The Jarvii We did it! We finally made it to Roma!!!
First let me tell you that I am absolutely exhausted!!! I essentially did a trans-Atlantic flight on my own with the kids. My husband booked his tickets separately because he wasn’t sure if he was going to go to Italy or England first. When he finally decided he was going to go to Italy first, he mistakenly bought his ticket to travel the day after us. My mom, aunt, and cousin did fly with us and it was nice spending time with each other waiting in the airport. But we weren’t seated together (me and the kids were upgraded to economy plus). On top of all that the kids were too excited about traveling and having iPads that they literally slept for 30 minutes before the main cabin lights came on to serve breakfast right before landing. I ordinarily would sleep pretty easily during the entirety of a red eye flight, but the kids just weren’t into it. But we are here and ready to adventure, and adventure we did.
We arrived first thing in the morning, which meant that our AirBnB was not ready for us. Thankfully I booked our AirBnB two blocks from my aunt’s apartment, close to the San Paolo Metro stop. It’s only 3 stops away from the Colosseum and a lot cheaper to get a three bed, two bath apartment with air conditioning than staying some where closer to Termini (which is very central). After we gathered our luggage we headed straight to my aunt’s apartment where the kids and I slept for at least 5 hours.
When we woke up, we had a very late lunch of pasta (when in Rome, right?). I then checked into the AirBnB and got settled in our Roman apartment. When my other aunts and uncle were done with work, a few hours later, we were off to go see some Roman sights.
We took the Metro to Piazza di Spagna. Ordinarily I prefer taking the bus because it’s just more direct, but the Metro is easier and faster when you are with a big group and small kids. O and S were pros at traveling by Metro, having ridden the Metro in DC and the subway in NYC. The nice thing about Rome now is that most of the trains have been upgraded to newer models with screens that easily tell you what your next stop, etc.
We took in the Spanish Steps, which my kids weren’t all that impressed with. From there we walked down a street with many high end designer shops, and of course a LEGO and Disney store that really made the kids’ day. They walked away with some Italy themed things my aunt bought for them as a present.
We continued on and ended up at Fontana di Trevi. It was quite crowded here, despite it being August when supposedly Italians run off to their beach homes leaving Rome empty. The polizia now strictly enforce tourists from sitting on the edge of the fountain for pictures. In the past it wasn’t so much of a big deal, but now they are trying to preserve the fountain by not allowing people to sit there even if it is for a second.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the countless people who are there throwing coins from their right hand over their left shoulder. So the legend is that the first coin is to guarantee your return to Rome, the second coin is for a new romance, and the third coin is for marriage. The kids and I only threw one coin over our shoulder though so that we can return one day in the future. Both kids were skeptical about wanting to return since they have only spent a few hours in Rome so far.
From there we meandered to the Pantheon, which was unfortunately closed to the public as there was some private service going on inside. If it were open, we would be able to see the tomb of Raphael (the artist, not the Ninja Turtle). Since it was closed we walked a bit further to Piazza Navona to see more water fountains in a very old square before we headed home for the day.
We did this entire day by foot–no stroller for S! She complained a lot about the amount of walking, and in fairness we did do a lot of walking that day. That’s one of the things I do enjoy about Rome is that once you are in the central part of the city, you can just easily walk from site to site as long as you have a good map on you. Unfortunately, a 4 year old wasn’t quite up to the task. So if you do want to bring a stroller, make sure it is a slim, sturdy stroller as almost all the sidewalks and roads are cobblestone and bumpy.
Overall, it was a good first day for Team Jarvii!
