ROME

Do you all remember the movie "While you were sleeping"? I love that show. Anyways, like Lucy I went to see the world (well...just Rome) and I finally have a stamp in my passport.

Jeff and I were excited to take one last major trip before the responsibilities of having a newborn comes. Tyler stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Reids while we were gone. He didn't seem to miss us at all. He had all he needed....fruit snacks, water guns, nice weather to play outside in, and lots of people to give him attention.

Jeff and I figured if we counted all the flights (home to grandmas to Rome to grandma's and back home), Jeff and I took 7 airplane flights in that 2 week period. My favorite layover was in Washington DC where we got to meet up with my friend Nicole and see her kids and home. I'm glad it worked out and we didn't have to sit in the airport for 5 hours.

Rome was sure an adventure! That first day was a shock. After we got off the airplane we had to take a train to our hotel. That was when it hit me. We were so confused which line to get in to buy a ticket and which train we needed to take and no one around us was speaking our language. We didn't see anyone we could ask...It was an overwhelming feeling. It took us quite a while to look around and figure it, but we made it.

Italy is definitely different than the U.S. As far as transportation, there were TONS of mini cars and motorcycles and we NEVER saw an SUV the 5 days we were there. There are no drinking fountains, but they have these drinking faucets around the city to fill up your water bottle or get a drink from. The faucets are constantly running....talk about wasting water(the picture above is one of the fancy ones because it has a tub catching water too). Oh, and the bathrooms, they are few and far between. Being pregnant that was a major concern for me. I was trying to drink enough water to stay hydrated, but I didn't want to over drink because I was afraid I couldn't find a bathroom when I needed it. Yikes!

There is some much to do in Rome! You could spend a month there and still not see everything. Here are the highlights to our trip:

Day 1: Walking around Rome: Pantheon, Piazza Navona
The first night we ate dinner in front of this fountain in the middle of Piazza Navona. It's a popular place to visit and linger. Jeff and I thought, "Oh, this is a cool fountain" but later during our trip we learned chariot races were once held there.

Day 2: The Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum
It's crazy to think that these structures are 2000+ years old. We don't see things that old in the U.S. It's interesting to learn the history that goes along with the ruins...the foundation of Rome, the gladiators, the numerous emperors and the numerous ways they were murdered, etc. I wish my brain could remember all the information I learned.

Day 3: The Capitoline Museum

I am standing next to the foot of the statue of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperors. The statue of Constantine used to reside in the archway in the next picture. The arch is part of what's left of the Basilica of Constantine. He must of thought highly of himself to build the largest building in the Roman forum and then place such an enormous statue of himself in the middle.

Day 4: Trip to the Mediterranean and an old city/port called Ostia Antica

This was one of our favorite stops. This city was abandoned and then covered with silt from the Tiber flooding, so it is one of the best preserved cities. It was amazing because they'd let you walk around this whole city. It had bathes, latrines, an old kitchen, amphitheater, and several tiled floors. It was neat to walk and explore the city. Hardly anything was roped off.

Day 5: The Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica

It's just amazing the decor of the many different chapels and museums. The paintings, scultures, frescos, etc. are so ornate and magnificent. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful. In St. Peter's Basilica, most of the artwork is made of thousands of minute peices of colored glass. The glass is small enough that you don't realize it's just pieces; I would have sworn the art works were paintings until our tour guide pointed out that when the light reflect certain spots, you can tell it's glass reflecting the light. (The "tapestry" behind the statue of St. Peter is made of glass peices)

Rome is an amazing city to visit and we are glad we had the opportunity to go.


I believe the saying is that if you toss a coin into the Trevi fountain, you will make it back to Rome again. Jeff and I did see the Trevi fountain, but no coins were tossed in, so according to the saying, we may not make it back. That is fine because there are so many other places in the world to visit and see.....