My Best Travel Story

 If you asked me to sit and entertain you for several hours with travel stories....I could probably tell more than 200 curious stories, but this is one of better ones.

I went and did a all-you-can-do travel event in Rome about 15 years ago.  My wife hates me 48-hour adventures....so I went alone.

I was set to arrive Friday night at 9 PM, check into a mid-town hotel, and then spend 14 hours on Saturday walking around.  I'd pack up on Sunday morning, and fly out by 1 PM.  

Yes, it is the wrong way to see Rome.

In the middle of this adventure, I end up by Vatican City by 10 AM Saturday.  I had wanted to do the 'walk-in' tour, but noticed that this line was filled with 500 tourists already.  

So I walked around to the front side, and entered the 'big-house'.  

Over on the right side of the front....there's this door open.  I walk up and just enter.  No guards or anything.

All of the sudden....I'm in the end-point of the grand-tour (the one that you'd pay real money for).

So I'm staging myself with the tour group inside this area, and walk to the next area...moving up a notch every ten minutes.  

I'm pretty sure I was violating five or six Vatican rules and ethically screwing over tourism.

At some point, I figure....why push my luck, and reverse....to leave via the exit door where I entered.

This walk saving three hours of waiting time?  Yeah.