ROME... all in 1 day!

We took an entire day to run around Italy's capital and see many of the main sights... at the end of the day, our aching feet attested to the fact that it's the country's largest and most populated city! This was the 3rd Rome trip for Daron and me (Stephen's 2nd, although he was just 13 months old when he joined us on an HP trip the first time). We started at the Colloseum.  Amazing!

NEXT UP: Trevi Fountain! A jaunt across town, via the underground subway train -- the kids LOVED the packed subways. They held onto the poles for dear life as they plopped on the floor. So dirty. So fun.

We need to watch "Three Coins in a Fountain" with the kids now. Gorgeous fountain - cool info about it: An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy. However, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.  

Here it is at night --



NEXT STOP:  St. Peter's Square in Vatican City! 

There was an infinitely long line to get in - it stretched around the entire square. But it only took about 30 minutes to get through.  We were entertained by all the 'line-cutters' - they pretended they couldn't understand Daron when he so kindly informed them where the end of the line was. We were laughing with some fun college students about how people were getting all vicious about cutting, when the place we're trying to get into is a church!

Entertained by the pigeons while in line...



Inside The Basilica... which has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world. It's simply breathtaking. Pictures can't do it justice. St. Peter, one of Jesus' 12 apostles, is buried inside.

NEXT STOP: The Sistene Chapel, inside the Vatican Museum!

Since we couldn't take photos inside the actual Sistene Chapel, here's a web pic of Michelangelo's famous ceiling (built between 1508-1512): the kids were especially intrigued by the little black spot (lower left hand corner) which shows how it looked prior to the 7-year cleaning process they recently did to restore it.  The recognizable 'God and Man reaching out to touch fingers' picture is so incredible. This room is where the Papal conclave is held ~ the process where the new Pope is selected.

Late into the night, we hopped on the train back to the hotel... here's internationally dressed Stephen: shoes from Switzerland, pants from Texas, shirt from Scotland, and jacket from Italy!