Rome Day 2 -3
As predicted, I lost energy on the blog and skipped
yesterday. Its not like I wasn’t
inspired by the 4 people who actually read it.
I was. In fact, I found myself
checking back in a couple of times each hour to see if people had commented. Now I know the feeling of the authors who
incessantly check their Amazon sales stats for reaffirmation that their work
was noticed by others… All that being
said, there is no need to comment. The
truth is that this blog is pretty much for people who (a) care and (b) have
lots of free time – e.g. my Mom and Tree’s Mom.
So here we go on day 2.
At the suggestion of one of my readers – Tree – I am going to add a lot
more photos and captions.
Day 2
We did not wake up quite as early yesterday. In fact, we struggled to get out of the house
by 11:30 to meet Marco at his restaurant.
He had kindly agreed to take us to the market where he buys all of his
ingredients, and to negotiate prices on our behalf. Marco – if you ever read this, you are very kind to have helped us. Thanks again
for the hospitality, and we hope to return it in Washington one day.
We had a couple of items on the shopping list at the market
– bread, mozzarella, tomato, basil,
prosciutto, olive oil and fruit.
Basically the makings of a sandwich for our lunch. Marco told us we also had to get the
sulfide-free wine, which is stored in vats, and unlike traditional wine, must
be consumed soon after pouring. The shop
vendors could not have been nicer. Marco
introduced us as his friends from America, so everyone wanted to tell us about
their trip to the US and practice their English on us. We met 6 or 7 families who owned stalls in
the market, and the most visited places were New York and (not surprisingly)
Las Vegas.
Marco and la familia at the market
Buying our meats -- the shop owner was a dead ringer for Jay Leno
We purchased 2 litres of wine at this stall. It was poured from the silver vats into plastic bottles
We finished shopping, thanked Marco, and walked what felt
like 5 miles to find a grassy spot to eat.
More so than even New York, there are not many grassy areas in central
Rome. But we finally found one, and set
out to make our sandwiches. You can see
the finished product below. (By the way,
all of the ingredients were great, but the buffalo mozzarella was far and away
the best I have ever tasted. Amazing.)
The finished product
Our picnic
Tommy and Jimmy were not happy about our lunch selection,
but fortunately Tom had spotted an alternative restaurant that appealed to
him. Those of you who know Tom will
appreciate his choice, and understand our relief that this spot is within 2
blocks of our apartment.
With no real plans for the afternoon, we just set out walking,
figuring that we would make our way slowly to the Spanish Steps. One of my favorite aspects of Rome are the
back streets and alleyways between the buildings. Made of dark grey cobblestone, they are
barely wide enough for a car, and are lined with restaurants and
boutiques. They meander and curve in no
logical pattern, and then open out into beautifully designed piazzas. We happened upon Piazza Navona, one of the
larger and more famous piazzas in Rome.
At about the length of 2-3 football fields, it is filled with musicians,
street performers, artists and (of course) street vendors peddling what Dad
views as junk, but the kids view as the necessary and wonderful purchases.
Fortunately, Nene had given each of the kids a few Euros for
the trip. I think the intent was that
they save it for Paris, but of course it was all gone by the end of Day 2. Jimmy blew his entire wad in one spot,
picking what I think is our best “junk” purchase of the vacation – a gladiator
costume, which he wears quite seriously.
Danny and Lilly, meanwhile, decided they wanted to get a
caricature , so for 10 euros, they sat down and posed for real Italian
artists.
Amazingly, the sketches were done in about 6 minutes. I’ll let you judge the results, but I think
they are pretty good.
We decided to soldier on towards the Spanish Steps. My navigational senses were off and, as if
out of the scene from Spinal Tap where the band gets lost below the stage, we
circled Piazza Navaro once or twice before Tree finally asked directions. We arrived, Jimmy in full gladiator regalia,
and the boys decided to chill by the
fountain while Tree and Lilly explored the expensive designer boutiques in the
neighborhood.
As you walk around Rome, every few blocks you will spot a
sort of small fountain of constantly running water. On our first day, I was appalled to see a man
drinking out of the fountain. However,
today I learned that all of Rome’s fountains are fed by springs and aquifers
that produce perfectly good drinking water.
So as we settled in for a rest, Lilly refilled all of our water
bottles. (The fountains also served as a
good place to rinse off after gelato.)
As a family of seven, we tend to be an outlier here. Given how expensive and tight quartered Rome
is, it is just too expensive to raise a big family. So our group often draws the attention and
wonder of the locals. just based on our size
Add to that the fact that our kids are almost always fighting or acting
goofy, and we become quite a spectacle.
To that end, as we waited for Tree and Lilly to return from shopping,
Jimmy – still in full Gladiator costume - was playing in the fountain, using
his sword and shield to cut and deflect the water spewing froth from one of the
statues. Two local girls came up and
asked me if they could take a photo with him.
Stealing a line from the costumed Gladiators at all of the major tourist
attractions, I told them 5 euros for 3 photos but quickly backed down…
By 7 pm we had run
out of steam, so the family grabbed dinner at a restaurant Nicole Manara
suggested – Le Sorelle – and headed back.
Our gladiator didn’t shed his gear until bedtime…
Le Sorelle Restaurant
Day 3 – Vatican City
The jet lag is still a factor for everyone, and we slept in
a bit and had to scramble to make it to the Vatican by 9:15 to meet Kate, our
tour guide. Nonetheless, we got there on time and were thankful for her
advice to buy our tickets in advance – the line (even at 9:00) was hundreds of
yards long.
Kate was a real asset to have with us. She gave us a detailed answer to just about
any question we could throw at her.
Dates that popes served, who was who in a painting, when was something
built.
With Kate, our Tour Guide
Save for the crowds – which apparently number up to 30,000
per day -- The Vatican lived up to the hype.
The main attraction is the Sistene Chapel and the paintings of Michaleangelo,
but we loved every aspect. I will save
you – and myself – a long rendition of the day and just use illustrations.
Getting Ready to Enter Sistine Chapel from Pope's Garden
Still in Garden, with view of St. Peters dome behind us
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| This door is only opened once every 25 years, for 12 months at a time. Its for special pilgrimages. |
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| When the Pope is first elected, he comes out on this balcony to greet the crowds in St. Peters square |
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| The back of the 25 year door - sealed up with concrete to prevent its use |
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| Statue of St. Peter - pilgrims rub his feet. Over 1000s of years they have worn away |
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| When you enter, this is the holy water basin. The scale is indicative of the scale of the Cathedral. |
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| The St. Peters baptismal font. Every child born in Rome is entitled to be baptized here. |
Day 3 was especially packed.
We had made reservations for a group tour of the Coliseum for that afternoon – the only slot we could
get – but were pretty beat. Everyone
took a power nap from 2:30 – 3:30 and then we hustled down to catch a cab to
our tour.
After the tour we had dinner at a local restaurant near
Chris and Elif’s apartment and turned in.
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