It's the little things

So it was really interesting seeing how the boys reacted to being abroad. For the most part, and I think this is instructive, they carried pretty much as they would anywhere else, suggesting that for all we worry about where we go and what we do with the location is pretty much a background to each other and us. As Sarah observed, I think one of the great things about this trip was that boys got even closer to each other. They still fought, of course, but they also had a lot of fun together and I think it was nice for Connor especially not to have to contend with an older friend of Jamie's.

When we ask them about Rome it was really little things that they remember. Certainly the food. As a lover (almost exclusively) of pasta, Jamie was in heaven in Italy and had the good sense to appreciate it.  At one restaurant in Florence, he pronounced it the best pasta in the world (he may have been right too). We told the waiter this, who responded enthusiastically "Ha molto ragione, questo bambino!!!" It was a small restaurant so everybody there knew that this boy has a great deal of sense. And Connor faced with a margherita (cheese) pizza at times went nuts and ate more than he usually eats in a week.

Other things that stood out for them were, predictably, the toy shops. There were quite a number of these dotted around the city and by the end of our time there, we knew quite a few of them.  They each got to pick a toy every week but I think they also just enjoyed the experience of a toy store, which has been lost a bit in these days of Target and Amazon.

Jamie generally really liked the energy and bustle of the city, because he is really an urban person. It's funny that this is so clear at this age, but he finds the country to be boring and quiet, so he enjoyed walking around the city, which we did a lot of. One of the things that made this possible, and one the things they both loved best were the water fountains everywhere. Not just the big famous ones but all over they have these spigots that constantly run deliciously cold water that you can cool off with and drink. One of the best ones was right outside one of the toy stores so we could kill  a good bit of time in the hot day going there. The spigots have a hole on the top so if clap your hand under the spigot it spurts out the top so you can drink it. This one had a lot of pressure so it would go a long way. The boys delighted in spraying the cars on the street. They were frankly horrified when we went to Florence for the weekend and there were no street fountains. The boys really seemed like ancient Romans shocked at the lack of civilization out in the country.