At the Vatican

I've got gladiator sandal shaped tan lines on my feet from all the stomping I'm doing around the city. Today was the Vatican museums and St. Peter's. My swweet Canadian man hooked me up with some guides he knew, and it was quite an informative tour, not to mention high tech. There is no more shouting; guides have radios and all the tourists are wearing earpieces and matching radios on lanyards around their necks. It's not only more pleasant to listen to, more discreet, but it's also an effective way of keeping tabs on wayward tour members!

Here are some highlights from my photographic forays:





The Romans had some pretty sweet footwear.







These are details from wall hangings depicting Herod's murder of the innocents. For those of you who need a brush-up on early Jesus history, King Herod of Judea was a bit shaken by the idea of another king coming to usurp his throne, so when he heard about Jesus' birth, he ordered all the baby boys two years and under to be killed in the Bethlehem area. You can find the Biblical account in Matthew 2:16. I was taken aback by how graphically the violence was portrayed in these tapestries, but you have to love the mother in the first picture fighting back. Right in the eyes.