Day 39 - Mon 6 Oct 25: Rome

Mon 6 Oct 25: Rome

Noel had a sleepless night with a nasty chest cough, and she conceited defeat this morning - time to consult a doctor. At 06:20 while laying in bed, I googled English speaking doctors in Rome, and by 06:55 (incredibly only 35 minutes later!) she was having a virtual consultation on Wattsapp with a doctor through 'Doctorsinitaly'. By 07:15 Noel had a diagnosis (Bronchitis relapse), and had 2 scripts emailed to her. Her consultation and scripts were provided for a very respectable sum of only €35 ($62AUD), much better than the €300 quote for a house doctor ($530). After getting sorted out, Noel decided to lay low in the room for the day. Unfortunately, and understandably, she wasn't up to doing the Vatican tour that I had booked for this morning, so I had to forfeit her $280 ticket without refund. I also woke feeling ordinary with a very sore throat, but felt I was able go ahead with the tour anyway. After Noel finished her consultation and had her scripts, I got changed had a quick bite to eat, then left in a taxi for the Vatican in less than 30 minutes - arriving with plenty of time to spare for the 8:30 group gathering. I managed to get through the tour feeling ok, but the crowds were like nothing that I have ever experienced - at times overwhelming. The Vatican has many museums, including several long galleries and frescoes which are mind blowing. One of the most prominent and longest galleries is the Gallery of Maps, a 120 metre long corridor famous for its large scale cartographical frescoes of the Italian Peninsula. It was great to see the Sistine Chapel and hear stories about Michelangelo and his painting, unfortunately no photography was allowed. Inside the Sistine Chapel, the crowds were even more obscene - I don't know why they let so many people in at one time. Check out photos at the links inside this link if interested: Sistine Chapel. At least there are no people in these photos. We finished our tour with a self guided (1 hour) tour through St Peter's Basilica, another great (once in a lifetime) experience. There were far too many highlights to list, and three hours seemed like a blur. It certainly didn't do it justice. Sadly the crowds spoilt the experience, but glad to have done it. After the tour, I found a quiet cafe for a small bite to eat and a rest, then returned to the hotel on the Hop On Hop Off bus via the Spanish Steps, arriving back at 4:00pm. After a little lie down, Noel and I went across the road from the hotel to a small Chinese restaurant for an early dinner (a nice change from pasta and pizza), then returned for an early night. Hopefully we are both well enough to go ahead with the 2nd of our planned major tours - the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill tomorrow morning.

More links with photos here if interested: Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums and St Peters Basilica