The Sistine Chapel

I gave in to the pressures of tourism and we went first thing to the Vatican to get sight of the Sistine Chapel. I had great reservations but it fitted in with the schedule. A talkative Spaniard at the hotel desk gave us some useful direction that proved useless and taking us in the wrong direction once we got there. As many times before we had to go back on ourselves to reach the Vatican Museum and to the long queue. Frustratingly we had to pay entrance to the whole museum as a chapel-only ticket didn't exist. We made our way slowly through the museum path following the signs and eventually through the Raphael rooms. I must admit I wasn't very impressed by a lot of these frescos and they were more like paint-by-numbers. However when we eventually got to see the ceiling of the chapel, not necessarily the walls, we could see why they've received so much attention, they leap off the ceiling, significantly more alive than the dull works we saw on the approach. The ultimate hypocrisy of course is that the guards forbid photographs, flash or not (mine was taken without being seen), but apparently some Japanese TV company paid $3m to help restore them 30 years ago in return for exclusive video rights. Considering the wealth of the church, this price is shameful if they really want to claim their prohibition as a mark of respect. So, we did the chapel but I did leave with a bitter taste, especially considering the hoard of ancient remains that the Vatican has claimed and walled up in their museum, albeit open to paying visitors.