"It's just a pile of rocks"

The stroller was loaded with one diaper bag, one overnight bag (with everything for everyone) and one Jonas. We were ready to train to Rome and sightsee for a day, check into our hotel at night and sightsee the next day before catching an evening train back "home".

Devin & I immediately loved Rome. I don't know what I was expecting, but it seemed like every street had something remarkable about it. I think we've decided that simply walking through cities and neighborhoods is our favorite way of touring a place. We had an ambitious plan and immediately set off for Trevi Fountain.

It was crowded but beautiful. Next was the Pantheon. This was my very favorite part of Rome. I really loved the way the light shown through the ceiling. The coloring was really amazing.

By now we were ready for a gelato stop. I read about the best gelato in Rome being not too far from here so off we set. I agree, it was delicious but unfortunately, it was a difficult place to navigate which put a few of us (won't name names) in a bad mood which was worsened when Clara changed her mind a scoop too late and then Jonas refused to eat his treat but screamed as it melted outside. So, I was the only happy customer at that stop - one scoop of fondente di ciocolatta (aka chocolate fudge) and one scoop of Riso (rice) which was surprisingly AMAZING!

I also saw many really cute boutiques with great earrings and clothes. I assumed I'd see more and since we were in a hurry, I didn't want to stop then, but sadly I didn't find any shops I liked quite as much as those again! Oh well, better for our budget considering Italy is not a cheap place to visit!!!

We then made it to Piazza Navona and then Piazza di Campo di Fiore. I loved both piazzas they were each beautiful and very different.

By now we were cutting it close to making it to the Colosseum for our 3:00 timed ticket entry. We walked so quickly and passed many beautiful buildings. I was so impressed by how well Clara kept up. At this point we had already covered a lot of ground but Clara didn't show it. Jonas did his part by routing our path on the map - a favorite activity of his.

We got there on time and loved it. I can't quite wrap my mind around how old it is.

Clara was very intrigued by the fights that took place there with wild animals. Morbid fascination. Can't blame her, I was reading all the signs about it too. Jonas was more entertained by pulling his shirt up over his face and making everyone laugh as we passed by. He did this over and over...

By the end, we were hungry and tired. We took a taxi up to the Spanish Steps and wandered around this part of town looking for an open restaurant. Nothing. It was the horrible 6:00 hour and nothing opened until about 7:30. This is when we happened upon the Disney store. Last thing I expected to see in Rome. The kids were so excited and I couldn't come up with a good reason not to go in. The first thing we saw was a little Mickey Mouse with a Roma shirt on. Jonas loves Mickey so he grabbed it right away. We buckled and let the kids pick their one Italian souvenir from the Disney store. Pathetic, I know. But, it got us a lot of milage. Clara's fairies were a huge hit. And as you can see, Mickey became the favorite traveling companion.

For Jonas, the wait for dinner was worth it...he really really really enjoyed this huge chunk of chicken. We did cut parts into bite sized pieces but he bypassed those and went straight for this.

After dinner, we started walking to our hotel. We had no idea how many miles away it would end up being. I still don't know exactly but it was very dark and very late by the time we got there and once again, Clara was amazing at keeping up and not complaining - she liked that we got to pass by the Colosseum again.

I did my best not to touch the floor in the hotel (or really anything - it was gross) and they didn't have a baby cot since according to them Jonas should be fine in a bed. So after moving it against the wall and sandwiching him next to Clara, they finally fell asleep. Well, Clara fell asleep while Jonas was too giddy to sleep and kept playing with Clara's hair, etc. I went in multiple times warning him but he would just grin at me.

The next morning we were up early to get to the Vatican to another timed ticket. Jonas wasn't nearly as smiley when we woke him up as you can see.

We got to see the Sistine Chapel which was truly amazing. Then we headed to St. Peter's square and inside the Basilica. It was a unique experience being there and appreciating its history.

Devin really liked the outfits these guards wore and tried to get a job there just to be able to wear them.

Strollers are not allowed but we showed our disabled badge and they agreed to let us use it with Jonas. However, there are about 300 guards there and they all assumed that nobody else had noticed us. So, we were constantly showing it again and explaining that we had permission. As we were leaving out the disabled exit, one guard was so upset and wouldn't let us go at first. I don't know what he wanted, at this point we were trying to leave yet he wouldn't allow it without talking to some supervisors. They really take the no stroller thing seriously. After having it explained by two other guards, he reluctantly let us out. Thanks guards.

As we were leaving the sky turned really gray and we thought it was a cool backdrop to the Vatican.

Lunch was next on our priority list. We had a few recommendations so we headed off to find them. After walking to three different restaurants (all no longer there) we were tired and now it was my turn to be grumpy. We managed to find food eventually and I cheered up when we walked back through the Piazza di Campo di Fiori and bought some spices to bring home. Yum yum.

This also helped cheer me up...the funniest part of the trip for Jonas was when this pigeon tried to eat the green skittle he had dropped. Here he is laughing...too bad I didn't get it on video because he has the best laugh on the planet. No joke.

We only had a short time before our train would leave so we wandered back through the city and once again stopped to pick up some food at McDs to take on the train for the kids. Jonas had a huge diaper mess and it was getting all over the stroller. The bathrooms were closed and the manager was not very nice. Devin tried convincing her to unlock them so we could at least change him but she wouldn't. My patience had left and I finally got her to open it up when I explained that our only other option was to change him in the middle of the restaurant which would be less than pleasant for everyone! I felt like an obnoxious American but I just couldn't seem to help it - sorry for giving all of you a bad name!! :)

As we settled in on the train, Jonas entertained himself (and many other passengers) with my glasses.

I then asked Clara what her favorite part of Rome was. Gelato was the answer. I asked about the Colosseum since she really loved walking past it. Her answer? "It's just a pile of rocks".

So glad that we are doing all we can to expose our children to Europe and help them appreciate history while we are living here. Next summer? I'm thinking about a tour of the local dairy that makes ice cream.