Gelato

Just a short post today,

It's Thursday and it's pouring rain. Thunderstorm in the early morning hours but at least it stops raining from time to time. We decided to go up to Villa Borghese (north end) on the trusty 116 bus for some fun at what is described as a "children's museum" there. When we got there we found out it consisted of a two-room toy/book shop (in fairness, they were quality toys and books) and a reading room. That's it. Thankfully it was free and the kids really enjoyed the slew of new books. We couldn't actually read any of them but managed to muddle our way through some of the stories.

On our way home we stopped for an early lunch (1pm in Roma time) at Maccharoni, a restaurant that serves...maccharoni. Kids loved it and Clara, no kidding, at more than me, Yvonne or Hadden. We were not surprised when she ate almost no dinner. Hadden had his fair share of mac too. The guys at the restaurant liked Hadden's Man U shirt and asked if he was a piccolo Wayne Rooney.

Afterwards, we wandered for a couple of blocks to Giolitti, a famous Rome gelato store. We had heard it was no longer the best gelato in Rome but decided to stop for some because it's probably still really good. Clara and Hadden each got a cone (that consists of two scoops - one scoop each of two flavors - in Rome). Yvonne and I had to bum bites off the kids. The gelato was good but certainly no the best we've tasted. My primary observation for this event is that our kids get amazingly dirty eating gelato from a cone. Clara had it all over her face, shirt, hands, arms and pants. Hadden, being 4, is better able to confine the mess to his face and hands. Clara doesn't quite get the cone concept yet - she often holds it sideways and swings it around. One of these days she's going to lose a cone that way.

Giolitti - yet another gelato store in Roma. Try and guess when the sugar starts to kick in with Clara. It's pretty evident in the photos.

Clara going sideways on the cone. A daring move in gelato eating. There's no telling when you could lose the whole thing. Here she is still relatively clean.

Hadden, the super-cool gelato eater. 

A little kooky now. A just a bit messy. The picture really doesn't do the mess justice.

"Clara, be careful of your cone...watch out for your cone...Clara!"

Out of control.

????!!!

Anyway, when the gelato-fest was all over we walked it off all the way back to our place past the Pantheon and Piazza Novana. Clara had a good nap and Hadden did the usual quiet-time activities. Yvonne made dinner while I worked and the kids watched "Surf's Up" (again). Kids are now in bed awaiting the arrival of Auntie Leslie tomorrow.

buonasera,

Steve