Rome. The Eternal(ly Exhausting) City

Rome is beautiful, and crumbly, the sidewalks narrow, uneven and difficult to push a stroller through (especially when one's husband forgets to re-fill the stroller tires with air). All considerations that could not have been further from our minds the last time we were in Rome (over 9 years ago). The tourist spots were all busier than we remembered, the lines longer and the men trying to sell flowers, scarves and trinkets seemed more abundant. Perhaps it's all these years we've spent in our quiet, well-paved, almost sleepy city, but I think it's fair to say, we were all a bit overwhelmed and sometimes, downright annoyed. Yet, one cannot enter the Pantheon and despite Liam's screams, feel in utter awe of the amazing dome, cannot enter through the dark passageway's of the Colosseum into a light so bright and not feel thankful for our civilized society, cannot pass by such a glut of fountains and statues in open piazzas and not feel moved by the richness, the flow of water and time that keep this city so vibrant, so exhausting, so alive. We ate an amazing gelato at a shop filled completely with Italians, drank a strong, sweet caffe grande standing at the counter like a legit local, stuffed ourselves on a gorgeous take away pizza and drank fantastic craft beers. We also changed a massively pooped-out diaper standing up on a side street, ditched the shirt Liam had been wearing in a nearby trash can and re-dressed him in slightly poopy overalls, no shirt underneath. Like Rome, our lives and our travel are messier and more difficult than they used to be, but also so much richer.

 Switzerland sure knows how to rub it in...on this our last inter-European flight

 Vatican City, or, for Liam, freedom to run in a huge car-free square.

 Trevi Fountain

 Colosseum

 the center of attention, in the walls inside his head....

Piazza Navona, Liam is literally saying 'please, please, please' to some random ladies eating gelato next to us

 The Vatican, no strollers allowed. This significantly decreased our visit time.

Outside the Pantheon (a quiet zone) which Liam shattered endlessly when he found out that big dome that everyone was starting at in fact created a perfect echo of his horror movie screams....