Europe Day Forty Five - 150 Flavors

When we woke up we realized it was our last day in Rome. We needed an easy day and although we wanted to see the aquaducts they were too far away so we took the morning off and after lunch we set course for the gelato shop that has one hundred and fifty flavors. We got a little lost on the way and it took a good half an hour to get there but when we did we were amazed by just how many different flavours they had.

We all picked out four flavors for the first time ever. My favourite one was Orange Chocolate. It was really good. After we all finished our cones we went to the Trevi Fountain again to see the turquoise waters before we left.

We didn't go up to the front rim but we still got a good few from the back. Once we all got our last look at the Trevi we started to head home. On the long walk home the streets were crowded on a Friday night. We went by the Colosseum one last time and bid it farewell.

Once we arrived at the apartment we packed our bags for the early start the next morning and had some dinner before going to bed.

Total miles walked: 4.6 miles

Europe Day Forty Four - Pompeii

In the morning we walked to the train station. We boarded a connection train to Pompeii and it took about 2 and a half hours and 2 trains to get there. Dad got our tickets at the front booth and then we all made our way up to the entrance of  the Pompeii ruins.

We walked through the giant front gate into the forgotten city. One of the great things about Pompeii is that it is a perfect look into the past with all the homes that were covered after the volcano erupted. None of the pots and tools were taken and the city was in good condition because of the ash and magma that protected it from natural destruction as it covered the city so quickly.

Almost all of the houses were the same size and close together. There weren't any super big or super small, basically equal.

After a picnic lunch we got out our map and decided to head to the Arena where they held battles, city meetings, and rituals. Once we got to the Arena we saw all the rows carved out of the rock where people sat. Each Arena could fit at least a 5000 people. We walked around the rows and made our way to the center of the Arena. In the center of the arena Sage started dancing around the dirt stage.

After we left the Arena we wandered around Pompeii and saw the ovens, sinks, marble counter tops and the fountains and drainage system. After covering some good ground we headed over to the Amphitheater which was a bigger version of the Arena we had gone to earlier. Once we were inside we played tag around the giant Amphitheater center.

We took some photos and moved on to try and find the Pompeii plasters which are the plaster molds of the people of Pompeii who died in the eruption. When they were excavating Pompeii out of the ash they found body shaped holes in the ash where someone had died and decayed creating a hole under the hardened ash. They then filled them with plaster to make perfect replicas of the body. It took us a while to find the exhibit but once we did it was a bit sad. There were little kids, people praying and even a really sad one of a Mom trying to protect her baby from the lava. It was sad to know that these were the dying position of people who had lived almost 2000 years ago. (Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.) We all left the exhibit a bit sadder than before.

The sun was about to set so we went quickly to the small museum exhibit which wasn't all too impressive (but we had seen a lot of exhibits at bigger museums with many of the same kinds of pottery) and started for the exit.

We went back to the front gate and watched the sun set right behind a Centaur statue that was right at the entrance.

We left Pompeii and went to the train station where we had to wait 15 minutes for the train to come. Once we got on we were all very tired. We had dinner on the train from Naples to Rome. When we got back we walked for another 10 minutes to the apartment which was much faster than the first time we walked it when we first arrived. We found a better way around the park. When we walked into the apartment we plopped  down on our beds for the night.

Total trains: 4

Total miles walked: 7.3 miles

Europe Day Forty Three - The Vatican

When morning came around we all got ready to go to Vatican City. We left the apartment and prepared for a long walk to the Vatican. Once we got there we went straight to the Vatican Museum. We walked through security and started to go inside the Museum when Kaden realized that he didn't have his Celtic knot necklace on anymore. We went back down the spiral stairs to the security and bag drop where he had taken his sweatshirt off but the necklace was gone. Sadly we had to keep going.

Inside the Museum there was a lot of Catholic paintings and art. We looked at most of them and kept walking at a normal pace not thoroughly intrigued by any of them.

Soon we had made our way to the Sistine Chapel. We got in line and had to wait a bit until we could go into the crowded chapel.

Everybody in the room was looking up at the ceiling where the famous Michelangelo painting of God reaching out to humanity from heaven was. We looked up at the paintings for a bit before leaving the crowded chapel and headed out to the last stretch of the museum. Once we got out of the museum we all got some water from the water fountain and headed out to get lunch.

We found a nice little restaurant on the side of the street and got some really good lasagna and spaghetti for lunch. When we had all finished our waiter (a very friendly older Italian woman who didn't speak English) brought an extra spaghetti for "Mama" on the house. Mom shared some of the spaghetti with us and then we headed to St. Peters Basilica.

Once we were there we checked out the square and saw some of the Swiss guards. The Swiss guards are the official guards of the Vatican but they look more jesters in there purple and yellow striped uniforms.

After taking some photos of the Swiss guard we checked out the rest of the square. We got some photos of the Basilica and we decided to start going back to the hotel for the night. The line to get in the Basilica was at least a 2 - 3 hour wait and we didn't have that much time. Leaving Vatican City we crossed a different bridge across the river.

It was quite a long walk so we stopped when we could to find fountains that were placed around the city. We walked past the Colosseum again on the way back to our apartment still finding it hard to believe we were right there and imagining it so long ago.

When we got back to the apartment it was dark. We made dinner which was pasta and salad and went to bed shortly after.

Total miles walked: 8.3 miles

Europe Day Forty Two - Walking the Streets of Rome

In the morning we all got ready and headed out into Rome once again. Our first stop of the day was Trevi Fountain. We walked through side streets and alley ways until we turned the corner and saw the magnificent Trevi Fountain, with it's white marble statues and beautiful turquoise water. It was breathtaking.

We all threw coins into the fountain and made wishes. My wish was that I could come back to this amazing city again someday. And Sage said that she wished that a real life unicorn would come to Rome.

We left the fountain and continued on with our long adventure packed day. We decided to get some croissants for breakfast before going to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a circular temple like building but instead of a flat roof it has a perfectly built dome which is one of the mysteries of Rome on how they built it so perfectly. We went inside and saw the inside of the dome. It was beautiful with a ton of tiles that created a honeycomb effect on the dome.

We took a lot of photos and we pinpointed the center. We aligned the angle so that the sun shone right through the opening in the middle of the dome. One day of the year the sun shines directly through the center and creates a beautiful column of light in the middle of the temple. Now sadly that day was not it but the Pantheon was still super cool. 

After looking around for a bit longer we left the Pantheon and headed over to the Piazze Navona and got some spinach ravioli for lunch at an outdoor restaurant on the square after checking out the fountains. We finished lunch which was amazing and found the fastest route to the Spanish steps. 

We doubled back past the Pantheon (which was now crowded with people) and walked for a good half hour before we finally made it to the famous Spanish steps. We walked around the steps, took more photos and sat down on the steps to relax for a bit after the day we had had so far.

After we sat on the steps for awhile we had to leave. On the way home we found a nice place to get a little gelato for everybody before walking the rest of the way home. Once we got home we chugged water because we hadn't come across one of the many fountains of water you can drink from found all over the city.

Total miles walked: 6.9 miles