SV Laurin: Days 215 & 216: 15th and 16th January 2018

Monday 15th Jan 2018

Up at 1:45 after a broken 5 hour sleep ready for our taxi arriving at 2:30 to take us to Manchester Airport. A huge sigh of relieve as our humongous charity shop suitcase along with our two holdalls weighed in under the required 60kg to satisfy Ryanair's baggage policy. Quick munch at our packed breakfast, drinking as much water as possible before emptying the bottles. We then proceeded to be the family you don't want to be behind as we rescued various electronics from our multitude of bags before going through security. In the end we used about 10 crates for our various devices and bags and still forgot the pouch of chargers which meant that one of our bags got diverted for a manual security check leaving me to deal with the other 9 crates and 2 kids while Patrick retrieved the culprit bag blaming it all on me! In the confusion I managed to misplace my phone, only finding it in one of our bags after I had asked the security staff to check all the empty trays in case AJ or E had put the tray back with it still in. At last we were through, and managed to find a water fountain to refill our bottles for the flight. Next step was to hope that our hand luggage also met their new requirements. We'd got priority boarding as it was part of a deal which only cost an extra £6 on top of our required luggage and allocated seats which luckily meant that nobody looked twice at our abnormal amount of carry on luggage.... result!

Flight was good, Esmé and I got some extra space as there was a spare seat next to us and very quickly we were on the descent into Rome, spotting the Colosseum much to the delight of the kids. Once out of the airport we got a coach transfer into Rome Termini Station and then stood staring at our multitude of bags figuring out the next part of the plan. It was 11:30am and we weren't due at the airbnb until 1pm. Our plan to find somewhere to eat at the station was thwarted by there being nowhere open for a substantial lunch until noon. A taxi driver refused to take us the short distance to the Airbnb where we hoped to find a more suitable restaurant so we decided to walk. The kids stepped up and both carried more than any of us thought possible while Patrick and I managed the rest. About half way we were waning and after initially walking past a very touristy restaurant we retraced our steps and went in! A rest, pasta, pizza and a beer for the adults was very welcome before we managed the last few hundred metres to the apartment. Eventually we were met by Paris, the owner, who showed us around and pointed out the basic groceries he had left for us. Biscuits, milk, tea bags, melba toast and Nutella!

After a brief snooze we headed out and got on a hop on hop off tourist bus where we got a great deal as it was late in the day and we just wanted to do one circuit. It wasn't particularly great but it killed an hour our so and got us out of the apartment whilst giving us an overview of Rome. Next stop was a local tiny supermarket to supplement the supplies left by Paris. Trying to put some kind of meal together at minimal cost, using the minimal kitchen at the flat, shopping in a tiny supermarket was a little bit of a challenge but we left with some beef stock, tiny pasta and a bag of frozen minestrone veg which made a lovely soup along with some crusty bread and butter! Cereal for morning and drinks completed our haul!

Tuesday 16th January 2018

A manic day of sightseeing. Off to the Termini Station to buy our Roma Pass that would give us entry to the Colosseum, public transport and discounted gladiator training. Next on to the metro to get to the Coliseum before too many crowds. It was quite a dismal day and despite the Colosseum being amazing, there is a limit to how much time you can stand in the rain looking at even the most fascinating structure. However our kids guide to Rome proved worth it's price tag as it is pitched at just the right level and Esmé loves it. She has just enough attention span to read and or listen to its narrative about the major landmarks in Rome. AJ listened to Rick Steves podcast audio guide as did I. It is a wonderful free resource compared with the 6 Euro audio guides available at the site.

Onwards to the Forum where again the Kids Guide to Rome came up trumps. AJ wanted us to take a photo of him down below from our high viewpoint. Feel free to play "Where's AJ" on the following photos.

We now had a long walk towards the Pantheon which could have been better planned, perhaps there might have been bus option. The kids were pretty tired by now and their whinging was only silenced by the occasional viewing of a fountain!

After hunting around we found a reasonably priced restaurant for lunch and again enjoyed pizza and pasta, this time sampling a mushroom and sausage lasagne! Well rested we spent 20 minutes inside the Pantheon, marvelling at the domed roof with the skylight open to the elements which let the rain fall through onto the marble floor below where two drain holes marked the centre of the building.