Rome Sweet Rome

Rome truly is an incredible city.  Of all the the big cities we have visited on our trip, it was certainly our favourite. 

Friday morning we got up bright and early to head over to "The Vatican City".  It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel and we were told to get there early as line-ups can be 3-4 hours long.  The number of people waiting to get into the Vatican museum at 9am was already ridiculous so we opted to just go to St. Peter's Basilica.

It was already crazy hot at 8:45am so Ang and I stood in line with umbrella in hand and Rod, Jeff and the kids hung out in the shade until the doors opened.  Bare shoulders and short skirts or shorts are not allowed in the church so us girls needed scarves to cover up.

 We started out with the 580 step climb to the top balcony of the dome of the Basilica.  This is the dome designed by Michelangelo.  We were all so surprised to see that the paintings in the dome were actually stone mosaics.  Thinking of the time put into such a creation centuries ago is remarkable.

 This is a view of St. Peter's Piazza from the top of the dome.  We were also able to see the Vatican Gardens from the top too.

 The viewing balcony at the top was our final destination.  The stairs inside were so narrow and winding that both Ang and I were nauseous coming down.

Here you can see the sweat on Rod's back.  It was literally pouring off of us especially having to be covered up with scarves.  Made us think we maybe could have paid the extra 2 euro for the elevator ride up.  That being said, it wouldn't have been the same experience.

 Once inside, the basilica was like nothing we have ever seen.

 Next we hopped on the double decker bus to tour the rest of the city.  Umbrellas were a must for a break from the blazing sun.

 This is Triton's fountain  ~ you know,  from Little Mermaid!!

 Jeff didn't have an umbrella, so he opted for a different strategy to try and keep cool.

 Once again... more stairs.  Never have we walked and climbed so much on a vacation.  There was so much to look at and so much to see, there was not one complaint from anyone.

 The Colosseum was magnificent.  We have seen in pictures and movies, but once there, you really get a true appreciation for what an incredible structure it is.  This was the highlight of Rod's visit to Rome.

 Yes, Rod is holding a little umbrella that looks like it is out of a fancy cocktail drink!!!  They sell them on the street for 3 euro and it was a life-saver

 After our visit to the Colosseum, we took a boat down the Tiber River to make our way back to the hotel. This river runs through the heart of Rome.

 Saturday was our last full day in Rome.  After yesterdays touring in sweltering heat, we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to HYDROMANIA!!  An outdoor water-park just outside of Rome.  We told the kids we were going to spend the day doing a little of this and that and also visiting the "Chalice Museum".  They totally went along with it without a complaint and were shocked when we pulled up to the water slides.

 After part of the day cooling off in the wave pool, we showered and hit the cobble streets of Rome for our last night out.  Night time in Rome was defiantly my favourite time to walk about.  Rod and Jeff found this bakery off the beaten path and kind of hidden.  We were a little suspicious especially since it was right next to a strip joint but the treats were amazing.  This was the Canolli Jordyn was dreaming of and she loved it!!!

The kids loved looking at all the stuff at the street vendor tables.  They all really enjoyed bartering with the vendors for a lower price.  It was so neat to see them ask for a price and when told no, they would just walk away and keep going until they got the price they wanted.  Defiantly not something I am good at.

I am not sure how long this artist had spent creating this picture of Mona Lisa on the sidewalk out of chalk ~ so glad it didn't start to rain.

 We were not ready to leave ~ but knowing we had to be up at 4:00am, we called it a night at midnight.

With only 3 hours of sleep and a 20++ hour day of travelling ahead of us they kids were troopers and did amazing.

Once home, I was hoping we could stay up until at least 8pm on Sunday, but by 6pm both Jordyn and Evan crashed on the couch.  I woke Evan and sent him to bed only to find he made it as far as the stairs and went back to sleep.  The true sign of an incredible vacation.

We had an unforgettable time with Ang, Jeff, Paige and Read.   We were so sad to see the holiday end, but know we have a lifetime of memories created with very, very special friends!!

Pisa, Impruenta & Florence

It's been a couple of days since I've posted pictures, but between very slow Internet connections,  late nights out for dinner and then games of Wizard, time has gotten away.  After we left Cinque Terre, we had a 3 hour drive to Impruenta.  About half way was Pisa where we stopped for a short visit to take a peek at the tower.  It really was remarkable to see, so I am glad we made the pit-stop.  We were a little thrown off by all of the street people out hassling you to buy sunglasses and watches.  It really took away from the experience for us.   Once you were in the gates around the tower you weren't bothered by them, but the walk to the car was quite unnerving.

 The boys caught sight of a McDonald's and couldn't resist a stop for fries and a milkshake.  Jordyn and I just couldn't do it ~ we are in Italy of all places and we weren't going to waste a meal on McD's!!

 We arrived at Villa Relias in Impruenta, Italy where we stayed for 3 nights.  Impruenta is about 20 minutes from Florence and is set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  It was incredibly hot so we were so glad to have the pool to cool off in.

 
The apartments we stayed in were really cute with 2 bedrooms and a little kitchenette.

 The pool also had a sandy beach for the kids, so they had a great time digging and building in the sand.  Most of the beaches we have visited were quite rocky so the sand was a nice change.  The Villa was about a 5 minute walk into town and we enjoyed 2 dinners out and did our own Italian BBQ our last night.

Wating at the bus stop! Our first full day we took the bus from Impruenta to Florence.  It was great because we didn't have the hassle of parking which has proved to be quite a challenge in some of the cities we have visited. 
Once in Florence we took a double-decker bus which toured us around to all of the main landmarks.

 We got off of the bus and wandered through the streets of Florence.  Jordyn has always wanted to try an Italian Cannoli ~ I don't think she enjoyed it as much as she thought she would though.  The gelati is much, much better!!

 Evan spotted Duff beer and convinced Rod to buy it ~ it is after all Homer Simpson's favourite beer.

 Not sure what was going on here, but Rod and Ang have some explaining to do!!!

 Our second night in Impruenta we walked to The Bellavista restaurant.  It was on a beautiful terrace overlooking the town.

 The guys were being somewhat inappropriate during dinner.

 

Yesterday, Rod and I took the kids to a 10th Century Castle/Winery in Chianti country.  It was spectacular to say the least.  There was a beautiful garden, a wild boar farm and a castle where they make Verrazzano Chianti.

 These barrels hold enough wine to fill 4200 bottles. Rod was tring to sneak a little right from the "tap".

 The cellar was actually in the dungeon where barbarian prisoners were held at the beginning of the 10th century.

 After the tour we enjoyed wine tasting and a great lunch.  Evan even got to enjoy a little sip.

We arrived in Rome this afternoon and actually walked around for almost 7 hours ~ without the camera UGH!!!

Anyways, we have decided on what sights we want to see tomorrow and will spend the day exploring this beautiful city ~ with camera in tow.  I cannot even believe we only have 2 days left before we come home.  It has gone by so incredibly fast.