Day 125 of international places giving smiles – Remembering the smallest country in the world- Vatican
We were back again at one of the holiest places for my many Catholic friends – The Vatican, which is a country by itself. On our earlier visit we had seen the amazing masterpieces at the Vatican Museum, so this time we let our children explore it on their own. They were taken to the gallery of statues, tapestries, maps. Though they were promised, they were not shown the Raphael painting rooms. They had no words to describe their experience in the Sistine chappel. (They had been to St. Peters church and Square the previous day).
I felt good to spend time with our Australian couple friends who were Protestents and did not want to join the tour. I had to send a postcard to my parents from the smallest country in the world -the Vatican! The uniforms of the Swiss Army Guards at the Vatican were originaly designed by Michealangelo..I did not know that along with being an architect, painter and scupltor he was also a fashion designer!
We were lucky there were less crowds both inside the church and the vast open round square. I remembered every single detail of my last visit to the St. Peters church…the library window balcony from where the Pope addresses the crowds, the high dome designed by Michealangelo, the 3 holy entrance bronze doors, Michealangelo’s Peita sculpture of Mary carrying the body of Jesus, the grottos where many Popes lay buried, and of course the amazing Papal alter.
This time we ensured that we were fully covered, last time we were denied entry because our knees were not covered, so we had to buy paper pants for 5 Euros to enter the holy church. And I remember that my 36 roll camera was not able to capture the magnificence of the Pieta and other sculptures inside the church.
The highly decorated walls and ceilings and the expanse of the place can give you a sense of peace of mind. The strong spiritual energy of this place is comparable to the feeling that we get when we stand in front of our Lord Balaji at Tirupati. I think this was the turning point of my mental state in the trip. By now I was completely relaxed with my family and truly enjoying my holiday.
I brought a rosary for my Indian neighbour and some more authentic local Italian pizza. We were sitting on the first row of our coach as per the rotation system and our guide could hear us laughing and talking continuously in Kannada. It feels good to speak in a language that no one else can understand. In all these years of staying together our family has never spoken this much of Kannada with each other!
Bye Bye to the smallest country Vatican…
So what place made you smile today?
Be thankful for the places that make you smile!
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