Friday, September 16th

Last full day in Rome and so many more things I wanted to do. There is a beautiful golden light suffusing the apartment as the sun sets over another very hot day.

We are less tired today having spent the majority of it inside the Vatican Museum. What an extraordinary place! We worked hard for our Sistine Chapel reward at the end. I was going to leave the children at home for an hour or two and rush through early in the morning as they weren't keen but after a Skype conversation with Mark this morning, was persuaded to take them. Mark felt that they would be crazy to miss out on it.  In retrospect I think he was right, at least where Alex was concerned. I took along some entertainment for Sam and Eva should they get bored and start whinging, which they did. People were most amused to see the two of them plugged in through their headphones to the iPad watching pixar movies whilst wandering around the museum. Eva also did lots of drawing. She has been drawing constantly through this holiday so far. Delightful, interesting, colourful pictures. Maybe she will be the family artist. I was appalled by their sacrilegious behaviour of our children but it did mean that Carolina and I got to see the museum at not toooo rushed a pace. Though we unfortunately raced through the modern religious art towards the end.

We didn't take a tour and I rather regret it now. Overhearing the many tours around us, I think we might have learned more. We were accosted by potential tour guides from around 500m away from the museum entrance which I loathe. I always feel like I am being had. It is hard to judge what a fair price is and experience tells you you are unlikely to be paying it. We battled on with our guide books and audio guide which skipped so many interesting things. The museum was jam-packed with no room to move at all once we reached the Sistine. I would have loved to have been able to lie on the floor and just stare at the ceiling for an hour or so but not a chance of that.

My head is full of wonderful pictures and lots of questions and thoughts tonight. I hope the children got something out of it, even if they don't realise it at the moment.

We had hoped to go to Ostia this afternoon to see where Mark and his family lived when they first left Russia. By the time we left the museum it was after 4pm and the children refused point blank to go anywhere. We will try to get down there in the morning after checking out and before our flight to Paris tomorrow afternoon.

crowds in the gardens of Vatican Museum

Sam and Eva watching pixar movies in the museum. Sigh.

Excellent pizza restaurant within the museum.

Eva drawing her way around the museum

much needed ice cream afterwards. 

the foyer of our apartment building

The hall within our apartment. Checkout the gorgeous tiles. 

the living room

other end of the living room

view of St Peter's from the living room

skyping in the kitchen

the boys' bed

the living room again

Carolina is heading out with friends tonight for a very well deserved night off. Looking very glamorous too  I might add. She is in search of leather boots to take home. I've not managed more than window shopping. The shops around our apartment are full of wonderfully glamorous and oh so European winter clothes. The prices seem very reasonable but it seems inconceivable, given the heat to consider trying on anything with long sleeves, let alone made of wool and there really isn't much space in the bag. How very restrained of me. There is always Paris! Carolina has been a great companion. Infinitely patient and sensible and very tolerant of us all. Seeing Rome through her Catholicism has also increased my appreciation of this very religiously focused city.