Calcio, a Dunking and bye-bye Nona

Highlights from the last three days...

Sunday

Took the 116 ("Magic bus") from, essentially, our house to the Villa Borghese. The intention was to take the short walk over to the Pincio (gardern part of the park) and then down to Piazza del Popolo, where we would run around. However, on the way we got a bit sidetracked. First, we spotted a fountain with a big pool around it. So we off-roaded the stroller down the hillside and ran around the pool for a while (it was about 1.5 feet deep). Clara and Hadden sat on the edge and I got a few good photos. Then Clara decided to turn around and fell in the pool. She went head first and Yvonne fished her out by the legs. Needless to say, she screamed and was soaked. Luckily Steve brought backup clothes for the kids  (I call them "fountain backup clothes since they tend to get wet around fountains) and Yvonne, the fisherperson, brought hugs and love. Between the two of us Clara was alright in about 10 minutes. We continued on until we saw a lame-o merry-go-round, which the kids had to ride. Then we had to stop for lunch because we were not able to walk 500m in 2 hours. Afterwards, we stopped briefly in P.d Popolo before heading home on the 116.

Before falling in. Ms. Clara rocks it.

After falling in: Ms. Clara is NOT happy.

All better again.

That night I went to the much anticipated S.S. Lazio vs. A.S. Roma calcio (soccer) game at Stadio Olimpico. Bused it there and back. It was an adventure getting a ticket to this thing, which, being the local HUGE derby game, sells out instantly. Eventually, a guy at the UW Rome center asked a barrista in a cafe and he said there was a place 5 stops away on the tram. Went there once and was told I needed cash and my passport to buy the ticket. Went back the next day and could only get a single 110 Euro ticket. This better be a good game. They print your name on the ticket and won't let you in at the stadium unless you have your passport and YOUR ticket. Makes scalping tougher. Got there and found there to be about 15,000 empty seats. Not sure what constitutes a sellout in Roma, but apparently the interpretation is different than where I'm from. Anyway, great game. Lazio crazies were in the Curva Nord and Roma crazies were in the Curva Sud. Neutrals and well-to-do folks were in the middle expensive seats. I was in row 13 at midfield. EVERYONE at the game smokes. I felt like I'd been smoking for 2 hours after the game. Also, refreshments sucked. Worse than the Kingdome on its worst day. Not a single souvenir stand in the stadium. Also, no roving vendors in the stands. And...the scoreboard spent the first 35 minutes of each half advertising mineral water. No score, no lineups, no replays, nothing. It's ALL about the game here. Roma scored in the 4th minute, Lazio equalized in the 50th after a straight red card to Roma in the penalty box and Lazio won it in injury time with a Miroslav Klose goal. Crowd went nuts. We sang the Lazio song. Apparently everyone there knew it but me.

Curva Nord: Lazio fans only.

Curva Sud: Roma fans only.

Lazio fans are delirious after the Klose goal!

Monday
Yvonne had a cooking class for most of the day. I assume she learned how to cook Italian food. At least that's what she said. Sounds like a cool class. Her and one other person in this woman's apartment in the middle of Rome (Diane Seed is her name - we have her Rome food lovers coffee table book that we dragged over here). Nona and I took the kids about 8 blocks to the Palazzo della Cancelleria where they had a Leonardo Da Vinci "interactive" exhibit. We figured "interactive" would be great for kids. It was an exhibit where someone or some people had made actual replicas of the stuff he doodled about in his various sketch books. Some things were famous (his helicopter, a parachute, etc.) and some things were bat shit crazy (a collection of 12 cannon barrels all on a single mount to be fired like a machine gun...or a "tanks" that had four hand-cranked wheels on the inside with a turret to shoot out of). Just because somebody sketches something doesn't mean its genius. Leonardo himself was probably snickering when he drew some of these things. Also, "interactive" ls relative. I'd say about 75% of the exhibits said "do not touch" in 4 languages. That's not really interactive. The other 25% said "touch but BE CAREFUL". It's like someone wanted an interactive exhibit, then got cold feet. Perhaps they saw our kids coming and thought the better. I don't think we broke anything...although Clara did fall down off a stool and cried loudly causing the museum guy from upstairs to dash downstairs and remind us to be careful. Yeah, thanks. Honestly, taking those kids to a museum of ancient relics (or Leonardo knock-offs) is like walking though with a live grenade. Eventually, it will go off and something's going to get damaged.

Leonardo da Vinci's "tank". Part of the interactive exhibition that you cannot touch.

Clara interacting with one of Leo's gadgets. It appears to be some gears. Not sure it represents genius.
But still...good work, Leo.

Outside the exhibit in the Palazzo courtyard.

Hadden and Clara checking out the oven at Forno Campo de Fiori.
Supposedly one of the better bakeries around.

Tuesday
Nona left for England today (she's going there before returning to Seattle). We all said goodbye and then ate breakfast. Decided to go to the Vatican today. Played a bit in Piazza de San Pietro and then got in the security line to get in. We climbed the Cupola (up to the top of the dome) with the kids. Hadden climbed all 551 steps himself. Impressive. Clara climbed many steps herself but bypassed the first 230 in an elevator with Mom. It's really way high up at the top. Even though there was a solid fence preventing any child from plummeting to his/her death I was still unsettled with my kids running around at the top in a sea of tourists. We spent about 8 minutes in the Basilica itself before we decided to beat a hasty retreat before the kids melted down. We did see the Michaelangelo Pietra statue before we left.

San Pietro from across Rome. We went to the very top bit - the cupola.

Hadden starts out on his 551 step quest. Quite happy at this point. Actually, he was fine throughout the climb. Could have done another 500 steps.

At the cupola. Enjoying the view? Nope, checking out his thumb that was cut on a tree three days ago.

On our way down. Clara did a fair amount of this on her own too.

The cupola as viewed from 320 steps below (with a telephoto lens).

The cupola is the small bit on top of the dome.

In the evening we went for a short walk to get gelato BEFORE dinner. How wise is that? Super cool little gelato store: Gelateria del Teatro at Via San Simone no. 70. Kids scarfed down gelato like it was their last meal. Hadden is a buzz saw with gelato.

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The happy ending is that both kids ate all their dinner - even the cooked carrots. That is a daring feat with a a 2 and 4-year old tandem: dessert BEFORE dinner. Yvonne's getting brave.

Ciao,

Steve