* This is one of ten posts recapping our California adventure. See also Day One Boston to Barcelona, Day Two Antibes & Nice, Day Three Pisa & Florence, Day Five & Six Cruising, Day Seven Athens, Days Eight, Nine, & Ten Turkey & Lots of Cruising, Day Eleven Capri, Italy, Day Twelve Cruising & Returning Home, & Your Own Adventures with Grandma & Papa. *
Our next stop was Rome, the capital of Italy, It made for one of our busiest days. There's so much to see & do in Rome. We started at the Colosseum, a stone theater where great gladiator warriors used to fight. I had hoped we would get to go inside, but the line was extremely long & the Italian workers were on strike (making entrance impossible). Instead we marveled at the outside of the massive structure. 
We got a little lost for the next half hour or so. We wandered around a pathway that took us around many ruins & to an old, small church. I fell in love with the sweet-smelling, white flowers that hung from vines on either side of our path. It's funny how even getting lost in Rome was a beautiful experience.
After our short but pleasant diversion, we got back on track. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but there was so very much to see in Rome. We walked quickly through the large city, trying to catch all the historical & famous sights: the Roman Forum...
The Capitol (which seemed better guarded than the White House)...
Trevi Fountain (which was under construction & had no water...whomp whomp)...
The Pantheon...
The Spanish Steps...
We stopped for a quick bite to eat (& Italian beers) at a restaurant that reminded me of an American Subway. Still, it hit the spot, & it was quick. They had pizza & calzones that they used scissors to cut.
Next door, I grabbed a gelato (2 scoops, 2 different flavors) to snack on as we headed to the Piazza del Popolo, where we would meet our tour bus.
Next to the Piazza was an old set of stairs leading up to a beautiful park high up on a hill. We had a little time & decided to check it out. The park was an unexpected & welcome surprise for me. Most of our experience in Rome was spent practicly running from one tourist attraction to another. We tried to fit in as many sights as we could, surrounded by a ton of people & scary traffic of a big city (it's actually a miracle none of us got hit by a car or scooter). The park was open & airy, & from there we enjoyed another amazing aerial Italian view- this time of Rome.
We got back in our tour bus & headed to Vatican City next. The line was long & looked like it would take forever in the hot sun. Luckily, it moved quickly. Glen & I (& a bunch of small children) caught the spray of the square fountain to cool off while we waited. At the end of the line was St. Peter's Basilica, the most beautiful & ornate church I've ever seen. We are not catholic, but that didn't make the details of Basilica any less awe inspiring.
There was a large souvenir shop/cafe just outside Vatican square. Daddy sipped on beer while I ate more gelato before heading back to the bus. Just like that, another full Italian day had come to an end. It was a crazy, whirlwind of a day (my watch told me I had 20,000 steps that day). I saw so many iconic monuments that before this day I had only dreamed of seeing, & I felt so lucky that Daddy & I had the opportunity to explore this ancient place...& that we were doing it with great friends.
As crazy & hot as our day in Rome was, I'm not going to lie, I fell in love with Rome a little bit.
I love you so,
Mommy
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