Our last day in Rome:

Finally we got to St. Peter's Basilica. This is the 2nd longest church in the world. (Laura has now been to 3 of the top 5!)

Michelangelo's La Pieta.

This is a sculpture of St. Andrew in the Basilica, especially taken for cousin Andrew. Right after we took this photo we ran into one of Ellen's friends from school. She and her little brother and sister, and parents spent the rest of the day with us. First we all went up the dome of the basilica. A long, exhausting, claustrophobic climb, but worth it. I cannot imagine doing it in the summer with the heat and crowds.

Then we had lunch together at a bad tourist pizza place, but when you have 5 hungry children you'll grab any food available! Will and Ellen taught their friends how to get a drink (and play) in the water fountains!

Our next stop was the Castel Sant' Angelo. It is the castle that the Pope would escape to in times of crisis. It also housed a lot of money.

Will gave us a lesson about medieval weaponry. It was scary how much he knew about this trebuchet.

Ellen and her friends at the top of the Castel:

We wrapped up our time in Rome with a visit to the playground by the Castel. The kids burnt off a lot of excitement and had a great time. The next day Kevin headed out for a business meeting in London at 5:30 a.m. Laura and the kids flew back to Belgium with no problems. Good thing the kids are such good travelers! Did we like Rome? Absolutely! Great sights. Great food. Great people. Our new favorite city.

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