We flew into room from Iceland, only a two hour time change to adjust to, and spent the day just walking around. We took a bus from our hotel by the airport, which was a bit of a ride but due to how crazy people drive in Italy, I was glad we didn’t rent a car.

We walked around, relaxed that we had tours scheduled for the major sites later. We stopped for snacks and cold drinks at a small pastry shop and stopped at a playground to let Kaya run free (only a relatively short walk from the Colosseum, we were walking to get away from the crowds and into the shade of the park and stumbled upon it; Oppian Hill Park). I was impressed by the playground having the backdrop of ruins. Living in the U.S. where nothing is THAT old makes every bit of history seem stunning.