Millers in Shanghai: Italy #2

We rented an apartment in downtown Rome for 4 nights. It was great to be able to drive to a place and stay for a few days (the rest of the trip was a different hotel every night). Plus, we had more space than hotel rooms would have been, and it was quite a bit more relaxing. We arrived at the hotel at about 3:00 in the afternoon, and we were still cold from our day being outside (especially Civita). There ended up being a problem with the heating system, and we had to call someone to come in and fix it.

While we were waiting for all of that to get resolved, we went to a grocery store to get some food for our stay there in Rome, and we came back and ate pasta - but we were freezing cold.

The kids all huddled under a blanket to watch a movie after dinner. Thankfully, by the time everyone went to bed, we had heat in the apartment.

We spent a day touring the Vatican - we saw St. Peter's Basilica, then after waiting in the ticket line for the Vatican museum, we went on an express tour of the museum, ending up in the Sistine Chapel at the end. It was interesting to see all the art and the historical artifacts collected there. Nash, especially, appreciated the fact that we could go to another country on this trip - reminding us of the fact that technically Vatican City is an independent nation.

At the Piazza San Pietro in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

Interesting sign on the way in to the Vatican. Apparently one legged women and men in overalls and missing a shoulder are not allowed inside St. Peter's Basilica.

The Swiss Guards decked out in their fancy duds.

Luke got in this line with the others to touch the foot of a statue of Peter, famous now for the fact that his foot is almost rubbed off.

On the Vatican Museum tour.

Nash and Grant checking out the maps on the walls of the cartography room.

Taking a break inside the museum -- by this time in the day (about 2:00 PM), we had been on our feet since about 9:00 AM - walking, standing in line for tickets, and then walking through the museum. The kids did really well with it, as long as we kept them fed on pizza and gelato.

We think this is the border of Italy and Vatican City - I think its the wall that surrounds the Vatican.

At the Piazza Nuova - Grant dropped some coins in the can of this cowboy statue, who promptly came to life and posed with Grant and Mallory for some photos.

At the Pantheon -- quite an impressive building.

One of many gelato stops.

This is at a church near Palentine Hill - it is called the mouth of truth. You stick your hand in the mouth, and supposedly if you are a liar, it will bite your hand off. Luke wasn't so lucky.

We really liked seeing the ancient Roman sites - we started at the Palentine, saw the Colloseum, Circus Maximus, and the Forum.