Roman Holiday

Rome was pretty spectacular, I'm not gonna lie. However, the first night was just a little stressful. As I had mentioned earlier we took the cheap route when booking a hotel...Just don't go as cheap as we did. :) We arrived in Rome literally at 10:30pm and since we knew Rome was pretty big and we didn't know what type of neighborhoods we would encounter we decided the safest route was to just get a taxi. We are officially stupid tourists. So we go up to a taxi driver and ask him to take us to our hotel location. He then proceeds to drive us around all the Roman sights (which were spectacular at night) and stops in front of a completely different place then where we said. He then acted stupid and said he thought this was the right place and drives us back to the train station and literally 4 blocks later we were at our Hotel.

Twenty Euros later we were standing in front of our hotel door (which looked just like an apartment building). Taped to the front of the door was a typed note that welcomed us and told us that they didn't do late check in and we needed to go to their sister hotel and pick up our keys and get instructions from them. Remember that we had all of our luggage, 3 backpacks, 1 pack n play, Ty in his stroller, 1 big rolley bag and 1 small rolley bag that constantly flipped over on cobble stones and any grooves. We started walking towards what we thought was the hotel's location but we had no idea where we were on the map. It took us a good 15 minutes just to get our bearings and for someone to tell us which way to go. We had to walk uphill and then down a hill and finally arrived at the other hotel 20 additional minutes later. By this time we were exhausted as it was close to midnight.

After we arrived at the hotel they gave us our keys and proceeded to tell us rather complex instructions about how to open the doors and how the mornings worked with the breakfast etc. After explaining this he then told us that we needed to walk back to the other hotel cause we weren't staying in his. He offered to call us a cab (we refused) and we then walked the 20 minutes back to the hotel. We unlocked the front door and we were staying on different floors so Matt and I went to our floor and tried the key but it would not open. We tried the door for a good 10 minutes and had no luck. My parents were having the same issue and so we called the other hotel and they sent someone over to unlock our doors.

Luckily another couple that was staying on our floor came in and let us into our floor and our room key worked. The boy from the hotel arrived minutes later and let my parents into their floor (with no problems) and then we went to bed.

Our first morning was a Sunday, the last Sunday of January to be exact. We knew that on the last Sunday of the month the Vatican Museum was free so we decided to head over to the Vatican. Our hotel though a little dumpy, was literally a block from the Trevi fountain. As soon as we saw it we knew we were REALLY in ROME!

Mom just a little excited to be standing in front of THE TREVI FOUNTAIN.

Had to get a family pic in front too. :)

After stopping to admire the fountain we started  heading towards the Vatican again. Along the way we passed by....

cool building with ancient pillars still intact infront of it.

Yes that is the Pantheon!!!!

It was closed for a service that had just started. But we went back later and went inside. Awe inspiring. So amazing that such an ancient building could be so intricate and so ingenious.

Piazza Navarone with it's beautiful fountains. They used to do chariot races there and they kept the original stadium shape as the Piazza. Pretty cool!!!

Our first view of the Vatican over the Tiber River.

Perfect photo op. Too bad Ty's sleeping.

Castel Sant'Angelo, a medieval fortress that we passed.

So as we were walking down the main road leading to the Vatican we noticed there was a HUGE crowd in the main square. Also we noticed lots of police. Then as we got closer we started hearing a voice projected over the loud speaker. We were wondering who was speaking, could it be?  No, it couldn't. But yes it was. We saw and heard THE POPE speak!! How surreal is that? Literally something I never thought would happen in all of my life did. He was speaking from his apartment windows and near the end of his speech (or whatever he was saying in Italian), he tried to release a dove but it flew right back in his window. My mom said that once it did that the pope said, "he came home to the house of The Father." and everyone laughed. 

After he finished talking and went back in we decided to attempt to go in the Vatican Museum. We joined a line which we thought would take us into the museum. Turns out it was to St. Peter's Basillica. Which they claim was built over the site where St. Peter was crucified. They also claim to have his bones. What a lavish and massive building. It was decorated so beautifully with some amazing works of art. It was especially neat to be in there while they had several church services going on.

Outside St. Peters Basilica waiting to go in.

The sculpture behind the main altar.

Inside St Peter's Basillica

By the time we finished with St. Peter's it was almost 1pm and the Vatican Museum closed early at 2pm that day. We decided we'd pay and go in the next day. With all the walking we'd done we wanted to take it a little easier and so we bought a day pass on one of those hop on hop off tour buses that take you to all the sights. We loaded onto the bus and went for a scenic ride and got a taste for Rome. Here are some things we saw.

View of the Colosseum from the tour bus.

After arriving near our hotel we ate at a restaurant (that wasn't very good) and of course stopped in to eat some gelato at the best gelatoria in Rome. Valentino's Gelatoria on Via Lavatore. If you're ever there get some melon gelato or his chocolate is to die for. He was such a nice man, he saw Ty and said that he had 2 grandkids with one on the way and they both ate their  first gelato at his gelatoria. He then dipped a little cone in his leche (milk) flavored gelato and gave Ty his first taste. Ty LOVED it. He could not get enough. After our gelato we all settled down and went to get some rest before our final day in Rome.

Ty's first gelato, he LOVED it!

Ice cream face!!!

Just a little FYI the Vatican Museum is not near all the other sites in the Vatican. Yes we did get lost trying to find it and on our quest to find the entrance we passed by some more beggars while they were in the process of making their baby bundles. And yes they did still try to beg "money for the baby". You couldn't help feeling that they thought you were an idiot. Once we did find the entrance we knew it was going to be a jam packed day and so dad didn't want to pay all that money just to see the Sistene Chapel so he said he'd meet us at the Colosseum. We wove through the gargantuan museum passing the most unique and interesting art work and artifacts, rushing by so we could spend our 20 minutes gazing up at Michelangelo's masterpiece. That truly was an inspired work. And definitely worth our time and money to look at.

At the Vatican museum on our way to the Sistine Chapel.

After the Sistine Chapel we then wove our way back to the exit so we could head over to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We called my dad and he said the traffic was very bad and that he hadn't even made it to the Colosseum yet on the tour bus. We decided to walk from the Vatican to the Colosseum. WOW, that was a dumb choice as far as how much my feet hurt but it only took us 20 minutes of very brisk walking to do it. We asked dad to buy our tickets for us since he was in line and we were almost there.

As we were walking towards the entrance and taking pictures we heard a terrible screeching of the tires and a thud. My mom looked a little ashen faced as she told us that she just saw a man get hit by a car as he was crossing the street and literally was knocked in the air 10 feet and landed on the asphalt. Matt (who is an EMT) gave me all his stuff and ran over to see if he could be of assistance. He was one of the first people on the scene and tried to communicate to those gathering that he was an EMT and knew what to do in this circumstance. He assessed the patient and asked him where he was hurting and if he could move. The man said no and that his arm hurt. He was bleeding pretty badly from his head and Matt could tell he probably broke his arm. Matt's main concern was that this man could have a spinal injury and tried to get the man to lay as still and straight as possible. He then lifted his neck so as to create a C-Spine. Where the spine is completely straight to prevent further spinal injury.

About this time another man arrived on the scene, also a tourist who said he was from Korea and he was a doctor. He then started taking the man's vitals and rubbing his arms and legs to promote circulation. Police were trying to direct traffic around the accident and didn't do a good job of it and created more of a back up. They claimed they had called an ambulance but it seemed like forever. At one point the man started to lose consciousness and started to go into shock. Luckily Matt was able to revive him and bring him back. At that point the doctor ran over to the police and told them, "We need medics NOW!"And basically said if the ambulance didn't come soon they were going to lose that man. Well, you could definitely tell you weren't in America cause the medics didn't come right then or even 5 minutes after right then.

Matt ended up holding that man's neck and keeping him conscious for about 30 minutes before the medics arrived. Then once they did arrive they weren't even going to put a neck brace on the man's neck to keep the C-Spine that Matt had been doing for the whole time. He made sure they did before he left. I felt so proud that Matt had been so willing to help and put his skills to use.

After he had washed up (cause he had blood on his hands). We finally started our vacation again and went into the Colosseum. It is one huge arena and so stunning. You can't help but wish that you could see what it looked like in it's glory days. After exploring that for awhile we went to the Roman Forum.

The Colosseum, Matt's one have to see.

We're here!

So crazy how intricate it is!

On our way to the Roman Forum

At the Roman Forum we decided to split up and mom and dad went their way and Matt and I went ours as we all listened to Rick Steve's audio guide of this little slice of ancient Rome. After we'd listened to the first segment of the audio tour I was stepping down from a large boulder and my ankle gave out (in the middle of a group of tourists) and I collapsed onto the ground on my knees. I can't help but laugh as I write this cause lets face it. It was EMBARRASSING to say the least. It was kind of funny to see Matt look around for me at the level I should've been and then have to look down to find me crumpled on the ground. (seems like something Cassie would do, not me. haha!) He of course got very worried and we sat down for awhile cause honestly it did kind of hurt and I did sort of tear up (mostly from humiliation).

Then as we were exploring my ankle was soo weak and gave out a couple more times but luckily without the same dramatic effect. What was so cool about the forum was that so much of it was still intact and Rick Steve's Audio tour brought it to life. You could imagine Caesar and his procession coming down the Sacre Via towards the main square. We wished we could've stayed longer to soak more if it in but we were all getting starved and honestly a little wiped out from all the events of the day.

This was only half of the building. It used to be a lot taller.

Matt standing on the Sacra Via, the road that Julius Caesar walked on.

In the forum.

We headed to our hotel to get some rest before our dinner at the one restaurant we went to that was good.It was called, Il Chianti. After our scrumptious dinner we ate gelato for the last  time at Valentinos. Ty once again got some gelato and we all savored every last bite.

Ty and I eating at our favorite Gelatoria.

Thank you Valentino! Your melon gelato is to die for!

Rome was so full of history and cool things to see it was impossible to take it all in in two days. Although we were soooooo tired afterwards it sure was worth it to see so many amazing things. Rome, we'll be seeing you again sometime soon. :)

Florence and the Beggars with Fake Babies

Book 2

We rode the train to Florence and once again got there pretty late. It was 9 or 10pm. Matt thought he could guide us there no problem and so instead of taking a taxi we started to walk. He was a great navigator and led us directly to our hotel. This time we were greeted with a smile and Dennis the desk clerk said our rooms were ready and he lead us right to them. He took Matt and I to our room first and it reeked!!! It had a terrible raw sewage smell. We didn't say anything at first but when my mom came in to grab her stuff we commented on the awful odor. She talked to Dennis and he said it was just how some areas of Florence smell because of how old their sewer system is. He did give us another room and though it was icy cold in the room it didn't have an odor.

When we woke up in the morning all of our backs ached from the rock hard beds that we slept in. Also Ty had started a new trend of crying in the middle of the night until we put him in bed with us. Then he would sleep but at one point his feet were in my face and his head was in Matt's face and we were both almost falling off. Needless to say we didn't sleep too well. Also another toddler was having a rough night and his parents must've been doing the "I'm going to let my child cry all night even though I'm not at home" sleep method. But, we were ready to start our day and see what Florence had to offer us.

We started our day at the Academia and got to see Michaelangelo's statue of David. Breathtaking and so worth it! Then we made our way to the town center and went inside the church with the Duomo. While we were walking around the church we saw lots of beggars. And many of them were creative with their tactics. There was a very large woman who sat on the church steps with a paper cup that she had pasted a picture of Jesus to and asked for money. Then there were the young women that would walk around with bundles of blankets that were wrapped to look like babies. They'd go around asking, money for the baby, money for the baby. Unfortunately you never really got to see the "babies" as the blankets always seemed to be covering their faces.

in front of the Duomo

Each brass square has a story from the bible represented on them.

the church was so ornate outside but inside it was kind of bare. very unusual.

in front of the old palace.

statue of neptune

street performer that Matt thought was sooo cool!

After checking out that church we went to the Uffizi Gallery which was very large and had very many famous medieval and rennaissance paintings. Mom was overwhelmed but honestly I think my favorite part of visiting these places was being among the people and seeing the architecture and the art that was all around us. The museums were neat but not as impressive as I was expecting them to be.


After the gallery we did some more wandering until we had to catch our trains (I made a mistake and booked us on 2 different ones from different stations and different times).

Ponte Vecchio behind us

On the Ponte Vecchio, between the shops.

Mom and I

Dad eating a humungous calzone.

Ty and I on the train to Rome!