We stop the car and let Lily get out on the side of the road. Her little tummy can’t handle the winding roads out of Amalfi, back to Naples where our train departs shortly. The driver takes it slow and the rising sun over the Tyrrhenian sea is gorgeous. But we can’t afford to dally because all the trains are booked today and we don’t want to be stuck in the Napoli train station all day. Lily piles back into the car. She’s a trooper and we make it on board with about 10 minutes to spare.
This is our last day in Italy, the one we left for the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Our desperate hope is that the Easter crowds would have died down slightly. The Daphne hotel is our home again, and we drop off our stuff and connect to the Internet for the first time in 3 days. We have to post!
The streets leading toward the Vatican are mobbed and we can see the lines to get inside are at least 2 hours long. So much for our plan to avoid the crowds! The guide books says book a tour to get in immediately, and we do but we pay for it. (about $175 for the four of us.) Still, avoiding a 2 hour line is worth a lot.
The tour takes us quickly through the main parts of the museum, and the girls seem genuinely interested. But it’s hard to see, and they sit perched on my shoulders for much of it. The sistine Chapel has been fully restored since Trish was there, and she is amazed at the difference. I try to explain the significance of the Rennaisance to Emma, but it’s hard to comprehend even as an adult. She likes what she sees though.
St. Peter’s Basillica is amazing. It seems huge to me. I can’t imagine how big it must seem to a 7-year-old. We don’t spend to long, probably 30 minutes. We need to get back for Trish’s spa appointments, and again the girls get a treat from the toy store. We eat kinda late, and it’s good but everyone falls asleep before we can even order dessert.
The ride back home is uneventful. I am amazed at how easily the girls handle a 7 hour plane ride. The
video player helps a lot, but still they can amuse themselves so well. Trish is a little sick, with some kind of a cold but she gets through it (even without dayquil). By 7pm, we have our dog back from the boarding place and the bags are open on the living room floor. We’re done with another great trip. Work and school starts tomorrow like we never left…
Related posts:
- Italy Day 4: The psychology of travel, from Venice to Rome
- Italy Day 5: Rome on Easter Week
- Video: Sometimes the best places are close to home.
