Zoo in Rome

Back in May, again....(What? I had just had a baby. I'm trying to catch up.)

We went to the Zoo!

The tall ones!

It was because of this trip that when Stella went to Laura's farm back in the states, she kept saying she "Wanted to feed the elephants" (aka goats)

The real goats.

This is even though we saw about 20 different kinds of goats at the zoo. Really, I was surprised at how many goat varieties there were.

We also saw the classic monkeys...

Studying up on future behavior.

Pensive monkey

More monkeys

And ugly vultures. Gross!

Blurrily ugly

My thoughts exactly, Emma.

"What's with this bird?!"

Lemur. I think.

Stella (and Laura) were very excited to see the zebras.

We just called them horses.

The capybara, the largest rodent in the world, may look a little scary, but I think it would be way more fun than your traditional gerbil pet.

Half guard dog, half killer rat.

The peacocks were just freely roaming the zoo. Stella kept trying to pet them.

Beautiful birds

Cows. Or the more exotic cow cousin. We couldn't tell.

Baboons. Both with red hair. :)

Here's the smallest monkey in the world.

Just the right mix of creepy and cute

Clearly part of the monkey family.

Stella: "Uh. There's an unidentified monkey on my back!"

The ring-tailed lemurs were my favorite to watch. They played the most and put on a show.

Lil' buddies

Then when they got tired, they took a break.

This is what I feel like I look like when I'm stretched out.
Awkward. Too much leg. 

Although the big scary animals are always sought after. They are always the boring ones.

Sleeping

Sleeping

Sleeping

They still believed us that the big blob was alive.

The elephants made a bit of an impression though.

And another favorite were the bears.

Roman bears. Like Maine bears.

"Bear!"

Here it looks like Stella is doing a magic trick. Just watch the cast.

Abra-cadabra!

And then Emma appears out of the mouth of the bear. (works better when you don't have to scroll through the two pics)

These mangy things were certainly worthy as a family backdrop.

"Watch out! They spit!"

Emma and Laura paid a little extra to go into the butterfly garden. I sat outside and nursed Dieter and watched Stella sleep. 

Is this an "I like butterflies" face?

Nope, this is!

Adorable. 

Big zoo. Lots of walking. Good times. Naps for everyone all around!

Pagan day Tour--Colosseum and Roman Forum

Oh what at hot day it was! Especially with a little, sweaty heater strapped to your stomach. Back at the end of May we had our final tour with Joe around the ancient pagan sites, this one only to last 4 or 5 hours. No that that was insufficient!

We covered a lot of ground and the girls especially were troopers. They rode in that hot stroller and listened to big people talk for a very long time! Now since a lot of the details of the sites are a little mashed up in my head, I'll just share some of the pictures, with less talk. :) 

Mixed up building: Ancient foundation from 2 different eras, with a medieval turret and a Renaissance bell tower. (right?)

Roman homes/ neighborhood

The guide and crew in front of the Palatine hill.

Just a piece of a temple.

Scattered columns in the Roman Forum

The oldest house/houses  in ancient Rome

Not just blocks. Blocks that really, really old people lived in. 

Palace

The Colosseum

The original Roman roads.
(Not very suitable to strollers. We carried them through most of those)

Sign on the cross within the Colosseum

The maze of rooms beneath the floor.
For keeping the animals, and unfortunately some people.

I was relentless with capturing photos for Laura. :)

But I did want a few myself, too

For her travel memoirs.
Your welcome :)

Hearing about the triumphal arches...and more!

Inscription at the top of the arch. It used to have brass letters inset, but those were taken out over time.
You can tell by the holes in the letters. Where the holes don't match up, there was some editing with different letters.

Overlooking the Forum

Inside the Colosseum, busts of all the Roman emperors.

Hadrian, Roman Emperor

Julius Caesar and company

That's it. :) And more to come!...

(p.s. forgive the inaccuracy of the details. Feel free to leave comments with your corrections.)

6 Hour Tour of Rome

A big thanks to Joe Rampino who showed us the city like we've never seen it before. It was certainly a treat for Laura, but also for myself, having lived here for 9 months and done very little in the way of learning about the city.

He asked us how long of tour we felt up for. I said, "Bring it On. We can handle it."  So he led us on a 6 hour tour! It was amazing! We paid him in quiche.

I had never before seen the Basilica of St. Cecilia and now it's at the top of my list of favorite churches in Rome. On the outside it features a beautiful courtyard and a medieval bell tower.

The Basilica of St. Cecilia

Inside of the Basilica of St. Cecilia

Mosaic in the Apse of St. Cecilia

Gettin' the low down on church mosaics

Neat Fact: Square halo means he was alive during the construction.
He holds the church in his hand because he helped to make construction happen.

The cosmatti mosaic is one of my favorite designs in church architecture. But I particularly like it in twisted pillars and candle holders.

Cosmatti Tile Pillar

Next church stop was the church where St. Benedict stayed and prayed with a very unassuming exterior.

San Benedetto in Piscinula

Inside San Benedetto

I know our apartment is humongous by Roman standards, so it's basically a palace by Benedictine standards.

Room of St. Benedict, where he wrote the Rule

You probably didn't already notice this, but it's all pretty old, huh?

Door to Saint Benedict's monastic cell, on right

Laura needed lots of proof of her visiting Rome. So I insisted that she stand in front of everything that I wanted a picture of.

Tiber River

While our tour was mostly hitting some of the big Christian monuments, you can't help but pass by the ancient pagan temples on the way.

Strong peeps by Hercules' Temple

Skull of St. Valentine
*kiss kiss*

Old rich people's private church, back in the day

Very Famous Monument

Can't think of the name...

It was a riduculously hot day, but we stayed hydrated and lived to get another tour by Joe: The Pagan Day Tour. Stay tuned for more!

*I can't figure out why I didn't take more pictures of this day* It's our special present, I guess...no more for you!