Muench Family Happenings: Arrivederci Roma

Last blog entry in Roma,

We leave tomorrow morning from our apartment to Fumicino Airport at an ungodly early hour (4:45 a.m.). We've been taking it kind of low-key the last few days just visiting some old favorites and making sure we get our naps. Did Castel Sant'Angelo a few more times, including today, did bicycle riding in Villa Borghese for the third time...stuff like that. Just got back from gelato for the last time (at Gelateria del Teatro). Kids are a bit sugared up right now so putting them to bed will be a challenge. This is why we don't give them a big dose of ice cream just before bedtime at home.

Some final Rome thoughts and insights:

Rome is filthy. Like any big city, most surfaces are covered in grime/soot/dirt. The Rome streets really do trash your shoes and your children. Especially if they lay down in the street and eat gelato.
Gelato is almost as common as cappuccino as an afternoon treat. I now think nothing of 3 guys in suits walking down the street having gelato cones.
Rome will never have enough money to preserve all the historical stuff they have here. As a result, there will always be things closed or in disrepair. Deal with it.
Vatican City looks like Rome would if it had oodles of money to keep all its stuff in great shape and clean.
Not sure why Rome bothers with bus schedules. It's rather meaningless as they seem to come whenver they want. To save everyone anxiety and have just three categories: (1) comes all the time - don't worry about it, (2) comes every now-and-then, and (3) comes once in a long while - try your luck.
If you take enough taxi rides, eventually they will try and pull a fast one on you. If you call them on it, they will back off and pretend it didn't happen.
A good cappuccino should cost you no more than one Euro (if you drink it standing at the bar and not sitting at a table). This is in contrast with Cafe Greco on Via Condotti where a cappuccino and 3 pastries will run you 25 Euros (ouch!).
A sure-fire way to start a conversation is to wear a A.S. Roma or S.S. Lazio shirt (or any other piece of apparel). Everyone seems to have something to say about it.
Strangers really DO sigh and say things like "bella bambina" about your kids as you walk by. It happens quite often.
A ten minute walk without kids is a 30 minute walk with kids.
Store employees in meat shops are almost always gruff and short with you. They can't understand why you don't know the exact Italian word for the odd cut of meat you need for some sort of dish. Heck, I don't even know the English name for it.
There is a lot of poop on the streets of Rome. Mostly dog poop I imagine.
Romans must be experts at "holding it". There are few public restrooms in Rome. And if you are lucky enough to find one it may be out of service. If Rome has 10% of the per capita restrooms as a standard U.S. city, I'd be surprised.
Our favorite places in Rome (Bing map): http://binged.it/uO1g2a

Teatro di Marcello. Used to be a Roman theater until a family built a palazzo on top of it.
An extreme case of hermit -crabbing (but rather standard in Rome).