All is well

We have arrived north in Piedmonte. We visited with my first set of cousins in Parma for five days, and it was a great reunion. Now, we've come north to visit a second set of cousins, who have also welcomed us very warmly. Our Italian is improving daily. Maia has been trying it out, too, and is doing quite well.

Our connection is still non-existent, but we don't have much time to write these days anyway, since we're visiting so much. Italia è bellissima.

a post-card to my readers

hello friends! Access to wi-fi here has been limited. So far, we've managed to find exactly one wi-fi hotspot (in Vatican City, of all places), which is where I uploaded my first two posts. I've been writing them as I go, but will only upload as I find wi-fi (right now I'm in an internet cafe, which, ironically has no wireless internet).

I haven't yet figured out how to load my camera pics onto my iphone and send them along with blogposts, so until we get back, the posts will likely be image-free. I do commit, however, to add pics when we get back (we have some magnificent ones so far!).

The weather here could be better; we've had mostly clouds, some rain, and temps between 18 and 20 degrees. Am hoping things will clear and warm up for our stay by the sea. But, as Derek keeps saying, we're in Italy!

Ciao tutti!
Cristina

Day 2 - Rome Antics

May 5, 2010

We started out our day at 10:30, which is when we woke up after a somewhat painful night, having had to seperate the girls after midnight because they still weren't sleeping in their shared bed. We had granola bars for breakfast and headed out quickly.

Our first stop was chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi to see three Caravaggio paintings (one of Derek's favourite painters).

We then headed to the Pantheon, one of the oldest buildings in Rome. The girls were most impressed by the fact that there's a hole in the ceiling which lets in rain. We spent some time just outside the Pantheon, enjoying the area while Maia and Solanne ran around chasing pigeons and playing a secret game I'm not privy to.

Our next stop was the Trevi fountain, which was familiar to the girls thanks to a few books and the Lizzy Maguire movie. We gave them each a small Euro coin and they made wishes by throwing the coin backwards over their left shoulders. They loved being around the fountain so
much that we decided to stay for a while. The girls continued their game (which by this point I discovered involved a cauldron) as Derek snuck off to buy our lunch: more delicious pizza. This pizza was slightly less saucy than the last, so there was a bit less mess - though this time we were prepared with a bandana which we wet in the drinking fountain.

Once we had finished our lunch and the girls had had enough time play, we headed toward the Spanish steps (also famiar thanks to Lizzy
Maguire). On our way we came across a children's store that was disappointingly similar to toy stores in Ottawa (think Mrs Tiggy Winkle's without the selection), only about fifty percent more expensive. We managed to tear the girls away and meandered toward our destination. The steps were beautifully adorned with fresh blooming plants, and full of people. I tried to take a picture of the steps and got a great crowd shot (no steps in view). We walked up the steps (Maia counted 136), and got a great view of the steps, the piazza below, and the city beyond. Solanne and Maia each took a picture of Derek and me at the top. Then they watched an artist sketching a portrait of a woman and Solanne declared that one day she would draw
like that, "me too!" said Maia.

It had been a long day of seeing things so we decided to go to the Villa Borghese, a beautiful park, and let the kids run around for a bit. They continued their game of cauldron and ran and skipped and tried to climb trees.

The great part of having kids who are a) so close in age; b) the same gender; and c) great friends is that they can entertain themselves together. And Derek and I have time to chat and hang out. And even just look into each others' eyes.

But the day was getting late, and if there's one huge inconvenience Europe is known for, it's its lack of public restrooms - extra tricky with kidlets in toe. So I suggested we start to make our way back "home" before one of them made an urgent plea.

On the way, we stopped off at chiesa Santa Maria del Popolo to see two more Caravaggios. We wandered back to our neighbourhood, bought some produce and breakfast for tomorrow before stepping back to our place.

The instant we got into the building Solanne started dancing around and saying she had to go, and after nearly eight hours out of the house, I figured it was about time. We all had some down time: the girls played in the loft, Derek figured out where we would have dinner and I had an aperitivo.

Solanne's discovery: your can drink from the spouts near the various fountains around the city - and the water is delicious.

Maia's discovery: marble comes in all kinds of shades and colours, and Italian architects and sculpters used them beautifully.

A tavola! Tonight we went to a restaurant called La Carbonara, named for the famous Roman pasta dish. The waiter seated us at a beautiful table in the corner of the terrace. We order gnocchi with tomato sauce for the girls, who mowed down on the bread before their main course was served. I ordered the penne carbonara as a primo and eggplant parmigiana as a secondo. Derek had spaghetti in a lovely tomato sauce
followed by baccala (fish in batter). All served with aqua con gaz and a litre of vino (which cost a ridiculously cheap 10 Euros).

Day 1: Rome-ing

May 4, 2010

Most of today was spent travelling, in time and space, and recovering from said travel. The flight to Frankfurt went very well and a little too quickly. The kids got about four hours of sleep, I a little less and Derek none at all. Our connecting flight to Rome was a close call; we ran a fair bit to the far end of the airport in another terminal to barely catch our connection. Thank goodness for rolling sidewalks!

We landed in a soggy, grey Rome; not a sight that was familiar. We waited for what seemed an eternity to pick up our luggage (ah, the inefficiencies of Italy!) then sought out a train. The ticket seller told Derek that we would have to wait half an hour since we had just missed our ride to downtown but for the same fare we could take a bus that was leaving now. Our "bus" driver immediately materialized and we were escorted to our ride: a chauffeured car.

The driver was nice enough but spent far more time chatting with Basile and Maria than finding where exactly we wanted to go. He dropped us off at the far end of the train terminal downtown, and Derek paid as I roused our now fully sleeping children to get them to walk the seven blocks I'd hoped we'd be spared.

The last leg of our journey consisted of picking up the keys to our Roman apartment, taking a crowded bus for the couple of kilometers I
would have walked on my own, and trying to find our temporary home in the tiny winding streets around Piazza Navona - quickly, because by now Solanne really had to go to the bathroom.

We settled in quickly and had a nap for the better part of the afternoon (aka la siesta).

When we got up we freshened up and figured out a direction and headed out. We had fantastic pizza in Campo de' Fiori. The girls had aranciata and we had lemon infused sparkling water. Maia and Solanne
both declared it the best pizza ever.

After taking a break and watching the girls sketch the piazza on their notebooks, we took a stroll around the neighbourhood. We ended up on Piazza Navona, where the Fontana dei tre fiumi is unfortunately
covered up for renos. We found a highly recommended gelateria and enjoyed some fantastic gelato in the warm evening air.

OF NOTE

Solanne's discovery: "the floors (at the Frankfurt airport) sparkle! We don't have that in Canada."

Maia's discovery: "I'm a mango person" (after having sampled eight flavours of gelato).

Reality check: seeing Rome this time will be very different from ten years ago. Touring a city by foot and seeing it from wheels of any form is not the same. And we will be on wheels a lot more than I was when I was on my own, if only to spare the kids their little feet and us our patience.

Day 0

The backpacks are full, the kids' daypacks are filled with activities to keep them busy in the plane, our passports are at hand, and we are ready to go.

Our departure date and time seem very civilised: a Monday evening, after a whole weekend a nearly full weekday to prepare. The timing let us even enjoy a picnic with friends yesterday. I'm sure, though, that when we land in Frankfurt at 7:15am local time (1:15am ET), the timing will feel slightly less civilised.

The girls are getting antsy and asking when we'll be going to Italy. I've been telling them that we'll leave after lunch, all day, so now they're asking again. Well, another hour and a half before we begin our journey toward the airport. Then more waiting, to check our baggage, then waiting again until we can board the plane.

We have some surprises in their daypacks: fairy sticker books, cool colouring books, pencil crayons, gum, snacks, magazines. And if they get bored, there's always the in-flight movies. I've even loaded some good tunes and fun games onto my iphone for them. My (and their) favourite is the Bubble Wrap app: bursting bubble wrap bubbles on the touch screen. It keeps them busy for at least 30 minutes at a time.

So we're heading out, with just a little trepidation and a lot of excitement. Tomorrow, we wake up in Europe, and we'll be in Rome before lunch. I'm thinking focaccia and Orangina.