Bringing in 2013 Roma Style

Day 1
Late night plane ride to Rome may have been mistake number one. Booking a sketchy hotel was definitely mistake number two. Moving from sketchy hotel A to sketchy hotel B while following an Italian bellhop speed walking with our suitcases was mistake number three. And sending Justin ALONE back to sketchy hotel A to make sure it really was worse than sketchy hotel B was almost as nerve racking as when he was in Afghanistan, which equals mistake number four. Needless to say, our first impressions of Rome weren't starting out so well. 

Justin made it back to sketchy hotel B safe and sound, and reassured us sketchy hotel A was MUCH worse, so we stayed where we were, padded walls and all. To calm the issue we decided to go get some "real Italian food," mistake number five. We found a restaurant close to sketchy hotel B and decided to eat there so there would be no more roaming the streets of Rome (we had seen one too many homeless or drunk people by then). The place wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite the authentic Italian experience we were looking for.  So my mom and I enjoyed wine that was excellent and cheap, while Justin and my dad had Italian beer, making an overall happy ending to day 1 in Rome.

Day 2
Day 2, the last Sunday of the month, was free entrance into the Vatican museum, so we headed to Vatican City. Right away we made our way to Saint Peter's Square and were able to go into Saint Peter's Basilica with about a 15 minute wait in line.

Justin and St. Peter's Basilica

Me by the fountain in St. Peter's Square

Justin, me, and my dad inside St. Peter's Basilica

Michelangelo's "Pieta" in St. Peter's Basilica

We then headed to the Vatican Museum and waited in line 2 hours and 30 minutes before finally making our entrance. We were offered many deals to "jump the line" for a "small" fee, but since it was free entry Sunday we decided to hold our ground and wait in line. We had some people try to cut us in line, but we made it clear we were the bosses and they fell in behind us. Once we got into the museum we were a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of artwork and displays to see. My favorite part was the Sistine Chapel. It was absolutely breathtaking and I could have just stayed and looked at every detail of it for hours. I also really enjoyed the Vatican Gardens and checking out all of the pope's rides throughout the years.

Justin's illegal picture of the Sistine Chapel ceiling

Justin in front of the Vatican Library

Vatican Gardens with St. Peter's Basilica in the background

One of the pope's carriages

After the Vatican Museum we went to lunch and then headed to the Castle of Saint Angelo. The line to go inside the castle was really long, so we settled for pictures from the outside instead.

St. Angelo's Castle

We finished off day 2 with a trip to the Spanish Steps. It was a bit hard to see the steps due to the massive amounts of people, but we made the best of the crowds and enjoyed the steps as best we could.

At the top of the Spanish Steps...people everywhere

I'm waving right by the white ball thingy

Spanish Steps with as few strangers in the picture as we could manage

Day 3
Day 3 marked New Year's Eve! We saw a lot of things this day, but everyone's favorite was the Colosseum. It was interesting to see and be inside a place where so many Christians were killed. The inside was pretty destroyed, but we still had a good idea of what it would have looked like back in the day. From the Colosseum we could see the Arch of Constantine, which was a beautiful arch, especially up close. We ate lunch in view of the Colosseum so we could take full advantage of seeing such a historical sight.

Outside the Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Arch of Constantine from the Colosseum

Lunch in view of the Colosseum
(too bad the bus is blocking the view, we didn't have the heart to ask the waiter to take another picture)

We also saw the Roman Forum, the old Roman government buildings, and enjoyed seeing Palatine Hill where palaces in Rome used to stand, built by Caesar Augustus. Between those 2 places we saw the Arch of Titus.  Besides that we went to Circus Maximus, which is where the old chariot races used to be held.

My mom and me at the Roman Forum

Roman Forum

Arch of Titus

Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill

Circus Maximus

After seeing the main attractions we went off the beaten trail a bit and found some other interesting places. We found the Marcello Theatre, Capitoline Hill (Michelangelo was the architect), and II Vittoriano (a national monument to Victor Emmanuel II).

Marcello Theatre

Capitoline Hill

The white building in the back of this picture is II Vittoriano

After seeing all these historical places we headed to dinner in wait of the New Year's Eve firework display that was going to occur over the Colosseum. We order lots of drinks and pizza and had a great time enjoying each others company at a local "American" diner. It is rare to see my parents now a days, so we were soaking up spending precious time together in such a unique place. 

When we headed out to get a spot for the fireworks we had to form a "family train" so we wouldn't lose each other. There were so many people packed into one main street and the courtyard right below II Vittoriano for a live concert, so we headed the opposite direction, towards the Colosseum. Once we made it a block from the Colosseum it was much less crowded, so we claimed a piece of the short wall area to sit on.

There were still several hours until midnight, so we enjoyed bartering with the street vendors. We ended up with 2 bottles of champagne, 4 beers, 2 flashing bow headbands, 1 pair of flashing glasses, and a 2013 flashing pin. All bargained down, of course. Bringing in the New Year was a joy!  Once the real fireworks started, everyone started setting off their own fireworks (might I add these would have been highly illegal in America). Things were popping, flying, and sparking in all directions, so we decided if we all wanted to survive and live through 2013 we had better leave.

Enjoying New Year's Eve and ready for 2013

My dad and me watching the fireworks over the Colosseum

Day 4
Day 4, New Year's Day, was much more laid back, though we still had several sights to see. We started at the Trevi Fountain, where we had some great gelato (thanks for the recommendation Kayla and Joe). I absolutely LOVED the Trevi! We even made a wish to insure our return to Rome.

Throwing Euros into the Trevi

Then we made our way to the Column of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman victory column. After that we saw the Pantheon, which unfortunately wasn't open due to the holiday, but we peeked through a crack in the door to somewhat see the inside.

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Pantheon

After the Pantheon we walked to 3 different piazzas- Piazza Navona, Piazza Augusto Imperatore, and Piazza del Popolo. At the first piazza we saw the Fountain of Neptune and some sort of market being held. At the second piazza we saw old ruins of what may have been Augustus Caesar's tomb. At the third piazza I was able to ride a lion!

Piazza Navona with an Egyptian obelisk and the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone

Fountain of Neptune

Piazza del Popolo

Riding a lion in the Piazza del Popolo

Day 5
We left Rome on day 5, reminiscing over our special trip together with my parents. It was a joy to be able to see a whole new culture and country over the New Year holiday. I thought America was wild, but we don't know how to bring in the new year compared to the Romans. Or maybe we don't know how to be pyros quite like the Romans. Either way, it was a wonderful trip, with tons of great historical sights. A once in a life time experience for sure.

Parents, Prague, Perfect

While my parents were here visiting, we pondered one night what should we do the next day. Since they wanted to see as much as possible while they were in Europe, we decided to do the only logical thing: drive to another country, have some beer, and see some beautiful Christmas sights. Not the typical response, but nonetheless, this was exactly what we did. One of the many benefits of living in Europe is another country is just hours away. 

So we made the drive across the Germany/Czech border to Prague. We stopped right when we crossed the border to get a vignette, which is a sticker we placed on our windshield as a highway toll. Several friends warned us that without this we could be paying a hefty euro ticket, so we decided to shell out the toll and get a vignette to be safe. Plus, Czech police aren't ones to be messed with.

Once we made it into Prague we checked into our hotel and exchanged our euros into koruna or crown. We felt like high rollers with those 100 and 500 bills since Czech has such high inflation. While we were exchanging money my dad found a pamphlet for a Czech beer tour, and since beer is what the country is pretty much known for, we thought that was a good idea. To pass the time until the tour we decided to visit the Christmas market that was still going on in the city.

We thought the Christmas market was within walking distance of our hotel, so we ventured out and happened upon this lovely church.

Attempt #1 at finding the Christmas market

It turns out this was not the church we were looking for. It was still really pretty and did have a Christmas tree in front of it, but we all thought there was something not quite market-ish about it. So we ventured on the metro in search of the real Christmas market.

Attempt #2 = success! Old Town Square Church

Here we found a much larger Christmas tree and actual stalls for the market.

Closest to furthest away: strangers, market stall, giant Christmas tree, Old Town Square Church

Once we actually found the market we decided to eat at a cute little restaurant in the town square. We sat in basement, which had a sweet stone wall and felt quite cozy and European.

My dad and my husband :)

Me and my mom

After dinner we headed to the Astronomical Clock, which is the oldest astronomical clock still working to date (it was built in 1410). On the hour a live trumpeter played a neat little tune. I'm not sure if this was just for Christmas time or if it happens all the time, but it was pretty cool.

Closeup of the Astronomical Clock

Astronomical Clock and Old Town Square Church

Justin, clock, church

The beer tour still wasn't ready to commence, so we wandered the Christmas market. The darker the sky became, the prettier the market became.

Justin, me, and my mom in front of a hand carved nativity scene

Justin, me, and my dad in front of a giant advent wreath

Almost so beautiful it can't be real, right?

Alas, it was finally beer time! If you know my dad, then you know he was rejoicing. The tour was awesome. We went to 2 Czech breweries and finished at a pub. The beer was so delicious and fresh. We learned a lot about the Czech people and their consumption of beer while on the tour. For example, the pubs have beer brought to them in the semi trucks like the ones used in America to haul gasoline. Czech also has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world, averaging to 1 beer per inhabitant per day. Needless to say, we drank excellent beer and have proof of our earnings and "learnings."

Brewery #1

Last pub

Beer Diplomas

The next day we headed to Charles Bridge. It was a bit windy, but it was a beautiful bridge. Plus, we had a great view of the Prague Castle from the bridge.

On Charles Bridge

Prague Castle in the background

Once we crossed the bridge we found a great restaurant for lunch that was right on the water. Of course we ate inside, sitting in the comfort of space heaters and complementary blankets. The food was delicious and it was an amazing view.

Charles Bridge in the background

Before leaving Prague we happened upon a few more things of interest. First, was this "risque" nativity, and second, was an awesome Shakespeare bookstore (love love love). Though Prague had a very eastern European feel, it was a great city to spend a few days in.

Mary, what are you doing?

My love for Shakespeare continues in Prague

Oh, and Czech is where the "real" Budweiser originated, and we found the proof.

My dad and the Budweiser brewery sign