Last Days: Spanish Steps, Fraschetteria Brunetti, Borghese Gardens, Trajan's Baths, and a big old thing

---

On our last full day we headed for what we knew would be a huge hit with Delaney, the Spanish Steps. As expected she really enjoyed going up and down the steps over and over again while taking breaks to wave to her adoring fans. We were only saved from an eternity of stairs by a glimpse of the horses at the bottom of the stairs. Delaney had never seen a horse before and thought they were very silly.

After the stairs we stopped by the Piazza del Popolo before tracking down our lunch choice: Freschetteria Brunetti. We had chosen it based on its purported offering of 11 different kinds of lasagna (including a gorganzola walnut variety). Sadly, they don't serve lasagna during lunch. Our waitress brought us the handwritten offerings of the day and kindly explained each and every item. She talked us in to an antipasto plate with buffalo mozzarella as a 'starter'. What she brought to the table was perhaps the most delicious plate of smoked meats, slices of bread pre-smeared with tasty spreads, strips of foccacia bread, olives, and the hands-down best ball of mozzarella ever to grace a plate.

During our appetizer chow down the staff was clapping and singing along with the music (we were the only people in the restaurant). Delaney had recently mastered clapping and was really enjoying clapping along with them. Once the staff noticed she was clapping along with them, they were hooked.

For our main course we had the gnocchi with butter and sage and fettuccine with mushrooms. While these dishes sound basic, the execution was spectacular. The gnocchi was not the mashed potato nuggets we get in the States, but instead was sliced like polenta and pan fried. You could instantly tell that ever morsel was made on the premises. Delaney enjoyed every bite.

As we finished our liter of wine at a leisurely pace, Pat took Delaney outside to walk. Of course, she immediately found some stairs across the street and headed down them. She walked right in to a private goldsmith workshop and was greeted in excited Italian by the older men working there. They immediately picked her up and started showing her all the shiny things in the workshop. When it was my turn to watch her, she went back to say hi to them again. She was clearly making friends.

The friend making wasn't limited to goldsmiths. The restaurant staff were quite smitten as well. They treated us to a shot of lemoncello in an attempt to keep Delaney there longer I think. They carried her around the restaurant and showed her all the different equipment. For awhile, we thought she had a new job.

It may have been the wine, but leaving our lunch actually brought tears to my eyes. It was the most perfect afternoon for ending our trip. In those few hours, there was a microcosm of everything I've appreciated most about our trip: great food (obviously), laughter, and most importantly the time to slow down and truly appreciate how blessed we are to have Delaney in our lives. People thought we were crazy to travel with a one year old. We now think you are crazy not to travel with your one year old. Yes, you must adjust to their schedule, but you're going to have to do that at home anyway. The biggest souvenir I got from our trip was the time to stop worrying about all the day to day issues at home that sometimes prevented me from simply enjoying my daughter. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Ok, Hallmark moment aside, after nap time we headed to the Borghese Gardens. We had planned on renting bicycles in just about every city, but never actually did it so we finally pulled the trigger. Bicycle is a bit of a stretch. We actually rented a two person rickshaw with motorized assist. Delaney had a great time riding in the basket seat in the front. After our 1 hour ride we wandered the park and let D play in the little wooden playhouses. Then it was time to head home and pack our bags one last time.

In the morning we hauled our bags to luggage storage at Termini station and decided we should probably go take a picture at the Colosseum. It was wickedly hot so we stopped at a shady playground near Trajan's baths on our way. Then we got to the Colosseum just in time for the camera battery to die (ugh!). By the time we got a brief charge on the camera and snapped the picture, we didn't have time for the nice leisurely lunch we had planned and instead just grabbed a plate at a cafeteria and headed to the airport. It made the previous day's lunch that much more special.

I won't trouble you all with the terrible details of our return trip nightmare (although it did include the bright spot of being upgraded to Business class from Barcelona to London). Suffice it to say that the worst part of the entire trip was the two long haul flights. Everything else was easy.

That brings us to the end of our trip. Thanks for following along. We hope you enjoyed it and maybe even were inspired to pack up your own bags (and kiddos) and hit the global road.

---

Comments

[Mirm]

Thanks
Thanks for sharing this great trip via blog. We have enjoyed every post, and we have been inspired to try blogging our own upcoming adventure!