Getting Lost in the Vatican Museums (Literally)

A very long corridor of Roman statues and this is just a teeny-weeny part of the museum, I tell you.

On our second day in Rome, our agenda was to go to Vatican City, which is currently the smallest state in the world. This brings me to ponder that we technically did visit 7 states in Europe! Okay, not some earth-shattering feat you have in mind but.. give me a chance. I'd likely be back in Europe if something close to miracle happens.

Anyway, to reach this walled city, we simply hopped on Metro A from Termini Station and 6 stops later, is the Ottaviano-San Pietro Station, the nearest to the Vatican Museums entrance. By that I mean, you need to walk about half a kilometer. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. (No door to door delivery, Madam.)

Now, the walk from the Metro station to the entrance was pretty straightforward, if I recall correctly. Of course, there was a steady stream of people, seemingly going in the same direction and that helped a lot. Alleluia!

Perhaps, the same scenario we would have inside the museum itself?

Kuala Lumpur on a Weekend

October of last year, Breinn visited me for a few days, in time for our anniversary. It was rather special because as the universe has magically conspired, we finally hit the 5-year mark of being together. And conversely, 3 full years of traipsing the challenging yet rewarding case of a long distance relationship. We both know, it could have been better if we were physically close but in the meantime, we are fully content in supporting each other in chasing our individual dreams. So that in that near future, when we can finally be together, we would bring all these amazing wonders, the otherwise painful lessons, and the maturity we have gained, and forge something far more remarkable than what we have now.

Okay back to the main topic before this trail of thought overshoots out of the basket. Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, is a 5-hour bus journey from Singapore. Longer time is expected for daytime schedules and more so, during the holidays.

I have been to KL once with my brother but it was a crazy ordeal, to say the least. Having a crunch in our vacation time, we did it for only one day. We started our day early in the morning and ended it in the wee hours of the morning of the following day. You can just imagine our exhaustion!

So this time around, I was back in KL with more time to spare.

The Pantheon in Rome

After establishing our ground in Rome, specifically in Piazza Navona, my cousin and I confidently walked to The Pantheon, navigating Rome's ancient streets and alleys like pros (not!). As if we had other choice, since the distance between the piazza and The Pantheon is only 450 meters which means it's merely 5 minutes away. And walking was then the only alternative.

When we finally arrived at The Pantheon, the night had already fallen. Our vision was almost muddled by seeing endless historical buildings along the way, that it took a few seconds for us to realize that we were already in front of the iconic building. But time and again, the crowds had made it easier for us.

And we were glad that we made it in the nick of time as The Pantheon was about to close for the day.