The Hitt Family: Mediterranean Cruise

Rome was a jam packed day for us. I get exhausted just thinking about it! Initially I planned to leave Jameson in the nursery because our excursion was a full day, but that didn't work out. He wasn't able to stay in the nursery for that long...something to do with restrictions on the number of hours they can work and we were leaving too early and coming back too late...I don't know...so we strapped him in the carrier and off to Rome we went!

One thing I noticed while on this cruise was the majority of the clientele was very very different from us. The kids club and nursery were pretty quiet most of the time because there weren't many small kids on the ship. You have to be 6 months old to cruise with them and Jameson literally turned 6 months the day before we left so he was probably the youngest passenger on board. I would say that the most of the people were older Eurpoeans and Americans that have a bunch of money. And some of them were rude! We ran into a lot of people who loved talking to the kids and making them smile, but we also got our fair share of dirty looks. The morning of Rome this obnoxious old man was trying to switch numbers with someone on our bus so that his family could all be together on the same bus. Obviously no one volunteered because then they would be separated from their family. If he would have followed instructions he wouldn't have been in that situation, but that's a whole other story. He came back a few times asking to switch and would get all huffy and annoyed when no one would. Finally we get on our bus and he's on it and already sitting down. We made our way to the back and as I pass him I hear him say, "She brought a baby!" I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around and said, "I sure did" and then kept going. Bringing him through Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum wasn't my idea of fun, nor did I expect to have to do it, but just because we have children doesn't mean that we can't. Talk about set me off early that morning! Seriously...we paid his way just like everyone else. Ugh! Okay, Rant over :) It was pretty amusing though when the same people that glared at us when we got on the bus were the same people complimenting how well behaved the kids were all day.

We left the port in Civitavecchia and took a scenic drive into Rome.

This guy was standing at a red light waiting to wash windshields for people. Kind of random.

Finally we arrived at the Vatican Museum!

The Cupola (dome) of St. Peter's Basilica. You can actually climb to the top if the thought of over 500 steps is appealing. So yeah, we didn't do that! I'm certain you are rewarded with spectacular views of the the inside of the Basilica and Vatican City, but we were satisfied with visiting from ground level.

This isn't the greatest picture, but way off in the distance is the chimney where the smoke comes out during a papal conclave. This is when the College of Cardinals gather to elect a new pope. Fumata nera (black smoke) indicates that they haven't come to a decision. Fumata bianca (white smoke) tells the people that a new pope has been elected.

The pine cone and peacocks hold significant symbolism. Supposedly they represent enlightenment and eternal life. I don't remember the exact reasoning or if that's even what we were told, but we saw them on several artifacts throughout.