Compared to the first two days we spent in Rome, Wednesday turned out to be much more relaxed and fulfilling.

After another lesson at the University on Judaism, and more debating in International Relations, we walked with out tour guide, Jill, to the Vatican Museum.

It was astonishing really just how much art the Vatican owned. In a way, it really seemed to emphasize just how much power the Catholic church had back in the day. When you look around you and see all of the breath-taking wealth that the Church possesses, it really just makes you take a step back and think “wow”. It was truly an honor and privilege to be able to see it all in person with your own eyes.

Out of all of the sculptures, architecture, and paintings, I really found the Greek mythology pieces to be one of the most interesting, namely because they were of pagan symbols inside of the Vatican (of all places!). You learn something new everyday I suppose.

After walking through the museum for an hour or so, we finally made our way up to the Sistine Chapel. To be honest, I don’t really know exactly what I expected it to be like at first. I mean, in this one room was some of the greatest pieces of art in all of the world. In a way, the walk up to the Chapel was moving in and of itself simply because it had a humbling effect on me personally. After years of seeing pictures of Adam (seemingly) inches away from touching the hand of God, and knowing that in just a few moments, I would be looking up at the original, painted by Michelangelo himself hundreds of years ago for the first, and probably last, time in my life… it really made me understand just how truly lucky I was to be there. But no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to see, nothing could have prepared me for the waves of wonder and awe that came crashing onto me as I walked through those doors.

Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful, so mind-numbingly, breathtakingly, beautiful. At the time, I think I was a too overwhelmed to really be able to take in what I was seeing. With this in mind, I thought it was kind of curious that I had a greater sense of curiosity about everything I was seeing for the first time instead of being overwhelmed emotionally like our dear Sparkle Eyes. All I seemed to be able to do was look around trying to take in everything in the few minutes we were allotted. It was an overall incredible experience, one that I hope never to forget.

When you see art that really moves you, like in the Sistine Chapel, it really has a way of changing your perspective on things. As you look up at it, you just find yourself wondering, “Can the world really be such a horrible place when we have amazing things like this? Or is it just us losing sight of the bigger picture and why we’re really here when all we seem to let ourselves see is all of the pain and suffering in the world.” It just fills you with a sense of wonder, and a desire to want to explore the world so that you can experience more of the magic that has been hidden away