While I was interested in seeing the Eiffel Tower, I wasn’t obsessed with it, like I was with seeing the Colosseum in Rome. However in Rome, the anticipation was so great that when I did finally  walk within the stadium, I was disappointed. The real thing couldn’t live up to the hype I’d created in [...]

Aaron loaded Ada and our bags into the car and I took one last tour of our apartment. We made wonderful memories in this little place and I left feeling slightly sad.   We didn’t see half of what I expected while planning this trip, and a lot of those hours spent lost were frustrating;  time [...]

We gathered our bags, ate a quick breakfast and waited for our taxi, which would take us to the EuroCar rental office located in the underground parking lot underneath the Borghese Gardens. Our driver was the first Italian we met who didn’t speak English. We showed him our destination on the map and he said [...]

We loved chaotic Rome. But I will admit, we were also exhausted from the constant noise (revving Vespas at night were the worst) and general city chaos. With one day left, we tied up loose ends by revisiting the Trevi Fountain, climbing the Spanish Steps and wandering off into the quiet and rejuvenating Borghese Gardens. [...]

Beautiful blue sky, nothing but Roman ruins sprawled in front of me and I was in love with Rome all over again. As we stood within the Forum, I tried to absorb as much of the Roman marble and brick my mind could consume. But I knew a few hours weren’t long enough to fully [...]

I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose and clouded head. I slept all morning, Ada continued her shower drumming and Aaron took care of us both. We left the house after lunch, made a quick visit to St. Peter’s square and continued on to the Trevi Fountain (for Ada) and a quest to [...]

Various guidebooks warned that crossing a street in Rome can be dangerous. Drivers drive fast and pedestrians don’t have right of way. We had no problems within the narrow streets of the historical center and this made us a little cocky. But this rainy afternoon, we were soon to be humbled. To return to Via [...]

I awoke to thunder shaking the windows. I thought of the ancient Romans sleeping through similar storms and went back to sleep. The rain trapped us within our small abode for most of the day. Ada was delighted.  She celebrated by drumming against the shower stalls, squealing with joy at the echoed rattles. She transformed [...]

Our second day of sightseeing began at noon. Not ideal. Traveling with a toddler means small tasks such as eating breakfast, getting dressed, packing the day-bag, take twice as long. By the time we stumbled out of the apartment, the air smelled of imminent rain, I was impatient and annoyed. I soon discovered that these [...]

While buzzed of birra we happily followed Ada through the piazza, while she stalked unsuspecting pigeons and tried todig cigarettes from the cobblestones. Feeling recharged and excited to explore in our final hours of our first day, we continued on and found Rome’s greatest monument. With Ada sleeping in the backpack and Aaron and I [...]