When in Rome...

For the last 5 days of my parents European vacation we headed to Rome, Italy!  Yet another amazing place that I was so excited to visit!  My mom and I figured it was a pretty safe place to take my uber picky Dad since it was the birthplace of pizza : )

We stayed in a gorgeous hotel called the Rome Cavalieri which sat up on a hill over looking the entire city.  The property was peppered with olive and pomegranate trees.  If you are ever in Rome I highly recommend it!  We could see Vatican City and most of the monuments from our balconies.  Though it was quite a way outside of the city center there was a shuttle that ran every hour to get you where you needed to go.  My only complaint....they charged 22 euros a DAY for wireless access!!  Highway robbery! Needless to say we used the business center and lived without our laptops for a few day.

Yay for a king sized bed!!

View from our balcony

Fresh olives

Pomegranate tree

Chad was still in Chicago at this point and was set to join us the next day.  That evening we hopped on the hotel shuttle to find a place for dinner.  We happened to meet a couple from Meridian, MS on the bus ride over...such a small world right? 

Daddy waiting on the shuttle....he wasn't angry I just caught him off guard, haha!

Once we made it into the city we wandered around and accidentally stumbled upon the Spanish Steps.  The steps got their name from the previous location of the Spanish Embassy at the bottom.  It is the widest staircase in Europe and 138 steps to reach the top.  At the top of the steps sits the Triniti dei Monti Church while at the bottom sits the Barcaccia Fountain, the work of Pietro Bernini and his son. 

Top of the steps

Bottom of the steps

Monument with an Egyptian Obelisk in front of the church

We found a little, narrow side street and were able to get away from all the crowds of tourists and find a cute street cafe to have dinner.  The food was excellent for our first true Italian meal!!

Mom checking out the menu

 

On our walk back to the shuttle stop we made a pit stop in McDonalds to use the restroom.  It was quite possibly the nicest McDonalds I have ever seen.  It's just so funny to see places we have at home and how different they are or how they are adapted for a different culture.  But hey they still have Monopoly and the Big Mac!

For our next day in Rome my Mom had set up walking tours for the entire day.  It was really great to have someone else plan the trip for once!! Usually I get the job of travel agent : )

Lots more to come soon!