Wallamble

There is no need to rush up when it is drizzling…so unlike us we slept in! As did the rest of the hotel as breakfast was a zoo!

First we did the river walk

Then we wandered around the Financial Center (CBOT & the Options Exchange)

Then we were off to the museum of Science and Industry – which was awesome! The highlights were the Mine (Uncle Gav!), the weather, Lego  exhibitions and the National Parks movie

Back to the hotel for some down time.
Then cocktail hour – which we timed way better than breakfast!
Then we wandered back into to to town to try Chicago-style pizza – yummo!

And the always family-favourite of trying on mum+dad’s glasses whilst waiting for Ice-cream or well anything really

and well deserved sleep 🙂

We were up pre-dawn for a 6am flight to Chicago. I am sure we were on the plane before we even woke up?

We took the super-cool above ground railway downtown

saw our first Chicago sight enroute to our hotel

had a yummy breakfast and then caught a movie (Queen of Katwa) because it was pouring and too miserable  to do anything else 🙂

Went for a wander around Navy Pier

then had some down time 🙂
then cocktail hour before heading out to dinner.
Mmm…ribs and wings

and had a wet dash around downtown on our way back to the hotel for a well deserved sleep!
(fingers crossed for better photo-taking weather tomorrow!)

Poor mum has sprained her foot – so between that and the rain this could be a very chilled trip 🙂

First day of second and fourth grade 🙂

 8

…and the becoming traditional first day debrief over ice cream.

By both reports the day went well – so we are off to a good start!

The trek home covered almost every type of transport imaginable!

Up and go-go-go!
By foot to the subway.
Subway to the train station.
Train to the airport.
Bus between terminals.
Plane between continents.
Uber to home.
and done!

Sure reads like a crazy children’s book but worth all the effort!

There is no better feeling than coming home 🙂

Until you open the door, get a waft of mouldy air, then see the water damage that has occurred whilst you’ve been away 😦 The ensuite had leaked down into the office, then the water had snaked from the office-through the living room to the kitchen, then down into the basement. Not quite the welcome home we’d hoped for  😦  😦  😦

Up early – there is still so much to do!

Tickets….the queues! The first Sunday of the month happens to be free day – which is good AND bad

Coliseum

An early lunch at a fabulous sandwich shop 🙂
(found yet again by N the master of food locations!)

Palentine Hill & the Roman Forum

back to our room for some down time 🙂

Cocktail hour…which turned into dinner. These cocktail hours keep getting longer and longer – everyone has so much to say!

A stroll around town and along the river…

Gelati … of course! We can’t not not have gelato on our last day 🙂

Finally a wish in the Trevi Fountain along with a thousand of our new Italian friends 🙂

Good night Roma XXxx

Up early, past our fountain to grab some breakky-on-the-go…

to the Vatican Museums…

whist inside was all incredible, the highlights being the Egyptian Museum (with a real mummy!) and for me…surprise surprise – I loved the map room!

and of course the Sistine Chapel where we couldn’t take photos unfortunately – so here is a picture from Wikipedia for our memories sake.

Lunch at the yummy Pasta-to-Go

Then St Peter’s Square

Then the afternoon in St Peter’s Basillica, starting with the 551 stairs climb to the dome for a beautiful view over Roma

Then around the beautiful and ornate Basilica

Including Michelangelo’s Pieta

Then the crypt where the popes and St Peter the Apostle is buried.
(but you are not allowed to take pictures down there)

Noting the Vatican guards

and other cool things

Noting the pilgrims for Mother Teresa canonization tomorrow!

Then the magical walk back to our apartment.

With a little actually long stop for *cocktails hour* as we’d had such a huge day 🙂

(even the bathroom in this place was cool – see the last pic!)
It is still 32 degrees at 5-6pm at night – we love this place!

Down time and then dinner 🙂

A walk around town including

Spanish Steps

Seeing wonderful shop windows
(and having to explain to Elimena what designer label and prices are…as she fell in love with the fashion in the windows. Oh my!)

A gelato stop…

Piazza del Polpo

And home 🙂

Up early (there is a running theme here!) More cake for breakfast!

Walk to Museo Archeologico Nazionale…

Museum full of wonderful art (including Roman & Greek Gods much to Eli’s delight!)

A little snack

Train to Rome

Walk to Air-bnb  with a quick glimpse of the Trevi fountain (where we stayed)

…some down time 🙂

Gelato at a place with 150 flavours!

Pantheon

Incredible art, piazzas and churches…

Another glass blower 🙂

Cocktail hour + dinner + dancing in Piazza 🙂

Walk around to see the Roman Forum and Coliseum by night

A final little Pokemon Go hunting

Home to sleep and rest our weary feet 🙂