Roman Colosseum

Of course one of the top sites we saw in Italy was the Colosseum.  This was one of the only guided tours we did, and we were so happy with our choice!  Because we took the guided tour, we were able to also go to the underground where the animals were lifted into the arena, and also to the top of the Colosseum, where the view was amazing! 

 

Florence and Pisa

We left Rome for a few days during our trip and went to Florence.  Florence was such a fun little town, full of life-- especially after the sun went down.  While we were there we also took a 45 min. train ride over to Pisa.  Both Florence and Pisa had lots of fun little streets and alley ways to explore! Favorite site in Florence was the Duormo-- pictures don't do it justice, and in Pisa of course the leaning tower.   

 

When we visited Pisa we had planned to all climb to the top of the Leaning Tower, but you have to be 8, so Charlee couldn't go to the top. I was okay staying with Charlee while Daddy and Hailee climbed to the top.  We will have to go back to Italy when Charlee is old enough to climb the Leaning Tower :)

 

 

 

Christmas in Italy

We've never stayed in a B&B or hotel on Christmas Eve.. or any holiday really.  We weren't quite sure how it would work out, but it was great and a Christmas to remember!

On Christmas Eve, we set out for a walk, hopped on a bus, and were off to see some more of Rome! We ended up taking a horse-drawn carriage tour after much pleading from the girls (who both love horses).  We are so glad we gave in. We had a great time, got to see some amazing sights, and made some lasting memories!

Our B&B hosts were great; they dropped off some fruit cakes for Christmas, and also set up reservations for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas day lunch.  Our Christmas Eve reservations were pretty late, and we were all exhausted after a long day, so we skipped out on them and opted for our favorite pizza shop.

The next morning the girls were so delighted that Santa had come! Hailee knew he had come early (very early) in the morning, but I wouldn't let her get up, so she said she just stared at the shapes of the packages Santa had left ;)  When both girls were awake, we let them open presents and their stockings in our bed.  It was such a fun morning, and we truly enjoyed it.

Typically, I like to stay in my pjs as long as possible (sometimes the whole day), but not this year.  We got dressed and headed over to St. Peter's square to hear the Pope's Christmas speech.  Absoultely amazing, and another memory we will never forget.  The area closest to the pope was blocked off and it was a long line to get in there.  We were okay behind the roped section (especailly because there were also two large screens and loudspeakers), and people were so kind they pushed Hailee up to the rope and mommy right behind her.  When the pope came out and began to speak, his voice filled the square. We couldn't help but tear up. It was such a surreal moment.  Most of the speech was in Italian, but it didn't matter.  We enjoyed every second of it.

After the speech, we headed to the Italian restaurant where we had lunch reservations. The lunch was a 5 course meal, of which I think we only made it through 3. Everything was amazing, especailly the lasagna.  They even talked us into trying the lamb, saying it was traditional.  Mommy doesn't much care for lamb, but Dad and Hailee seemed to enjoy it. We loved our server and the atmosphere!  It was a local restaurant owned my an Italian family.  It was sweet the way our server bragged about his mom's cooking, and he made sure we were comfortable and enjoyed ourselves. The restaurant was full of Italian families, who were loud and full of laughter.  We liked the loud part as it meant we didn't have to try and keep the girls quiet.  We were able to just enjoy ourselves.


The rest of the afternoon we headed back to the B&B and enjoyed Christmas movies while the girls played with their new toys, and Facetimed with the family.  It a was perfect end to a great day.

2 Awkward Moments in Italy

2 awkward moments in Italy, and of course, Charlee girl is at the center of both of them ;)

The first, a lady with a long pointed nose wearing a black jacket walks into the terminal to wait for the subway.  Charlee pointing at her yells, "Mom, look, a witch!  Ahhh, I scared."  (all as she dramatically shivers) Luckily, I don't think the lady spoke English or really heard her, as we would have been mortified!

The second was in the Borghese gallery.  The Borghese gallery is one of the most famous museums in Italy.  We knew very little about it, but the owners of our bed-and-breakfast offered to book us a tour, so we said sure.  A beautiful museum, but as soon as we arrived, we knew we needed a plan.  First off, we explained to Hailee how women and men's bodies would be shown in Italian art.  She was very mature about it I might add!. Then when we got in the museum, Bill took Hailee so they could talk about the pieces and read about them, while I took Charlee and we played a whisper game.  I would tell her to find the dog or the baby, and she loved it.  She actually was pretty amazed with the ceilings on her own.  Here's the awkward, well actually hilarious part.  Charlee didn't get the same conversation about what she might see.  So when she saw the naked women, she said "Mommy, she take a shower."  Now, when she saw the man, she pointed at him, covered her mouth and giggled.  I asked her what was funny, her response- "Mommy, he pooped."  We were all laughing so hard we were nearly in tears!!

By the way, we got several compliments from other's in the museum about how well behaved our girls were.  Little did they know ;)

Public Restrooms in Italy

I guess I'm spoiled coming from the states, okay, I know I am in many regards!

But one thing I don't understand in  Italy is public restrooms.  First of all, they are few and far between.  You may recall that Charlee is only 2 and hasn't been potty-trained for long.  For those non-parents reading this post, this means when she has to go, she has to go now! However, you first have to look for a bar (p.s. not an American bar, more like a restaurant), and then hope they'll let you use the restroom.  Oh, and ask for a toilet not a restroom, as restroom is not a word many use outside of the states. 

Here's the kicker, many of them use it for business.  They know they are the only place around with a public restroom, and will make you buy something in order to use the restroom.  We've had a few that have made an exception for our cute smiling girls, but not many.  One in fact, wanted me to buy something first, until I got angry and even though he didn't understand English, I think he understood this mom was not happy! 

Here's the real kicker- we have PAID to use the restroom twice now!  Yes, I guess there truly is a first time for everything.  At the food court at one of the terminals, we rushed into the bathroom only to run into a man standing there with a cash register!  I was sure I must of went down the wrong hallway, but nope, it was his job to collect 0.50 E from anyone who wished to enter.  You could be reimbursed if you bought food, or if you had already bought food you could use your receipt for entry, but it was all still pretty crazy.  The same was true at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, except no reimbursement.  Kindly though, they let kids pee for free :)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I plan to do most of the blogging about our trip after the new year when we arrive back in Jordan and I can go through our pictures, but since Charlee is down for a nap, I have some time to do a couple short ones.

While our car (which we're still making payments on  I might add!) sits back in the states, the Nelsons have mastered the art of public transportation!

Since we've left Jordan, we've taken public transportation in the form of  a plane, taxis, the metro, the bus, and trains.  We didn't bring a stroller with us ( the Chariot is too big for trips like this and Charlee is not much up for riding in umbrella strollers anymore), so this was all with two kids in tow.  Sometimes it was difficult, especially when we went to Florence and also had a suitcase to take on the metro and then on to the train.  We handled it like pros though, once we figured out how everything works and received some help from a few kind strangers who helped us understand the foreign language printed on our tickets. 

The girls are becoming really great travellers!  We try to make sure we always have the ipad with movies for long trips (neither of the girls like to sleep very much during travel), snacks, books, and of course toys.  Oh, and we mustn't forget the new American girl dolls Santa brought.  They seem to really enjoy the metro and train, and our 8 year old and 2 year old are great at waving down taxis!

Those of you that know me well, know that I love movies and always relate things to movies.  Here are a few that came up during our travels-

-I thought of Home Alone several times.  In the airport, and then again when we got off of the train from Florence back to Rome and Hailee ran back on the train to get something she had forgotten.  The train was continuing on from Rome and I was sure she was going to end up in another city!
-On the Polar Express the conductor (Tom Hanks) walks around with his hole punch and punches the tickets, and when one of the kid loses their ticket, he escorts them off the train.  I didn't know they really did this! (the hole-punching tickets not escorting off the train)  When we got on the train, no one checked our tickets until halfway tthrough the trip.  I thought this was crazy, but I guess it works.  Anyway, as much stuff as we were lugging around I was sure we were going to misplace our ticket, which of course means you'll be thrown off the train!!  Okay, okay, I knew we wouldn't be thrown off the train, but I kept that ticket in my sight just in case ;)


Can't forget the horse-drawn carriage on Christmas Eve!  More on that later...



Today's the day! Italy here we come!!

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring not even a mouse,
the stockings were packed in the suitcase with care,
in hopes that the Italy trip soon would be here!

I set my alarm for 7 am today.  Our airport pick-up time is 8:15.  It's a quarter to 6, and I'm up.  I tried to go back to sleep, but no luck. Far too much excitement!!

In less than 12 hours, we will be in Rome!! When I began this international teacher search, Bill and I decided that if I got the job, we would travel to Italy for our 10 year anniversary (Dec. 29th).   Back then it seemed like nothing more than a dream.  That dream has now become a reality! Chase your dreams friends, they really can come true!!

We've never spent Christmas in a Bed and Breakfast/hotel, so packing's been interesting.  We aren't taking much as far as gifts, but we have Chucke (our Elf), the Christmas movies for evenings back in the room, and our stockings.  The owners of our bed and breakfast have thought of everything, and they made us reservations for a Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas lunch-- Italian style. Breaking tradition this year, and eating spaghetti for our Christmas meal. I'm sure the girls won't mind one bit :)

We will be in Rome until the 26th, then off to Florence for 3 days (so we can take Hailee to see the leaning tower of Piza), and then back to Rome from the 29th to the 2nd of January. 

It's still a little early to say, but I think this might be our best Christmas break yet!