Roma (Rome)

Rome was amazing. So much history you can feel it in the air there. We were there for two full days and crammed in as much as we possibly could. The sights were breathtaking and huge, I still can't get over how big everything was. Cobblestone as far as the eye could see which added so much character, but not very stroller friendly. The food was our favorite out of all the places we went. The wine was great although we didn't find it much different  in taste then home except that you have it with every meal and it was cheaper than soda or water! Again, we walked for miles which became the theme for the rest of the trip. We ate ourselves silly most days and I would say still came back a few pounds lighter due to all the walking. The people were so much friendlier then we were expecting and most could speak a little English and were usually happy to communicate and point us in the right direction. It was surprisingly clean in most parts and VERY crowded. We may have missed a few things, but decided we wouldn't have wanted to spend too much more time there. It was a little nerve wrecking with Payton as it's not the safest place to hang out.

We flew from London to Rome in the morning and Payton slept for the entire two hour flight, much easier than the previous flight we had! She did well in Rome, all stroller naps and again loved the fountains. She really enjoyed the food as well and ate pretty much everything we did.

On the train from the airport

First Italian meal

Some random stairs by a restaurant

Spanish Steps

Fontana di Trevi

Fountain outside the Pantheon

The Pantheon

Amazing lunch and one of the countless street-side restaurants, one of my favorite things about Rome

Making friends as she did the whole trip

On the bridge walking to The Vatican (the dome in the background)

The Vatican

Not sure if Payton was feeling the spirituality or the coolness of the tile floor...

The Vatican was a crowded place and we couldn't get her off the floor, passersby got quite a kick out of her and were even taking pictures!

The artwork throughout was unreal, we did see the Sistine Chapel and all its glory, but no pictures allowed :(

Cool structure in front of The Colosseum

The Colosseum

We are pretty sure the Colosseum was Payton's favorite place on the trip, she ran around and climbed up and down and had a ball.

Grabbing a bira outside the Colosseum, the boys all thought it was pretty cool you could buy one at every corner and walk wherever you like as you enjoy it!

One of the many hotel room setups we had, they all looked pretty much like this with a makeshift space for Payton. She didn't sleep through the night once while we were there, I think it was a combination of being in a new place every couple of nights and sharing a room. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep the first week so Grandma and Grandpa took her for the second week once we got to the villa so we could catch up.

London

London was amazing! Kole and I loved the city and can't wait to go back someday to see everything we missed and tour around outside the city as well. I couldn't get over how clean and well kept everything was and the people were wonderful, such an eclectic mix. Locals are so proud of the history and happy to share about it, we learned a lot! We spent about two and a half days there and took in as many of the touristy sights as possible. One day we spend the majority of the day on top of a double decker tour bus, we could get on and off as we pleased and it was a great way to see the whole city. The weather was pretty chilly and we got rained on a lot, but it didn't slow us down. We hit as many pubs as we could for lunch and dinner and enjoyed our fair share of pints! Lots of Fish and Chips were consumed. We rode the tube which was a great way to get around and easy to navigate and we walked for MILES.

The flight over was about 7 hours and was pretty rough. We had bulk head seating which we though would be good for Payton as I had heard they have beds for little ones. They did have a bed for her, but she was a little long for it. She slept in it for a little while but was pretty restless so we ended up just making her a bed of blankets to lay on at our feet. She was sleeping there soundly until a flight attendant told us she wasn't aloud to sleep on the floor, which really upset me because 1. she was sleeping and 2. she had been in the little bed on the floor which we were told to do by another flight attendant. We picked her up and that was pretty much the end of her night, total sleep for her - 3 hours, mom and dad - 0. Needless to say we were all pretty wiped when we got to London at about 10 am local time. We made the mistake of joining the crew for a trip to Harrods department store for lunch. It was quite a site, but not so much fun at lunch hour on a Monday with a sleep deprived 15 month old. We thought she would sleep in the stroller, but no such luck. We decided our family of 3 would bow out and head back to the hotel for some rest. We all slept about 3 hours and were refreshed for an evening out on the town. Payton was quite the trooper the rest of the trip, mostly stroller naps, late nights, on the go and she did well. Enjoy the pictures, there are a few ;)

Enjoying our first pint at the first British Pub

On top of the tour bus

Lot's of tube rides, wish Denver had a better public transportation system

Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards

Somebody important being chauffeured in, love that they still use horses in London

First stroller nap of many...

Fountain at Buckingham Palace, throwing coins and hanging out by the water became a theme for Payton on the trip, turns out she loves fountains!

On the river cruise to Greenwich

First Indian food experience for Grandma and Grandpa at a local spot in Greenwich

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

St. Paul's Cathedral
It was beautiful and really cool to see, jut wish we could have made it inside, but it was the last stop that day and Payton had had enough.