If we would have done a little more research our time here probably would have went a little smoother, but you live and you learn. For starters, if you really want to visit the Vatican museums, they have an early access pass that you can get. You get to go at like 6am before it’s open to the public and I hear it is a lot more enjoyable. We tried to get that pass, but it was sold out for weeks. If we would have known, we probably would have booked it months in advance. Also, every Sunday the Pope does a short speech from his window where he addresses the people around 12 noon when he’s in Rome. Had we have known that ahead of time, we would have attempted to go. Even though we aren’t catholic, I think it would have been a once in lifetime thing to see. We paid for jump the line passes when visiting the Vatican museums because seriously, that line was the biggest line I have ever seen in my entire life. Little did we know that if you have children 6 and under you automatically get to jump the line with them. Womp, womp. Had we have known, we would have never paid extra for jump the line passes. It also would have been nice if the tourist site we ordered them from would have disclosed that, but I guess that’s how they make their money.
Anyway, we headed there bright and early and decided not to do a tour and just explore at our own pace. When we got there, there was seriously more people than I could have ever imagined. Actually, it was the most people I have ever seen in one space and the workers were saying it was a slow day. I would not have wanted to see what it looked like on a crowded day. Now I’ve never been to time square on NYE, but I’d have to imagine that’s probably a comparable amount. My goodness, there were tons, tons, I mean tons of people. Eric and I just kept praying and saying that if anything were to ever happen he would take both the boys and I would follow as best as I could. It’s sad that thought even crossed our minds but you just never know.
It was hard to really enjoy all of the beauty this place offered because we were literally crammed like sardines. On top of it, there is no air conditioner in there except for in the Sistine Chapel, and out of respect, you needed to have your shoulders covered and women need appropriate attire past their knees, as well as men. I had a jean jacket over my dress and Lord forgive me, when I got to a certain point I ripped that thing off and had my arms out. The last thing I wanted to be was a pregnant passed out woman laying under one of Michelangelo’s sculptures. I did of course put my jacket back on when we went into the chapel.
The boys surprisingly were amazing. Eric held little nugget the whole time (there was no way a stroller was getting in there) and A held onto the strap of my backpack and stayed right by my side. They had fun looking at all of the cherubs booties and asking a lot of questions. Overall it was a beautiful place to visit and spend some time, but it’s just really hard to enjoy it with that many people. If you can do the before access pass I would highly recommend it.
After we left the Vatican we were all starving and needed a break. We headed to lunch and of course for some more Gelato. Our last stop was going to be the Trevi Fountain and we were really glad we got to see it. I’ve seen the replica in Vegas but it was even more special to see the real deal.
The detail that went into this is so amazing. You just don’t see things like that around here. I loved all of the old world charm and history behind it. We all made wishes in the fountain and some of them have since come true (I’m not superstitious but it’s cool to see what was really on the boys hearts is coming to be). We tried to get a stranger to take a picture of all of us. Bless their heart, some do such a great job and others seem to always cut Eric off.
We finished out the day by hitting the streets and doing some more exploring. Every corner that you turn there is a restaurant, store, or ancient ruin to see. I really loved the dress I wore for the day and even got compliments from locals saying, bella, bella. They sure know how to make a mama feel special. My yellow color is currently sold out but they have it available in pink and navy, and guess what? It’s on sale for $13.99! That’s less than what I paid and now I’m thinking about it in another color. I’m wearing a size 2 and it’s non-maternity.
We relaxed the rest of the night and got our things together for the airport. Our flight was a smooth one but once we landed back at home we had to wait over an hour on the runway for a ramp to open up for our plane to unload. That was interesting with it being after midnight by the time we landed and the time difference. The plane also had all of the lights on so there was no sleeping for the boys. They did get a little antsy but so was everyone else on the plane. Aside from that, they were great little travelers and I would definitely pack the family up and take them on another European adventure. until next time, Italy!
