19. Brody Thinks We're Catholic

 This is what Rome looks like in the wee hours of the morning. We woke up early to wait in this line to see the pope.

The entire square was PACKED two hours early

But don't worry, this hot Swiss protective jester was right in front of us the entire time. 

Finally, the gates all closed and the popemobile made it's way toward us!

We then had to explain to Brody what different religions were and why we believe what we believe. Visiting and attending catholic churches has left him very confused. After listening to some of the message we headed over to the Vatican Museum. Here were some of my favorite pieces.

We call this one HULKULES. Obviously this man chewed his way out of the underground prison the peasants had trapped him in. 

These two were actually Arden's favorites. The left one depicts a martyr who is having his intestines pulled out of him and wrapped around a wooden log. While he is alive. On the right, two men are being pulled apart and the man in the foreground is winding up to ram them with a rod. 

This statue of Hercules - not to be confused with the aforementioned hulkules - was struck by lightning. That is my sole reason for having a picture of it. 

Every ceiling in Europe is super decorated. Seriously, I have a folder of pictures dedicated entirely to the ceilings of Europe.

This version of Jesus is a great example of the perfect spring break bod.

The Egyptian rooms were my favorite. It's also where my family left me. That's right, parents who actually read this blog, I haven't forgotten. I really did learn some cool stuff. This mummy is from the 21st Egyptian  dynasty, making it around 3000 years old. 3000 years! It takes 70 days to mummify the human body, and 40 of those are just for drying out the skin.

This is where the entrails are kept

I pouted most of my way through the rooms of statues after being abandoned. Then I saw this. HUMP DAYYYY

The security in the Sistine Chapel was pretty tight, and the no picture rule was being strictly enforced, but I managed this selfie. Originally Michelangelo was to paint the apostles on the ceiling of this chapel. But that was no challenge for him! What makes it so famous is his interpretation of the old testament. In the time it was created, not everyone had a bible, or could even read. The Sistine Chapel tells this story so that anyone can understand it. 

To finish the day, we toured St. Peters basilica. Just picture any cathedral you've ever been in, then multiply it's size by 10. This place was HUGE! The layout was similar to most cathedrals, but it could have been the worshiping place for giants. Mom read from the Rick Steve book, and we gawked at the marble statues lining the walls and the decorated ceilings of course. 

This is the famous St. Peter Statue. The right foot may look like a shoe, but it once was a foot with a sandal. The left one is starting to fade as well, but I don't think people are allowed to touch that. But I may be wrong, the guard was talking in Italian... When we had our fill of the great Vatican city, we headed home stopping for pictures along the way.