Seattle in a day

For the first time, we scored a couple of first class seats!  The kids have to be 6 or older to qualify for first class, so we could only get 2 seats, and Dave was kind enough to let  Jackson and I  sit up there for the first half of the flight.  Jackson was in love with the screen and the real glasses and the snack.   Now he demands first class every flight.  We have to remind him to just be grateful when we get on a flight!

We arrived in Seattle late at night (2 am our time) and crashed in a slummy hotel just north of the airport.  No problem, it had 2 large king sized beds, a kitchenette (which we didn't use) and free breakfast which is the only thing our kids need to be happy.  I crashed putting the girls to sleep and Dave flee asleep with Jackson.  We both spent the night uncomfortably being kicked in the back by our children.  We usually help them fall asleep separately and then move them... note to self.. ALWAYS move the kids together!  

At 5 am I was up (it is 8 am our time)  I started using my phone and next thing I know my 3-year-old is next to me and in the most motherly voice said, "Its not time to use your phone, Its TIME to be in bed!"  I promptly obeyed and headed back to bed with her.  She feel asleep for another hour until everyone started waking up around 6:30.  I am always proud if my kids sleep past 7 or 8 our time.  When I was a young and inexperienced traveler, I would stress and worry about the amount of sleep my kids got, now I know that tired and not well rested kids are just part of the first days of travel and I try not to stress about what I can't change and try harder to be prepared to help them through those tired times.  

You know your living in a high class motel when you can only shower from the belly button down!

We started the morning where everyone told us to go, Pikes Place Market.  I must not have done enough research, because I expected only a fish market with workers singing and moving all over the place ('FISH" business book anyone?) But really it is a multilevel giant mall, with portions of it being in open air on one side of it.  We really struggled finding the center famous part of it.  

Mini Donuts for breakfast (because the toast and jam and muffins at the hotel weren't enough carbs to start the day)

This picture is a great memory because the kids were all sorts of worried about these fish  here, they wouldn't approach them and they kept asking if they were dead.  I assured them they were and told them to get in a picture with me.  They reluctantly joined me, but kept their eye on the fish.  Then right before the picture this fish in the background jumped up!  Scared the kids (and me) to death.  The kids went screaming and crying away as the stranger with the phone snapped this.  Turns out the fish is attached to a chain and can be pulled from the other side of this display.  We had all sorts of fun with it later on (after the tears were dried). 

I finally convinced one of the kids to touch a fish. 

Rosie the Bronze piggy bank found around the area.

The gum wall (right down the stairs from the fish market) was gross!  I thought I would really like it, but I was grossed out.  Luckily,.my kids are old enough to NOT TOUCH when I commanded it!

We all left our mark. The kids just liked that we got to chew gum!  

We wandered down the hall of the market and Dave found some German Brats we bought by the link, so we tried every kind.  Jackson of course ordered the Italian one.  Our hotel had a grill so we planned on making it for dinner that night.  We also bought some king Salmon to complete the random meal. 

Seattle was so interesting!  We found art pieces, waterfalls, sculptures etc all around the city. 

Behind Pikes Place we wandered down to the waterfront.  It was beautiful and there was ping pong, the giant ferris wheel, the puget sound and the aquarium if interested.  There was also a really cool blue path that I thought would be fun to bike if the kids were bigger. 

This was part of the waterfront and the building the the back is the aquarium. 

Another interesting sculpture.  Always something fun to look at here!

Parking in Seattle was expensive.  We stayed just 2 minutes over 2 hours and had to pay $12, just to drive somewhere else and pay some more.   We parked at the "locks' and realized the kids and I were really hungry.  The place to eat only had fish and chips and I wasn't sure how that would go over with the kids, but they loved it!  It always makes me a little nervous to take my picky eaters to new towns so I pack a lot of snacks, but I love finding food they will eat! 

We then headed through a nice little park to see the Hiram Chittendom locks where the ships enter and it fills up or lets out water to move them from one lake/canal to another.  We were there just in time to see a few boats rise within minutes.  The kids thought it wasn't real, so it was fun to try to explain it.  

Unfortunately, we missed the salmon swimming upstream season by a week, but there are windows into the canal so you can see the fish trying to jump up the stream to get back to their nesting ground.  We saw a few fish swimming around. We headed across the canal to Discovery park.  I didn't realize that during the week you have to check out a parking pass to go down to the beach and lighthouse.  There are only 8 parking passes!  One was expected back within 45 minutes so we decided to wait.  There was a fantastic kids play area with puppets, tunnels and a few other things to look at and do.  It was a perfect down time for us and the kids.  The parking pass came right as we were ready to go and we headed out to the Puget sound for some tide pools.

The water was coming in.  I didn't see much of anything in the tide pools, but the kids liked exploring.  We walked around the lighthouse and it was much colder and windier around the point.  There were some great views and the kids always love a beach. 

We headed back down town for Seattle Center.  Here you can find the children's museum, the space needle, Chihuly glass garden, the international fountain (seen below) and lots of art and gardens to see and explore.  This international fountain was amazing.  Look at the little people next to it.  Even though I had researched it I thought it was a small splash pad.  It is HUGE.  The fountain is choreographed to music so it is unpredictable and exciting.  One sound the fountain sent water spraying SO high I got wet sitting above it and a hundred yards away.  It was so entertaining and fun.  Despite the weather being mild (inour humble Texas opinion) the kids were delighted to get soaked and run and play.  Such a great time was had here.  

The space needle was a bit underwhelming.  It wasn't nearly as high as I thought it would be.  The cost was astronomical though, so we passed.  We went into a eatery to find a restroom and in the process saw a lunch area with a bunch of places to eat.  There were giant games set out to play for free.  Giant scrabble (complete with beanbags for participants, connect 4, chess, checkers and other games).  I wish we had time to stay and eat and play.  Looked like a blast (for free too!).  We met a balloon guy and left the center with happy kids, ready for a rest.  

 We then headed to the ferry.  With an hour ferry ride getting across the Puget sound would take 1 1/2 hours (waiting time) and driving all the way around would take 1 1/2 hours.  I was so glad we opted for the more expensive ferry ride ($32), because it was a fantastic experience.  Mariah fell asleep on our drive and was able to stay asleep in the car while we waited in line for the ferry.  The kids and I explored around a bit (and changed into dry clothes.  The ferry views were indescribable.  Seeing the Seattle skyline and then the amazing homes along the Puget sound was so beautiful.  The kids ate a snack as we rode.  We even got to chat with a local about how his experience was moving from Cali to Seattle.  I loved getting an insider's perspective.  Without any  intentional planning on our part, our hotel (we got free with Marriott hotel points) was only 3 minutes from the ferry port.  Once at our hotel, I  set up the hotel room and headed out to set up dinner near the grill, while Dave headed to the grocery store to get some extra fixings.  We couldn't visit Seattle without a little rain, so with no warning and beautiful blue skies, the rain started falling moving our BBQ inside. 

Our knight in shining armor tames the fire-breathing dragon for dinner. 

Salmon, brats, chips, grapes, pickles and juice.  I LOVED having our own space to enjoy dinner together without having to get on the kids for perfect restaurant behavior.  This was the perfect end to our day.  We really wanted to swim, but it was late (and even later in TX) so we headed to bed with visions of Seattle city in our heads.  This time we split the kids up to fall asleep and then moved them together for the night.  

In all of our travels, we've found that we don't enjoy the city scene as much as others, so we tend to hit the main sites in a day or two and call it a success.  There were many family friendly venues we could've visited, but we felt like we got a great overview of this city in full day of adventures and we were ready to take a road trip out to Olympic National park in the morning. 

Day 6 The Vatican & Rome & going home

We started day 2 in Rome a bit tired already, but we were going to a new country, THE VATICAN so Jackson couldn't wait.

Getting inside the Vatican museums was quite the run around, but we were able to get in 2 hours before the tickets we had bought and still skipped a bunch of the line, so we were happy.  Unfortunately, we are not art appreciators, so after a few rooms of art we were ready to move on, but you have to walk through the entire museum to get to the crowning jewel of the Sistine chapel.  It was SO crowded that we literally were shuffling toe to toe through each room.  Jackson was so short he could barely see things.  Luckily, he was entertained trying to take pictures.  

We finally made it to the Sistene Chapel to see the ceiling painted by Michelangelo and told Jackson he couldn't take pics AND it was so crowded he couldn't see much.  He was so disappointed and annoyed that it had taken so long to go through the museum.  I enjoyed looking, but my neck hurt from looking up.  Wish I had followed advice and brought a mirror (although there was no room to use it anyway). 

After the chapel we were begging Jackson to have the energy to climb the stairs to the top of St. Peters Bascilica. I wondered aloud how many steps the climb had and Jackson started counting...900+steps later we reached the top of the dome and had a spectacular sight of the city of Rome with the many domes and churches.  Jackson was a bit scared to be that high so we didn't stay long, but it was gorgeous.  I also loved looking up into the dome on the walk way at the bottom of the dome.  Counting steps was Jackson's highlight.

 We ate another home-packed meal from Tiffany on the Vatican steps while Jackson gave some change to the beggars.  We then made our way to the Castle Sant Angelo. 

We had to check the scooter at the beginning so Jackson was antsy to leave to get back on the scooter.  I loved learning the history of the castle and the different periods of time and what it was used for.

We climbed to the top and got another great view.  It was interesting to imagine defending the city from here. 

Our final stop was at Piazza Navona.  We sat by the fountain and people watched for a long time as we ate our final gelato.  We got a few souvenirs and then headed back to the Covingtons to get ready to go home.  The final walk to the metro was pretty tiring for Dave and I, but Jackson and that scooter were going strong.  So glad I didn't have to listen to any whining about hurting feet (except my own).

We ended the night with another amazing meal at the Covingtons.  We tried to take them out, but they insisted on feeding us again.  We weren't intending for them to do so much for us as hosts, but they always serve with SO much love and energy.  They make every person they come in contact with feel like they are the most important person they could be with at the moment.  I love being inspired to be better from this family.  The food was delicious and the company better.  We had a final down-the-street gelato and said good night to this amazing country.

We almost missed our very important train the next morning, but luckily we ran (literally) on, just in time.  (Thanks Nikki for buying our tickets early!!)  We made it through the airport bought some final food in Italy and headed back to the states.  Leaving so early in the morning means that you aren't tired until you land, so we watched many, many movies.  Good thing each seat is equipt with a TV screen for games and videos.  Once in Charlotte we had a 4 hour layover to get to SLC.  We were so exhausted and Jackson was begging to sleep (first time ever?!?) but we had to stay up to try to adjust to US time.  Finally, on the plane Jackson fell asleep and we were excited to be headed to see our girls.
We are so thankful for my parents and Dave's parents for watching our girls while we enjoyed this adventure.  We are thankful to the Covingtons for being the impetus for this trip and being the greatest hosts.  Italy was always my dream vacation and now I've done it.  I guess I need to dream a new dream.


      Getting there  Day 1 Venice   Day 2 Italian Alps Day 3 Cinque Terre  Day 4 Florence  Day 5 Rome  Day 6 Vatican

Day 5 Rome Tour

After the Covingtons fed us a yummy breakfast of Nutella Crepes, we headed out early to try and get our rental car turned in on time.  As we got closer and closer to the middle of Rome, the driving got crazier and we realized we weren't seeing any gas station.  We arrived at the address listed on the rental paper, but there was no parking garage or sign for Hertz at all.  We were worried and started driving around town looking for gas. We got completely lost and never found gas or the garage.  We were at a complete loss as to how to solve our problem.  We finally called the Covington's and they found us a gas station and we headed back to the main station to look for the parking garage.  After we circled around the train station 5 times (each circle took 10 minutes or more due to traffic) We finally realized that we need to go LEFT not right ( a one way street that switched directions in the middle of the street...) After circling another 2 times we finally figured it out and turned the car in.  I was seriously SO happy to get rid of that car.

We walked through the train station (Jackson was thrilled to be scooting inside a building) and caught the metro to the Colosseum.  It was so large! I couldn't believe my eyes.

We started by buying tickets at the Palatine hill (NO WAIT!!).  We had to stash the scooter in a bush and pray that no one stole it! The Hill was good, but even with the headphone tour guide, I wasn't prepared with information for what it was all about.

From a child's perspective, all there is is sky. 

I thought the Roman Forums were really interesting and I wished I could've known more about what they were.  I really wanted a tour guide at this point!  But it was getting hot and Jackson was getting tired, so we quickly headed over to see the inside of the Colosseum. 

 The Audio guide at the Colosseum was easier to follow and find the places, but didn't get much information.  It was so interesting to see the 'floor' and the underground passageways and imagine the scenes that were played out there.

Gladiator Jackson?

We ate lunch (Made by Tiffany with love!!) and rejuvenated  in the shade of the outer wall while Dave retrieved the scooter.  

Pringooooals!  The Italians love their soccer!

I was worried Jackson was worn out and that we would need to call it a day.  But as soon as the scooter was back he was itching to get riding, so we decided to start walking and see how far he could make it.  There is really no good way to get to the sights of the city besides walking.  Most everything we saw was in a pedestrian zone.  We were glad we just walked and used Dave map on his phone with GPS to find our way around. 

We first walked to this building.  I'm not sure what it is, but I think a government building?  I thought it was so beautiful and ornate.  I couldn't believe it wasn't on the highlights to see in Rome list!

I'm not sure how I went my whole life thinking the Trevi fountain was a small circular fountain in a square, but when we finally arrived at this fountain I was completely amazed and smitten by it!  Apparently it was recently cleaned so it just shone with white statues and crystal clear water.

 We spent a lot of time just sitting and watching and trying to cool off from the beating sun.  At this point I was wondering how people visit Rome in the summer.  It was so hot!  (and only April).

The Spanish steps were under contruction and thus a bit underwhelming.  But we climbed them to the church at the top for a good Spanish feel.  

The story goes that after a tsunami a boat was found in this exact spot.  It was a beautiful fountain memorial.

I really enjoyed the Spanish church and this sculpture.  I saw a lot more Christ in this than in some cathedrals.

We were pretty beat from walking so far, but Jackson was still going strong on the scooter, so we trudged on to the giant park, Villa Borghese.  We rented a buggy bike and went riding around the park.  It was so nice to change the pace and sit for a while.  We were able to explore most of the park in under an hour so we returned the bike and tried to find a metro stop. 

 We got distracted by another great plaza, fountain, statue and church (Pipolo piazza) and then, finally made our way home.


 I just loved where the Covingtons lived!  They had this great courtyard small side yard.  The overhanging flowers added to the Italian ambiance.  They even had a separate room for us to be in, which was nice to decompress for the day and plan our next day.  

Despite being exhausted, Dave played a game of soccer with the boys.  Only one kick from me and I kicked the little girl in the face!!  I am a terrible soccer player!

The Covingtons had the BEST meal prepared for us and we ate like kings... also, enjoying FRESH basil and FRESH mozzarella.  So amazing.  I love staying with people who live in the country and have experience with how to do things the Italian way.  Keeping in contact with my mission companion was so much fun.  We laughed until we cried about mission stories.  I love that girl!

We ended the night at a local gelataria (turns out we have been paying double or MORE for gelato than the locals do!!) It was so yummy and a perfect way to end the night.  Jackson enjoyed being with a kid again.  Israel is a year older than Jackson.

      Getting there  Day 1 Venice   Day 2 Italian Alps Day 3 Cinque Terre  Day 4 Florence  Day 5 Rome  Day 6 Vatican