Girls trip to Milan!

My Aunt Bette arrived on Wednesday, Jan 4th and we hung out with the kids until they headed back to school on January 9th.  It was a very busy Christmas holiday and we were all ready to get back to our routine.  On Saturday before the kids went back, Randy, the girls, and I went with the Nestle ski club to Grimentz while Aaron stayed back with Bette.  This was my first chance at getting a lesson and skiing on the Swiss Alps.  It started out being a nice day, but the conditions deteriorated in the afternoon.  My legs were so sore after skiing for 6 hours and the last run was a killer.  I think I fell every 10 feet or so and was so glad to get to the bottom and get some shoes on.  It was great to see the girls out there skiing, there was even a time I saw Sydney skiing down backwards for her lesson.

Quick pic on the slopes with the bad weather moving in.

I think our active vacation caught up with Aaron since he slept in until 10:15.  The girls were looking forward to sleeping in the next day as well.  When the kids were off to school on Monday, it was off to the grocer stores to give Bette a little taste of life in Switzerland.  There is no such thing as one stop shopping.  To get everything you need, it isn't unheard to go to 2-3 different stores.  The stores all carry different items and brands so you can't avoid going to more than 1 store.

Sydney's 9th birthday was on Friday, January 13th, so we celebrated before Bette and I headed off to Milan on Saturday.  She brought cupcakes into to school for her class and we also made a cake for home.

Bette and Sydney in her new skating dress from Bette and Grandpa and Grandma Jan.

Sydney blowing out her candles that would re-lite themselves.  The kids got a kick out of them!

Bette and I were up early to catch an 8am train to Milan.  There were 10 of us with 5 going the night before to get in a little more shopping in the morning.  It was a beautiful day so Bette had some great views of the mountains and lakes as we made our way to Milano.  I still feel like I have to pinch myself at times!  I can't believe I am hopping on a train for a day trip to Milan for shopping and to see The Last Supper by Leanardo da Vinci.  We also had some wonderful food and gelato.  We had reservations to see The Last Supper and had to wait in a coupe rooms to dehumidify before being allowed to see the painting for 15 minutes.  We read up on the painting and some of the controversy, which made the viewing that much more interesting.

Bette and I outside the church with The Last Supper.

I had boots and a purse on my list and was successful on finding boots only to realize I had a huge problem!  I pulled out my passport to add it to a form to get the tax back on my purchase only to realize that is wasn't mine, it was Sydney's!!  Ugh and this is on the heels of Randy not having his when we were coming back from Rome.  Great, my luck passport control will get on the train and I will be stuck in Italy.  What is the worse that can happen??  Maybe my permit B will work??  Well, we are on the train and coming up to the border when there was an announcement, which I couldn't understand and thought it must be passport control, why else would there be an announcement.

Moments later, some men in uniforms went to the back and started checking all the passengers.  I put Sydney's passport on the table and was going to play the surprised, I can't believe I have my daughters passport.  Or, maybe they won't notice since she does look a lot like me.  Or, it has been a really tough year for me and my aging process isn't going so well!  Bette and I were in deep conversation looking at photos on my iPhone when it was our turn.  They asked if we had anything to declare and before I had a chance to respond, Bette said "no" and they moved on.  Boy did I breath a huge sigh of relief and all the passports are clearly labelled on the outside now!!! : )

Nendaz

After a day at home we repacked, loaded up the skis, and were off to see some friends in Nendaz.  It is just over an hour from Lausanne and was a beautiful drive with all the snow on the peaks of the mountains.  We made it there just in time to grab some lunch and head for the slopes.

Sydney, Hailey, Macy, and Peyton

Below is a picture of the smaller slopes, but you had to go down a pretty good sized one to get to the smaller ones.  It took us all, except Randy, a little while to get up the nerve to head down there since we haven't really skied before.  We finally made it down and I took two short runs before Aaron had had enough skiing with dad.  

Beginner slopes where I hung out!

Picture looking down into the valley.

Aaron's favorite part of the day!  No skis and playing in the snow.

Hailey playing in the snow while the older kids skied down to the village.

A beautiful sunset to finish off a great day on the slopes.

We spent one night and then we needed to get home so we could get  the house picked up and ready from my Aunt Bette to visit for 10 days starting on Wednesday, January 4th.

I forgot to mention a couple things on our trip to Rome...  It was interesting that both Randy and I were ready to get back to the comforts of home.  Even though we are still learning French and trying to get things figured out, we have made a lot of progress since first arriving and it was so nice to get home where we are familiar with things and have figured out most things.

The Friday before we left for Rome Randy informed me that he did not have his passport since it was at the Embassy for his trip to India.  He was told it shouldn't be an issue since Italy and Switzerland are both part of the EU.  Well, that wasn't the case and passport control did check everyone when we crossed the border to Switzerland.  He had his permit B and copies of his passport, and fortunately he was allowed to enter after a short lecture on having your passport with you at all times since copies and permit B doesn't really cut it.  I couldn't believe he didn't have it, I would have been freaking out if I didn't have mine!!

Rome - Day 2

After yesterdays breakfast of hot dogs, we wised up and grab some breakfast at a cafe across the street from the Vatican.  I should add that it was also where we were meeting our tour guide, so we can't take all the credit.  Again, we were able to skip all the lines and start our tour straight away.  The Vatican is a city on its own and has its own zip code, it is absolutely massive.  A lot of the statues and decor from the Coliseum were actually moved into the museum or used to build other buildings.  There are tons of corridors and rooms you walk through with all sorts of statues and amazing mosaic floors to get to the Sistine Chapel and then St. Peter's Basilica.

Our guide brought a scavenger hunt for the kids, which Sydney was a huge fan of.  One of the items was to see how many Vatican crests you could find.  She was so focused on seeing how many she could find we hardly heard a word from her except to make sure she didn't miss checking off an item on her list.

St. Peter's dome from the outside, it was a hazy morning.

In the hall of heads they had the below, which was their version of McDonald's.  They would place food in the holes and would keep it warm with a fire so they could have warm food on the go.  The kids preferred our version of fast food, of course.

Another item on the scavenger hunt was the largest tub, which was through a room with all sorts of tubs.  This one stood on its own in a large room with a beautiful mosaic floor and gold statue behind it.  It is hard to see the statue in the sunlight.

The below picture is the ceiling in the map hall I believe.  It was absolutely beautiful with the painting and sculptures.  I had to consistently remind myself to look up!

We finally made it to the Sistine Chapel, but before entering we stopped at a bench where our guide told us about what we were going to see.  She shared with us some stories about Michelangelo and how he changed the painting based on events in his life.  It brought the paintings and his work to life as we learned more about him.  The picture below is the Pieta sculpture, which is Mary holding Jesus after he was crucified.  It is the only sculpture he ever signed, which is on the smooth area between Mary's breasts.

Below is the Papal Alter designed by Bernini and made of bronze.  Everything is huge, which makes it difficult to know the exact size.  For example, our guide shared with us the the letters above the alter to the left and right are estimated to be 12ft tall.

Here is a close up of St. Peter's dome.  Gotta love the zoom lens!!

Outside in St Peter's square.

Our tour ended at lunch time and our guide pointed us to another part of Rome where we could find some pizza for the kids.  As we ended our tour in St. Peter's we were separated from Randy and Aaron so Hailey and I went looking for him while our guide stayed there with Sydney.  We ended up getting sent down underneath St. Peter's and had to make our way back to where we left them.  Hailey kept asking why we were walking so fast.  I am sure we missed some cool things as we whizzed by.  We finally made our way back and there was no Randy.  He ended up going out and sitting on the bench outside after Aaron fell asleep on his shoulder.  We grabbed a cab and were off to Santa Maria in Trestevere area of Rome.

Aaron woke up in time to eat some pizza and then we were off to explore the area after see Santa Maria church.  It is one of the oldest churches in Rome and is dedicated to Mary.  The picture below is the main ceiling in the church and was amazing with all the gold and detail.

Aaron and I headed back to the hotel while Randy and the girls went out for more exploring and in search of gelato.  They made their way back to the same spot so Sydney could enjoy her favorite watermelon gelato.  The next morning we were off to the train station for a 6 hour train ride home.  We switched trains in Milan and were all happy to sleep in our own beds!!  We had one day at home and then were off to see some friends in Nendaz and ski.

Rome - Day 1

After a quick lunch at McDonalds in Milan, we were off to Rome.  Our train arrived around 3:30 and we all piled into a cab and headed to the hotel.  Our cab driver was a little reluctant to take five in the cab and I knew there was no way we would get two cabs, so I was very happy when he let all five of us in.  We stayed outside Rome so we could use points, which didn't work out as well as we had planned.  The hotel was nice, but there was nothing close by that was easy to access.  After a good nights rest, we were up early and on the 8am shuttle to Rome.  We arranged for a private tour guide and needed to meet her at 9am on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday we toured ancient Rome, which included the Coliseum and Forum.  We met our tour guide by the Arc of Constantine for a 4 hour tour of Rome.  We have never gone with a tour guide and I was hoping that we would learn more about Rome than if we were on our own while keeping the kids interested. We planned on grabbing a pastry for breakfast, except there wasn't a lot open and the kids were definitely hungry.  We finally made it to the Coliseum and didn't find anything along the way except a little shop inside the metro stop, so they ended up eating hot dogs for breakfast.  Oh well, at least they were fed and happy : )

Hot dogs for the kids for breakfast.  Breakfast of Champions in front of the Coliseum!

Sydney in front of Arc of Constantine.

Hailey's turn!

The weather was going to be in the mid to upper 50's so we thought long sleeve shirts and fleece coats would be warm enough eventually.  Well, the weather did get that warm, but it wasn't what we thought it would be, it was still chilly and we could have all used another layer.  We did end up buying the kids sweatshirts as a souvenir, but to also make sure they stayed warm when the sun started to fall behind the buildings.

Randy trying to keep Aaron warm while he finishes his hot dog.  He was still a little under the weather.

We were able to skip the lines and head straight in to the Coliseum.  Our guide shared a ton of information with us and the kids were very interested in the Gladiators, including who they fought and what type of weapon they used.  It was interesting to hear the kind of questions they thought of as we walked.  It was great to walk, talk, and learn all about Rome and even better that she knew exactly how to get to the restroom when one of the kids had to go.  It is the little things that make the trip so much more enjoyable!

When we were in the center looking at the arena and she was talking about who sat where, such as the emperor, Sydney wondered how they were protected.  She showed us a small area around the arena where guards stood with arrows ready to aim and anyone that may harm the emperor.  Hailey was interested in the tunnels under the arena and how the gladiators got into them to enter the arena.  She shared with us that they lead to houses outside the Coliseum that were no longer around.

We also saw this black cat stretched out at the Coliseum and our guide told us she was the queen of the Coliseum.  They had removed all cats, accept this one that refused to go, to another part of the city amongst some ruins and call it the cat sanctuary.  The queen is very friendly, will let you pick her up and is known to lay in front of tourists in hopes of getting some loving.  The kids absolutely loved her and our guide took us to the cat sanctuary later in the tour.

Queen of the Coliseum or a black cat.

It was absolutely amazing to walk into the Coliseum and think about how life must have been way back then.  The amount of people and work to build such a massive structure and how all the beauty was stripped as the time went on and different people ruled the area.  Most of the arena floor was gone except for one little section was added as part of the renovation.

Inside the Coliseum with a view under where the arena floor used to be.

A quick family picture with a not so happy Hailey.

Looking at the ruins have inspired them to create some structures of their own.

Our guide had a great book that showed what the ancient Rome looked like back then and made it easier to visualize what we were looking at.  After we made it through the Forum we were off for gelato, which Sydney was very excited for and discovered her new favorite, watermelon!!

Looking back at what is left of the Forum.

Before getting gelato we stopped by the cat sanctuary and a couple cats came out of the ruins so the kids could pet them.  We could have gone down to the sanctuary to hold kittens, but you could also adopt them and I knew what would happen if we went down there since there were many tears shed for Kiso and Remy who are living with my brother now.

Cat Sanctuary - a black and tabby cat in the sunlight.

Our tour guide left us at a restaurant with no menu and english.  She was kind enough to help us get our food ordered before leaving us for the day.  The kids enjoyed the pasta, but Aaron decided to eat parmesan cheese straight up.  That kid loves all sorts of cheese, even the strong stuff.  No more American/processed cheese when we return!

Aaron's lunch consisted of parmesan cheese straight up.

A quick pic of Aaron as we were walking through the streets of Rome.

Time for some cotton candy.  I wonder how big the large was!!

We ended the day with a walk through a market and a couple snacks stops along the way.  On our way back to the bus we noticed swarms of birds in the sky.  They were everywhere and it almost looked like they were flying in a pattern.  It was pretty cool until I got pooped on!!  We were all exhausted and ready for the bus ride back to the hotel where we watched a movie and ordered a small dinner from room service since we ate lunch at 2.  We spent day 2 at The Vatican and will post soon!

Milan

Friday night before Christmas the girls were off to a bday sleep over and we took Aaron to a Christmas Eve eve party where he was able to play with boys his age.  He was in heaven and had a blast.  The next morning we headed over to McKeehan's to pick up the girls and have an early Christmas Eve lunch with them.  We then headed home to start our Christmas celebration and dinner.  We also needed to get packed since we were heading to Rom on Monday.

To break up the train ride to Rome, we spent one night in Milan.  We are quickly learning that we will need two rooms when traveling in Europe to accommodate our family of 5.  In Milan we couldn't get connecting rooms so mom and dad had to split up to keep an eye on the kids.  We arrived around lunch time and after getting checked in we heading to the Duomo, the fourth largest church in the world.  It was massive and the kids loved taking the lift to the roof.  It wasn't until after looking at the pictures, that each spire has a small statue on the top.  The views were amazing!

Randy and kids in front of Duomo.

Covered shopping area next to Duomo.

Inside Duomo looking towards front of church.

View from the roof looking down at crowd and spires on top.

Randy and girls on the roof taking in the view.

Several spires with statues on top, absolutely amazing and took 424 years to build.

Randy and kids in front of castle in Milan.

Milan was a quick pit stop and the next morning it was back to the train station for our final destination.  In reflecting back at Milan Randy and I realized we had McDonalds twice in the short 24 hours.  It was a little cheaper than Switzerland, but a definite thumbs up from the kids.  You can only eat pizza so many times I guess and we were once again faced with not knowing Italian.  I will expand more on the language later : )

Aaron also ended up getting sick late on Christmas Eve so we were traveling with a sick and not so happy boy.  This meant there was far more carrying than I would have liked : (  He was a trooper and started to turn the corner when we arrived in Rome.  My little boy that never naps, fell asleep while we were on the tour of Vatican City and slept 2 hours on the train ride home.  I will post Rome soon, we are off to the airport today to pick up Aunt Bette.