The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel were my favorite trips, by far. The museum was difficult to believe. The art in the

Vatican are the pieces you read about and hear mentioned your entire life. The works are unintentionally drilled into your subconscious, living as computer screensavers and referenced in TV ads from a young age. As I have grown, I have been able to really appreciate art. I had always found modern art really interesting, because it was so multifaceted and strange. In recent years, however, my taste has begun to sway towards Renaissance pieces. The art of the Renaissance represents the future and forward thinking that sets a path for the rest of the world. The

math, symbols, and pure beauty that make up that era’s creations are beyond moving. Though we moved quickly through the museums, it could not detract from the breath-taking pieces that it carried. I probably spent most of the day with my mouth hanging open. In fact, my eyes are still sore from bulging out of my head. There was so much to look at. The architecture of the buildings was so distracting, but nowhere near as badly as the groundbreaking art that lined the walls.

Once we had moved into the “Gallery of Maps” that displayed all of Italy in mosaic with the most gorgeous ceiling art I had ever seen, I thought I could not achieve a higher level of astonishment. But as we took the first steps into the “Raphael Rooms,” I stood corrected (and also weak-kneed).  I instantly began shedding tears. I could not fathom the level of thought and beauty that went into his paintings. Symbols were referenced in every detail of the pieces (especially the School of Athens), and my mind was racing with thoughts on the potential of mankind and how amazing the world could be. I couldn’t possibly absorb the magnificence of his work that is hundreds of years old and still untouched competitively.

After seeing Raphael, it seemed like every piece of art that we passed was the height of human consciousness. Even the Dali had me emotional, and one of his museums in is our back yard!

The paramount of my experience was the Sistine Chapel. The moment my feet touched its ground, the world around me had muffled. No voice or physical contact could pry my senses from the ceiling of the chapel or the enormous Last Judgment that occupied one of the walls. I am told that tears were running down my face and my mouth stayed agape the entire time we were in there. I was not too aware of anything I was doing, and believe that I may have bumped into a few people while staring upwards. All of that seemed irrelevant. I was in the Sistine Chapel. I was seeing some of the most moving pieces in history, and I do not think I’ll ever be able to grasp it entirely. You could spend years analyzing each face wrinkle or toenail, but you can never understand what it took to create that, that someone like Michelangelo could have possibly existed, and could have made what he did. Looking upon the Last Judgment, you feel so incredibly small. The perspective is laid before you, that you are so tiny and have nowhere near any ability like Michelangelo’s. Even more, it is an inspiration. I am forever changed by it.