ROME!!!

Wow! What a great trip this was! It wasn't everything it could have been, since Matt wasn't able to go with us, but the memories will last us a lifetime. There are so many amazing things to see in Rome, and three days just wasn't enough time to see it all. The tour bus broke down on our last day which threw off our tight schedule by several hours. We were afraid we'd end up missing out on seeing the Collessium, which A was dying to see, but managed a walk around the outside on our way to dinner before leaving for home. The sheer size of it is staggering!

Those of us old enough to grasp it were very sobered by the reality that the walls we were looking at were the last things thousands of Christian martyrs saw before being eaten alive by wild animals. It's so easy to take our religious freedom for granted, and this was a good eye-opener for us.
This shot of St. Peter's Square was taken from the top of the Basilica Cupola. The view was breathtaking and the weather perfect for gawking out-of-towners, like us! Having nearly died climbing up 380 steps to the top of the cathedral tower in Prague with my mother-in-law, the thought of dragging my sorry behind up the 550 steps to the Cupola balcony held no appeal. Enter my 16-1/2 yo son, who still thinks I'm the coolest mom on the planet, and his unbridled enthusiasm won me over. We managed to lose M on the way up (still can't figure that one out!), so our 550 steps grew to over 750 as we walked up and down looking for him. Little Banana was a trooper!! Towards the top of the Cupola the stairs become extremely narrow and steep as they spiral upward, and our only handhold was a fat rope that hung from the top down through the middle of the spiraling stairs. Turning around wasn't an option. There wasn't even room for us to share a step, so upward we climbed. Bananas little legs were really worn out, so I ended up squeezing up the stairs while carrying her for quite a while, and carried her most of the way back down, but we made it! People were starting to gather in the Square for the Sunday Papal Blessing, so I was a little nervous about not being able to find M. Still got a great shot of the Square, though.
I absolutely love this pic of K and Schmabbers! A group of British teenage boys saw K and started talking about "the gorgeous girl in the red sweatshirt". They were joking about which one was going to talk to her, but decided none of them spoke Italian well enough to attempt it and wandered off. K thought it was a hoot as she stood there pretending she didn't understand what they were saying!
A was a great help with Banana. She thinks he's the coolest thing on two legs and loves hanging out with him. He gives great shoulder rides, too! On this day we were walking from out hotel to Vatican City and she was explaining to him why there were so many mopeds in Rome. Apparently mopeds are the fastest things in the whole world. Moped engines are also used in 'Midget Cars', which are made for midgets, even though they don't really exist. A lot of people think midgets are real, but they aren't! Only 'Midget Cars' are real and they have moped engines in them so they can go really fast. A's so good at playing along with her and letting her think she's sharing new and important information with him!
We made it down the Cupola steps and through the Basilica in time to gather for the Papal Blessing. We even found M wandering around in a state of mild panic before we left the Basilica. Thank God! During his address, the Pope welcomed our group from -------, US Army Base in -------, Germany, (which scored big points with the kids) before praying for us. Very cool! He spoke in 6 different languages during his address, and speaks at least 2 others! Good grief...I have problems with one!! Matt's more determined than ever to make it to Rome after hearing about everything we were able to see and experience. Maybe in the fall or next spring. (Lord willin' and the creek don't rise!)