Weekend In Italy -— Part I

The day after we got back from Italy I came down with a really nasty cold. I am still suffering from it, and actually have felt little improvement since Tuesday. I'm just thankful this cold decided to wait until after I got back from our trip! But that is why I haven't been blogging lately. I was able to edit a few pictures today from our trip so I wanted to share a few of them with you along with some stories from the trip.

We took the 8 hour train ride to Rome, Italy and were happily greeted by my parents. It was surreal not only going from Switzerland to being in Italy in only 8 hours, but also seeing my parents when we got off the train. I'm so thankful....so incredibly thankful for moments with family and beautiful opportunities like this.

Not long after we had checked into our hotel we were off trekking around Italy. Our first stop was the Colosseum. I had seen this historic architecture before but it still wow-ed me seeing it again. It's incredible how something of it's grandeur was built so many years ago before machines and high tech equipment existed. I can only imagine what a sight it must have been when it was newly built.

The outside view of the Colosseum...look how small people are in comparison. It is absolutely massive in size.

Inside view of the Colosseum...I was disappointed to not see any cats this visit. Last time there were TONS!

We arrived in Italy late in the day so after we toured the Colosseum we were ready for dinner. We ate at a sea-side restaurant with outdoor seating and not only was the food fantastic (fresh seafood...Yum-O!) but we had a great view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Perfect end to our first night in Italy! :)

aren't they adorable?! :)

The next day was a full and VERY hot day. I'm not exaggerating about the heat. I think I suffered from mild heat exhaustion that day. We saw all the major sites in Rome like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, The Forum, etc. and after 4-5 hours of walking the streets of Rome in 90+ degree temperatures, my body was definitely overheating. I think everyone (including myself) was getting concerned for me. Thankfully our hotel room was air conditioned so we went back after lunch and we all took a nice rest away from the hot sun and felt much better. I never did take heat well. But I am so glad we got to see as much as we did before I started feeling bad.

The Trevi Fountain was the busiest tourist spot in Rome that day. I'm lucky I got a photo without people in it.

Kissing in front of the fountain (and some random elbows...it was incredibly packed with people!)

The Pantheon

Ceiling inside the Pantheon...love the light coming through

The Forum is full of these types of ancient ruins

This is the street artist who painted  this watercolor treasure for me. It's a colorful version of a neighborhood in Italy that we actually had lunch in that day. Such a beautiful keepsake to remember this trip. LOVE it!

After a full day in Rome we drove a few short miles away to enjoy dinner in Ostia. We enjoyed another sea side restaurant for dinner. Afterward, we walked the boardwalk and were amazed by the difference in culture from what we are used to. In Italy, they eat late...that is standard European so that didn't throw us off too much...what we couldn't get over was the amount of children and infants that were out as late as 11:00-12:00! Their parents were walking off their dinners and pushing their babies in strollers...all of which were wide awake! The other odd thing was out of all the children we saw only one who seemed to be cranky and showing signs of tiredness. So somehow they seem to adjust to the late hour schedule.

the boardwalk in Ostia at sunset

Keep your eye out for Part II of our adventures in Italy. Coming soon...   :)