vatican museums and the true cross church

Mommy and daddy's fatigue level is starting to affect our sight-seeing. yesterday we had tickets for the vatican museums and sistine chapel. the bike place was closed when we needed to leave for the vatican, so we walked. i was so sore and so tired when we got there, that i didn't enjoy the museum much. it was breath taking, don't get me wrong. but i was so tired i just wanted to sit every 10 feet. we didnt stay very long at all. we saw the long hallway, and the sistine chapel and then we skipped the eygpt and other parts. we walked a distance to find a metro station (underground train), and then took the metro to hard rock cafe. i don't know how we manage, but somehow it seems in rome we have to walk uphill both ways. lol. we take different paths on the way there and on the way back and both times it is up hill. hard rock was such a breath of fresh air. it was pure american, right down to they actually had seats on their toilets!! right after that we walked back and i was walking sooo slow because everywhere on me hurts. my hips, which i feared would give me problems, actually feel great! it is my legs and feet.

we got back to the hotel and rested and took a nap. i woke up 2 hours later, took a tylenol and we were off again. our first stop was san clemente. this church doesn't look like much from the outside, but when you step in, you are just in awe that this is just another one of the churches in rome, right there in the hub bub of the city. we got our tickets (yup, tickets at a church) and went down. this church has some serious history to it. you go down one level, and it is the church from the 4th century. then you go down a level below that and it is the pagan church from before the 4th century church!! this was a self guided tour, and it was so neat to just wander around down in the pagan church and then up in the 4th century church to justimage what it was like back then. then we continued on and went to san giovanni in laterno. this is a basicilia, and very impressive. then on to the church i wanted to make sure we went to. santa croce. pretty church, both inside and outside. i was looking for the relics. a piece of jesus' true cross. when we left our hotel, it was 5pm, and so by the time we made it to this church, it was 7pm. the chapel was closed. we waited around until a daily mass in another side chapel ended, and then barry asked if we could go in the relic chapel, and a priest said he would let us in in a minute. he was a busy guy!! when he came back over to the door, he said we have increased passions. it took us a minute to realize his english was limited, and he was saying thanks for having patience. i was so thankful that we were able to go in there and pray and see. when you first walk into the chapel, you have to go up these small stairs, and it is a very humble looking chapel, with the stations of the cross on the walls. then you get to the top and you have to turn a corner. in a glass enclosed showcase, behind a rope, are 6 small, precioius shrines, each holding a different relic. there was of course the cross, in a beautiful cross shaped shrine. there were two thorns from jesus' crown. there were pieces of the rock from the pillar jesus was flogged on. there was the plague that was on jesus' cross saying king of the jews (but not in english of course). there was a nail that pierced jesus hand. to see these, up close and in person was so chilling. so humbling. you could feel a difference in the room. stronger than what i feel when i am in a catholic church with a tabernacle filled with hosts of a true jesus. somewhere along our journey, we have seen a portrait of people on the ground, and then up above them angels reaching down to us, and then above the angels is God. and one of the people in the painting stood out and had his eyes fixed above. but it showed the clear struggle of human life and trying to keep our eyes on the Lord. and when i was in the chapelle delle croce, i felt so close to jesus. seeing and being in the same room as something that jesus actually touched was so moving to me. we obviously couldn't take pictures, but i hope i will never forget what i saw and what i felt last night. in a side room in the chapel, was a copy of jesus' shroud (the cloth that jesus' dead body was wrapped in), and you could clearly see jesus face in the middle. it was very chilling to look into the eyes of jesus. it was just a copy, but incredibly moving just the same.

this morning we are packing up and checking out. there is a few more churches i want to visit. a little more shopping i want to do. and then we get on the train tonight and head back to paris for our last night in europe and then we head home! we miss you kids and home something fierce! with all our love, mom and dad.