Europe By The Numbers

The number of days spent in Europe: 56

The number of countries visited: 3

The number of kilometres we put on our car: 7,119

The number of photographs we took: 5,698

The number of trips to a doctor: 4

The number of bottles of wine we drank: I can't remember......

The number of pizzas devoured in Italy: 17

The number of sprained knees in Spain: 1

The number of migraines suffered in Naples: 2

The number of calories consumed: 4,859,034,150,873,354,286,912,119,386

The number of pairs of shoes thrown out: 4

The number of pairs of shoes purchased: 7

The number of times someone had their bum grabbed in Rome: 3

The number of times someone's iPod went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea: 1

The number of days we spent on a beach: 4

The number of times someone ironed: 1

The number of times I drove the car:  0

The number of times someone accidentally broke a window pane in an antique door: 1

The number of times someone broke a door knob and locked everyone out of the house for the evening: 1

The number of blog posts:  85

The number of comments on my blog: 141

The number of books read: 17

The number of times someone ate an octopus: 1

The number of new European friends: Many

The cost of this vacation: PRICELESS!

LOVE

Graffiti in Rome.

This is how I feel about travelling in Europe.

Ciao Roma!

Graffiti on the banks of the Tiber River

We are leaving Rome this morning. Not only are we leaving Rome, we are leaving Europe.

Thank you Rome for your art, history, food, wine and people.

We can never thank you enough, Europe, for the fabulous trip we have had with our children. It has been an experience none of us will ever forget.

We have been blessed to spend 2 months in Spain, France and Italy.

See you again.

Italian Food

Tomatoes, olive oil, bread, cheese and olives. And wine. That's all one needs to survive. Period.

Vatican Museum

A series of colourful frescoes from the 1400s rescued from a condemned church.

'The Transfiguration' by Raphael was painted just before he died in 1520. He was buried in the Pantheon. This painting accompanied his funeral.

A 3,000 year old mummy.

The 'Belvedere Torso'.

This is all that remains of an ancient statue of Hercules.

It is said that Michelangelo loved this piece of rock. He'd caress the statue lovingly and tell people, "I am a pupil of the Torso."

This hall of ancient statues, urns, friezes, tapestries and maps is one quarter of a mile long!

Paintings and statuary abound.

The Sistine Chapel. (Photo taken from a postcard.)

We went to the Vatican Museum on Thursday. That place is overwhelming. It is FULL of incredible art, but there is much too much to look at! It is art overload for sure.

An art history major once told me that if you stood in front of every piece of art in the Vatican Museum for only 12 seconds, you'd be in the museum for 3 years.

I believe it.

The best is saved for last, that's for sure. The Sistine Chapel is mind-boggling to say the least. But it's too bad the guards ruin the experience by shushing the crowd every minute or so. The people aren't loud. They are just excited to talk about what they are seeing with their family and friends.

For Pete's sake, let the tourists whisper in the Sistine Chapel!

Gallery Borghese

This palace belonged to the non-religious Cardinal Borghese, a nephew of Pope Paul V. Cardinal Borghese had this villa built in the 16oos to showcase his fantastic collection of ancient works.

'Apollo and Daphne', by Bernini. 1625.

A detail of 'The Rape of Persephone', by Bernini. 1622.

'Two Babies Milking A Goat' by Bernini.

HE SCULPTED THIS PIECE WHEN HE WAS ONLY 11 YEARS OLD!

On Wednesday we went to the Gallery Borghese in the Borghese Villa Gardens. I think this is my favourite art gallery in Rome. The Bernini sculptures are like nothing I've ever seen before. Pure genius. Pure, pure genius.

Spanish Steps

Looking down the Spanish Steps.

Looking up the Spanish Steps.

Piazza di Spagna is a very popular hang-out spot for locals and tourists alike.