So...we are moving to England!: Mamma Mia!

Another year, another transatlantic trip for my Mother. She is becoming quite the world traveller. Oliver and Henry were very excited to see her.

They even made a "Welcome Back Nana" cake (with a little help from Beth).

Our first stop was to my favourite of all henges, Stonehenge.

(Close second, Brickhenge).

The first in a series I call "My Mom looking at famous things..."

Later in th week we had lunch at the Bull & Butcher.

Here is a picture of Turville, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang windmill, Beth and my Mom.

Outside the Bull & Butcher.

After a few days of R&R in Marlow we hopped on a flight to Rome. Little did we know when we booked the trip was that it was Roman Labor Day weekend. It was molto occupato (very busy)!

Here she is in front of the Pantheon.

Now with the crowds...(Where's Mum?)

We dined outside in Piazza Navona. The main attraction of Piazza Navona is the trio of fountains that adorn the square.

The Fontana del Moro by Bernini,

Another highlight at Navona square is the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. It was commissioned in 1652 by Pope Innocent X and built on the site where according to legend, St. Agnes was stripped naked, but miraculously saved from disgrace by extraordinary growth of hair.

The central and largest fountain is the Fountain of the Four Rivers. It was constructed between 1647 and 1651 by Bernini on request of Pope Innocent X.

The second in the series I call "My Mom looking at famous things..."

The Fontana del Nettuno, also known as the Calderari, was built in 1576 by Giacomo della Porta. The statues of Neptune surrounded by sea nymphs were added in the nineteenth century.

The next day it was off to Vatican City. Fun fact - Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy, Vatican City covers just over 100 acres, making it one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park. Vatican City is governed as an absolute monarchy with the pope at its head. The Vatican mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, issues passports and license plates, operates media outlets and has its own flag and anthem.

Vatican City are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums.

St. Peter's Basilica. By the fourth century and official recognition of the Christian religion in Rome, Emperor Constantine began construction of the original basilica atop the ancient burial ground with what was believed to be the tomb of St. Peter at its center. The present basilica, built starting in the 1500s, sits over a maze of catacombs and St. Peter’s suspected grave.

First we strolled through the Vatican museum. Every square inch is elaborately decorated. For example, here is the hallway leading to the Vatican Archives. It has been estimated that the archives contain 52 miles of shelving, 35,000 volumes and also the meaning of life. It is strictly off limits (but I think most of it is available for download to your Kindle).

St. Peter's Basilica

The Holy Door. The doors are normally sealed shut from the inside so that they cannot be opened. They are opened during Jubilee years, when pilgrims enter through those doors to gain the plenary indulgence connected with the Jubilee. It was last opened by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

The back side of the door. The Pope ceremoniously chisels the concrete away with a pick when it is time to open the door.

Inside the Basilica is the Pietà (1498–1499) - the only piece Michelangelo ever signed. This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of Mary after the Crucifixion.

Pope John Paul II's tomb - it was moved up from the crypts after he was beatified.

The Swiss Guard

The Swiss Guard’s role in Vatican City is strictly to protect the safety of the pope. Although the world’s smallest standing army appears to be strictly ceremonial, its soldiers are extensively trained and highly skilled marksmen.

The crowds at St. Peter's Square. The lines to get into the Vatican were over 3 hours long. Luckily, we were able to rent a wheel chair for my Mom. This not only allowed us to bypass the line and special access throughout the Vatican but it also allowed me the opportunity to exclaim "Its a miracle!!!" every time my Mom stood up inside the Vatican...

Roman Emperor Caligula built a small circus in his mother’s gardens at the base of Vatican Hill where charioteers trained and where Nero is thought to have martyred the Christians. To crown the center of the amphitheater, Caligula had his forces transport from Egypt a pylon that had originally stood in Heliopolis. The obelisk, made of a single piece of red granite weighing more than 350 tons, was erected for an Egyptian pharaoh more than 3,000 years ago. In 1586 it was moved to its present location in St. Peter’s Square, where it does double duty as a giant sundial.

A highlight was the Sistine Chapel. No pictures are permitted - you cannot even speak within the chapel without getting shushed by the guards. Truly awe-inspiring. For those of you that didn't see Angels and Demons with Tom Hanks and are not familiar with the Sistine Chapel, here is a couple of pictures of Michaelangelo's work (credit to the Huffington Post).

The ceiling is divided into 9 central panels, which depict The Creation of the World, The Expulsion of Adam and Eve, and The Story of Noah. Perhaps the most famous of these nine panels are The Creation of Adam, which shows the figure of God touching the fingertip of Adam in order to bring him to life, and Fall from Grace and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, which depicts Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden, then leaving the Garden in shame.

Beware the Ides of March! We stayed in a flat across the street from the exact spot where Roman senators stabbed Julius Caesar to death on March 14, 44 B.C. Believe it or not, it is now a cat sanctuary.

The flat was in the yellow building just to the right of the tree.

Another angle

Campo de' Fiori. This is another famous square full of outdoor restaurants and bars. Executions used to be held publicly in Campo de' Fiori. Here on February 17, 1600 the philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt alive for heresy, and all of his works were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican's Holy Office. In 1889 a monument to him was erected on the exact spot of his death: He stands defiantly facing the Vatican, reinterpreted in the first days of a reunited Italy as a martyr to freedom of thought. We ate here, too.

Beth and I actually stayed in Campo de' Fiori in a flat somewhere down this alley back in '05.

Salute! (Cheers!)

The next day we toured Rome by golf cart. You know, when in Rome...

Here is "Il Vittoriano" - a monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy.

Ruins of an old market

The Colosseum

Up next was San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) - a Roman Catholic church best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II.

St. Peter's chains are above the alter. The chains that bound St. Peter while he was imprisoned in Jerusalem were given to Pope Leo I in Rome. He placed them with the chains that held St. Peter when he was also imprisoned in Rome. (Apparently he did a lot of time in the joint). According to legend the two chains then miraculously joined together.

My view from the back of the golf cart...

A birds eye view of the famous Spanish Steps.

Part three in the series of "My Mom looking at famous things."

Piazza del Popolo - home to Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto, the "Twin" churches of Rome.

Another view of the Spanish Steps from the opposite angle.

Notice the hat. People thought she was a local - they were practically asking her for directions.

Some well earned gelato.

Another trip to St. Peter's Square @ the Vatican.

A picture of the Pope's flat where he sometimes opens the window and blesses the crowd (2nd to the last window on the right, middle floor).

The fourth in the series of "My Mom looking at famous things..."

Then we swung back over to the Coliseum before dinner.

The fifth in the series of "My Mom looking at famous things..."

The Arch of Constantine was erected by the Roman Sentate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312.

After saying goodbye to the Coliseum we hopped in the back of a bicycle taxi to a restaurant where we dined on an classic Italian dish - shrimp risotto. It was not exactly what we had in mind. It looked something like this, but with more prawn and scarier.

After returning 'home' to England we continued the touring and visited Westminster Abbey. Last year we were thwarted in our attempt as the Abbey was closed to prepare for the Queen's arrival. This year we had better luck. Unfortunately photography is not permitted in the Abbey but I can tell you that it is spectacular. Here is a photo from the Daily Mail to give you an idea.

It's been the nation's Coronation church since the crowning of William the Conqueror in 1066. Since 1100, there have been 16 royal weddings at the abbey, most recently the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (who had Baby No. 2, Princess Charlotte, during my Mother's visit). Charles Dickens, Godfrey Chaucer and Charles Darwin are buried in the church's grounds as well as 17 Kings and Queens. It is also where Princess Diana's funeral was held.

The last in the series of "My Mom looking at famous things."