Sistine Chapel

We went to the Vatican Museums today. It was actually a long, hot walk from Saint Peter's to the museum, so by the time we got there, we were ready for air conditioning. Bags x-rayed and metal detectors. It was a definite experience in crowd control. There's only one way you can walk through the museum, and they herd you like sheep. It was crowded and hot. The thing I noticed when I was looking at the art was how many people were hiding behind their cameras the whole time. I don't think any of them were really experiencing what they were looking at at all. We couldn't take pictures with flash throughout the museum, and no pictures at all in the Sistine chapel. I had my camera with me, but seriously, everything I could have taken pictures of is in a book, online, or somewhere easily accessible. I'll show you all some good pictures (better than I ever could have taken, with my little point and shoot) of the pieces that I got to see. I didn't want to waste my time snapping away while I could be studying how Raphael painted Michelangelo's face into the School of Athens or what colors Titian used as a Venetian Renaissance artist. I don't know, being here for a month has taught me a lot about what it means to look at art and experience old things. It all seemed a little irreverent. People were just zooming past the tapestries and the map frescos--and all the modern religious art. They wanted to get to the stuff "that mattered." It frustrated me a little, because that other art is still so important, and it's been completely informed by the stuff they'd all spent all of five minutes ogling at with their cameras. I think some of the modern stuff was more moving than some of the Rubens and Titians and Raphaels that we saw. Maybe I'm just an art history snob now. :)
Anyway, when we finally funneled into the Sistine Chapel, it was seriously like a zoo. We had been asked to be quiet and not take any pictures, and not only could I hear the crowd noise way outside of the chapel, but I could see the camera flashes, too. Wow. We've been to so many churches on so many holy places, so it felt really weird to be in such a beautiful place with people shouting and snapping pictures right and left. Well, we did get to see the famous Michelangelos on the ceiling and the near wall. It was pretty incredible.
When we left, I was with a group that wanted to stop for gelato, and I decided to head back to our hotel (it's really close to the Vatican, so I didn't mind walking). Amazing timing on my part. Because I'm walking along the wall, and there are 80 million Italian policemen along the road. And I get to Saint Peter's Square, and it's completely empty. The main street to the Vatican was lined with people, and as soon as I got there to look at what was going on, Obama's car and his entourage came down the street and swung around to the back entrance of the Vatican (where we entered for our tour a couple weeks ago). So I was a few hundred yards from our President, and in Rome. Ha.
Anyway, we came back and studied like maniacs for this style quiz we had to take this afternoon. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped. There were a few pieces on the powerpoint that everyone got wrong, because they were a little ridiculous. But at least we're done with schoolwork for this trip! Yay!
Tomorrow we go to Ostia Antiqua--ruins and some beach time! I can't believe we are three days away from being done. Seriously? Has it been a month already?