Back with Some Pictures from Rome

Well, it’s July, not June, but I’m back from our European vacation with plenty to share.

Here are some pictures from the first part of our trip, if you’d like to see…

We left Kansas City on Memorial Day evening and took a small American Eagle plane to Chicago for our overnight layover (gotta love rewards tickets).

After our flight from Chicago to New York was cancelled (eek!) we were luckily re-booked to a direct flight from Chicago to Rome. Taking only carry-on luggage probably helped in this regard!

We didn’t get much sleep on the plane, but after a speedy taxi ride, a friendly check in and a short nap, we were on our way to a few churches and the National Museum of Rome.

That night, we accidentally ordered enough wine for about five people, but still managed to get up early the next morning for a visit to the Colosseum.

Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum were also lovely, though my calves were definitely feeling all the cobblestone roads…

We saw Trajan’s column, then rode the glass elevator to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Have I mentioned that John is afraid of heights?

We spent the next morning in the Pantheon neighborhood, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Then in the afternoon, it was off to Vatican City to see St. Peter’s basilica, climb the dome (John skipped that part) and tour the Vatican Museum, which of course, includes the Sistine Chapel (“No Photo!” and “Shh!” were the guards’ constant refrains).

Saturday was the Italian holiday Festa della Repubblica (similar to our Fourth of July), and we angled for a view of the military parade to no avail. But we did scout out a prime location for the tricolor flyover, if only it had happened that day (we didn’t realize it had been cancelled following the earthquakes in Northern Italy).

It was a little disappointing after standing outside in the sun for a few hours. But then we treated Drue to a trip to the Hard Rock Cafe, visited the Borghese Gallery, and found our way through the crowds to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

Whew. We then spent our last day in Italy in Naples and Pompeii, which was another highlight of the trip (well, Pompeii, not Naples – that was a little sketchy!).

And that was it! There’s so much to do, it’s amazing, and five nights definitely didn’t do it justice. I’d love to return to Italy to visit Venice and Florence someday. But this trip covered the big three – Rome, Paris and London (aka, the reverse “European Vacation”), so I’ll have more pictures to share with you later!