Rome, Italy

Because of our 22 hour flight delay in Morocco, my parents arrived in Rome more than a day before us.  They had flown in from Norway.  They had our AirBnB to themselves and explored on their own.  They also got to go to Vatican Museums in Vatican City where I had managed to get reservations (when tickets are released, you have about 2 minutes before the tickets sell out).  I was disappointed I didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel or Rafael rooms, etc. because of our day long delay.  They also toured St. Peter's Basilica.  Below, they are by a Pinocchio carving and the Trevi Fountain.

After our Morocco detour, we finally arrived at our scheduled destination.  Our AirBnB was a block from the Colosseum.  Karina thinks the next picture looks like we are being kidnapped, but it is just the Uber dropping us off.  

We set out on a Rick Steves "Heart of Rome" walk that let us meander through architectural highlights.  By the end of our trip, Lydia would joke to me about where Rick Steves wants us to go next and what he has to say about it, because we did so many of his walks and tours, following the map, and reading the paragraph-long commentary at each stop. 

Piazza Navona:

Given how narrow the streets in Rome are, a miniature car like this would come in handy!

We walked by the Pantheon that evening, but it had closed, and we were hungry, so we headed back to our apartment.  The next afternoon, we started our walking tour where we had left off, at the Pantheon, and the inside was incredibly impressive!  We just couldn't believe this 2000 year old structure was still in such amazing shape, especially with the oculus at the top of the dome that lets in natural light and rain, and drains on the building floor.  I think this was the building in Rome I was most impressed with.  

Inside the Pantheon below.  You can't see much in the photo, but you can at least notice that the interior is completely intact and functional, 2000 years later. 

The next morning, we had a tour of the underground and arena of the Colosseum.  This was what the kids had been most excited to do in Rome.  I spent a lot of time getting the underground/arena tickets from the official Colosseum website -- they were much harder to obtain than Vatican Museum tickets.  

The tour of the 'underground' was not really underground because so few walls/ceilings remain.  And the tour was clearly not designed for children and was pretty boring.  I was really regretting getting the special tickets.  I wish I had just gotten the regular Colosseum tickets (slightly less tricky to obtain than underground tickets) and then used our guidebook to point out interesting tidbits.  The kids liked me as a guide much more than following an official person.  Part of the problem was the guide spoke with a thick accent that the kids couldn't understand, which made being on the tour frustrating for them.  

After the Underground Colosseum tour, we wandered around the main part of the Colosseum.  In the photos below, you can see that not much remains.  This was in stark contrast to the Pantheon, also 2000 years old, that is in excellent condition with even interior decorations intact.  Overall, the Colosseum is more impressive from the outside than inside.

After lunch and a siesta at our nearby AirBnB, we explored the Roman Forum.  The kids were much happier with me and the Rick Steves book as our guide, where we could explore at our own pace and pick our own highlights.  For example, the girls were excited to see evil Emperor Caligula's palace in the Roman Forum because of all the Rick Riordan books they have read.

After the Roman Forum, we continued our walking tour of Rome where we left off the day before.  At Trevi Fountain, we tried our luck making wishes, tossing in coins.

At the Spanish Steps:

The kids and I missed our planned Vatican City day because we were in Morocco, but after a whirlwind day visiting Roman highlights, we still weren't too tired and we decided to take the metro to Vatican City even if we couldn't go inside.  The girls wanted to mark off another country from their list.  Touching the walls of the Vatican:

We couldn't go into Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel and 4 miles of artwork corridors are, because we didn't have tickets, but we could go into St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica.  It was incredible!  Having so many genius artists dedicate their lives to the artwork inside, made this building memorable and awe-inspiring.  I felt so lucky see inside!   

One part of the scavenger hunt the kids were doing in Rome had an assignment in the Vatican to find the distinct Swiss guards in their special uniforms.

It was a whirlwind day in Rome, trying to make up for the day we missed, and the kids were troopers. 

The next morning, we took a fast train to Venice.  It was a 4 hour train ride on a comfortable, punctual train.  We were very impressed with Italy's rail system.