In which a piece falls into place

We wrote off to scavi.org - the Vatican excavation offices - some time ago - to try to get tickets to the necropolis tour. It had registered the other day that there had been no reply, so we had started to conclude that we were not going to be a ticket when - bang - THIS - landed in the mailbox:

Vatican City, January 21, 2012

Reference N. 1XXXXXXX
Palmer Valeria,???
This message is in regards to your request to visit the necropolis under the Papal Basilica of St. Peter.
The visit which you requested has been authorized.
This tour takes place near the tomb of the Apostle St. Peter, below the basilica.
For this reason, more than a cultural tour, this is a pilgrimage to one of the most holy places in the christian world.
The following rules (NOTICES) must be respectedalthough different from other places in the Vatican.
If you find later that you are unable to attend, even after confirmation and payment, we ask kindly that you inform our office.
Information to be confirmed.
Before confirming the reservations according to the procedure below in the section CONFIRMATION PROCESS, please keep in mind the guidelines at the end of this message.
The visit is registered under the name Palmer Valeria
>tour. T8***** Feb **, 2012 time *****m participants 1 Language English
Cost of each ticket [including the presence our guide]: Euro 12,00 (about 16.3036USD)
Total cost for N. 1 tickets : Euro 12,00

Firing up AmEx.

Color me thrilled. This gives me a start to planning the rest of my week. I have been told that the lines for St. Peters and the Vatican museums are bad in the morning, less so in the afternoon, so I think I will use some of those reward points from MegaMegaBank's now defunct debit card program to book the Vatican that afternoon and spend the time in between on an excursion to the shop that sells bottle openers in the shape of a Pope and the Andrea Doria public market on the far side of the Vatican City walls. Wonder if there's a back gate?

Need to go to AAA and buy some € - very cleverly they make a packet in a small amount called a Tip Pack designed to tip a porter or catch a bus before one must deal with changing $ into €.

New skirt and new sweater came, just one or two bits more to procure and then figure out the packing - probably made easier by the fact that most of my wardrobe is black, black and black with the occasional bit of gray or white. The yellow lining on my good coat should look very snappy though.