Vatican City and More

For our second day in Rome, Stephanie and I planned to see the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and Vatican City, including the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Additionally, we sporadically decided to take public transportation to the north of Rome to see the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which was currently under construction.

The Pantheon from Outside

 Inside the Pantheon

(Surprisingly Beautiful!)

 

The Spanish Steps

(Not such a big deal) 

 Vatican City

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy, Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres. Vatican City is a monarchy ruled by the Catholic Pope.

The Museums

(Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Bernini . . .) 

 (The Sistine Chapel was so amazing, but no photos are allowed to be taken.)

 Saint Peter's Basilica

 (This place is unimaginably huge!)

 

 St. Peter's Square

Rome Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When we finished at the Vatican, in was about 6:00 p.m.  Stephanie and I decided we had plenty of time to go see the temple before dark.  We figured it would take us about an hour to get there.  Boy, were we wrong . . . a wrong trains and slow buses, and we arrived around 9:00 p.m.  It was completely dark and rainy!  Funny thing is that when we arrived and started trying to snap some photos through the construction gates . . . Stephanie hears someone . . . "

ppssssssst . . . do you want to see the temple?  Don't tell anyone, but come here and I will show you."  The night guard opens the gate and let's us get a better vantage point and take a few photos.  Then he takes us in to the visitor center and shows us model plans of the temple complex!  It was a crazy experience, especially because Stephanie had dreamed the night before that we were given a special tour of the temple grounds.  It will be a gorgeous temple when completed - a perfect compliment to the beautiful city of Rome!

 End of day two, and still more to do!