Touch-down in Rome

I'm posting my travelogue for a friend who is traveling to Rome pregnant!
Touch-down in Rome:
Jen (seven months pregnant) and the five kids visit family in Rome.
September 25, 2010
I wouldn't recommend the flight to anyone with kids: incredibly long & TONS of turbulence. Poor Kitty lost her dinner! The kids were GREAT, though, real troopers! Now that we are here, I'm starting to relax. Since I'm staying with family, I think I'll get to experience a bit of what it's like to live here in addition the tourist side. My BIL is a bit jaded by the corruption, but I can see Rome with fresh eyes, I don't have to live with it.
We had a great drive through town to my in-laws flat. The driver was very knowledgeable & gave us a good narrated tour. I've already seen the collusium, the Basilica of St John Latern, the Basilica of St Paul (or is it Peter & Paul?), Bernini square, etc, albiet all from the exterior. Can't wait to start exploring!
The Villa we are staying in is probably 12,000 sq ft, broken into three? four? flats. I love architecture (especially residential buildings like this) so I'm in heaven! Earlier I was lying in bed with windows open & the inner shutters closed, listening to the street noise, the light from the garden below coming through the slats. The ceilings 14 feet high, the walls are over a foot thick, the doors & windows 10 feet high, the floor marble, parquet, inlaid tile, etc.
Last night we went out to dinner at a little cafe walking distance from their house (wished I'd left the the 2YO at home, he was a PILL, but we survived), delicious food. Afterward, we went to a park called Villa Borgeshe. Gorgeous. I think we'll go strolling over there daily. We are just outside the city walls, on the "old" side of town (100 BC). The Vatican is in the "new part of town" (200 AD, you can turn your nose up now, and sniff distainfully...lol).
Tomorrow my BIL is going to help me get oriented & buy some bus tickets, take us out for gelato, etc! Hopefully, the swelling in my feet will go down with some walking. I think it's from sitting on a plane too long. This is a lot for a chunky, middle aged woman who is seven months pregnant!
I can't wait for my first Roman Mass.
Well, it's 3:25 am... yes, insomnia, even in Rome!
9/26
After my bout with insomnia, although we wanted to get an early start, we slept in until 10:30 am. However, after a good breakfast (for the kids that meant pancakes, for me that meant aged parma & a delicious hard salami), we got on the road. Our goal today was simply to orient me to the city and to teach me how to navigate around.
First we caught the bus "Via Archemede" to Piazza Sylvestri and then walked to the Pantheon. Via Archimedes is special to our clan as we have studied him in our schooling. The Pantheon was an amazing piece of Roman architecture, but is now a church. I took a few pictures, but felt uncomfortable because I couldn't find the tabernacle. We are going to try to go back Sunday for Mass. They only have Mass for the Saturday vigil & one for Sunday morning each week, so I hope it's not too crowded.
After the Pantheon, we visited the "French Church". Sitting on the steps were the first "Roma" (beggars) we saw. Inside, we also saw our first Carravaggio. Quite a contrast, huh? The French church is beautiful & we will go there for Mass if the Pantheon is too crowded, but otherwise since they have daily Mass, I plan to hit it during the week.
Although I did find the tabernacle in this church (it was much more tradtional in design), I was disappointed that we were the only ones to genuflect before the tabernacle. Another consideration I'm going to have to ponder is veiling. If we veil at HOME whenever we enter a church, I suppose I should do it here? I brought my veils for Mass but did not bring them for our daily adventure.
We covered a lot of ground Saturday, all of which I plan on retracing at a much slower pace, but my goal was more to get my "city legs" (or my internal compass set). After we visited the French church, we walked to Piazza Navona. At that point, I needed to sit down. We sat in front of the world famous fountain, but I was busier rehydrating than sightseeing at that moment.
After catching my breath, we walked toward Piazza Campo D. Fiori, an open air market. Before we got there, we bought our first panini (salami, proscuitto, ham, turkey, or just tomato & motz). The salami was delicious (Jonny), but I think I probably made the best choice with a simple tomato & fresh motz. I also had my first Fanta (orange soda). It was nothing like a 'food dye & syrup' orange soda from the US but rather more like our Orangina, which my BIL tells me is even BETTER in Italy.
We walked past the market, but as we were too late for the fruit & veggies and I wasn't interested in tee shirts, knock-off bags, or mismatched dishes, we continued on to Piazza Farnese to sit on benches in front of the French embassy to eat our panini. We must not have been the only ones to make that choice in recent history as the pigeons found us immediately. I love birds, from a distance, love to listen to their cooing and calls, but ... not up close ... and not that many. Interesting side note on all these beautiful old buildings, my BIL informed me that upkeep on the French embassy alone is OVER 16 million Euros a YEAR ($20 million US).
After lunch we decided to head back. On the way back I saw store that sold all sorts of delectibles, from the largest Mortadella sausage I ever saw (a good four feet long & 18 inches around) to meringue and everything in between. I bought a few martzipan, some meringue (a huge cloud 6 inches long, four wide, & three high), and the best amaretti cookies I ever had. This was an interesting purchase because everything was metric & by weight. So, for example, the amaretti cookies were 35 Euro per Kilo (?). I wanted maybe four? The clerk was very kind & speaking better English than I spoke Italian (well, that's easy as I speak NO Italian), he helped me figure out that one amaretti cookie was about 1.15 Euros, etc. After I picked out my purchases, I had to pay at a different location while he wrapped everything up in paper & ribbon. Then I brought my receipt to him & picked up my items. My BIL says that in some shops you pay FIRST then get your items (not pointing & picking as I did today), and then you really have to break out the Italian. Hmmm, good thing I don't plan on shopping a lot!
We hoped to hit Piazza Minerva and the church of Mary & the Martyrs (?), but it was closed. I'm going to make my way back that way when it's open, plus, around the corner there is a vestments store (a store that sells liturgical clothes for priests) that my BIL says is worth just looking in the windows. I might stop in to see if I can pick something up for a few priest friends, but as the suitcoats in the windows of the regular men's clothing stores ran 3000-8000 Euros ($4500-12000 US), I doubt I'll be able to afford anything nicer than a cinture.
We walked back to Piazza Sylvestri & caught "Via Archimede" back to the flat. I took a much needed break before taking all the kids (solo) up the street for our first gelato. It was... ok. Of course, it was probably the DQ grade of gelato. I don't mind marching the troops up there daily, but I'll wait to partake of some of the better gelatorias. After that we hit the park across the street again to burn off the sugar before dinner.
Just before dinner, we skyped with my hubby. Humously, the boys were more interested in showing Daddy the Legos that I bought them for the trip than mentioning the highlights of the day, but I know they will remember this trip for a long time, even if they don't recognize the importance now.
My BIL roasted delicious chickens & zuccini which he served with rice, a tomato & motz salad, & Greek yogurt. It was delicious. After dinner, I broke out the treats. The martzipan was disappointing, but the kids loved the meringue and I, the amaretti cookies. Then my BIL took the kids back to the park & I bathed Mikey & put him to bed. Then my other rug-rats bathed while the cousins talked to their mother. Soon after, I had to send the kids to bed because I was starting to fall asleep sitting up.
However, while MK was in the shower, my BIL & I chatted and I got a (very temporary) second wind. I knew it was technically too early to go to bed as I'd wake up in the middle of the night, but as I was too tired to write this then, I figured I would take this time to get this down, with the added advantage that the house would be quiet, and I was right. So, insomnia put to good use.
Good night until tomorrow! I have the alarm set for 7:30 am so that we can hit Mass somewhere (for most places, it's only one Mass on Sunday, 10:30am). My BIL is going to make the kids French toast & I'm hoping to sneak some more Parma & salami!
-Jen