. They now live in Japan because their dad works for the Embassy there. We talked for a long time about a ton of different topics. What a lovely family! We bonded over that two hour line. Yup. Two hours guys. Just for the security line. Good thing we have patience!!!
The sun started to set while we were in line and the area just lit up. Magical is what I’ll call it.
So we go inside and wow. Just wow. It’s huge and lovely. It’s amazing how people sculpted this stuff. It’s all so huge!
Once we had our fill, we headed home and stopped for gelato, wine, and pizza. This $6 place downstairs is amazing. So amazing.
Wine, pizza, and maybe a little chocolate and I’m done. This was an exhausting day filled with so much beauty and so many laughs. 💕 Family
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