Well, our journey is over and I’m writing this final post from home. We’re happy to be home as it’s been a long trip, but also sad that our epic adventure is over. It’s back to the real world for all of us but before that, let’s ramble on like Led Zepelin!

• Our hotel location in Florence was absolutely perfect. We were no more than a 5-10 minute walk from all the major sites – the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Acedemia, the Ponte Veccchio, etc. Florence is an amazing city and we could have easily spent more time there as there is so much to see.
• Going to Rome after Florence I was worried because Rome seems bigger and more spread out so I worried that it would be harder to get around. But again our location was perfect. We were a block away from two major Piazzas – Campo de’ Fiori and Navona and there was a lot of stuff within walking distance. The Pantheon was no more than a 10 minute walk and the Trevi Fountain and Victor Emmanuel monument were only about 15 minute walks.
• It had been 26 years since I’d been to both Florence and Rome so it was great to experience both again. I know I’m simplifying things a bit, but I think of Florence as more of a Renaissance city with amazing art and Rome as more of an ancient city with buildings and ruins that are over 2000 years old. I know there are elements of both in each but I enjoy their differences as well as similarities. I didn’t think I’d enjoy Rome as much but I definitely did (and maybe even more), it’s history is amazing to think about.
• One thing Romans aren’t concerned with is a drought. There are 2800 water fountains (nasones) across the city which are awesome for thirsty tourists and citizens alike but they’re constantly running, they don’t shut off. Seems like a waste of water to me.
• While stopped at the Circus Maximus on our golf cart tour of Rome Wyatt wandered down to the floor of the old arena and then began racing around it after seeing the Ben Hur video. Not wanting to miss out the other two soon followed, it was pretty funny.
• I really wanted to see the colosseum lit up at night. So on Wednesday night, I did just that. It was about 1.5 miles from our apartment and I decided to jog there. I left the apartment at about 11:15 and got there about 15-20 minutes later. It was awesome, I’m so glad I did it. Once I was there I just walked around it and enjoyed the warm night. I found the same hill we were at earlier in the day and just sat in the quiet and stared at the awesome structure with a full moon above it.
• I’ve always said I don’t like running for the sake of running, it’s boring. I need there to be a ball involved for me to run. After my run to the colosseum I can add running in an ancient city to an ancient site as the only way I enjoy running without a ball. I actually enjoyed the run and it went by very fast (although I’m pretty sure I wasn’t actually running fast)!
• Our last activity in Rome was the boys, Uncle Scott and I attended “Gladiator School.” We learned about the Roman army’s weapons and battle techniques, that there were both professional gladiators as well as slaves who fought, and the different weapons and armor each fighter wore depending on their size and fighting technique. Then we went outside and trained (my hamstrings are still a little sore from the lunges), and then ultimately fought each other with soft “swords.” At the end we were given certificates declaring us official Roman citizens and giving us Roman names – Wyatt is Valerius, Gus is Severus, and I am Maximus (Gus was actually given a certificate with Augustus on it as they knew that was his name and it’s already a Roman name but then they asked if he wanted a different name and he said yes). It was a blast! Wyatt said he didn’t want to leave the place.
• Overall it was an amazing trip, but now I’m just really excited to be heading back to work this week.
• NOT!

Wyatt’s initial run around Circus Maximus

All three of them running – Tessa wearing sandals and Gus in flip flops. I like Tessa’s strategy to take the leadThe Colosseum from the little hill during the day and then the same location at night along with a few other pics from my nighttime run.

Gladiator training pics

Training video. Couldn’t get the entire circuit of exercises because the instructor was yelling at me to go

Gus versus some other kidGus versus Wyatt (with Wyatt getting a little preferential treatment as the youngster)The boys getting their certificates and Roman namesItalians love mortadella! This thing had a circumference the size of a basketball.My favorite thing about Europe – narrow cobblestone streets filled with people, restaurants, and gelato shops.Let’s close with a pic of Tessa laying on a wall looking out over Rome with the dome of St. Peter’s in the distance. Ciao!