The last portion of our trip was in Rome.  We didn’t know it, but this would turn out to be our favorite part of the whole trip.  We took the train from Venice to Rome.  We almost missed that train when they suddenly changed our platform with NO warning, but luckily we all got on (with all our luggage) in time.

We didn’t waste any time [I feel like this was the theme of our trip, actually].  We checked into our hotel and then walked to the Colosseum.  

After our walkabout we made our way over to the Roman Forum.  This was Zach and I’s first time here – we’ve never spent more than 24 hours in Rome at a time, so we were never able to make it in the past.  It was truly fascinating. 

After the forum we were all starving.  We had plans to dine at a place overlooking the Colosseum, but it was completely booked for the entire weekend.  So, at the suggestion of our concierge at the hotel, we dined at Pizza Circo.  BEST pizza I’ve had in Italy thus far.  If we ever make it back to Rome – we’re dining here every night.  

We walked back to our hotel from the restaurant.  The ladies made a stop in Zara – where they literally were forced us out because they were trying to close – but that didn’t stop us from a few solid purchases.  Those men of ours waited patiently outside the entire time.

The next morning we made our way over to the Vespa rental shop.  Turns out they messed up our reservation, but luckily we found five Vespas at another location.  It turned out to be better, perhaps, because we got hooked up with some pretty impressive scooters.  The whole Vespa rental was a major topic of discussion between Zach and I before the trip.  Zach was convinced it wasn’t a good (or safe) idea, but I pushed back.  I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant when they told us we had to have “experience driving Vespas” or “had to have motorcycle licenses”.  Luckily Zach once owned a scooter and both my mom and aunt had motorcycle licenses.  Like 30 years ago, but still.  We smiled and nodded at the shop owner – convincing him we were totally capable of maneuvering the busy streets of Rome.

I had mapped out a whole route for our Vespa gang.  We were going from one monument to the next, in a zig-zag pattern all over the city.  Let me preface this adventure by saying how incredibly dangerous Vespa scooters have the potential to be.  Zach was driving our scooter and I was on the back navigating on my phone.  One hand holding onto the safety bar, the other hand scrolling around on my phone.  Rome is just like any other big city when it comes to commuters, but Vespa driving through Rome is not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.  Especially on those multi-lane roundabouts!

We drove to the Pantheon first, then had lunch nearby Trevi Fountain.  After Trevi we drove to the Piazza Navona.  We stopped for gelato and sat in the shade.  Our last stop was Piazza de Popolo, which was very close to our dinner destination.

We ate at a trendy rooftop restaurant.  The food was good, but the view was even better.

We decided to drive back to the hotel to grab some warmer layers so we could go back out on our Vespas after the sun went down.  

We took my family to see the Colosseum all lit up at night – my favorite way to see the monument.  This is where a select few of us had a scary run-in with a bus.  Luckily, nobody was hurt – but only inches away, truthfully.  

We rode our Vespa’s back to our hotel, but not before we stopped for our second round of gelato.  

The next morning we still had our Vespas [we had rented them for 24 hours] so we decided we needed to squeeze every penny out of our rental.  We rode around the city until we had to return them at 11:00 am.  We got lunch afterwards near the Vatican at Pastasciutta.  It was the best pasta I had the whole trip.  The pesto was out of this world.

We then walked over to St. Peter’s to walk through the Basilica.  Afterwards we all walked over to the Vatican Museum so we could see the Sistine Chapel.  (Ignore the angle of this photo – there are still no photos allowed, so we had to get creative.)

Then we took an Uber back to the hotel before dinner.  We walked through one of the most charming neighborhoods and had pizza at a busy and very popular local pizza place.  It was our last night of the trip and we all couldn’t believe how fast it had actually happened.

We made our way back to our hotel and stopped for our last few scoops of gelato.  

Rome surprised both Zach and I.  I think the Vespas will go down as one of the best things we did.  Definitely not the safest, Zach was absolutely right, but the most enjoyable by far.

We had been planning and anticipating this trip for over a year.  It came and went so fast, it didn’t even feel like two weeks.  Luckily, coming home was easier than ever.  We had a little girl waiting for us at home that we literally couldn’t stay away from any longer.

I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to make these memories with my family.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime trip.  I know we’ll never get to do something like this again with our entire crew – especially because our family is only going to get bigger from here on out – and it’s only going to get more difficult to go on vacations in general.  But the time we had together we’ll never forget, as cheese ball as it sounds.  I love my family and loved every moment of these two weeks together with them.

The next day we flew Air France from Paris to Venice.  We gave ourselves plenty of time and arrived early at the airport (CDG is always tricky) and relaxed for a bit beforehand.  Our flight arrived in Venice late afternoon.  We all hopped on a water taxi to the city which took about an hour.  I hadn’t been to venice for 8 years.  There really is no city on earth like it.  When we all got off our stop with all of our luggage it started to POUR.  We rolled as fast as we could through the alley ways until we finally spotted our hotel, which was tucked away in a hidden little courtyard.  

After we checked in we all met up and walked to dinner.

Unfortunately the place I had found to eat at was closed – a lot of places close early in Venice, apparently.  So we picked a place nearby and hunkered down for some carbo-loading.  The rain started up as we were walking home, but that didn’t stop some from experiencing their first Italian gelato.

The next morning we all gathered up to see the sites.  We found a “hole” 10 yards from the courtyard entrance to our hotel where Zach and Blake had WAY too much fun scaring unexpecting tourists riding by on gondolas.

Then we walked over Rialto Bridge to the Rialto Market.  We did some shopping and then took in one of the best views in the whole city.  

For lunch we walked over to Dal Moro’s [Fresh Pasta to Go].  There was a line out the door and down the alley, but we managed to walk away with giant containers of authentic homemade pasta.  

And because it’s socially acceptable to get gelato multiple times a day – we started early.  

We crossed a few bridges and made our way over to St. Mark’s Square.  

Luckily, Gary went in to Tour Guide Mode and directed us to the entrance of the church.  

Then we split into couples (sans my uncle, we had literally walked him to death) and boarded our gondolas.  We shared a gondola with my brother and sister-in-law.  It is always a highlight of Venice.  No matter how many times you’ve done it, it is by far the best way to see the city.  

Then we split up briefly.  My parents, Blake and Britt, and my aunt all went shopping.  Zach and I found some sodas and a shady spot by the water to watch the boats.

Later that evening we all met up again for dinner.  My family surprised Zach and I with the most hilarious purchase possible.  Zach had brought his Yeezy’s on the trip and my mom couldn’t stop asking him about them.  Why were they named Yeezy’s?  Who was Yeezy?  When we split up that afternoon they happened to walk into a little store who sold knock-offs and all four of them purchased a pair.  They all put them on and wore them for dinner.  I couldn’t stop laughing about it…

That night we had dinner at an Osteria just a short walk away from our hotel.  The crab and zucchini pasta blew. my. mind.

Afterwards we grabbed gelato [again] and found a spot by the water.  There was a gondola docked right by our feet along with an abandoned hat.  Zach hopped on for a quick photo op and seconds later the gondolier showed up, madder than a hornet.  Zach kept telling him how nice his boat was, but that didn’t make him any less upset.  We got out of there as quick as we could.

We ended our last night in Venice in a random courtyard until the sun went completely down.    

Venice is such a small city.  You could walk from one end to the other in 30 minutes – maybe less.  That’s why we only spent a day and a half there – which was enough time to see all the sights and eat way too much gelato.

Sunday morning we left for Paris.  We took the Eurostar from St. Pancras Station.  I love that train ride.  I would almost prefer to travel by train within Europe than by plane.  It’s so comfortable (literally, more leg room) and you don’t have to go through all the hassle of security.

The ride went by quickly and we were in Paris and checked into our hotel with the whole afternoon to spare.

So my family could familiarize themselves with the city, we took them on a boat tour on the Seine.

I love the view from the river – especially when you go under the bridges by the Louvre and then past the Ile de la Cité where you can see Notre Dame.

Afterwards we took an Uber to Dinner.  It was one of my favorite meals of the trip, but it might have been because we were all starving.  Cafe Central is where it’s at.

Then we walked a little ways over to the Champ de Mars to get a good view of the Eiffel Tower.

Then we all rode the elevator up to to get a view from the Eiffel Tower.

We didn’t go all the way to the top.  Most of my family did, but Zach, Kenny, and I went back down to get a crepe.  Nothing is more magical that seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night.  Call me cliche…but really.

We enjoyed our crepes and then made our way back to our hotel.

The next morning we all set off for the Arc de Triomphe.  Luck would have it that the Arc had been closed for a while and opening day was Monday, the exact day Zach and I had planned to take my family there.  The view from the Arc de Triomphe is my favorite – more than anywhere else (inducing the Eiffel Tower).  The arc is in a giant round-a-bout and all of these streets combine at the base.  In every direction you can see tree-lined streets and Parisian rooftops.  It is so dreamy.

Then, because it’s just down the street on the Champ-Élysées, we went to Laduree for some macarons.  I bought a giant round box – 15 macarons if I’m being honest – and between Zach and I we had them all gone by the morning.  FIFTEEN.  

We took our goodies and made our way to the Pompidou via the Metro.  There was an exhibit that had opened and the lines to get in were around the block.

We had planned to eat at one of our go-to Paris restaurants [Geoffroy l’Olive] but it was closed because it was a religious holiday.  “Whit Monday”.  So we hopped in an Uber and made our way over to Notre Dame to eat lunch at a nearby cafe.  We popped inside the cathedral after our lunch for a bit and even though it was overcast, the stained glass windows still looked amazing.

After going through Notre Dame we went over to the [new] Love Lock Bridge.  It used to be the Pont de Arts, but they tore the railings off of the existing bridge and replaced it with reinforced steel and glass.  (That means that the other two locks that we have attached to that bridge are gone.)  But people wanted to keep the tradition alive – so they all just moved to a different bridge.  We bought our locks on said bridge – close to the Musee d’Orsay – and did it again for good measure.  You can never be too superstitious.

Then we walked over to the Tulleries.  We passed through the gardens and over to the Louvre.  We went through the mall entrance so we could see the “DaVinci Code Pyramid”.  We needed a photo in front of it – it is tradition.  We got a photo together on our first trip to paris in 2007 and have done one EVERY SINGLE TIME we’ve gone back.

…and we had to take a unique one, for posterity.

After the Louvre we walked to the Madeline.  After walking through we went across the street to the Paris London Cafe.

Then we made our way back to our hotel and picked up a few crepes at a stand on the way.

The next day my family went to Versailles.  Zach and I decided to stay in the city and we weren’t going to meet up with my family until 6:00 pm.  So before venturing out, we made an early morning run to the Louvre.  There were less than a handful of people anywhere and we made it to the courtyard right when the sun was coming up.

After we were all showered up we took the Metro to the St. Martin Canal.  Zach found a little place that you could rent a boat to cruise around.  They even packed you a picnic basket – including some beverages of your choice.

The boats were small but surprisingly fast.  We sipped on our sodas zipped around the canal.

Zach was a wonderful captain.  He later convinced me to try my hand at driving.  You would think being raised with a boat that I would be a natural…

…but I almost ran right into the tour boat in the above photo.  Luckily, I recovered.  But the tour boat occupants were just as scared as we were for a brief moment.

We returned our boat and made our way over to le Marais.  We stopped in a few stores – including Nike and Supreme – and stopped at a cafe for some lunch.  I managed to buy a few gifts for Sloan at COS before we had to make our way over to meet my family for dinner.

We ate at Pizza Amalfi – another tradition.  The staff hasn’t changed in almost 10 years.  The same sweet man, I never remember to ask his name, recognizes me each time.  He calls me “Principessa” and usually gives me some sort of treat.  What was this visit’s treat?  A photo op with him in his special hat and sunglasses…

Shocker:  we had crepes for dessert on our way back to the hotel.

The next day my aunt and uncle had set up an all-day bus tour to Normandy.  So it was just the six of us for the entire day.

We rode the Metro to Montmartre.

We walked up and down the streets.  First to see the Moulin Rogue, where my Dad was truly convinced he could “go in and just take a peek”.  At 10:00 am in the morning, as if a show were going on.

We stopped at a patisserie for some croissants and a traditional baguette and then ascended the hill to the Sacred Heart.  

We managed to arrive at the basilica just as a service was starting.  It was very interesting to watch and even more beautiful to listen to.  One of those sisters had some real pipes on her.

We walked back down the long way through one of my favorite areas.

We had lunch at Cafe St. Regis – famous for their croques.  After lunch we took the Metro to the Catacombs.  Zach and I decided to walk up to the Luxembourg Gardens while my family walked through the museum.  We both had never been – and it was better than we expected.

We walked the grounds and then did some people watching until it was time to meet back up with our crew.

Then we all made our way to the Louvre.  Wednesday nights are the only evenings that the Louvre is open later than normal hours – it was what we did on our very first date.  We took my family through the Denon Wing to see the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and of course – my personal favorite – Nike.

We then went over to the Richelieu Wing where we walked through the Napoleon Apartments.  We refueled with some macarons and croissants at the Paul on the main level.  We only spent a few hours there – but felt like we had seen all of the highlights.  We even ran into Zach’s brother an sister-in-law totally on accident!

We had dinner at Blend – a very unique burger restaurant – and then walked back to our hotel afterwards where we managed to enjoy our last crepe of the trip from a cart on the street.

Paris is my favorite city.  I think it will always be.  Tomorrow, if it were possible, the three of us would move there.  Every time we go back I am that much closer to convincing Zach to actually do it.  With that being said, Paris was not my favorite part of this little adventure.  Venice and Rome won me over again – and they were the perfect finale to our family Euro Trip.

Let me start off by saying that I am a total hypocrite.  Before I had Sloan I used to roll my eyes at mothers that said they “couldn’t bare to leave” their kids to go on a vacation.  I would think to myself, “These moms are so bizarre.  I won’t bat an eye when Zach and I decide to go on a trip after we have kids.”  I was so naive.

My family started planning this trip over a year ago.  Long story short:  My parents discovered a forgotten account they had started for my brother and I’s education fund.  They split it and gave us each the money they had accumulated.  We tried to refuse it, to give it back, but they insisted it was ours because they had saved it for US.  We both felt guilty about taking it.  So what did we do with the money?  Bought them an all expense paid trip to Europe.  Well…not really.  Because technically they paid for it.  But you get the thought behind it.

We narrowed down our destinations to London, Paris, Venice, and Rome.  We booked airfare, hotels, train tickets, and so on and then just counted down the months until May.  We were going to be gone for two weeks and we were taking Sloan with us.

Only a few months back – Zach told me he didn’t think it was a good idea to take Sloan on the trip anymore.  He was worried about the time change [8 hours is pretty intense], no opportunities for her to nap, and not to mention the fact that select restaurants and other facilities don’t have the resources we would need for a baby:  changing tables, high chairs, pack and plays.  I had already done so much planning with Sloan in mind, even purchased some things for her to use abroad.  He told me to really consider the option of her staying home – and I told him I would.   I thought long and hard about it and I still wanted to take her, but he was adamant.  So I gave him an ultimatum:  if he could find someone that I knew and trusted to watch Sloan for two straight weeks, I would agree to do it.  It took him 2 hours.  The sweet girl that babysits Sloan on Saturday nights for us agreed to take work off to watch her for 14 days.  Ugh, I hate when he is right.  He’s usually right.  Looking back on our trip now, we definitely could have done the whole trip with Sloan – but it was so much easier and more comfortable for all of us [including her] for her to stay home with Hayley.

Anyway, enough of the back story.   May 11th seemed like forever away, and then it came.  I had been so busy packing for myself and getting everything prepped for Sloan that the time got away from me.  The logistics of the trip and all the prep at home I had to do kept me distracted from the fact that I would be away from my baby for two whole weeks.  Hayley dropped us off at the airport to meet my family and I was a rock until I had to get out of the car and kiss her goodbye.  I lost it.  She lost it.  We were both crying – but she had no clue why.  I had to shut the car door on my baby while she was screaming for me to pick her up and take her out of her car seat.  It was awful, but I did it.

We took the new nonstop Delta flight from SLC to Heathrow.  It was smooth, Zach and I slept for the greater part of it.  When we arrived in London we had a full day ahead of us.  So we checked in to our hotel, freshened up, and set out.  No one but Zach and I had been to any of these cities before, so we got to show them all the big attractions and relive our glory days on our Study Abroad.

We hit up Buckingham Palace…

…where my uncle managed to make two ladies dressed in their tea party best VERY uncomfortable.

Then Westminster Abbey, Big Ben…

We made our way over the bridge to check out the London Eye and then hopped on the Tube to dine at Steak & Co.  It was a great first day.  We were all a little exhausted and tired at the end with full bellies, but none of us fell asleep so I’d call that a win.

The next day I had scheduled my family to visit Windsor Castle, which both Zach and I love, but stayed back to try something new instead.  We took an Uber to Shoreditch where we had brunch at the Cereal Killer Cafe.

Every possible cereal you could think of – they had it.  Along with every possible option of milk.  And I paired my Protein Cheerios [I am obsessed] with some almond milk and a Diet Coke.  Zach got a concoction that even he can’t remember exactly what was in it.  I was just as pleased with the 90’s vibe the place had:  pictures of JT and Britney, posters from hit series like Clarissa Explains it All, and in lieu of benches, they had beds to sit on with Bart Simpson sheets.

Afterwards we roamed around Shoreditch.  It is the Brooklyn of London.  Vintage and specialty shops, trendy restaurants, street art.

Then we did some shopping at BOXPARK, a little shopping area made of shipping containers.

Then we made our way over to Trafalgar Square and popped in the National Gallery.

We had lunch at Shake Shack afterwards in Covent Garden.

After my family was done at Windsor, we all met up at the Tower of London.

Then off to St. Paul’s before dinner.

We had dinner at Bread Street Kitchen, one of my favorite meals of the whole trip.

On Friday nights only, the British Museum is open late (until 8:30 pm) – so we rushed off so my family could check out the Rosetta Stone before it closed.

Like I said, we really packed it in on this trip.  We walked back to our hotel to rest up for the next day.

Day 3 my family went to Blenheim Palace.  It’s almost a full-day trip (including the train ride to and from London) so Zach and I stayed in the city.  Zach took me to House of Vans – an old Underground Station that had been converted into a skate park.

He obviously didn’t bring a skateboard with him – so he borrowed one from a 10-year-old boy.  It was honestly the highlight of my day watching him.

I had a little inkling into my future watching the little kids in the skate camp.  I have a feeling one day my mornings will be spent watching my kids learn to skateboard.  If Zach has his way, I mean.

We had lunch and then stopped at Borough Market.

It was amazing – and the first time for both of us!  There was fresh fruit, cheese, bread, olive oil, freshly squeezed juice.  Like a Farmer’s Market on steroids – and with a British accent, of course.

Then we met up with my family at a Fish and Chips restaurant [my Mom’s only request of the entire trip].  

The ladies went shopping afterwards on Oxford Street and then we all made our way over to Picadilly Circus.  

It was our last night in London – so we made our way back to our hotel in Holborn to pack our bags for Paris the next morning.