Rome!

There are several holidays (AKA no school) here in Spain at the beginning of December, so we try to take advantage and enjoy one last family trip before the racing season begins. This year we took the kids to Rome for a few days and it did not disappoint!

The kids are well-seasoned travelers and they love packing their own carry on bags. I can remember the days of flying with Eston when he was a toddler and I brought enough activities and food to last a week, hah! Now I don't even pack snacks and the kids handle their own carry on, though I do help them pack their clothing.

 We left Barcelona on Saturday evening and landed in Rome after a quick 1.5 hour flight. The car service picked us up and we were on our way to the city center in no time, but traffic was not cooperating and it was 9pm by the time we arrived at our hotel in Piazza Venezia. The hotel recommended a restaurant around the corner and though we didn't expect much, we were pleasantly surprised to find a family-run trattoria with amazingly fresh food. The owners loved the kids and we didn't leave the restaurant until nearly midnight because we were all having so much fun eating and laughing with our server, who spoke perfect Spanish.

Needless to say, we did not wake up until nearly 10am on Sunday morning. I guess we are more Spanish than we think! We ate some breakfast and walked from the hotel towards the Colosseum and Forum.

Years ago I used to make my own scavenger hunt books about the cities we visited, but then I happened upon the MISSION series. Paris, Rome, Barcelona, London, etc. The books are inexpensive and kids love them, so that is what I purchase and it serves as a great tour guide for us as well. Eston and Aurelia loved the missions they were sent on at every major attraction and we learned so many new facts along the way.

 The kids and I had spent several weeks reading all sorts of books about Rome and ancient Romans. Eston was so thrilled to see the ruins and the Colosseum. Aurelia wanted to hear all about the gladiators, of course.

After our morning tour we decided to wander about a bit, which is one of our favorite things to do in any city.

 We stopped at the Trevi Fountain to make a wish! Over 3,000 euros per day are thrown into this fountain (fact from Eston's cool book). Don't worry, all of the money goes to local charities.

 We left the fountain and ambled over to the Spanish Steps to meet some friends of ours from Boulder who now live in Rome. It was so much fun to see them after so long!

 We went with our friends for a walk around the city and they knew of a hotel with a fabulous rooftop deck, so we headed there. We stopped to get the kids some gelato along the way, but for the most part they love walking and exploring. 

 Julie managed to remember where the hotel was (she had only visited once) and we were rewarded with this amazing view:

 One must make reservations for the Vatican and St. Peter's.  Well, I take that back. One should make reservations. I had made reservations well in advance, so we were good to go and arrived before our appointed time. The people at the Vatican were lovely and did not make us stand in the main line with the kids. We were immediately taken in a different direction that was completely closed to the public as it was easier to navigate with the stroller. We then took the long way through the museum as we made our way to the Sistine Chapel.

 Photos are not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, so I followed the rules. You could take photos in the museum, so we did that. I need to download Eston's camera because he took some lovely shots of the museum.

We bought some postcards so we could mail them from the Vatican, which is fun because it has its own stamps and post.

 Walking from the Vatican to St. Peter's:

The kids were mesmerized with the Vatican museum and St. Peter's. I think Aurelia was a bit overwhelmed by all of it. She stared at everything intensely and quietly for a long while and then decided to take a ride in the stroller and watch from there. Can't say I blame her as it is pretty intense.

It was such a nice day on Monday! We left the Vatican and wandered through the Trastevere neighborhood, which I could compare to the Village in NYC. Super cool and hop restaurants, stores, book shops, etc. 

Lunch time! They devoured it:

 We walked for about two hours and then took a break for some gelato.

 More wishes in another fountain! 

On Tuesday morning we woke up to rainy skies, so we packed the umbrellas and headed to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

 Aurelia inside the Pantheon:

 We left the Pantheon and Piazza Navona after a couple of hours and went back to the hotel to get our taxi to the airport. What a fun-filled weekend we enjoyed!

We flew Alitalia and they were so great with the kids. Families don't have to wait in line when checking in at the airport (both Barcelona and Rome). They wave you to the front immediately and tell you there is no waiting for families. And nobody gets angry or says a thing, they just smile at your children. Lufthansa also has a family check-in so you don't have to wait. Now, I don't mind waiting as it is an important skill for kids to learn, but it is awfully nice to get the bags and such sorted as quickly as possible. Are any airlines doing this in the USA for families?

Happy Holidays to everyone!

A Long Weekend in Andorra

Rory has come and gone again, but last weekend we loaded up the car and headed to Andorra for a little family/training time. Andorra has become one of our favorite places for a weekend trip. It is a 3-hour drive through the mountains and as soon as I arrive I feel like I am back in Colorado.

Our favorite village in Andorra is called Soldeu. It is tiny and there is not much there, but it has a great hotel for families. The suites are large and there is a great pool and hiking trails, etc. The hotel is very large and is probably hopping in the winter, but in the summer it is practically deserted and the kids love exploring.

We woke up to ominous clouds on Saturday morning.

We decided to hold off on exercise (Rory was taking advantage of the altitude training) and we hopped in the car and went down to Andorra la Vella, the larger city. I remembered to bring jackets for everyone...except myself! I ran in and out of a few stores and ended up buying a jacket to keep warm.  It was raining off and on and the temperature was just 9 degrees celsius, so a jacket was needed!

After lunch the weather cleared a bit, though the temperatures were still low. Rory bundled up and went out for his training ride and I bundled up the kids and we headed out for a hike. Soldeu sits at about 1,710 meters above sea level (5,610 ft). The kids wanted to hike to the higher mountains, but I spent twelve years in the mountains of Colorado and I know how weather can move in quickly, so I suggested a local trail along the river.

 This trail ended up being the best option because there was ample tree coverage and it was drizzling a bit here and there. The trail was pretty narrow and there were some steep climbs, but it was a solid afternoon hike.

The wildflowers were so beautiful and we couldn't help but collect as many as our hands could carry!

 Aurelia is really coming along with her hiking. This hike was 6km and she did it solo except for a few of the steep bits. We take turns being the leader because I want the kids to learn about safety on the trail (really just rocks and animals) and have some practice.

 Aurelia was tired near the end and thankfully her brother is always there to help her.

 Aurelia was tired after our hike on Saturday afternoon, but Rory had a surprise for us. The skies cleared at about 6pm, so we got in the car and he drove us up one of the mountain roads he had trained on that day. At the top of the mountain was the most amazing lookout!

 This portion of the lookout went out over the cliff, so you could look down into the wide open  from these glass viewing things. It made you feel like you were standing on absolutely nothing, but Aurelia was loving it.

See that thing hanging out over the mountain? Yep, that is where we were. 

 Aurelia insisted on capturing the moment:

On Sunday morning the skies were perfectly clear and the temperatures were much warmer, so I told the kids we could hike to the higher mountains. Aurelia was a bit tired from the previous day, so I brought the hiking carrier and loaded it with water and some healthy snacks. I tossed in rain jackets in event the weather went south and we headed to the trailhead. 

Now, I was keen to try a trail we had never done in Andorra (we have been here a few times). The trail head (according to the map) was just a few kilometers down the main road from our hotel. I didn't want to walk on this road (fair amount of cars), so we jumped in the car and drove to the parking lot. Well, what I thought was the parking lot. There was an information booth with hiking maps, so Eston went over and chatted with the woman (everyone here speaks Catalan) and grabbed a couple of maps. Apparently she asked Eston if we wanted train tickets, so he came back to me and asked. I was a bit puzzled and said no, so we started walking down the road. After a couple of kilometers I realized that the parking lot was not truly the trailhead. It was more of an entrance...?? One had to walk (or take a little "train" car) approximately 3km to the actual trail system. Whoops. 

The trails are designated by color and most families were heading out on the blue trail. Pppffff. My children and I are tough! We don't do blue trails! So off we went on the orange trail, which would eventually lead us to the top of the mountain and (allegedly) a small glacier lake. Here are a few photos of the start of the hike... 

 I adore the old stone farm houses in the Pyrenees. I want to live in one. Seriously.

 The road that eventually leads you to the trail:

 We found the orange trail! Now to hike to the mountain behind the mountains in this photo...

 The orange trail started off so well. It was gorgeous!

The trail went from a gradual climb to a steep incline pretty quickly and Aurelia was tired. Can't say I blame her, we walked 3km just to get to the trail. I put her in the backpack and slowly but surely followed Eston up the hill. 

The orange trail may not have been the safest trail. The trail was narrow and rocky and while that looks like fluffy grass (well, it is), the edge is right there. I told Eston to only walk on the dirt. Yep, I am mom-of-the-year. In my defense, he loved this hike. We talked about what to do in emergency and he was all set. Aurelia was in the pack off and on throughout our ascent.

We had been climbing/hiking for nearly two hours when I started to debate turning around. Eston really wanted to make it to the top (roughly 2,500m/8,465ft). We were at roughly 2,250m/7,382ft according to the map and markers and I knew we had to make it back down and then 3km to the car. We stopped to discuss it and decided that turning around was the safest bet. 

Descending was no picnic with the sketchy trail, but we finally made it back down and decided to rest by the stream and have our snack: 

Eston consulted the map and figured out there was a trail that led back to the car, so we took that instead of the road. Aurelia walked and it was roughly 4km back to the car. She hiked about 8km on Sunday and Eston and I did close to 15km, so it was a solid day of hiking.

We went back to the hotel and the kids wanted to go swimming. The pool area of our hotel was  lovely and there was a great cafe attached. The kids jumped right in the pool and realized it was not heated at all (AKA freezing!). They came out shivering and we sat in the sun before deciding to get lunch at the cafe. Aurelia loves gazpacho and this particular version came with gambas (shrimp) which is her favorite, so she was in heaven. Eston had the largest burger I have ever seen, but he deserved it after that hike. Rory finished his training and came out to join us in the sun. 

After lunch we decided to take a drive to one of the highest mountains in Andorra. Isn't the view just spectacular?  

 Yes, Aurelia is in a bathing suit. It is a long story---her pants got wet and the bathing suit was the only thing in the car.

We all slept very soundly on Sunday evening! The kids and I packed up on Monday morning and drove back to Girona, but Rory rode home. We all left the hotel at 10:30am and the kids and I were home by 1:30pm, but Rory rolled in at 5pm. Yep, a very long training day.

We love Andorra and hope to return soon!