Rome - Day #3 - Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum

We were so glad we decided to break the Colosseum and Palantine Hill/Forum into two days.  There was so much to see.  We started out the day heading up onto Palantine Hill.  This is one of the most ancient parts of the city, where many of Rome's affluent people lived.  Mostly now just ruins, it was fun to imagine the large edifices that once graced the hill.  We got there pretty early and were able to wander around for a long time without seeing many other people.  Towards the afternoon, we headed over to the Roman Forum.  This is where all the ancient Government and Temple ruins are.  This was one of my favorite things to see. We really took our time, stopping and sitting so that we could look around and the kids could color in their books.  It was such a pleasant, easy-paced day.  Of course, still a lot of walking.  I love ruins and the Colosseum/Forum area was so neat.  It's interesting to think about how majestic the Roman Empire once was, and how it is now nothing but scattered rocks and broken columns. 

 2000 year old painted room!

 Noah found this rock that was a perfect fit for a little chair.  We had to drag him kicking and screaming away from it.  Seriously...

 I let the kids take a lot of pictures this day.  There were a ton of random pictures of rocks, feet and a lot of Myra "selfies".

 I still can't get over that we even have this pictures, of my children, in Rome! This was such an amazing experience being with our children here.  They might not remember it so much as they get older, but it's something I will cherish my entire life.

 

Trajan's Column dates back to  113ad.  We were amazed at how the intricate carvings have withstood the test of time so well.  It use to have a statue of a bird on top, but was replaced with a statue of St Peter during the Middle Ages. 

 Enjoying the Sun and our Gelato, yum!

Oh, and we saw the Pope!