23 December 2000 – Rome
To the Musei Vaticani in the morning; the streets were deserted and trees cast pale shadows onto the Tiber. Having not the faintest clue of a suitable direction, I wandered vaguely Vaticanwards and found I needn’t have worried: one can’t miss it. Waited in a rather long line for admission, then darted away to see marbles and vases. Oh, yes, and the Sistine chapel, too. Saw Pericles & Periander in a corridor. Never before have I been so happy to see a pair of tyrants. As the musem closed, tottered over to St. Peter’s, and was hustled in with everyone else. Too large. Too gray. Too much gold. Too many squalling children. The light pressing through the windows seemed more solid than the marble.