On our second day in Rome we had 9 AM reservations to tour the Vatican. Our hotel was fairly close to the Vatican, so we figured if we left by 8:30, we'd be able to walk there in plenty of time. Well, that would be the case if we walked the right direction! We ended up at Piazza Del Popolo (my bad!) before we realized we had gone the wrong way. So, instead of a 20-minute walk, it was about a 45-minute walk and 25 minutes of that was a very brisk walk. We were worried about missing yet another museum reservation. Luckily when we got there there was absolutely no line, so it turned out we didn't need reservations anyways. But better safe than sorry. So, we were able to get in just fine and enjoyed spending the morning touring the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Tombs of the Popes.
Pictures of us in the Vatican Gardens:
Pictures inside the Vatican museums:
An against-the-rules picture of Rachel inside the Sistine Chapel. Notice how I had to totally lighten it up because we didn't use our flash... It was in the Sistine Chapel that we actually ran into some of our friends who had an earlier reservation at the Vatican. Good timing! 
Inside St. Peter's Basilica:
After touring around the inside we found out you could go up to the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. So, we rode an elevator half way up and then had to climb 320 steps on our own. Definitely worth the views we enjoyed - St. Peter's Square from above:
A group shot in front of St. Peter's Square:
After visiting the Vatican we walked down the street, grabbed some lunch, and then headed to Castel Sant'Angelo. Right as we got to Castel SantAngelo it started to rain. Everyone got a good laugh at me as I attempted to wear a poncho while wearing Audrey as well. Doesn't quite work...
The kids just being kids...
A view of the Ponte Sant'Angelo (bridge with angels) from the Castel:
Rachel in one of the prison cells???:
For some reason we didn't take many pictures of our tour inside and around the castle. From there we headed to Piazza Navona.
Roman-style drinking fountain - Andy's right in there with the kids!
We then walked to the Pantheon just in time for it to start pouring rain.
So, we ducked inside and rested on the benches for awhile. See the ropes? That's because the Pantheon has a huge whole at the top. I didn't know that - you learn something new every day. Rachel was quite concerned about the hole in the roof. If you ask her about it; she'll simply tell you they ran out of bricks. The easy ways to appease a 3-year old...
Once the rain let up a bit, we got some gelato. This is just one curve of the gelato display. I would say they definitely beat Baskin Robbins! :) This particular gelateria ended up being our favorite. We returned on Friday night as well... For a good price, you could get a cone with three different scoops of gelato. We all enjoyed different combinations and taking tastes of each others' choices.
Audrey enjoying a drink while we all have gelato. She's still not a fan of cold things.
After having some gelato we decided we had walked enough for the day. So, we grabbed the infamous 61 bus (known for pick-pocketers) and then grabbed another little bus to explore the Trastevere area. We meant to get some dinner there, but didn't get off the bus soon enough. So, we enjoyed some views of Rome, hopped back on the bus, and headed back to more familiar territory.
On our way to find some dinner we passed by St. Peter's Basilica:
We then found a little place to eat near our hotel and then called it a night. Another enjoyable day in Rome! :)
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