Roman Holiday

Eric and I just got back from a little 5 night, no toddler-vacation in Italy! Here is what we saw and experienced...

the Colosseum
the Vatican
Spanish Steps
Pantheon
lots of ruins
Pompeii
relaxation on our balcony in Sorrento

beautiful views on the Amalfi coast (this is Positano)

orange trees, lemon trees, and fruit markets (with GIANT lemons) everywhere

the bluest water in the world

lots of wine, pasta, bruschetta, gelato, and pizza (well, lots of wine for Eric... just a taste for me! But I made up for it by over-doing everything else!)

too many cute little shopping streets

beaches that were a bit too cold to go swimming in

inside the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri

One of my favorite things about Italy was the people! They were all so friendly and so nice. Everywhere we went, people were congratulating me on being pregnant and trying to give up their seat for me. Two moments I will never forget are: the employee in the Sistine Chapel that pulled a rope barrier and insisted that we sit on a bench that was off limits to everyone else, just because I was pregnant! This was awesome since the chapel was PACKED with people and we were able to listen to our downloaded podcast tour, and spend about 30 minutes looking straight up at the ceiling! The other was the beach-side restaurant in Positano that made a heart-shaped pizza for me "with their congratulations!" It was by far the best pizza I've ever had, in the most beautiful setting!
And yes, we were in Italy during the horrible earthquake that struck the town of L'Aquila. We were in Rome at the time, although we never would have known about the earthquake if we hadn't turned on the BBC. A few days later, when we were back in Rome and getting ready to head home, we did feel a few aftershocks in our hotel room, but nothing major. In fact, we thought it was just a big bus or truck rumbling by. The whole thing was very, very sad though.

I am so grateful for my wonderful in-laws who watched Chase for us during our trip! I definitely missed him, but I never had to worry about him. And I'm even more grateful for my amazing husband, who indulges my fanatical need to travel and carried my (way too heavy) bag throughout the trip! He's awesome in every way.