What a week!

What a week! There's just no way I'll be able to put this all into writing! Too much and too amazing! On March 13 my bff Margo arrived in Rome and we spent three days there at a fantastic B&B near the Vatican. We spent a whole day at the Vatican (and that area), the next day in Ancient Rome (Colosseum, the Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain etc) and the next day we wondered to a variety of places. After Rome we came to our place and on Monday we dropped Brian at work and then heading to Pompei. Tuesday we wondered around our village. On Wednesday we went to Sorrento (Almafi Coast) and Thursday we were able to leave Kyle with Brian in the afternoon (nap time) as Brian was working from home and we went to Casserta (the Royal Palace and to the mall!). Friday we packed up and headed north to Tuscany. The weather was horrible but the sightseeing was great. We managed to pack in Siena, Pisa, MonteRiggioni, Colle Valle D'Elsa and a whole lot of countryside.

I could spend a whole day writing on each experience but I'm not about to do that right now! Here's the highlights:

First - the kids LOVE their Auntie Margo. Although we only dropped her off at the airport this morning I've heard at least five times from Kyle "I don't miss her, but I sure love Auntie Margo." I was a real gift for me to have an extra set of hands and eyes around to help with the kids. They're great little travellers but it does take some coordination to get them packed each time we head out!

Rome - WHAT AN AMAZING CITY. There is truly no way to tell you what I saw. The size of things is so unexpected. All the history I've taught did not prepare me for the size of things. (Those textbook pictures just don't cut it!) The Colosseum is bigger than today's hockey arenas; it held 75 000 people and sure was much easier on the eyes than any modern day stadium/arena. The Sistine Chapel, again, words can not do it justice. The colours were much brighter than I expected and there is so much more to it then those textbook pictures show. And those who know me know I've travelled and know that I have seen churches - churches, cathedrals, temples and mosques. Many of them leaving me struggling for words. But St Peter's Basilica stopped me in my tracks. One of the best ways to describe it is in my Rick Steves' guidebook, "The most impressive church on earth." "To call it vast is like calling God smart." It makes your heart skip a beat - and it has nothing to do with religion (I can't imagine what it does to a Catholic!). It can hold 60 000 people for mass. And the art is equally as stunning as the size. Even Margo who said she had no interest in the Pope was impressed by the emotion and atmosphere when we saw him giving Mass in St Peters Square on Palm Sunday.

Our days in Rome tended to start with us out of the hotel by about 9:30 and returning no earlier than 9:30pm. (Told you our kids are good little travellers!) It gave us the chance to see things in the evening. The Trevi fountain and throwing our coins in with the wish that we will return to Rome was a highlight for me. Kyle certainly enjoyed this - and only threatened to fall in once. Kyle and I had seen the fountain on TV before we moved and it was a must see for the both of us. And again - we were not prepared for the size. It "grows" out of the back of a building and just dwarfs the crowds that surround it.

The Roman Forum was something that I had not expected to interest and intrigue me the way it did. Kyle took the kids so Margo and I could make a quick visit to these ruins in the heart of Rome. The were the social, political and religious heart of ancient Rome. To teach history is one thing, to stand in the exact place it happened is such a different experience. Margo and I were both pretty struck by this. We would repeat things over and over - especially when we saw where Julius Cesar was cremated - the spot still has people putting fresh flowers on it every day! And the size - just how did they build on that scale without cranes? (A questioned pondered by Kyle many times. His final answer, "They really had a crane - but just one and they all had to share it because there just wasn't enough scaffolding.")

On our last day in Rome Kyle took the Kyle to a playground that we found (this was the first real playground we've seen since moving to Italy) and Margo and I had time to wonder with Vika. The playground was, by no surprise, on Kyle's list of highlights, but when he finished there the only two other things were The Metro and Gelato. (And more gelato and more gelato and more gelato! - Pistachio is his favourite flavour)

I'm just too tired to write more now so you'll have to wait for Tuscany, Sorrento and the great car key experience. Ciao!