We finally made it to Italy as our last hoorah before we move this summer. It's such a daunting trip, but a MUST-DO! We debated about driving, but found decent airfare and then even skipped the rental car and relied solely on public transportation....a little intimidating with three kiddos in tow, but it was almost 75% cheaper than a car for a week plus crazy European gas prices and hotel parking fees, not to mention hours in the car and crazy Italian traffic. We knew Rome was a must, but it came down to the price of airfare deciding the rest of our destinations. We didn't see Venice, Pompeii, or Cinque Terre, so I guess we'll have to come back one day! :) It was cheapest to fly into Pisa, take a bus to Florence, take a train to Rome and then fly out of Rome. It was ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTING (mostly mentally!) but an AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!!
Luke was all about toting his own luggage! We specifically planned our flights mid-day remembering how exhausting and stressful it was getting up so early for our Spain flights. The kids are amazing travelers...it was Leevi and my stress and fatigue levels I was worried about! ;) Leevi and I high-fived each other the entire trip as we accomplished each small feat of navigating a foreign country!!!
The little monster didn't sleep a wink on the 2 hr flight but crashed on the 10 minute bus ride from the airport to the hotel.
We had no clue how the girls were going to do with such a walking-intensive trip, but I must say that they were troopers...the final day in Rome was rough (for all of us!) but overall they hung in there. We debated about bringing a stroller and I'm so glad we didn't...it would have been a nightmare with the public transportation!
Finally, FREEDOM!!! There isn't much in Pisa except the tower, the cathedral, and the baptistry, so it made for a great first day.
Chasing birds around the Field of Miracles
Prepare yourself for an overload of Tower pics! ;)
Getting all of the crazies out after a long day of traveling!!!!! We walked around to the other side of the tower and the field was practically empty...we just let the kids run and run!!!!
Our first (and almost our last) meal in Italy: we were completely price gouged and learned our lesson the hard way about really looking over the menu at a restaurant. We each ordered a drink, a small personal pizza, a kid's meal hot dog, and two plates of plain spaghetti and it cost over $100!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were sick to our stomachs!!!!!!!!!! It almost ruined our great start to our vacation, but we took it as a hard knock and were definitely on guard the rest of the week. Once we got to Rome, we had an apartment with a kitchen and we were able to buy food for 3 breakfasts, light lunches, and 3 dinners for the exact amount that we spent that first night at dinner! Sigh...
The hotel was quite modern and very American like and we all got a perfect rest after a long first day. We were worried about Luke being in the same room with everyone, but he did great through the nights (most likely because he didn't get a solid nap all week!) and we spent the first evening watching Frozen on iTunes...Leevi took the girls to see it in the theatre back in November, but we had waited until this trip to buy it on iTunes; I was extra excited to watch it too!!!!
We woke up the next morning and headed back to the airport to catch an hour bus ride to Florence.
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