All trains lead to Rome

     We headed out Monday morning to explore Rome but first we had to get there. Michael guided the car down the narrow Sermoneta Mountain to the nearest train stop in LaTina.  It was a large unruly parking lot with cars parked in the most precarious places. Little Italian cars parked in spots we could barely all stand in let alone get our mini van into,  but after some finagaling we headed to the main office. What fun it is to buy tickets  to a place via train when your not tatally sure what ticket your buying or how, or when the train blah blah blah (I say with thick sarcasm.) We bought our tickets for 12 euros each... adults only thankfully! After boarding the train we would come to dread over the week we all got seats for the first and only time during the duration of our trip and rode to Rome in relative comfort to the central station.  The rest of the trip we were not so lucky  and this picture pretty much sums up riding the train...

Then we pushed onto train number 2 in town which were always crowded not just crowded....crowded like Paul Mcartney just fishned a concert in Wrigley field and everyone at the show is trying to get on the L crowded (I happen to know that's pretty crowded!)
     Our first stop was the coliseum. The line for tickets wrapped around the building, and we needed entry tickets so we did what a blog had suggested and walked to palatine hill to buy them for both sites. There was no line at palatine so we went in and decided just to start there for the day. Although what you see is truly amazing Stella and Oliver lost intrest in the acienent ruble after about 10 minutes......maybe less.
  I think it is truly better to see things your whole life, read about them, watch them in moves etc. and then go.......... then to see them for the first time at 6! Sadly Oliver was not even impressed with the Colessuim it was just an old building and nothing more to him, even the talk of people fighting to their deaths and lions eating them did not impress. At least me and Michael enjoyed it.

What Oliver and Stella did in the Ancient Roman Cities.... played in the dirt!



This picture was taken right before a major child break down



 

We left the coliseum with plans to return to the Forum but it was Closed so we took the train to the Spanish steps and got the first of one of many scoops of gelato.... which I think is the only thing the kids will ever really remember about Rome ... they ate lots of Gelato! 

can you tell which kid just got in trouble ?