John and I spent our first day in Rome washing clothes, and I meant to update then, but Rome is crowded with travellers and it was impossible to find an open Internet point. My apologies dear readrs.

John also booked our tickets up to Zurich, and I bemoaned the loss of a day to the sea (I expected to lose eyeglasses, small objects and even lives to the sea, but time never.)

The next day, we got up bright and early to go to the Vatican Museums. When we got there at 8:15, there was already a queue for three blocks. John and I patiently waited in the hot sun for an hour and a half, but we faced even more crowds when we got inside. I swear, the next time I go to Italy, it will be December. I lost my charitable instincts when I heard some American girl behind me who announced England was a waste of time and money.

Ladies and gents, it could have been the Alamo out there.

However, killing someone within sight of Saint Peter's would be a serious faux pas.

We wandered through the rooms of the Vatican Museums admiring the Raphael Rooms, Egyptian mummies, liturgical objects and of course the Sistine Chapel, aided by audioguides. However, the crowded conditions made it hard to appreciate anything, and I felt sorry for those who approached the Sistine Chapel for devotions, as some guests seemed inable to keep their yaps shut (pet peeve of mine).

We then went to admire Saint Peter's but elected to skip the 3 hr wait to get inside. We walked into Rome's medieval centre, and went to Abbey House, an Irish pub. Irish pubs dominate the Roman nightlife, and there are more Irish pubs in Rome per capita than anywhere else except Dublin. John and I had lunch there and watched the Bangladesh-Australia one dayer cricket international, plus the FIFA World Youth Championships (Canada vs. Italy!)

We wrapped up our day with a doner kebab and a nap.