Muench Family Happenings: Roads, food, water, and running

In the last few days we've done some things but the touristico pace may have slowed a bit. That's just fine. Some brief highlights:

Appia Antica
On Wednesday the 2nd, Steve went to Via Appia Antica again as part of his work. My intentions were to bicycle south of the drop-off point for the 660 bus (the last time we were here we walked north - back towards Rome - from this point). Got about 95% of the way there and Yvonne phoned to remind me that I had taken the only set of apartment keys with me. So...no way for Yvonne or kids to leave the apartment and hope to get back in. So, I took a taxi back to Castel Sant'Angelo where they were playing and handed off the keys. Another taxi back to Via Appia Antica and it was about 2:15pm when I finally got the bike rented from the cafe. The bike, as is usual, is way too small for me (the work is designed for the person who's 5' 8" tall) and a bit of a beater. No matter it works. Rode south for about 5 miles then turned around and came back. There were plenty of busted up monuments along the road but at this point in history they are just piles of concrete and brick - all the facades, statues, and anything else of value is long gone. No matter, the road was really pleasant (quite and tranquil) and is essentially surrounded by a huge linear park. Great ride in the afternoon golden sunlight. Most of the pavement has since been replaced but there are random locations where the original Roman surface still exists. Those places are really bumpy for bikes. Chain came off once due to bumpiness.

A really nice part of the Via Appia Antica.
There is still the occasional car that uses this road.

One of the more stunning monuments along the Via Appia Antica.
It's big, but it's eroded away to a lump of concrete.

Me on THE MOTHER ROAD (it's not Route 66).

Yvonne's Dinner
The next day I took the kids to the park (same Castel Sant'Angelo park - called Parco Adriano I think) while Yvonne went shopping for a while. She got ingredients for a delicious risotto dinner (risotto, pumpkin, sage, pine nuts) and pantarelle salad (chickory). We had a wine I went and got from "our" local wine shop (those guys are great) and a dessert wine too.

Yvonne cooks in our kitchen.

The kids wait for dinner with baited breath.
While watching "Surf's Up" again on the DVD player.

Dinner (the picture doesn't do it justice). It's risotto with pumpkin, pine nuts and sage; and puntarelle, a traditional Roman salad with chickory and oranges (with anchovy dressing). Very good.

Villa D'Este

On Friday, Yvonne convinced us all to go to Villa D'Este. Good idea, fun place. It is in Tivoli, about 20 km outside of Rome. Originally we were going to take a taxi to the bus station and then take the bus there but once in the taxi, Yvonne asked the driver if he could take us all the way there and what it would cost. So...we went all the way in the taxi (50 Euros). It was luxurious and Yvonne's continued praise of "being pampered" made me a bit nervous regarding the level of luxury that she would like. To be fair, we took the train back for 4,60 Euros. But then we took a taxi from the train station to home for 15 Euros.

Villa D'Este is a really, really big estate built by Cardinal Ippolito D'Este in Tivoli. He must have really liked water because it has 51 fountains and nymphaeums (try the link if, like me, you do not know what a nymphaeum is - this blog is educational too!), 364 jets, 64 waterfalls, 220 basins and 875 meters of water canals. It has been mostly restored with a vast majority of the water features working. The kids loved all the fountains and we appreciated the lack of security personnel on the grounds enabling us to let the run a bit. Of course, I'm interested in the real genius behind this villa (not the Cardinal), Pirro Ligorio, the engineer. All the fountains, save 2 that were installed in 1927, operate on gravity alone. A working hydraulic engineering classroom. Too bad that's not what I teach.

The Oval Fountain. It's pretty.

The aptly named Hundred Fountains (although I think these qualify as "spouts".)

Hadden brandishing his banana sword in front of the pirate ship.
Hey, if you're going to have 300 fountains in your villa you better have a pirate ship too.

My lovely wife.

So, I asked Clara to go up to the top of this sloped walkway so I could take a picture of her. Every 10 feet or so (sorry, 3 meters or so, we're in Europe) she would turn around and yell at me, "Daddy, don't take a picture of me yet!" and then walk another 10 feet. This is one such incident just before she realized I was taking unauthorized photographs.

Okay, so this one is a stumper. This is a fountain with a woman who has, I think, 13 boobs. Each one spouting water (why not). There's no explanation in the guide or at the fountain about why this woman has 13 boobs. And, it's in a Cardinal's backyard. What's he doing with a 13-boobed fountain? I can imagine the conversation with the designer...

"I want a fountain of a naked chick with lots of tits."
"How many would you like?"
"As many as you can cram in there."
(time passes)
"Okay your excellency, we've got an idea for one with 13 tits."
"That's it? Only 13?"
"Well your excellency, 14 would border on tasteless."
"And don't forget to make each one spew water too."
"Well, that goes without saying."

Capitoline
We went for a short jaunt over to see the Pantheon again - just for fun 'cause it's so cool - and then over to the Capitoline Hill to let the kids run in the Michaelangelo-designed piazza. Hadden pouted quite a bit at first. Hadden and I sat down for a bit and discussed all the things we didn't like (a good thing to do if you're in a pouting mood). I don't like this statue. I don't like that foot. I don't like these stairs. I don't like this bench - it's too cold. I don't like it when mommy says we have to go here. I don't like that poster advertising a Tarik Aziz memorial (true thing). I don't like those white statues of guys all over the place. etc. But...after a while who can resist chasing pigeons? Not our kids. Clara ran herself ragged and didn't catch a single one. These are veteran, battle-tested pigeons here - they only fly away as far as they need to, no further. Hadden found the secret back entrance to the view deck of the Victor Emanuel monument and even pointed the right way when I led everyone astray. Back to our house for quite time, naps, and the highlight of the day...Kung Fu Panda on the DVD player. Some things never change.