Hello there!
Having completed my earlier travel posts on several interesting countries, such as Japan, Maldives, Indonesia and US, it's probably time to share about my recent Europe trip! If you are keen to find out which countries and cities I visited, you can read the quick summary here.
There is actually a back story behind this trip. My friend and I planned this trip a few years back and it was supposed to take place in Apr 2020, but as most of you would know, Covid 19 pandemic came and we had to cancel the trip due to all the travel restrictions and health advisories. So we planned for this trip in 2025 and it finally materialised!
Documenting all my entries for this 2025 Europe Trip:
Turkey - An Istanbul Adventure: From Blue Mosque to Bazaars
France - Exploring The Parisian Icons: Effiel Tower And Arc De Triomphe
France - Wandering Through Paris: The Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries
France - Strolling Through Paris: Notre Dame And The Seine
France - Climbing Montmartre: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and Panoramic Views
France - Exploring Nice: Promenade des Anglais And City Strolls
France - Climbing Castle Hill: Breathtaking Views and Nice's Coastal Beauty
Monaco - Visiting The Home Of F1 Street Racing!
Monaco - Glamorous Streets, Iconic Sights And F1 Thrills
Italy - Exploring Rome’s Icon: The Colosseum
Italy - Discovering Rome: The Roman Forum
Italy - A Stroll Through Rome: Castel Sant’Angelo, Trevi Fountain, and More!
When in Rome, one of must visit places would be the Vatican City! If I am not wrong, Vatican City is actually a standalone country and it's probably the smallest (if not one of the smallest) countries in the world, followed by Monaco. Vatican City is actually within the city of Rome so we travelled over from our hotel in Rome via the metro.
First stop was the Vatican Museum! As you could see from the photos, we were there at around 0800h in the morning and the crowds and queues have already formed up. They were quite strict about the stipulated timings so we could only go in based on the booked timing on our ticket. Interestingly, for tour groups, I realised they did not need to queue and the guide can just bring them in.
Here's a photo of the exit of Vatican Museum - in their local language. Snapped this photo while I was waiting in the queue.
It was quite warm while queueing with some parts of the queue under the morning sun. After a while, more and more people arrived and it got more crowded.
And we finally were able to enter the compound at 0900h! Blue skies and very artsy ambience for a museum!
There were many historical artefacts and sculptures like these within the Vatican Museum. I actually took a lot of photos, but going by the nature of the photos, most of the humans in the sculptures were in various state of undress and I decided to filter the ones which were more explicit, for both male and female. Not too sure if they are too sensitive for Hive. And it actually struck me, where do we draw the line for such "explicit" content when it comes to art like paintings or statues and sculptures in museums? Personally, I don't find it an issue because it's just the human body. As long as it is not displayed in an improper manner, we should appreciate it as it is. What are your thoughts on this issue?
You probably could not tell from the photos but the area was so crowded. Everyone was taking turns to take photos, and there were many local guides bringing groups of visitors around, stopping at various exhibits and sharing the stories behind these characters. I tried listening in but after a while, it was just information overload. Haha. I am not really a history person, so I was mostly there to admire at these exhibits and to experience and appreciate the culture over there.
Other than sculptures, there were many historical artefacts and I found it interesting how much effort went into carvings those designs. They probably meant something significant back then.
This was the open space in the centre of each exhibition hall. And it's probably the less crowded place in the museum because everyone would be inside browsing the exhibits. Hehe.
More exhibits, more artefacts, more sculptures!
There was an exhibition hall with this round artefact in the centre and everyone had to walk around it to get to the next part of the museum. So we were walking in a single file - look at the number of people in this photo!
I also noticed some visitors aiming their cameras at the ceiling so I looked up. Looks grand, isn't it?
Another sculpture. The colour has worn off so much but I guess stuff with history will always hold their significance regardless of the state they are in.
Another exhibition hall that's "child-friendly" to post. If you get what I mean.
From the museum, there were also windows where we could catch a glimpse of the view beyond Vatican City. Quite certain this would be the view of Rome.
Of course, visitors would know there's much more than Vatican Museum in Vatican City, and there's where we will be heading to in the next update! Vatican City is interesting because it's a very small country and sit within the Rome city and it was definitely a great feeling to be able to make it here for at least this once in my lifetime, to step foot into Vatican City, and see with my own eyes what this place has to offer.
And that's all I have today! Have you been to Vatican City? Let me know in the comments below!
Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin!