As The Biggest Beach House Brat said today 'We have become what we despise.' We have spent the last two days taking in many of
Trevi Fountain
the sites of Rome, like all the other hundreds of thousands of tourists here. I can totally understand why the city has become so overrun by people. It is so interesting and stunning, it is like a magnet for anyone who has the slightest interest in the history of mankind. With layer upon layer of different civilisations superimposed over the next one. It seems it's just a matter of how deep you want to dig.
Although I am an atheist and believe religion through the ages has consisted of like minded groups of people who gathered together to work out new and interesting ways to control, garner power and hurt others, to prove who has the best imaginary friend, you have to give the powers that be, points for creating tangible beauty. Even if the truth of how people have been and are still being treated by religion is anything but beautiful.
Vatican city is out of this world impressive. The guide reasoned it had to be this way, so the masses believed it was created by God and would believe what they were being told. Sorry to all my religious friends, but live and let live I say. I am just thankful that these days I have the right to say it whist you have the right to practise what you believe. In the West anyway.
We were also informed by our guide that the Vatican makes 1/2 a million euros in ticket sales per day alone. That does not take into account earnings from shares, real estate, copyright and other sales and investments which generate 95 billion euros in income per year. One only hopes they use all of this for good deeds.
We dropped 25 euros on 3 small coffees and hot chocolates ( about $AUD37) this morning whilst waiting for our tour to start. I said to the waiter this must be the most expensive coffee in Europe. His reply 'Welcome to the Vatican' And to think George Pell is the head of Vatican finance. No wonder he's not keen to come home, he's clearly just too busy.
On the culinary front you will see my food baby is growing daily. My strategy is to eat and drink how I please until we hit Australian soil then it's back to protein and salads/vegetables for the foreseeable future.
One more day left of my 50th birthday bash. How enlightening it has proved to be
Pizzeria near the Spanish Steps
The Pantheon
Bored at the Vatican
Our bill at the Vatican for coffee
The Vatican
Pope's private garden The Vatican
The Spanish Steps Rome
The Vatican
The Vatican
The Vatican
The Vatican
Set up for Mass The Vatican
St Peters Basilica
Trevi Fountain
No comments :
Post a Comment