May Day, May Day!

After zonking off to sleep early, I woke up about 1am feeling hot and sweaty.

Jules and Kim both woke up, too.

I'm not sure if we all woke up because it was blazing hot in the room or not, but I opened the window and the crisp air felt so good.

None of us was able to go back to sleep, especially when the bars started to close down and all of the people were out on the street enjoying some midnight revelry. I am assuming because Monday is a holiday, May 1st (May Day). 

May Day is an ancient Spring festival as well as the International Worker's Day that commemorates the Haymarket Affair. A few lives were lost on that day to fight for an 8 hour work day.

We celebrate Worker's Day (Labor Day) in September in the US, but whatever day we celebrate, it is a good time to think about what it means.

I finally got back to sleep around 4am, Kim and Jules a while later. We all woke up again fully rested around 11am. 

After a quick shower, we were out the door and headed to get some cappuccino and to see some sights.

Jules has read some books that are set in Rome (Dodsworth in Rome). In that book, they go to Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. That's where we headed today. 

It was a bit of a hike to get over there, so we stopped for a panini for a snack on the way. We found a great little piaza to sit and eat while Jules chased pigeons around and came back every once in a while for a bite of sandwich. He was so excited just to be there.  It was fun just watching him run around.

Along the way to Trevi, we went through the Forum area and saw a bunch of archaeological sites that were really interesting. After 2000 years, much of it is still standing. Amazing.

A proper visit to the Coliseum and the Forum is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

 

When we got to Trevi Fountain, the place was PACKED! 

Jules and I made our way through the crowd down to the fountain and threw coins over our left shoulder and made a wish to return to Rome again.

Here's Mr. Cool Breeze, hanging out in Trevi Fountain:

 

After Trevi Fountain, we headed over to the Spanish Steps. I counted 135 steps to the top.

Jules had a moment to pretend to be Mr. Dodsworth and "sleep" on the steps. 

At the top of the steps we walked over to the Villa Borghese Gardens, which is a massive area full of lots of fun and games for kids and families. You could probably spend hours and hours in there, but we only had a little while to hang out before we needed to head back to the apartment.

So we hiked our way back down the Spanish Steps, past Trevi Fountain, past the Forum, and into our neighborhood for a nice dinner. Afterward, we took Jules out for some gelato and a stroll back to the apartment.

With tired feet and happy faces, we drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow will be filled with another adventure in Rome!