**Amazing Italy**

I am finally getting to posting about my TRIP to EUROPE! (what...it has only been like 2 weeks since I have been home. Those 2 weeks went by fast.) I feel like I was just there!! It was amazing!!

First of all I had the privilege of traveling with these two beautiful ladies!! My mom and sister are just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Oh the fun started on the plane ride over. Haha. Everyone around us were in for a long 10 days with us crazy trio!

(Doesn't she just have excited tourist written all over her face. My mom is so much fun to travel with.)

There was so much to see and do and look at...I took like a bazillion pictures. Thank Goodness for digital cameras!! I am going to have to break up my posts and so I am going to start with our first couple of days...in ROME!!!!

(getting off the plane in Rome, Italy. just about to get a stamp on my passport that says ITALY!)

A few of the first things that I noticed while walking and driving around Italy...random things.

1. Everyone either drives one of these little cars...(or at least something close to that size) oh and all the cars have dents or scratches all over them. Every car!!!

...or one of these little things to buzz around town, weaving in and out of traffic, driving on sidewalks, running red lights, but they do wear their helmets. So I guess they can do that!

2. They have no idea how to follow rules or laws and apparently the police don't really care. They drive on little tiny streets but then also park where ever the heck they want to...even if it is in the middle of the road.

3. They have apartment buildings everywhere!!No houses, just tall buildings on top of another tall building. NO yards, but some have cute terrace gardens. So that would be fun, I guess.

4. They too have people that LOVE Twilight! haha. Random grocery stores have the books for sale. Day 1 and I see a Twilight book...oh the fun was just getting started!

Well enough about Random Italy information. Rome was my most favorite part of the whole trip. Everything and anything we did in Rome was just amazing. From all the ancient Roman structures, to the art and sculptures by amazing artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and then the food and GELATO!! It was all so good!!

(I really can't remember off the top of my head all the details about all these things. I wrote it all in a trip journal so I am not going to put a lot of detail on here.)

One the first day we went to the famous Spanish Steps. I thought there would be more steps or that it was a lot bigger but still it was cool.

Then we made our way over to another part of the city, and saw the Trevi Fountain.

A little something about the Trevi fountain. Legend (or history or a story...whatever) says that you can make 3 wishes at this fountain. For every wish you make, you have to through a coin a specific way into the fountain in order for the wish to come true. You can chose how many wishes you make. The first wish you can make is "To Return to Rome", the 2nd "To find Love in Rome" and the 3rd "To get Divorced in Rome" (strange I know). Well being tempted...just kidding. Of course I only threw one coin in. But you have to stand with your back to the fountain and hold the coin in one hand and throw it over your opposite shoulder while you are making your wish. So...Hopefully my wish of Returning to Rome will come true...one day!

(scandalous Italian lady trying to take over my wish throwing picture)

The fountain area is a pretty happening place...but that also means there are a lot of pick-pocketers. We had to shove our money bag things down our shirts. Crazy thieves. But it was a busy place.

Next stop: Pantheon I thought this was one of the coolest things ever. You are walking down this little tiny alley way, with apartments everywhere, just building after building. And then all of the sudden you turn this corner and it open up out of nowhere into this huge square and there is the enormous roman chapel in the middle of all these buildings. Pictures just don't do anything justice at all!

The next day we went to all the famous Rome Places

COLOSSEUM

One Word....AMAZING!

This is some of the original marble that wasn't stolen off the Colosseum. I am sure it was just so beautiful to see back in its days.

I can't believe it, I actually walked down steps that long time ago ancient roman goddesses and gladiators and spectators came to watch "sports". Holy Cow, awesome!!!

The platform on the left side is made to show what it actually would have looked like. They would have had the floor down that the gladiators fought on. The floor covered all the underground tunnels and cages. So neat!

TO BE CONTINUED....

Okay....so it is getting really late. It has taken me forever to go through just these few pictures. So I am going to try and finish the rest of Italy tomorrow. But enjoy for now!

Oh and also we are off to take Jantsen to the hospital tomorrow morning, bright and early at 6:00am to get caps put on his teeth that have cavities. He is going to have a chrome mouth. Not cool! My poor child. Actually he thinks it will be pretty cool. I am sure that will last for an hour and then he will want them off. Well anyways, so staying busy as ever in the Smith home!

Until tomorrow.