Rome, Italy (Day 5)

We decided to take a break from history and art and spend a day at the Bioparco, or the Zoo.  It's over on the other side of Rome from where we were staying, in the Villa Borghese, so we took a cab over there.  Mostly we stuck to public transportation on this trip, but it was just more time efficient to take a cab, since we were staying far away from there.

First stop, the giraffes!  This guy came right over, got a little snack, and then went back into his comfy home.

My very favorite stop is ALWAYS the reptile house.  I'm not sure Natalie was feeling the same way here about the crocodiles!  But you know they are my favorite animal!

Look at this sweet, sleepy frog!  He looks so comfy and happy!

Next up, the sweet orangutans.  This sweet baby came right up to the kids (and other kids) and just sat there and stared at them.  It was really cute!  I wonder if he (she?) thought he (she?) was going to get a treat?

I don't know why this is funny to me- I think because the model and Natalie have the same hair color and that someday, Grant IS going to be taller than Natalie! 

After a quick lunch, which was incredibly difficult to find because almost EVERYTHING in the zoo was closed, we enjoyed a nice Peroni while strolling around.  Hooray for drinking beer at the zoo!

The kids found a Noah's Ark themed playground, and had fun for a bit while we enjoyed our beers.

Who doesn't love the cute seals!  They just swam around and around and around! We could have spent an hour with them!

 

Stunning!

 

Is this the most beautiful creature that has ever walked the earth? I'm not just saying that because I'm an Auburn Tiger!

The funniest part about this was that there was another tiger in the living quarters next to him/her.  He/she really wanted to play or something... because he/she kept growling and pacing back and forth and making strange noises.

Then there was this BEAUTIFUL lioness sitting right next to the glass.  Hanging out with my kiddos. She was actually really sweet! 

This is my little man hanging out with his new buddy, the Mandrillo!  It looks like they're posing together!

 After we left the zoo, we strolled through the Villa Borghese.  Grant:  The runner.  It's like Chariots of Fire.  The child just always wants to RUN. I'm going to sign him up for track when track season starts.  He saw some people running on this "track" and said, "I want to run on that track."  So of course, we let him.  He's actually a great runner! Waaaay better than his mama!   We let him run for a bit, and then walked around the park for a bit. It was really pretty. I wish we had more time to stroll around, and I wish it had been a bit warmer.

After a little boy ran around a track, we decided he needed some massive carbs.  Nutella crepes? Ok! Sounds good! Eat 'em up, baby!!