The Whidden Family: February 2013

Our third and final destination was Rome, Italy. We were very impressed with Rome. We had an awesome hotel in a great part of town and did so much sightseeing in 3 short days.

We walked to Piazza della Repubblica, a main city square with shops all around. I just love these bigs building curving around the huge traffic circle.

It was raining, but still nice and warm. We bought some umbrellas from street vendors.

We took a tour bus of the city to see all the main points of interest. First stop was the Colosseum, and we had a very excited 8 year old! He loves all things Roman Warriors so this was something special for him.

The Monument of Vittorio Emmanuele was massive. These pictures can't even put into perspective how gigantic these buildings truly are.

Complete with armed guards:

The Vatican was interesting. St. Peter's Basilica was beautiful inside and we even witnessed a catholic church service going on inside while we toured it.

Once again, impossible to capture how much detail is in these churches.

I tried to do a panoramic picture of the square at St. Peter's Basilica, the pillars were very cool.

And a few pictures from our hop-on-hop-off bus sightseeing tour....the best way to see the city and not need a brand new pair of feet by the end of it!

And that was the last leg of our journey. We headed back to Barcelona, relaxed for a few days and then flew home. It was a once in a lifetime trip and we hope someday to make it twice in a lifetime!

We flew to Paris, France for the second part of our trip and WE LOVE PARIS!! There were so many amazing things to see and do.

First stop: Notre Dame. It was even more beautiful than I expected.

There were so many pigeons out in front, the kids loved feeding them.

Stained glass inside Notre Dame

The Arc de Triomphe, it is impossible to capture the detail of these huge landmarks in any picture. Everything was just so ornate and beautiful.

Even just normal apartment buildings were there most beautiful buildings I have ever seen....and these weren't even the tourist attractions! See?

Of course the highlight was the Eiffel Tower. It is breathtaking, especially at night all lit up.

Another highlight was Montmartre. A cool neighborhood on a hill with shops, restaurants, street performers, and the beautiful church Basilica de Sacre Ceour. We loved the vibe there and joined in the throngs of people hanging out on the steps up to the church.