Life in Italia

OK, definitely had a little pause in writing here as we've been busy. Good news is we've beaten the jet lag and everybody is on a good schedule, though a rather late Euro-schedule. We never seem to get the boys to bed much before 10-10:30, but I'm not sure they would fall asleep much earlier anyway. Everybody is adjusting to life here pretty well. Last Wednesday we all went to the Colosseum and the Forum with Sarah's students. The boys were relatively impressed with the building but this marked the first emergence of a dynamic that has become familiar, the boys being gripped by fatigue and heat when we go to see monuments that involve walking. One way of dealing with this, it turns out is to bring the camera and let them fire away. So we made it around the Colosseum with them taking random pictures and spent a little time on the Forum before I gave up and brought them home, with a gelato on the way. The strategic use of the gelato as both motivation and reward turns out to be crucial to doing things with them.

Since then, we've been all over Rome and environs, riding buses and subways in various degrees of crowds. Jamie and I have managed to get some baseball in here and there, having a catch with some friends here at the Villa Doria Pamphili and in the park behind the Castel Sant'Angelo. We have taken two trips out of the city as well, a bus ride to Assisi and yesterday a train trip to Ostia Antica. The boys were troopers on both. They complained some of the time, particularly as we ascended to the highest point in Assisi, the Rocca Maggiore. Once we got up there though, they discovered the joys of a medieval fort and had a great time running around. Jamie loved climbing the teeny spiral staircase to the top of the tower. Connor was OK going up, but not so happy coming down. So was Sarah for that matter.

Yesterday at Ostia Antica was amazing. Huge site, basically a complete Roman settlement. We were there for about 4 hours, had a delicious lunch that we brought of salami and/or cheese sandwiches and got to explore at well. Very hot.

Jet lag, day 3

Yep, we've got it. Jamie and Connor seemed to be dozing off last night but when push came to shove neither was asleep. There then ensued an hour or so of trying to get them to be quiet so Sarah could sleep for work. I was actually dozing off, might have fallen asleep, but they kept coming in with various and sundry complaints, which in the end boiled down to the fact that it was 3:00 pm in Houston and there was no way they were sleeping. After a while neither was I so. So I got up with them and after trying to quiet them down by joining them in bed, we variously read, played video games, ate, etc. until I began sense some tiredness. So then I went through the usual bedtime routine: cereal, bathroom, reading books, them reading in bed and lights out. I left them about 3:30 Rome time and went to bed, and heard nothing else. So they fell asleep right on time. Houston time that is.

Alas, Sarah had to get up and go early, which meant that she was tired and that we all slept late which won't help things tonight. I didn't really have any sense of anything, except that this time at some point Jamie crawled in bed with me, until noon again. Sigh. But tomorrow we're determined to get up and go to the Colosseum with Sarah and 9 so maybe that will help, even if it makes for a tired day.

It took a long time to get rolling today, which was as well because of the heat. Sarah got them both a toy to make up for the trauma of the barber experience, and we set off in the late afternoon for Trastevere. We took an absolutely packed bus, which neither boy appreciated and then toured around the old Jewish ghetto, which is lovely, stopping to get a gelato on the way. Saw some lovely ruins, then across the Tevere to Trastevere. This was beautiful and we eventually stopped for a dinner and then walked around a bit. Things eventually broke down when Connor developed a stomach ache. He was also very tired, so I ended up carrying him the entire way back to the apartment, with help from a bus. As of this writing, he is asleep and Jamie is decidedly not. What will tonight hold? Who could say, but it's great to be in Rome!

Roma, day 2

OK, so after we all slept until noon, we chilled out for a while until Sarah got back from work (brave soul!!) and decided to head to the other side of the river to the Pantheon. Traveling with the boys in Rome is a bit of thing. They approach walking in an extremely non-linear fashion, which is not ideal for crowded streets. Traffic is also its own thing here so we've got to keep a tight eye on them. But we all got on a bus without much incident and walked the rest of the way. They liked the Pantheon well enough but it is extremely hot at the moment (il grande caldo africano!!) so were pretty tired out quickly. We soon managed an ice cream for everyone, which always and set out for the Trevi fountain. They both threw coins in, so will return to Rome. Then a walk up to the Spanish steps. There is a fountain here where you can get really good drinking water. This Jamie found very novel and he proclaimed it was his favorite thing of the day.

Things did begin to break down, inevitably at this point so we headed back to the apartment. The challenge here was taking the Metro ride, which involved an escalator. Jamie still has a mortal dread of a moving staircase so he cling, very tightly to my neck as we went down. Worse yet, when we got out of the Metro, we happened upon a barber shop and had their hair cut. Jamie handled the indignity stoically. He was not overly pleased (he likes it long), but moved on quickly. Connor was not very stoic and became more and more demonstrative in his protests as the cut went on. Now an Italian barber is not inclined to cut corners, as it were. Eventually, we had to say "basta!!" but he was still looking at the back of Connor's head ruefully and gesticulating, clearly feeling there was more to be done. Connor was not so quick to get over it. He kept crying most of the walk home, saying he looked terrible. He did get a passing "poverino" as we went.

After that it was home for a simple, and I must say delicious meal, of pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese. Jamie and I went down to the courtyard to have a quick catch after dinner and then Sarah read them books.

Getting them to bed, predictably, has been a bit of an adventure, but they seem to be settling down as of this dispatch.

In Roma!!

I'll try and make a lot of quick posts to keep up with the all the action from Rome. We are here safe and sound and the boys were real troopers on the long trip. As always, they earned rave reviews from fellow travelers for their behavior on the planes. The first plane, to Toronto, was small, and, as often in the summer flying from Houston, it was bumpy. The boys laughed hilariously through a turbulent take-off, punctuating every bump with a "woooohhh!" that had everybody on the plane giggling along.

Then the long trip to Rome. We had to work a little to get seats together (thanks United, for putting us all over the plane!) but once we were settled, they got into movie and video game mode. I tried to get them to settle down at some point, but there was really no hope. Only as we descended into Rome, of course, with literally about 20 minutes to go, did they both decide to be tired and curled up to snooze. Jamie woke upon landing and Connor soon thereafter, ensuring two tired boys. We cruised through passport and customs and found Mommy with no problem.

A cab ride later we were at our snug apartment in the middle of room. Before the landlady had finished showing us the room Connor was fast asleep on the couch. Jamie lay down in the bed to read, but after about 1/2 hour he was out too. I snoozed for a while as well but managed not to fall too deeply asleep, which was good I think. It was tough rousing them at about 4, but we managed when Sarah came back from teaching and set out for a walk along the Tevere, stopping along the way for their first taste of real gelato. They were duly impressed. Jamie got chocolate chip (straciatella) and dark chocolate, while Connor got strawberry and chocolate.

It was good for a while then Connor in particular got tired and hungry. We eventually made it to a ristorante for pasta and pizza. Jamie is very pleased to be in the spiritual home of pasta. They went to bed surprisingly well, given the nap. Connor, as far as I know stayed asleep all night. Jamie and I both woke up about 3. Jamie was distressed for a whole and says that once it got light enough he read for a while. I finally fell back asleep around 5 or 6 I think. Some time after Sarah left Connor crawled into bed with me. Next thing I knew it was about noon and I had to work to roust the boys. So all in all, a success.

Reality check

Jamie takes a particular pleasure in being the voice of reason around Connor. Where we are pretty happy to let Connor's rather Romantic 5-year-old version of reality exist on its own Jamie likes to explain the way things really are. He has a sort of deadpan, "just the facts" way of doing it, which contrasts charmingly with Connor's high-pitched, enthusiastic voice of wonder. It makes them a very good comedy team.

For example the other day, Connor, having been to our zoo probably 50 times, just realized that there are cheetahs (his current fave animal, along with the Draco Lizard), there. To be fair, they often lie out of view in the shade, so he really hasn't seen them in a while. He was amazed by this though, knowing as he does from the Wild Kratts, that cheetahs are the fastest land animal. In a voice of astonishment and beautiful wonder he said "How do they catch them???" Before Sarah or I could say anything Jamie replied in his most dour tone, "Dey shoot dem with tranquilizer guns Connnooo." Connor wasn't to be so easily put off and was in the midst of asking how they did that while they were running so fast, when Jamie cut him off with: "While they are sleeping."