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I had to get up in the night to wear my shirt, sweater and thermal underwear because someone had put the AC on arctic winds. Brrr…

Stressful day. It’s today that I start my self-imposed ordeal to stay 24 h in Vatican City. More on the details later. I failed to find a self-laundry close-by, so I give all my clothes to a laundry service. I really hope they won’t fuck it up and that the clothes will be dry.

Next step, finding a locker. I can’t keep my backpack with me tonight, so I paid quite a lot to store it for 48 h, 24 not being enough unfortunately. I take my small bag, and within it my sleeping bag, external battery, chargers, and water. I need to buy some food later.

I sat in a park to wait, but I couldn’t bare the Roma [Rome] heat: since I wanted to wash both my pants, and since I was already wearing the thermal underpants from last night, I had kept it on me, so I would just have to get the pants I’m wearing off, and wait. As I couldn’t stay at the laundry, I kept both my pants and the thermal underwear on. I was burning. So I took a coffee nearby so I could access the bathroom and change.

An hour later I’m pleasently surprised to find my clothes perfectly dry, and probably cleaner than anywhen else on this trip. A detour by the hostel where I had forgotten a mouthbath bottle, a quick restaurant, and off to the Vatican City border.

Somehow, I managed to take the wrong metro (I still don’t understand how) and ended up in front of a huge United Nations facility.

I had to exit the metro and cross the street to take it in the other direction. However, the 100 min ticket I had JUST bought refused to work for whatever reason, and there was no one to cry to. So I had to pay with tap mode and go.

Now the third metro was the one I actually intended to take. A bit of walk and arrived in front of Saint Peter’s Square. A deep breath, and I enter.

Ciao Città del Vaticano!

It is 13:54, let the countdown start! I will have to do everyth… Oh, hang on. I forgot the goddam food!

Ciao Italia!

Some days you’re just a looser… I get a few chips and cookies and candies and come back.

Ciao Città del Vaticano!

It is 14:32, let the countdown start! I will have to do everything veryyyy slowly if I don’t want to get to bored. Here are some explanations:

Vatican City is a weird little place. It is by all administrative and geopolitical means a proper country. Not member of the UN, but an observer (the only one along with Palestine), and part of many UN agencies. Italy has no power over what’s happening in the 0.44 km² of the smallest country in the World, although it is Italian police that patrols the square. A lot of services are also done by Italy, as Vatican City is a country without most things: no hospital, no births, no schools, no airport (obvisouly), no public roads, no private businesses, and no accomodations whatsoever for tourists. Which is already quite an issue for this challenge of staying 24 h.

But what really makes it difficult are two facts: first, tourists not on guided tours can only access the museums and Saint Peter’s square and basilica. Second, the museums obviously close in the evening, but the square also closes at night. The whole country’s border is made up of a high stone wall, except around St. Peter’s square in Città del Vaticano [Vatican City]. And here’s the trick that I got from Thor from Once Upon a Saga (check out his incredible 10-year trip!!) that he himself got from another Danish traveller: the border is painted with a white line just around the square (which is circular, btw). And between this line and the fence that encloses the Square, there’s about one to two meters. Homeless people sleep there every night, and today I’ll spit out the bone of dignity and will be doing the same.

Anyway, long story short: it was a very long and boring afternoon. I didn’t queue as I thought it wasn’t worth paying 20 € for a few hours when I planned to do it tomorrow, so I only had access to the square, its post office, two fountains and obelisk. The sunset gave some divine white rays through the clouds, and after dark, a short thunderstorm ripped the sky appart in purple arcs. With no one around, it was really pleasant.

However, I thought I would be able to sleep between the colonnades, under the roof, but no, that part also closes and at 23:00 I got kicked out by police. I was really stressed to be asked to cross the damn white line, but I very cautiously stayed in, and found a wider spot, just at the very hand of the colonnades wall. I sat a bit, not daring to get the sleeping bag out just yet, out of fear to be kicked out. Let’s wait a bit…