Forbidden Photos from the Sistine Chapel

I left my apartment before dawn to take an early semi-private tour of the Vatican Museum. Our tour guide raced us through a labyrinth of rooms and corridors to get us to the Sistine Chapel before the crowds hit. There is only natural lighting there and all photography is prohibited to help preserve the paint, but our guide assured us that we could get away with a few flash-free shots at that early hour. The frescoes have been restored to their original brilliance since I was there last and it's an awe-inspiring, actually emotional experience to see them, especially with very few people in the room. The ceiling, depicting the Creation, took Michelangelo four years to complete - including six months off when he fled Rome because of conflicts with the pope who commissioned the work. Looking at the ceiling this morning, I'm amazed that he could have completed this masterpiece even that quickly!