Most of you know I booked my first trip to Europe and am currently in the spectacular country of Italy. My mother’s family is Italian and it has always been a dream of hers to go to the motherland:). My dad decided to pull the trigger and book the trip in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. I was invited and couldn’t pass up this amazing opportunity to not only tour a gorgeous country, but to also spend quality time with my parents. I also invited a great friend and client of mine, Cheryl Schaaf to join me. Nothing like two Catholic girls touring Italy:)
We started with a tour of the Vatican, The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Cathedral. All I can say is WOW!!!! The architecture, detailed artwork and statues at the Vatican were mesmerizing. You could spend days looking at it and still find new details that you missed. The history is incredible and our tour guide overloaded us with information. I had no idea the Vatican is it’s own country!
Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel almost brought tears to my eyes. How amazing it was to be in the Chapel and to look at the story on the walls and ceiling. He covered every human emotion and struggle you could possibly imagine. It also cracked me up that our tour guide pointed out that he made each persons physique like a bodybuilder. She was so right, even Jesus had full quads, biceps and pecs, unlike the skinny depiction of him on the cross. The physiques were quite impressive and Michelangelo certainly knew his anatomy.
St. Peter’s Cathedral was by far the prettiest Cathedral I have ever set foot in. It was HUGE and the artwork was so impressive. From the statues to the tombs of past popes, the detail was impeccable. If you view the Cathedral from the sky, it has the shape of a cross going through it. How impressive considering it was built long before airplanes were invented. I really felt blessed to be viewing it with my own two eyes.
St. Peter’s Square was enormous and absolutely breathtaking. To imagine that when you see footage on the news of the Pope speaking, that the square is full of people. I took a pano image to try and convey the vastness. Pictures will never do it justice, another reason why you should make this a bucket list item.
The Colesseum was so impressive to see in person. As I walked through this giant stadium, I could only think about how The Ancient Romans gathered there to watch blood shed. 50,000 people sat and watched lions, tigers and chetahs devour humans as a sport. How gladiators battled until their death. What a sick form of entertainment. How the gate of death would open so they could haul the dead bodies out. Our guide told us of all the firsts that happened in the Colesseum. It was the first stadium to be built and it only took 8 years to construct. How thumbs up and down began there when the emperors would tell whether a gladiator would live or not. They invented the first elevator, which was used to lift the wild animals from the floor of the Colosseum up to the arena. Just touching the walls there gave me chills.
The culture is so different than that in the States. I now know why it is called the Old World. We tried to accomplish the miracle of seeing Rome in a day without success. I will have to make it back another time and walk the streets myself. Everywhere you turn there is something magnificent and historical to see. I could walk for days there and never get bored. Not to mention the people have been so welcoming and friendly and the food is out of this world! We are now off to Lucca in the beautiful countryside of Tuscany. I am so excited to see the gorgeous countryside and to share it with my family.
Karen Mullarkey
“No Mullarkey” Personal Training
www.karenmullarkey.com
ISSA CPT