Italy Adventure, Day 3!!

Agenda for day 3...The Vatican! 

We were pretty excited to see the Vatican.  Except A, who didn't quite understand...since we aren't Catholic. We tried to explain...but she still wasn't convinced!

Our apartment was a pretty good distance away from Vatican City, so we decided to venture that way on public transportation...the bus!  I'm not keen on underground metro systems, so the bus seemed to be the way to go!  We thought it would be simple (the book said so), so we weren't too concerned about missing our time for our pre-purchased tickets.

Then that morning, we headed to the bus stop that we thought was THE bus stop.  We waited about 15 minutes, becoming more and more certain that we were in the wrong spot.  A nice Italian man saw our distress, and with limited English told us where we needed to be....which was several blocks away!  So we walked to the new (right) bus stop, and waited...and waited.  As we were beginning to have our doubts about this one being the right one, our bus came!  We got on (standing room only), and off we went!!  It was a long, crowded bus ride!!  LONG...CROWDED...HOT!!  We had read that the buses were air conditioned...but by day 3 of our trip we had also discovered that what Italians call "air conditioned" is not what we American call "air conditioned"!!  It basically meant there was some (ever so slightly) moving air in the bus.  Finally, we arrived at our stop near the Vatican.

We got in line, and even though we had pre-purchased our tickets, there was a long line!  I guess everyone else had pre-purchased also!!  The line was in the sun!  And it was hot!  And we were already a bit cranky because of our stressful time finding the bus stop!  And then we had to go through security, and R gets REALLY stressed out going through security!  So we are hot, we are tired, we are cranky, we are stressed, but we are AT.THE.VATICAN!!  How awesome is that????  Little R had studied artists at pre-k, and they had talked about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, so he was very excited to actually see it!  (No pictures in there, of course).

All smiles and ready to go!

Saw this sign on the bus ride!  Made us think of our German neighbors' little boy named Leon...so I HAD to take a picture!!  I was standing, the bus was moving, and I ended up dropping my full Camelbak (aka: HEAVY) water bottle on the top of my foot during the process!!  OUCH!!  But I got the shot...and thinking of Leon made us smile!!

Arriving at the Vatican...yep that's the line...in the full sun!

Amazingly beautiful inside!

These are inside St. Peters Basilica...thought the rays coming through were pretty cool!



As part of our Vatican tour, I really wanted to see St. Peter's Basilica.  But after making a wrong turn after the Sistine Chapel, we missed it.  We ended up having to walk ALL the way back through the Sistine Chapel, and it was very crowded.  This was after 30 minutes of walking around and asking directions numerous times!!  But our navigator (AKA: Daddy) finally got us to St. Peter's, and it was pretty amazing...but VERY crowded!  By this time, the kids were all crabby and tired of walking...and HOT...no cool air inside the Vatican anywhere!!!  So we headed out, trying to get away from the crowds....and T's flip flop broke!!  The pavement was HOT, and she couldn't walk in her shoe!!  R scoped out a souvenir shop down the road, and they actually had flip flops!  We were ecstatic!  So T scooted her way down there, we bought a pair of 10 euro flip flops with the Italian flag on them, and we were back on track!!

We had planned to eat at Hard Rock Café for lunch, so we started the long, hot walk over there.  We got there, and there was a 45 minute wait, but we could sit in the "atrium" immediately.  R asked if it was air conditioned, and the host said "of course".  We decided to sit there, so we could sit and cool off immediately.  Two things we didn't take into consideration: first, the "atrium" was a completely glass building...all sides and the top...and it was HOT and SUNNY outside; second, what the Italians call "air conditioning" is not even remotely close to what WE call air conditioning (refer to bus story above).  Soooooo....it was HOT...all.through.lunch!!  SOOOO hot!!  So we ate as quickly as possible and retreated to the somewhat darker, cooler store.  After picking up the obligatory t-shirts, we headed back to the apartment...on the bus.

LOVE Hard Rock Café!!

In the sauna...or atrium, as they called it.  And while it looks shady...it wasn't!

Waiting for the bus to take us back to the apartment!

On the walk from the bus stop to the apartment, we stopped in a market and bought some fresh fruit.  The boys made dinner for us that evening!!

What do you eat for dinner after a long, hot day...and a huge, delicious lunch???  Why...cold, fresh fruit, of course!!

It was a long, hot, exhausting day!  But once again, we got to see and experience things we never dreamed we would see in our lifetime!!  Were we exhausted...yes!  But it was SO totally worth it!

Italy Adventure, Day 2!!

For our first full day in Rome, we planned to head out on foot to see some sights!  Our apartment was in a pretty central location, so we thought it would be fairly easy to walk to the things we wanted to see that day....the Coliseum, Forum, Trevi Fountain....

But...it was HOT in Rome!!  We weren't even wearing our summer clothes when we left Germany, and we knew it would be warmer in Italy, but we were surprised by how much warmer!!  It was very sunny, and very hot!!

By the time we made it to our first stop...the Coliseum...we were melting!!  And...it was A LOT farther than we thought it was!  And it was crowded! And Rome is dirty!!  So we stopped outside the Coliseum and had a quick picnic lunch to recover.  Feeling a bit better, we reapplied the sunscreen, bought some hats for everyone (except me) to keep the sun off our heads, and trudged on to see the sights!

Ready to explore Rome!!

Look!!  It's even spelled right!

The Coliseum...not sure why the boys are flexing...

Amazing..

R bought a hat...his head was roasting!

 So what do you do when you are in Rome, you are literally melting, and you have several more miles to walk that day?  Why, you jump for joy, of course!!!


Little R's "jump for joy"

Mama & Daddy "jump for joy"

And A & T "jump for joy"

LOVE the architecture

T was accosted by the "bird guy"!!  He placed the birds on her as she walked by, told me to take a picture, then demanded money!!  We had been warned about these people, but it happened so fast, we didn't know what hit us!

The kids sporting their hats!

And finally by mid-afternoon, I gave in and sported my very own hat!  My head was sunburnt, I was sweating like crazy, and I needed some shade! : )

The Trevi Fountain

We decided to head back to the apartment to cool off a bit and freshen up for dinner.  It wasn't until we were about halfway to the apartment that we realized just how far we had wandered!  There were times we weren't sure we were going to make it back!!  But our fearless navigator got us there, and we had a little time to unwind before heading out to dinner...a short walk away this time!

2nd dinner in Rome...pasta this time!

Waiting patiently for our food...

And when we got back to the apartment, we brought out Little R's souvenir purchase of the day...a knight costume!  WELL worth the 15 euros we spent!  This boy had some epic battles every time we spent more than 5 minutes at the apartment!!

After some play fighting, we all headed to bed to rest up for day 3!!  It was a good day, but definitely our most exhausting day of travel up to this point.

Italy Adventure, Day 1!!

Before we left Germany, we decided to spend a week in Italy.  Italy was at the top of my list of places I HAD to see, so I didn't want to leave Europe without an Italy adventure!!

Packed up and ready to go to Italy!!

Day 1 began with a flight from Stuttgart to Rome.  We ALWAYS arrive early to the airport, so there was lots of time to goof off waiting for our flight...

Little R having fun with the camera...

Say CHEESE, Mommy!

Daddy posing for our mini photographer

After a short flight, we arrived in Rome.  We had arranged a van to take us from the airport to our apartment in Rome.  It was about a 45 minute drive...and it was a little scary!!  But we made it safely, and we our apartment was great!

Our bedroom that we shared with Little R...cute!

The kitchen & living area...this apartment had some character!!

The outside of the building...we were a little worried when we saw it...but most of the buildings in Rome didn't look very nice on the outside...we were so happy it looked better inside!
 

Next, it was off to dinner...our first real Italian meal!  The owner of the apartment recommended a little pizza place right up the street, so off we went!

Waiting for our food...

Formula 1 Pizzeria...if you are ever in Rome, I highly recommend it!

The pizza was well worth the wait!  And we didn't know it at the time, but this place had the best bruschetta in all of Italy!!  We tried it at every restaurant we went during the week, and the bruschetta at Formula 1 was the best, hands down!

After dinner, it was back to the apartment to rest up and get ready for a full day of exploring Rome!!

Daddy/Daughter Dance

R got to go on a date with some amazing girls!! 

When I heard about the Daddy/Daughter dance, I asked the girls if they wanted to go...A was a resounding "YES", and T was a "no, not really."  But we bought tickets anyway, and decided it would be a good evening of quality time for both girls.

And in the end, T had a great time!!  She enjoyed getting dressed up a bit, and all 3 of them had a great evening!

I love that the girls are blessed with a Daddy who enjoys spending time with them!!

Pre-K Graduation...a big day for my big boy!!

After a lot of discussion we moved Little R from German kindergarten to an American pre-k on post.  We debated, we prayed, we weighed the pros & cons, and I asked the opinion of everyone I knew...yes, I worried myself into a frenzy over this decision!!  But in the end, we put him in pre-k, and in the end, it was the right decision!

Little R LOVED school!  He made some great friends, learned some great things, and had an overall great experience!  He even had his first crush on someone other than Mommy!

Pre-K graduation was a little bittersweet for me.  First, it meant he would be moving on to all day kindergarten this year.  Second, since we were leaving Germany soon after, it meant saying goodbye to his sweet little friends.  And I don't think he understood at the time that when we left Germany, it was for good!

But, overall Pre-K was great for Little R!  And I am confident that he is ready for kindergarten this year...I'm just not confident that I am!

Posing at home in his "snappy" clothes!  He helped pick out this outfit in the store...so it was special!

LOVE him!!

Before the ceremony...can you tell which little girl is his "crush"??

Walking down the aisle to Pomp & Circumstance!!  He was trying to look like a tough guy, but he made my heart melt!

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Singing a song together...

Getting his certificate

Best Buddies!!  These two were such good buddies...it was so much fun to watch them together!  And his mom was pretty cool too, so that made it good for me!

Mr. Lindman....one great teacher!!  Little R really enjoyed him!

Another good buddy...if Little R wasn't with Sterling (previous pic), he was with Luis!!  Luis NEVER calls Little R by his name...only Batman! : )  Too cute!

Could they be any more handsome...really???

Home....

It's been a while, and I have a lot to post, but this is just a quick one to say we are HOME!!  It is so nice to be back in the States!  We are settling in, and I have TONS of stuff to catch up on...but for now, we are taking a deep breath, and enjoying being HOME!!

Many "catch up" posts to come, including our amazing trip to Italy!

To be continued: