Better late than never - Spring Break in Rome

Yes, I know - ridiculous that I am finally NOW getting to a blog about our Spring Break in Rome.  But I feel like the end of the school year snuck up on me, Nana and Papa's visit was right after Rome, then we were off to the US.  Now that the boys are back in school, I am returning to my normal schedule, which does mean some free time to blog, etc.  

I LOVED Rome.  We went during Holy Week.  I know what you are thinking, crazy, right?  Wasn't it crowded (maybe, I didn't feel crowded), wasn't the traffic insane (yes, but it ALWAYS is in cities in Italy), wouldn't it have been cheaper at another time (undoubtedly, yes)?  However, I wouldn't trade the week we had for another time.  We had amazing weather (low 70's and sunshine during the day, low 60's in the evenings) and there is a mystical quality to visiting Rome during Holy Week.  We observed a Palm Sunday processional through the streets from our balcony and heard the cantering in Italian.  We visited Vatican City on the Wednesday of the Papal Audience and entered St. Peter's Basilica to the faint echo (and eventually the loud reverberation) of a brass quartet playing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.  I was moved to tears.  And the Italians - oh the Italians!  They were so friendly, so welcoming, so warm, so relaxed (except in their vehicles!)  It was such a nice change of pace for us.  We love Germany, and the Germans, but as I have mentioned, they enjoy their rules, their regulations, and have more difficulty with the flexibility of time.  Me - I LOVE flexibility in time.  So that made this week in Rome so nice.  The Italians loved our boys (especially Zechariah, whom they would pet and oooo and aaah over and exclaim what a pretty German boy he was - even after we would tell them AMERICANO!)  The boys enjoyed the gelatos and pizzas(the secret to a good vacation anywhere is ice cream), and we really enjoyed getting to see history and how it unfolded before our eyes.

A few tips for fellow travelers:  1-We spent a whole week there and most certainly could go back.  There is NO WAY you can see all of Rome.  So don't even try.  Just enjoy and be grateful for what you do see.

2 - Our LARGE family of 5 cannot fit in hotel rooms here.  So the cheapest route for us is through apartment rentals on HomeAway.com.  We have used it several times here (Bruges, Berlin, Rome, and now for Barcelona).  We have yet to have a bad experience.

3 - We didn't push the boys.  We just saw what they could, and took rests in the apartment when they needed to - it made for a happier family and less stressed parents.

4 - Pizza and gelatos - so cheap and so good!!

5 - Rick Steve's Audio Europe offers free audio guides through your ipod/iphone.  It was excellent for Rome, better than the audio guides at the Colosseum and the Forum. Zee and Silas really enjoyed the audio guides, too!  We also used his guidebook on my iPad and iPhone - the iPhone was much easier to carry around! 

6 - A neat website I found was http://romerevealed.typepad.com/rome-revealed/

She was very helpful and even pointed out some really neat tourist spots that I wouldn't have known about.

7 - The Rome2Go App, also for your phone, had some great maps that were much easier to tote around. (Cost was .99) Sadly, I FORGOT I had this app one night when we were trying to find a restaurant and were turned around.  So then it wasn't very handy - or maybe I wasn't very handy.

8 - Another app, free, was for Italian phrases.  Also VERY handy and we certainly used it!

It really was amazing, for lovers of history like Stuart, Silas and myself to be a part of this city.  And I think Zechariah is coming around to loving history himself - he really did enjoy Rick Steve's audio guides!  (Luke is not much of a traveler - so we may need a water park on our next adventure!)  We enjoyed living among the Italians for the week, in our apartment building with the super old elevator, all the nice people greeting us, morning and night.  The gelato shop below our apartment knew us by the end of the week.  Our second night in the city we happened upon a grand opening of a tiny pizza shop and they invited us in, fed us, insisted on it, in fact!  And we all just smiled and ate - no common language, but food, smiles, welcome.  It reminded me that some times, even here in Germany, all I need to share is food, smiles, and welcome - those things really are universal.

Some photos for you to peruse:

Palm Sunday processional from our balcony.

Seriously - we cannot get a decent family shot, or even semi-family (Silas was photographer!)

Luke did have SOME fun.

His favorite thing:  finding Harry Potter characters in the busts and statues - this is Voldemort.

View from the Palatine Hill (located next to the Forum, across the street from the Colosseum)

He loved the audio guides!

Seriously - we were trying.  Students from Ga Tech took this one.

My poor Luke - so tired of touring - Day 1!!!

Stuart led the family in a game of charades here at the Pantheon.  Fun Break - excellent Daddy!

My Boys!

In Vatican City - smallest country in the world!

Italian food - enough said.

Clean plates.  Expensive water.

Barcaccia Fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps

Spanish steps - Tigers in ROME!

Trevi Fountain - Tigers in Rome!

So crowded at night - I took this shot without looking, just holding the camera over my head.

 I have entirely too many pictures to share, but this at least gives you a taste.   Next blog - either music or trip through Germany with Nana and Papa. And feel free to share Rome tips/tour guides/etc for anyone else who may happen upon this!