Italy Day 11

Our last full day in Italy! Joel and I are definitely counting down the hours until we no longer need to keep the kids within a 10 foot radius! Our house will feel gigantic after sharing a hotel room for a week and a half! Prior to the trip, I was dreading the travelling days the most, when the kids would be in a confined space. I never considered how sleep deprived the kids would be. This is mostly due to sharing a room and all trying to sleep. Caroline wakes up A LOT and the two of the kids together, when they're tried, means they somehow morph into a tag team of yelling, jumping, wrestling headaches. I'm surprised we haven't been asked to leave any of the hotels yet. Plus, their schedules are nonexistent at this point. Bennett can function shout a scheduled, if he had more sleep at night, but Caroline clearly cannot. Anyway, we cannot wait to get home and back into the daily rhythm of life!

This morning the kids woke up insanely early, before 6:30. Bennett immediately started singing "Let It Go," which woke Caroline up. Great. We decided to head to the Villa Borghesr Gardens in the morning, which was about a 25 minute walk from the hotel. We stopped and looked in a few churches on the way.

Caroline stopped to smell some flowers:

Then we stopped at the Piazza de Popolo, which Joel has been wanting to visit each time he's been in Rome, but never made it to. 

And then we made it to the gardens. The gardens were a great green space. I would've liked to spend more time there, without children or at least with slightly older children, but it's what I imagine Central Park is like. 

We stopped for a little brunch snack. Caroline really enjoyed eating the top off of her donut. Bennett wanted more than his one donut. Neither were fully satisfied after. 

Anxious hands:

Then we went back to the hotel for lunch and naps. Caroline fell asleep on the way, IN THE STROLLER. 

When the kids woke up we went for a walk to the Colosseum. It didn't feel right to visit Rome and not take the kids there. We walked slowly and stopped to take pictures along the way. 

Then we made it to the Colosseum:

This picture is courtesy of Bennett:

Then we made a slow walk back, needing to stop for dinner, buy memorabilia for the kids, and see whatever Joel decided we should see. 

Caroline liked this lion but refused to pose for a photo:

Eventually she fell asleep, which was definitely for the best. Joel wanted to stop at the place where Caesar died. 

They really are two peas in a pod:

We stopped for dinner at a place near the Pantheon. It was good. Definitely better than the TGIFriday-esque places near the Colosseum.

Then we made our way to the Pantheon, since we were close anyway and never went in the other day. Bennett, of course, was unhappy to be in there. I hope it's not the teenage angst boredom setting in already, but Caroline was happy to look around. 

The of course we stopped for a one last gelato. 

Each kid got a cone of their own. They were in a wonderful sticky drippy heaven. We were in a horrified sticky drippy nightmare. 

This is what bliss looks like to a 3 year old.