When in Rome....

After spending 5 days in Liguria exploring Pisa, Cinque Terre, and getting in some serious beach time, we packed everything back up in the van and headed further South for three nights in Rome.  We arrived in Rome after an uneventful 5 hour drive, where our van barely fit down the alleyway to our apartment.  In the course of parking the van two inches from the building in order to make way for other cars, I bumped into the neighbor's potted flowers...while he stood by and watched.  A start worthy of the Senneff Sieben.

Rome.  Whoa.  Rome is gritty.  It is noisy, bustling, and full of people.  It's dirty, completely chaotic,  sometimes smells funky, and if you can believe it, some of the buildings haven't even been updated for almost 2000 years.  We had to take a 20 min (packed!) bus ride and then a short metro ride to get from the apartment to anywhere, and it was the first time in all of our travels that I've felt like I needed a shower every time I stepped off the public transportation.

 But the eternal city makes for an interesting destination.

The next morning the metro dropped us off outside of the Colosseum, where we first stopped by the Roman Forum and started our "Roman Shuffle."

Tickets in hand, we skipped past the lines and walked right into the Colossuem (good tip, Rick Steves!):

And then, paraphrasing Forest Gump, we just started walking...

To the Victor Emmanuel Monument, built as a symbol of Italian unity....

To the Trevi Fountain, where one throws a coin in the fountain in order to ensure a return visit to Rome is in their future....

There were a few other people at the Trevi fountain:

And then to the Spanish steps (via Burger King).  Can you find Melissa and the kids?  They are in there!

We only spent one full day in Rome (it was plenty for the younger set), the next day opting to head just outside town to check out the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica.  But that evening while Melissa was putting the younger 3 down and packing us up for our drive to Venice, Anna, Chase, and Dad took a night stroll through Rome to see some of the sights from a different perspective:

 There were a few other people at the Trevi fountain:

So how was Rome?  It was dirty, loud, bustling, packed, expensive, not kid-friendly, hot, chaotic, smelled sometimes, full of pick-pocketers (we were prepared, thanks again Rick Steves), and made us feel like taking extra showers.

But I wouldn't change a thing.