Stuttgart, Germany (Sensapolis)

We took the kids to Stuggart today to check out Sensapolis, a gigantic indoor family park!

It cost 68 EUR for three adults and one child (children under three years are free). Worth every penny!  The park is divided into several areas - a spaceship, knowledge center, riding area, adventure trail, kid's land, climbing area, fun shooter, pirate ship, water area, and high wire garden!

Brugge, Belgium

After a wonderful evening in Oostend, we got up early and took a quick 15 minute train ride into medieval city of Brugge. We were really excited to go exploring in it's city centre...the whole thing is named a UNESCO World Heritage site!

Once there we walked the downtown area for a little bit, checked out the Church of Our Lady (with the second tallest brickwork tower in the world), then took a canal tour of the city.  It was beautiful!  

Oostend, Belgium

My husband planned a little getaway for us for us while Grandma was in town...we spent a wonderful few days in Belgium exploring and relaxing in Oostend and Brugge!

We got into Oostend in the late afternoon (it is about a 4-hr. drive from us).  Once we got to our amazing apartment overlooking the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, we headed to a nearby restaurant to taste-test some Belgium beer and have dinner!

Pisa, Italy (Piazza dei Miracoli)

Today was our final day in Italy (insert sad face).  After a quick trip up the Dome, we packed up and boarded the train....destination....Pisa.

Florence Italy (Duomo)

Since we weren't able to tour Brunelleschi's Dome yesterday, we decided to try one more time before we had to leave for Pisa...and we are so glad we did!

The view at the top of the Dome is breathtaking and completely worth each of the 463 steps you have to take to get to the top!  It was the largest masonry dome ever built and has an amazing fresco on the ceiling of the Last Judgment. Totally worth seeing while you are in Florence!

Florence, Italy (Accademia)

This morning we woke up early to try and get in line to climb up Brunelleschi's Dome; however, we were disappointed when we got there to see that it was undergoing an unexpected closure and wouldn't open until after lunch.

It didn't stop us from having a pleasant morning though!  We found a nearby park and let the kiddos play for awhile.

Florence, Italy (Galileo Science Museum)

This morning we headed to Florence!  We purchased a family ticket for 130 EUR from Trenitalia (Roma Termini to Firenze S.M.N.,which took about an hour and a half).  The kids LOVED the train ride...probably because they got iPad time!

Once in Florence we walked to our hotel (Hotel Fedora) to check-in and regroup. The hotel room was a very decent size with a dining area/living room and bed downstairs and a loft bedroom upstairs.  The staff was excellent and put out a nice little breakfast of bread and jams but it was definitely only a 2-star hotel.  The bathroom was super-tiny, it was dimly lit, the wi-fi only worked in the lobby and there was no air conditioning...but for the cost (180 EUR for two nights) and location we didn't complain (until after we had walked around all day and came back to a room hotter than a sauna).

Rome, Italy (National Roman Museum)

Seeing as how we saw everything we had planned to see/do today yesterday we had a nice day to relax, catch up on some laundry, and explore the National Roman Museum before packing up to head to Florence.

Boxer at Rest

The museum is actually divided into four different sites; however, we only visited the site at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (which is conveniently close to the Termini Train Station).  It is a really nice building with four floors to explore but our children were slowly quickly losing interest in all things "broken." So, we focused on the few highlights we didn't want to miss: Boxer at Rest, Augustus Pontifex Maximus, and The Discus Thrower.

Rome, Italy (Palatine Hill and Roman Forum)

If you think after literally walking around Rome all morning we would be too tired to walk up one of it's most famous hills...you severely underestimate my role as a tour guide.

(They were really hating me at this point, lol!)

Suck it up, buttercup...we've got sites to see and memories to make!

Rome, Italy (Colosseum)

After a busy (but fun), redirected morning we finally made it to the Colosseum! It wasn't super crowded when we arrived (probably thanks to the parade) but we still had quite a wait to go through the security line.  Once "in" we used our Roma Pass to bypass the ticket line and go right inside!

There were tons of people offering every kind of guide and tour imaginable; however, with the way our day was going we knew we didn't have much time before our tired babies had a meltdown!  To try to ward this off and keep everyone entertained for as long as possible, we went to the gift shop and purchased a flip-over book of Rome that allowed you to see what everything looked like then/now (well worth the 20 EURO!).  

Rome, Italy (Trevi Fountain/Pantheon/Spanish Steps)

Initially our plan was to leave our hotel this morning and walk to the Colosseum but because we were re-routed due to the parade, we got the chance to make a wish in the Trevi Fountain, check-out the Pantheon, and walk the Spanish Steps beforehand!

Our first stop was Rome's "Fountain of Youth," a.k.a. the Trevi Fountain.  The monument "depicts Triton taming Oceanus' shell-shaped chariot drawn by sea horses" and tradition holds that if you throw a coin into the fountain (over your shoulder with you back to the water) you will one day return to Rome!

Fun Fact:  An estimated 3,000 EUR is collected a day in the fountain and given to charity.

Rome, Italy (Festival of the Italian Republic)

Today our "plan" was to hit the Colosseum then roam Palatine Hill and check out the Roman Forum. However, we failed to consider that today was Festa della Repubblica Italiana, Republic Day in Italy (kinda like our July 4th).  Most of the sites were closed until mid-afternoon, the streets were closed for parades, security was beefed up everywhere, and things were just utter chaos!

It was really cool to see how they celebrate their holiday though (even if it meant we ended up walking SEVEN MILES with two hot, cranky, small children all day).  And, it actually worked out great because we got to cram a lot more into our trip than we intended to and it made our next day even easier!

Rome, Italy (Vatican)

After touring St. Peter's Basilica and having a quick dinner, we walked back to Vatican City.  We had previously made a 7:30 p.m. reservation online to tour the Vatican Museums (highly recommended to bypass ticket line).

Once there we got into the "reservation-holders" line (to the right).  We were told to get a guard's attention if our entry time was approaching and we weren't moving forward in line but our line went fairly quickly and we had no problems.  You do need to make sure you bring identity documents (passports) with you to verify and complete your reservation.

Rome, Italy (St. Peter's Basilica)

After exploring Castel Sant'Angelo and getting some rest, we headed back to the Trastevere area to see St. Peter's Basilica.

This church is absolutely gorgeous!  It is described "as the largest church ever built and one of the holiest sites in Christendom."  Tradition holds that it is built at the place St. Peter (considered the first pope and one of the apostles of Jesus Christ) was crucified or buried.  His tomb is under the main altar.

Rome, Italy (Castel Sant'Angelo)

We divided up our days in Rome by destination to maximize our time...and today was Vatican Day!  Our first stop was Castel Sant'Angelo so the kids could run around and explore (and get some energy out!) with our final stop of the evening being the Vatican.

We arrived at Castel Sant'Angelo early (there was no queue) and unfortunately used our Roma Pass for free entry (in hindsight we would have paid regular price to enter and use the ability to bypass a line at another site).  Lessons learned.