I figure that I might as well keep up with this before I have too many pictures to put up at once. I can't even describe the Vatican other than it literaly takes your breath away. I had to remind myself to breath. Its absolutely beautiful. I only picked out a few pictures because I took 135 just of the Vatican lol. So if you want to see more, I'll show you when I get home...This was our first glimpse at St. Peter's square (we entered from the side instead of the front)
The colonnade we entered through. Its actually four rows of columns deep! Look at that blue sky...it was a beautiful day inside and out.
Me and Mary Kate in front of Maderno's fountain (Bernini's is exactly opposite of it on the other side of the piazza)
In front of the obelisk in the center of the pizza, with the basilica in the background. The obelisk was actually moved here from Egypt!
Underneath the basilica are many of the pope's tombs. I'd estimate that we saw 20-30. It was unbelievable to see history like that. This is Paul VI's tomb. As soon as I started getting teary we came to John Paul II's tomb and I just broke down. You weren't allowed to take pictures of John Paul II's because there were groups of people kneeling and praying in front of them and a gaurd standing by it. You also weren't allowed to take pictures of St. Peter's tomb which is sooo ornate and elaborate. It was in its own little room that was behind glass. Absolutely amazing. The apostles never seemed so real to me.
This is what we saw as soon as we walked into the basilica. Look how the sun come in from the windows in the dome. lovely. It was enormous, extending out even more on the sides. There are 45 (?) altars! They all had signs posted stating the relics in the altars. Some of the relics were entire preserved bodies lit up inside of the altar (they looked like wax, not gross mummies or something like that). There were huge statues everywhere! Too many to look at though I have pictures of a lot of them. Most are funerary monuments to different popes.
The Pieta by Michelangelo. I'm mad the picture is blurry, but it was behind glass so it was hard to get a clear one. It depicts Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion. So beautiful.
Me in front of the baldachin, a bronze canopy which stands over the main altar. In front of the altar are steps which lead down to St. Peter's tomb. The altar was blocked off so you couldn't get very close even to see into the tomb, but it was beautiful.
The altar of the Chair of St. Peter was absolutely gorgeous. I promis this picture does not give it any credit at all. There were 4 or 5 priests saying a Latin mass that we stopped to listen to for a while. It was strange to have mass going on in one end of the church and hundreds of tourists walking around taking pictures of the rest of the church. But I guess its so big it doesnt even matter.
An engraving of the names and dates of all the popes beginning with St. Peter. They already engraved John Paul II's death date, but have not yet engraved Benedict XVI's name. I guess they do it all at once after the pope dies. Very cool though to see the whole list of names.
Looking down the Via di Conciliazione toward the Vatican. The sun glared, but its still really pretty.
The Castel Sant' Angelo. Now its a museum, but it started as the Emperor Hadrian's tomb, then became a papal fortress connected to the Vatican by a corridor where Pope Clement VII fled during the Sack of Rome. It was also used my the Vatican as a prison at some point.
Me by the Tiber river. I'm laughing because it was really windy and my skirt kept flying up...
The colonnade we entered through. Its actually four rows of columns deep! Look at that blue sky...it was a beautiful day inside and out.
Me and Mary Kate in front of Maderno's fountain (Bernini's is exactly opposite of it on the other side of the piazza)
In front of the obelisk in the center of the pizza, with the basilica in the background. The obelisk was actually moved here from Egypt!
St. Peter's Basilica. So amazing. All of the chairs are set up for papal audiences. There must have been thousands of chairs. The pope stands under that little canopy in front. (We're going to an audience in two weeks! yay!)
Underneath the basilica are many of the pope's tombs. I'd estimate that we saw 20-30. It was unbelievable to see history like that. This is Paul VI's tomb. As soon as I started getting teary we came to John Paul II's tomb and I just broke down. You weren't allowed to take pictures of John Paul II's because there were groups of people kneeling and praying in front of them and a gaurd standing by it. You also weren't allowed to take pictures of St. Peter's tomb which is sooo ornate and elaborate. It was in its own little room that was behind glass. Absolutely amazing. The apostles never seemed so real to me.
This is what we saw as soon as we walked into the basilica. Look how the sun come in from the windows in the dome. lovely. It was enormous, extending out even more on the sides. There are 45 (?) altars! They all had signs posted stating the relics in the altars. Some of the relics were entire preserved bodies lit up inside of the altar (they looked like wax, not gross mummies or something like that). There were huge statues everywhere! Too many to look at though I have pictures of a lot of them. Most are funerary monuments to different popes.
The Pieta by Michelangelo. I'm mad the picture is blurry, but it was behind glass so it was hard to get a clear one. It depicts Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion. So beautiful. 
Me in front of the baldachin, a bronze canopy which stands over the main altar. In front of the altar are steps which lead down to St. Peter's tomb. The altar was blocked off so you couldn't get very close even to see into the tomb, but it was beautiful.
The altar of the Chair of St. Peter was absolutely gorgeous. I promis this picture does not give it any credit at all. There were 4 or 5 priests saying a Latin mass that we stopped to listen to for a while. It was strange to have mass going on in one end of the church and hundreds of tourists walking around taking pictures of the rest of the church. But I guess its so big it doesnt even matter.
An engraving of the names and dates of all the popes beginning with St. Peter. They already engraved John Paul II's death date, but have not yet engraved Benedict XVI's name. I guess they do it all at once after the pope dies. Very cool though to see the whole list of names.
Looking down the Via di Conciliazione toward the Vatican. The sun glared, but its still really pretty.
The Castel Sant' Angelo. Now its a museum, but it started as the Emperor Hadrian's tomb, then became a papal fortress connected to the Vatican by a corridor where Pope Clement VII fled during the Sack of Rome. It was also used my the Vatican as a prison at some point.
Me by the Tiber river. I'm laughing because it was really windy and my skirt kept flying up...
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