Day Four (Sept 4): Phoebe Gets Her Catholic On

{baptizing phoebe at st. peter's...does it count? it does in my book.}

We knew that Rome would not be a typically "easy" city to be in with children -- we read that over and over. Undeterred, we went anyway. But we did take the advice of many to limit our activities. So instead of trying to see all of Rome, I decided on a few key things I really wanted to see. Jeff and I had both been to Rome before, but I hadn't been since high school and I really wanted to re-visit some places with adult eyes. The Vatican was on my must-visit list. We knew that a visit to the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel would not be possible -- no way could we wait in line for tickets and then trudge through miles of rooms of artwork with the hopes that we could actually enjoy the serenity of the chapel without one or both girls in meltdown mode. So we opted for the cliff notes version -- but the most important thing -- a visit to St. Peter's Basilica.

I was glad that I read in advance that they adhere strictly to the dress code for women -- no exposed shoulders. I had been wearing tank tops every day and so on our visit day I wore a short-sleeve shirt instead. I even had little jackets for the girls! The line to get in was not too bad and once inside I was so glad we decided to visit. The Pieta is truly breathtaking, as is the rest of the church. Lucy loved the patterned floor and had a lot of fun pointing out the "stars" on it -- and lying down on them. Jeff took some amazing photographs of light streaming in through the windows. God's presence was very clear to us there!

We have not baptized Phoebe yet -- we intend to soon, hopefully. But in the meantime, I went ahead and baptized herself right there in a font at St. Peter's. If that doesn't count for something, then I don't know what does. Jeff and Lucy watched, so maybe that makes them her unofficial Godparents!

{in line at st. peter's}

{dancing...always dancing!}

{not up for posing, i suppose}

{holding her daddy's hand on the way in to the basilica}

{lucy outside st. peter's}

{lulu & her daddy before entering the church}

{the breathtaking Pieta}

{the alter}

{light streaming in up above}

{more light}

{beautiful}

{what kind of sister game is this?}

{classy, luce. wicked classy.}

{takes her shoes off EVERYWHERE}

After our visit to the Vatican, we decided to take a taxi to the Trastevere neighborhood. Trastevere is sometimes referred to as the "real" Rome -- or the Rome where you go to see real Romans and not tourists. Of course, now that the word is out, plenty of tourists make their way to Trastevere to seek out the place without the tourists! Our destination there was a pastry shop that I read about that specializes in Sacher Torte. Sacher Torte is my favorite cake in the whole wide world and for my 35th birthday it was my heart's desire. So my other heart's desire (i.e., Jeff) called every bakery in Boston (or so he says) but, alas, no Sacher Torte. So you can imagine my glee when our guidebook mentions this little bakery in Trastevere that specializes in it. I got my birthday wish after all! We had the taxi take us right to the shop where no one spoke a lick of English (love it!). We got two pieces of cake to go and ate them out on the piazza while the kids slept (cake in peace...ahhhh!!). We then made a quick trip inside the church there, Santa Maria in Trastevere, before getting a cab back home. We would have loved to have spent more time in Trastevere and I would definitely consider renting an apartment there next time. If you want to read a fantastic book about an American's experience living there for a year with his wife and baby twin boys, read Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr. I read it on our trip and loved it -- it captures the essence of the American-in-Rome experience so eloquently. It's an easy read and just beautifully done.

{pastry shop in trastevere}

{lucy out cold = cake enjoyed by mom and dad}

{and she's awake}

{smiling in the piazza}

Rome Sweet Home

{lucy peeking out the window}

Our apartment in Rome was a true haven from the heat and commotion of the city. There were so many things to love about it. It was in a great location -- on Via Francesco Crispi, which is right near the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Villa Borghese, the Via Veneto, and also several subway stops. It was fairly big and decorated really nicely -- it actually had the very same dining room table and chairs that I want to get from Ikea, so it was fun to be able to give them a "test run." I fell in love with the yellow plaster walls and tall ceilings and the big windows that opened up to a view of the rooftops of Rome and the top of the Il Messaggero (newspaper) headquarters. I also found the building's lobby and hallways amazing...entirely marble. Granted, this made it feel very cold and a bit austere, but impressive nonetheless.

The best part about our place was that it actually cost less than your average decent hotel room in Rome. Not that it was cheap, but hotels are so expensive that this was a bargain in comparison. And we saved some money by eating some meals at home...well, not really, but in theory we could have! We rented from Rome Sweet Home -- I definitely recommend it.

Oh and the really best part about our place was its proximity to the best gelato in Rome, which means the best in the whole world -- at San Crispino. The freshest flavors you can imagine. They don't even have cones because they feel they would take away from the flavor...I agree. I think we went there three times, maybe four. I can't even recommend one flavor over another because they were all spectacular. When in Rome, go go GO to San Crispino!

{kitchen}

{dining area}

{living room}

{bedroom}

{view at night...part of the il messaggero sign, illuminated in blue}

{daytime view}

{some of those were our windows...not sure which!}

{building facade}

Day Three (Sept. 3): The Caesar Shuffle

{lounging at the forum}

We did the "Caesar Shuffle" on Wednesday...as in, the Forum & the Coliseum. We skipped the Circus Maximus because I read it's not all that impressive and we needed to keep our visits to places short and sweet. I am SO grateful to the Lonely Planet guide for suggesting that we buy our Coliseum tickets at the Forum. It is a combined ticket, so one ticket gets you into both the Forum and the Coliseum. And the line at the Forum is sooooooooo much shorter than at the Coliseum. Seriously, if you are thinking of ever going to Rome, write down this tip now and be sure to follow it later. You'll be glad you did!

{lucy at the forum}

{exploring the ruins with daddy...an ancient jail cell, perhaps?}

{phoebe happily went along for the ride}

{lucy clowned it up, as always}

{leave it to lucy to find a flower to pick amongst 2,000 year old ruins}

{an italian mama giving her babies a drink from the fountain}

{washing her flower...gotta get the ancient off it, i suppose}

{at the coliseum...so that's a thumbs up from me, and a thumbs down from lucy}

{that's phoebers asleep in the backpack!}

Up next...Rome Sweet Home .

Day Two (Sept. 2): Three Coins in the Fountain

{i hope this means i will return to rome someday!}

We arrived in Rome on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2. We took a taxi directly to our apartment on the Via Francesco Crispi. What a beautiful place! (More on that later...) We were all tired, so Jeff, Lucy & I we got into the big king-sized bed (with Phoebe in the pack-and-play) and took a nap. It seems miraculous, in retrospect, that both girls napped so willingly -- but they did, and it was great because we all needed the rest. When we got up, we took a walk around our neighborhood. And what a neighborhood it was...Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain...not bad!

{at the top of the spanish steps}

{spanish steps}

{me and phoebers sitting on the steps}

{lucy was still tired and getting fussy}

{some lunch cheered her up...a classic "lucy face" here}

{phoebe discovered the wonders of bread while in italy}

{trevi fountain...she looks happy, but she was not}

{ah, there we go, letting her true emotions out!}

Needless to say, we were very tired at the end of the day and glad to lay our heads to rest on our first night in Rome. Up next...The Caesar Shuffle.

Day One (Sept. 1): Travel to Rome

We traveled to Rome from Boston on Labor Day -- Sept. 1, 2008. We got up early because we had a mid-morning flight to JFK, where we had a long layover before our flight to Rome. The girls were great on the flights...much to our relief! They both slept on the overnight flight and I even got some sleep as well (which is very rare for me on an airplane).

{at home, before leaving for the airport}

{her bag is packed, she's ready to go}

{sisters sharing a bagel}

{playing in the delta lounge during our layover...lucy grew very fond of it there}

{how to entertain a toddler during international travel...hey, i'm a good mom but i'm only human!}

{lucy slept all night..this is her when we landed, clutching the tigger that aunt rita wrapped up a surprise for the plane. i made her the little pillow...extra-thin so it packed easily.}

{it's morning in rome and phoebe is ready for action}

Up next...Three Coins in the Fountain.