Italian Fiasco

The next portion of our trip was slightly chaotic. Looking back on it now, it definitely made our trip more memorable but at the time it was not fun at all.

We left Rome very early in the morning, about 5:00am in order to make what was supposed to be a 15 hour drive back to Brussels, Belgium. Trisha and the kids took a nap for the morning portion of the drive. I was driving and enjoying the Italian countryside. It was looking to be a long, but good day in the car. That was until we got to Milan a few hours later. As we were transfering from one freeway to another on the outskirts of Milan, the clutch of the car stopped working again. It pushed down, but would not come out again. I immediately pulled over for fear of doing further damage to the car. The spot for pulling over was not ideal. There was nothing around, we had no cell phone to call anyone/business. I could see an emergency phone a few yards back on the highway, so I set out to get to it. I had to cross the four lane freeway and when I got to the phone it had been disabled. lame. We had no other options so I decided that we had to try and drive up a little further to the next pull out that had a phone. It turned out to not be that much further. I paged some Italian person from that phone and it told me someone would respond to our emergency soon. A few minutes later a tow truck pulled up to us and started getting the truck ready to tow us. I told him I just wanted help because we were in a rental car and the rental company had roadside assistance, so I just needed to get a hold of them. This guy would do nothing but tow our car and I didn't want to pay him to do that when I knew we could call the rental company and have them take care of us. So, once I refused to have him tow us, he got in his car and drove away and left us there on the side of the freeway.

We didn't know what to do. I went back to the phone and tried to call for the police to come but the phone would only page the tow companies to come get us. Finally after a while of trying to figure out what to do, Trisha was able to flag down a guy that let us use his phone and call the rental company. They told me that it would be about 45 minutes before they could get anyone out to our location (we had no idea where we were and it was hard to communicate a location to the person on the other side of the line). So the guy drove away and we sat in the car waiting. We waited about 40 minutes before we got nervous that no one was coming to help us. It made it much more stressfull because we had the two kids in the backseat of the car. We determined that we needed to try and flag down another person. So Trisha went out again (she was crutial because people stop for women) and flagged down another man who spoke some french and italian. He knew we had already called the rental company and they didn't show up so he tried to call the local rental company agency and the police. He couldn't get through to anyone for a while and once he got through to the local rental company offices they told him that in Italy they were pretty much not going to send any roadside assistance. I didn't understand why, but he told me in broken French that it wasn't going to happen. This guy was so nice to us. We had now been on the side of the road for probably 2 hours. This man tried to look at the car and see if he could figure out what was wrong. When he got in the driver's seat, he pushed in the clutch and it worked perfectly. So, I decided with him that he would lead us approximately 2 miles off of the freeway to the closest rental agency. We got in and said many prayers that the car would run for 2 miles. It did. We made it to the agency and to our astonishment and great disappointment, the office was closed for the month of August for vacation. Are you kidding me?! We were totally up a creek!!

After a few more minutes of major anxiety and stress. We said another prayer and decided to push the car to the closest rental agency that we could guarantee would be open- the Milan airport. We said a million silent and vocal prayers as we drove through the streets, around round-a-bouts and watched the odometer to mark the distance we had until we made it to safety. We made it to the airport!! And we could not have been more happy! I went up to the employees at the desk and explained to them what had happened and they were so friendly and nice to me. I told them that we wanted another car because there was no way we were driving this car anyfurther, let alone another 10 hours to Belgium. They were helpful but there was a lot of red tape they had to go through and we weren't sure they were going to be able to just trade us a car with a lot of international exchange fees. Finally, they found a car that we could trade straight across; a tiny Volkswagon. I was worried we wouldn't be able to fit our luggage into it but when they drove it up and it all fit, it was one more miracle added onto our list. I was also a little bit worried about the scratch on the side of the car we were leaving there but they never looked at it and never asked about it.

We were loaded off and we drove off with a new rental car. It was so relieving!! It felt so good to finally be on our way again and to know that we were not going to break down again. It was a 4 hour delay which meant that our arrival time in Brussels would now be 2:00am. We felt relieved again when we crossed back into Switzerland. Our car problems in Italy were not our favorite part of the trip, so to leave it behind felt good. We were able to continue our drive through all of the traffic jams in Switzerland (which added another hour to our travel time) and reach the French border. As soon as we had crossed into France, we stopped to get gas and dinner. I used this time to call the hotel that we had booked in Brussels and let them know of our really late arrival time. They told me there was no problem, they had our room reserved and they would expect us around 3:00am. Sweet!

We continued our drive through the North-East corner of France before finally hitting the Belgium border. Finally there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. We made it to our hotel at the center of town in Brussels as estimated just before 3:00am. I went into the hotel and they pulled up my reservation. The man then proceeded to tell me that they had a computer glitch and had overbooked our size of rooms and they no longer had a room for us. I was off the wall pissed off!!! Are you for real right now?! I had even called them to make sure everything would be okay with our late arrival! I fought with them for about 10 minutes and begged them to just give me any room they had. They would not because they have really strick laws on how many guests you can have in each room in Europe. I begged more and more. I made sure they knew how upset I was, and I couldn't really control it because I was absolutely exhausted and stressed out already. After they refused all begging and told me the only option was for them to call all of the surrounding hotels and see if any had openings, I told them not to bother and to find me a room at their hotel near the airport. They did it. They gave us a free room, free meal tickets, free internet upgrades, everything they could. So back to the car I went to tell Trisha that we were not done. Another 30 minute drive to the airport before we could sleep. It was 4:00am when we finally got to our hotel and close to 5:00am by the time we hit the sack.

So a 15 hour day slowly turned into a long and brutal 24 hour day! Lucky for us, the kids did absolutely fantastic for the whole thing. We could not have asked for anything more from the kids. We were finally at our last destination and back to where we started 3 weeks earlier.

Rome, Italy

After stopping at McDonald's in Pisa, we continued on the road to our next destination: Rome. It was about a 6 hour drive. The kids and Trisha slept much of the way and I enjoyed the Italian countryside.

Our first stop upon arriving in Rome was the Rome Temple site. Because my brother, CJ, served his mission in Italy, I have been watching the temple progress ever since it was announced a few years ago. Also, when my family picked me up from my mission we spent some time in Rome and we were able to visit this site. The church has owned the land for a long time and back when CJ was on his mission, he lived on this exact site where the temple is being built. How cool is that?! It's pretty cool. The area is not at all like I remembered it. It is more developed now with a massive shopping center just up the street. None the less, it is a beautiful site for a temple. The outside structure of the temple appears to be almost complete. We were sad that we couldn't see more of the site due to the wall they have up around it. Still, it was a cool place to visit and we are excited for the Italian people to get a temple! It is going to be beautiful! I believe it is scheduled to open in 2014.

The temple and surroundings

Another view of the temple

Another 30 minutes into downtown Rome and we arrived at our temporary home for the next 3 days. We stayed at a nice hotel in the Trevi Fountain area of Rome. Actually, I would say the hotel was right next to Trevi Fountain. We could walk out of our hotel, turn to the right, walk down a small alley for about 30 seconds and there was the famous fountain. It was spectacular. We could not have picked a better hotel in Rome.

Because "Ciao" is a common greeting in Italy, we heard it all the time. It only took Sam a few times for him to catch on. Only he didn't really understand what it meant. He thought that "ciao" was the name of the bell boy (man) at the hotel that was so nice to us everytime we saw him. So he would ask us where "ciao" was and he loved to talk about his friend "ciao." What a cute little kid.

Trevi Fountain in the daytime

After visiting Trevi Fountain for a minute and checking out the surroundings near the hotel, we found this pizzeria. Perfect to continue the celebration of Sam's 2nd birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMY!!!!

He got this pizza and a sprite and he loved every minute of it

Sam eating his birthday gelato. Does it get any better than this? Eating gelato in Rome on your birthday? I don't think so. He looks pretty happy with his life.

And then the day was over. Kate and Sam crashed on the bed!

We had 2 full days to spend in Rome, which is sufficient, but we knew that it would be 2 long days if we were going to see everything that we wanted to see. We woke up very early the next day and headed to the center of the city and prepared to see the ancient sites of Rome.

We took the metro (subway) to the colloseum. We were just looking around when we were approached by the half million people there trying to sell tickets to the tours inside the structure. We decided that it would be really great to have a guided tour through the colloseum and it was combined with passes to the Roman Forum. The tour inside the colloseum turned out to be mostly a bust for us because Kate decided that she needed to eat at the begining of the tour. We missed most of what was said but that did not at all take away from the amazement of being in the colloseum. This structure is thousands of years old and yet it still stands in the middle of a modern and busy city. It is remarkable to think of how they were ever able to build something of this magnitude. We loved it!

The exterior of the colloseum

The interior of the colloseum. Look at how detailed and well planned it is

Our family picture at the colloseum

Another view of the interior

The collesum from further out

The colloseum on our way to the Roman Forum, which happens to be across the street. After our tour of the colloseum didn't turn out quite the way we thought, we were nervous to continue the tour into the Roman Forum but we had already paid for it and we decided to do it. Our kids were getting a little restless and it was incredibly HOT and we didn't have enough water and we were getting ever closer to lunch time. Once we met the tour guide for the Roman Forum, we knew we had to keep going. She was a teacher by trade and she loved giving this tour. She was upbeat and shared the most fascinating details of the Roman Empire and the structures that resulted from this time period.

View of the colloseum from the Roman Forum

Part of the Roman Forum. Trisha pushing Sam in the stroller and carrying our backpack. I was carrying Kate on my belly. It was a real challenge to push Sam around in that stroller the whole time we were in Europe, but the Roman Forum was not made for US strollers, we thought for sure we would lose a wheel or two this day. We lucked out and came out with an intact stroller. This picture also shows that the Roman Forum is still being excavated and new discoveries are still being made at the site.

When we were getting to the end of the guided part of our tour, the tour guide brought us to this beautiful overlook point which was above most of the Forum and we had an almost 360-degree view of the place. It was awesome. So, just as she is saying her goodbyes to all of us, a lady in our group starts to act distressed. Her daughter says, "My mom needs help." The older lady looked as if she was going to pass out. She was pale and disoriented. She was not doing well. I hurried over to help. Several other people gathered around as well and we lowered her to the ground just as she was passing out. She was so lucky that she didn't pass out right there cause she could have really hurt herself on a stump that she was leaning up against. We laid her flat on the ground for a minute. The tour guide immediately got on her phone and started making phone calls for help. A few minutes later, a doctor from the Netherlands joined us and started helping. We elevated her legs a bit, poured some cold water on her head. She started to feel better almost immediately once she was on the ground but you could tell that she was still disoriented. Her daughter and her husband were shocked and scared. They were trying to give information about drugs that she had taken and give a medical history but it was difficult with the language barrier. We were worried about how we were going to get this lady down and out of the Forum. We were in the very middle of the site, we had climbed many stairs to get there and we had no idea if the help coming would be able to make it up that same trail to find us. We got word that they were on their way so at least that was good news. We got her sitting up and we gathered some cookies from some other people in our group (which happened to be another Mormon family). At this point the lady started to feel much better but she was not back to normal. She was perched up, laying her back against my knee while we waited for help to arrive. We had determined that the culprit was probably dehydration and we rounded up some gatorade type drink to get some electrolytes in her system. She had been eating and drinking, but it was so hot and she must have been losing all of her electrolytes through her sweat. Poor lady. Finally after about 30 minutes, we heard the sirens and saw an ambulance drive right up next to the garden that we were in (huge relief). I continued to help support the lady and pass on information to the paramedics. They evaluated her for a few minutes and her husband and daughter decided to have her taken to the hospital for evaluation just to be safe. She was able to get up and walk away with them, with their help. I am sure she ended up just fine but it was reassuring to know that she was headed to the hospital for evaluation. I was so grateful all day that we had been there to help her. It was interesting that there were probably 20-25 people in our tour group and within about 5 minutes of her passing out, there was only her (and her family), me (and my family), the other mormon family and the tour guide. Everyone else just left. Trisha and I were proud of the mormons that stuck around just to make sure everything was okay. It seems at times that I attrack situations like this, and it makes me so thankful that I have some medical knowledge and I have been through CPR and First Aid training. These skills have been needed and used several times. I hope that if something ever happens to me, that someone will be there to help me.

One of my favorite parts of the Forum was back in a corner of the site. It was where Mussolini had one of his residences during a roman invasion. This is a courtyard in front of the house.

Another view looking out from the Mussolini house

Some sort of arena area at the south end of the Forum

Looking North across the Forum

After all of the excitement, Sam got really tired and fell asleep before we finished looking around

Doors to an ancient building in the Forum

More of the Forum ruins

Just outside of the Forum is the Victor Emmanuel Monument

A little bit further up the road is the famous Pantheon

Sam with his cheesy, sunburned smile

This was the story of our lives. Washing bottle in the sink and letting them dry on a towel overnight.

After a long day of walking around in the heat. We returned to the hotel. Trisha snuck out to check out the Trevi Fountain all lit up at night

The next day was another very early morning. We were going to tackle Vatican City and its surroundings. Everything I read and heard (and remember from my last trip to Rome) said to get there early to avoid all the long lines. We got there about 15 minutes before the Vatican Museums opened. We started walking toward the line which was already formed along the outer wall of the Vatican. All of a sudden a lady approached me and said, "I'm sorry to approach you, and I don't know if I should tell you this, but did you know that you can skip this line if you have kids? It is a Vatican rule to let all families with small children to enter immediately into the museums." WHAT?! Really?! Worth a try at least. She was right. The gaurds looked at our two kids and let us right in the building, before it even opened to the public. It was crazy---We LOVE the Vatican! No better way to start a long day than not waiting in line. We were really excited for the museums.

This is a courtyard inside the Vatican museum compound.

The otherside of the courtyard.

You can see St. Peter's dome in the background.

This was one of my favorite dislays in a hallway of faces. The creepiest face I have ever seen.

Looking out a window, a view of Rome.

This is the hallway of maps. Look at the solid line of people. This hallway leads to the Sistine Chapel

After we were done with all the museums, we took a break in a cold room of the museums before heading back outside into the blazing heat. This is Kate chillin for a minute.

St. Peter's Bascilica and Square

St. Peter's dome, inside.

St. Peter's

Sam pouting on the floor of the Cathedral

The spanish steps, a few blocks from our hotel

Sam and Kate hanging out in their diapers. This was a common occurrence when we would go back to the hotel rooms because it was so hot! They loved it

More time chillin on the bed

This is my favorite thing that I saw at all of the souvenir shops. I find it hilarious and accurate.

Our last afternoon in Rome was a laid back one, we didn't have anything scheduled. We ended up doing some window shopping, seeing some of the sights for a second time and just walking around Rome. Also, trying to find some last minute souvenirs.

This is another view of some of the ruins at the Roman Forum

One last view of Roman Forum

My favorite view of the Collosseum. I like it because you can see the massive road, the large amount of foot traffic, modern buildings on one side of the road and this massive, centuries old building that is standing in the middle of all the bustle. It's amazing!

One last small trip to McDonald's and the Spanish Steps before we headed back to the hotel room to pack up and prepare to leave in the morning.

We absolutely LOVED Rome!! It is beautiful! I am sure we could have spent several more days there but we were happy that we were able to include it in our itinerary. It was clean and beautiful! The people were friendly and kind!