Day 9- When in Rome

   Woke up to crazy swollen feet today. I've been drinking a ton of water but I guess not enough! Breakfast was a dry cake and water. Our first stop today was the Coliseum. There were people outside that were illegally selling souvenirs. I could tell by the way they wanted me to hide when I was handing them my money. Roman guards were watching things going on outside the gates. If you wanted a photo with them, it was 10€!  It was so neat to see these ancient ruins but there was a lot of scaffolding surrounding it for cleaning and maintenance. After looking around and taking photos of the inside of the Coliseum, we explored the surrounding grounds.

   Next on our exploration today was the Vatican. After a quick food truck lunch of a pizza panini, Pringles and water, we headed that way. The line to get into the Vatican was long, as we waited on our guide. The walk consisted of a ton of steps and several hills. 

   Once inside the museum part of the Vatican, we were told we couldn't use flash photography. There were so many interesting artifacts in the museum! Upon entering the Sistine Chapel we were not allowed to talk or take any type of photos. There were even guards inside to usher you out if you did. Once we got into St. Paul's Cathedral, we could resume taking any kind of pictures. The marble and heavy wood used in here was gorgeous, as were the outside grounds of the Vatican! 

   After we completed the guided tour we had a bit of time to shop. I purchased an authentic rosary and had it blessed at the Vatican. We were to meet up with the rest of the group at the bottom of the Spanish  Steps before heading off to dinner. 

   Supper was authentic pizza at Restorante degli Amici. It was delicious! For dessert, we once again had gelato. 

  After the meal we were taken on a night tour of Rome. Most of this was via bus but there was still some walking. We saw the Pantheon as well as the Trevi fountain. The Trevi was closed for repairs and cleaning but we could still view it. I also found a cannoli! After a long day of touring, we headed back to the hotel to rest up before Pompeii.