Well life is back to reality. Our Italian adventure has become a memory, the alarm now wakes us and our mornings are no longer filled with Italian coffee and a lazy breakfast with our only thoughts being what town we should explore. Our mornings now consist of getting up, showering, breakfasting and racing out the door by 645 - yes school has returned. Life is back to reality but it is far from normal. For the last two years there was 4 of us hurrying to get out the door but now there is only 3 - it is this seemingly little thing that is a daily reminder that our lives have changed. Mikaela is now happily settled back in Australia trying to find her own routine but I am sure that the trials and tribulations she will face, pale to insignificance to our trials and tribulations of life without her - why is it that we endeavour to empower our children with the desire and the courage to step out into the world yet when they do we are so sad? I guess it's just life.
I have just completed Week 2 of school and I am exhausted. The first two weeks is always tiring for there are new routines, new arrangements, new teachers, a new principal with new expectations, new committees, new kids and the list goes on but we are now almost in the rhythm. Bella and Josh have settled back into school with mixed feelings, our school is so transient both in teachers and students
that there is always huge changes in the teacher and student body. This makes the beginning of the school year here even more challenging but as the weeks pass, the new becomes the norm and life settles into the predictable.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
An unexpected day in Rome
When we were waylaid in Rome we really weren't sure what to do. The kids wanted to go to a fun park but thankfully that was not logistically possible so it was back to Rome. We thought maybe we could do one of the double Decker bus trips but when we spoke with the Concierge he said not to bother, but he did give us some good ideas, so keeping it a secret from the kids we headed, once again into Rome.
I love Rome, I could wander aimlessly around but the rest of my family like a plan so a plan we had. First stop was Lunch, instead of tiring of pizza and pasta I think we have all become addicts, we are eating more and more - if we don't go home soon i think we will need the entire plane for ourselves.
After a quick final shop (we found a street that we hadn't been in) we headed off to the first of our stops.
We were headed to a part of Rome we had not been to to "look through a key hole" - that's what we had been told to do. However on our way we got side tracked by a beautiful park near the church of Santa Sabina. it had the most beautiful of views of Rome; and more importantly a lovely shady grassed area perfect for an afternoon nap. So all 6 of us lay down and dozed off. An hour and a half later we woke up a little shocked at the time but today was a "surprise" day so it didn't matter. We continued our walk to the the keyhole. We were all a little hesitant to look through the key hole of a door in a quiet Piazza. But Bella went first when she said "Oh it's so cool" we were all eager to look. What did we see? a gorgeous garden lined with a hedge but with St Peter's Basilica seemingly at the end of the garden. It really was very cool.
Now to stop number 2. It was the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin where there is a sculpture of a face, where legend says your hand will be bitten off if you lie. However when we got there, the que was so long that Bella summed it up in saying "I know I lie I don't need a sculpture to tell me". So we took a quick peek through the gates and headed for stop number 3. Behind the Victor Emmanuel Monument is a giant star that marks the middle of Rome. I guess you can say if all roads lead to Rome this is where they meet.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince my family to go to one of the museums but they decided gelato seemed a better idea.
Instead we found the Trinity Irish Pub, and with Zander an ex Trinitarian we just had to stop there. After a few drinks it was time for yet another final dinner, before the bus back to the hotel.
Unfortunately everyone else wanted to catch the same bus so we had to wait for the 11pm bus, but we didn't mind it gave us a chance to get that final gelato. Before heading back to the bus stop nice and early - we didn't want to miss the bus again - we were early so we had enough time for the boys to have a number of races up the 124 steep marble steps of the Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church.
11pm saw us on the bus waving yet another final goodbye to Rome.
I love Rome, I could wander aimlessly around but the rest of my family like a plan so a plan we had. First stop was Lunch, instead of tiring of pizza and pasta I think we have all become addicts, we are eating more and more - if we don't go home soon i think we will need the entire plane for ourselves.
After a quick final shop (we found a street that we hadn't been in) we headed off to the first of our stops.
We were headed to a part of Rome we had not been to to "look through a key hole" - that's what we had been told to do. However on our way we got side tracked by a beautiful park near the church of Santa Sabina. it had the most beautiful of views of Rome; and more importantly a lovely shady grassed area perfect for an afternoon nap. So all 6 of us lay down and dozed off. An hour and a half later we woke up a little shocked at the time but today was a "surprise" day so it didn't matter. We continued our walk to the the keyhole. We were all a little hesitant to look through the key hole of a door in a quiet Piazza. But Bella went first when she said "Oh it's so cool" we were all eager to look. What did we see? a gorgeous garden lined with a hedge but with St Peter's Basilica seemingly at the end of the garden. It really was very cool.
Now to stop number 2. It was the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin where there is a sculpture of a face, where legend says your hand will be bitten off if you lie. However when we got there, the que was so long that Bella summed it up in saying "I know I lie I don't need a sculpture to tell me". So we took a quick peek through the gates and headed for stop number 3. Behind the Victor Emmanuel Monument is a giant star that marks the middle of Rome. I guess you can say if all roads lead to Rome this is where they meet.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince my family to go to one of the museums but they decided gelato seemed a better idea.
Instead we found the Trinity Irish Pub, and with Zander an ex Trinitarian we just had to stop there. After a few drinks it was time for yet another final dinner, before the bus back to the hotel.
Unfortunately everyone else wanted to catch the same bus so we had to wait for the 11pm bus, but we didn't mind it gave us a chance to get that final gelato. Before heading back to the bus stop nice and early - we didn't want to miss the bus again - we were early so we had enough time for the boys to have a number of races up the 124 steep marble steps of the Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church.
11pm saw us on the bus waving yet another final goodbye to Rome.
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