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).
2 comments:
I know you still have many days ahead of you, but I just wanted to say thanks for the updates. It's fun to vacation with you virtually. And as someone whose been to Rome, I'm also enjoying it when you mention places that I've been too also... it brings back nice memories! :)
Sigh... you are making me miss Rome!
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