June 5

Today we were woke up early to go to the Vatican and St. Peter's. We walked over to to the Vatican and stood under the hot sun that was only going to get hotter throughout the day, so we could get through security. As we had to have ourselves covered to go into St. Peter's, I was wearing jeans. Since there was not a long line to go to the top of St. Peter's, that was the first thing we did. We walked up the steps to the top which I heard was something about 551 steps. It was incredibly hot outside and there was not much ventilation inside, and it got so hot I thought I was going to die. Despite my near death experience, I made it to the top. The view was incredible. We were able to see Vatican City and an overhead view of the city we have been in for a week now.

When we were finished, we went down into St. Peters and saw the basilica. One of the things that stood out to me was the Pieta by Michaelangelo. Prior to visiting, I had no idea what this was. I did learn though that it is from the Renaissance period and it is a sculpture of Jesus on the lap of Mary after his crucifixion. It's amazing how a great artist can turn stone into such a masterpiece.