Good Friday and Holy Saturday

There was no rest for the weary on Good Friday despite our long walk to the eight churches on Holy Thursday. Nana and Pop were arriving! My parents came in from the states at noon on Friday, so the kids and I went and met the at the airport and escorted them back (by train, tram and then foot) to our apartment. After a quick lunch, we took off before they had time to realize they hadn't slept enough on the plane overnight.

To orient them to Rome, we took a walk through Trastevere, through Campo de Fiori, past San Andrea della Valle, to the Pantheon, to get a cappucino, into Sant' Eustachio, for ice cream at Giolotti's, to Piazza Colonna, through Piazza Navona, to Il Vittorio, past the Roman Forum and to the Colosseum. Despite the fact that all were pretty tired by this point, they were excited to have seen many major sites on their first day in town.

Our stop at the Colosseum was well timed. It was about 8 p.m. and the preparations were well underway for the Way of the Cross (the stations of the cross) being led by Pope Benedict XVI at 9:15 p.m. We spent a few minutes at the base of the Colosseum watching them light the cross, and people watching as the faithful gathered. Since we were quite hungry though and the kiddies were tired from day we decided to leave and get some dinner. We found the perfect spot not too far from the Colosseum and introduced my parents to their first real Italian meal.

We timed dinner perfectly as we were ready to head home at about 9 p.m. and had to again pass the Colosseum to get there. We walked up at 9:20, right as the Pope was beginning the Way of the Cross and were able to stay for about 20 minutes or so to listen to the opening meditation and the first station.

If it were earlier in the evening we would have stayed longer, but with the crew being pretty tired, we knew we needed to get everyone to bed. So we left the Colosseum, walked past the Circus Maximus, Santa Maria in Cosmedin (and the Mouth of Truth), past Tiber Island, and through Trastevere home. It was a wonderful and long day!

Saturday was again full of sightseeing, and excitement, not to metnion our fair share of gelato and capuccino. We visited the playground, Sant'Ignatio, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, and a number of additional sites. According to the pedometer we earned our evening meal of pizza at Restaurante Ivo after 24,000+ steps walked on Saturday!

These are a few of our favorite shots from the weekend.

Photos at the fountain in front of the Spanish Steps:

The steps, and a very crowded street showing off all the tourists: