Roman Holiday

We only had four days in Rome, but we definitely made the most of it. 

I had been to Roma, twenty (something) years ago, but it was a first for the rest of the family. Many warned me that lots of things have changed in The Eternal City; while others joked nothing ever changes in Rome.  With just four days, it's hard to make that assessment but, off the cuff, I'd venture to say that not much has changed.  In my book, that's a good thing for a city like Rome, being, like you know, two and a half THOUSAND years old.  If globalization hit a road block in Rome (and Paris, for that matter), it would be OK.

We enjoyed a nice mix of neighborhood walks/dinners, along with visits to a few key monuments.  The Colosseum was stop #1.

Without older kids in the house, we've been wondering how long it would take for "play fighting" to take hold of our household.  It's been brewing for a while, and we did what we could to stave it off, but it was only going to take one "colossal" gateway experience to unleash it all.  

Introducing the queen and her gladiator:

The Colosseum just finished restoring the underground dungeon level of the the arena where the gladiators and live animals trained and prepared for games.  We had the grand, guided tour, and it's unbelievable to (try to) make the imaginary leap of two thousand years to the era of the arena's heyday.  

Dungeon level.

Wild animals were kept in these little niches (seen below). The emperors would bring exotic animals from all over the empire (everything from lions to hippos to elephants).  Animals fought each other to the death, although humans and animals never fought each other.  Killed animals were cooked in the dungeon level, then doled out to spectators as free food. 

This was all a political move, as the spectators (including the lowest classes) could watch the game for free and then get free food--the event sponsored by emperors and Roman senators vying for political office or favor.

Gladiators were captured soldiers from all over the empire who were basically slave fighters.  I underestimated the supply of these slaves, and learned it was so expensive and time-consuming to train the gladiators that winners were only allowed to fight 2-3 times per year.  If they stayed alive for 10 years or so, they could win their freedom and return home.

Imagine the platform in the photo above if it extended across the entire oval area, covering the underground prep area.  This was the arena floor, covered in sand to absorb all the blood.  

The emperor's box is at the very edge of the platform on the right.  Strangely, it paid to be a third class citizen of Rome because your seats were up high where you couldn't be eaten by the wild animals jumping off "stage" into the stands.  Often, these animals had been caged in extremely tight spaces and starved so that by the time they made it into the arena they were completely crazed.  It wasn't uncommon for an animal to lurch into the crowd of spectators seated in the lower levels, which were the senators and VIP crowd.

This was the largest ampitheater in the Roman Empire (seating up to 70,00 people) and is the best preserved.  Even today, it is the largest in the world..  It only took eight years to build and opened its doors in 80AD.  Wow.

And for all that play fighting, these little ones still love a sweet, informative children's book about a cat's adventures in Rome.  If you haven't had the chance yet, please check out my friend, Shannon's, children's series about KeeKee, the cat, who travels all over the world.  Your kids will love it!

Oh, Mama!

Look who remembered her sunglasses, but forgot to pack everyone else's!

We never did get this family selfie quite right.  But we had a funny time trying.  There's something kind of special about these captured moments anyway.  And no one really felt like complaining . . .  we were all too grateful for the awesome weather in Rome that day!  Such a gorgeous backdrop of Castel Sant' Angelo on the Tiber River.

Dutch Riots in Rome

Just a few days before our arrival in Rome, Dutch soccer fans rioted in the streets of Rome and caused damage throughout the city, most notably to two 17th-century Bernini fountains--La Barcaccia at the foot of the famous Spanish Steps and at Piazza Navona.  That day's game, between Rotterdam and Rome, hadn't even started yet.

It's been strange to walk into the aftermath of the whole thing, especially since we arrived from Holland grinning like the tourists we are.  The discussion has ranged from understandable outrage at the actions of Dutch fans to shock that the Italian police weren't really able to stop it from happening to demands for the Dutch to pay for the estimated 1.1M in repairs.  Here are some of the pictures.

Personally, it so hard for me to imagine that Dutch fans would do this kind of thing.  The Dutch are not known for hooliganism, and it's been my experience that while that like a good party or festival or parade (Queen's Day, Gay Pride, etc) they seem to remain respectful.  They are practical-minded people, and thrifty; it wouldn't make sense to destroy perfectly wonderful works of art or public spaces.

Anyway, what also caught my attention is that this kind of behavior is not typical of Roman fans.  I find this a little surprising because Italians are a bit raucous and party-happy.  They even seem to have parties for two on their scooters while zipping through the streets.  But as this article points out, "even the dimmest Roma supporter is aware that it is something special."  All Romans appreciate their amazing history, going back thousands of years, and take care to respect the huge Bernini's in the middle of their most popular city squares.

And indeed Rome is special, and here we are at some of those very special 17-century spots that are must-do's whenever one is in Rome.

Piazza Navona:

The Spanish Steps and La Barcaccia.  It's been wonderful to spend time with our friend, CB, who lives in Rome.  We all met at French immersion camp last summer. 

Delft 2.0

I so thought I had "done" Delft, a cute little town about an hour's drive from Amsterdam.

I've never much been into porcelain or Chinese-inspired blue pottery, but hanging out in Holland must be playing with my head cuz I'm feeling kind of smitten.  And if you've got a crush on this kind of thing, Delft is the place to be. 

I have visited Delft a number of times, and felt like I had satiated this growing love affair, but that was before my good friend, SF, took us girls on a field trip last week to the Royal Delft Factory where we did the tour and got to paint our very own vase.  Very, very cool.

The entryway at the Royal Delft factory.

Delft is a quintessential Holland town, with its towered churches and river running through the middle.  During the 17th century, it was home to about thirty Delftware factories.  This is a staggering number of production houses for the time, and speaks volumes about the popularity of Delft blue.

17th-cenutry Delft collection.

The blue porcelain first became the rage during Holland's Golden Age, the country's famed trading period, when overseas traders brought it back from China.  It grew so popular that when civil war in China brought a halt to the supply, factories popped up by the tens in North Holland.  They Royal Delft Factory, where we visited, is the only original of these 17th-century factories that remains in business (established in 1653).

The workshop:

The paint is black, but turns blue during firing.

Look at all those Miffy's.

A vase by Marcel Wanders (in partnership with Royal Delft) that I have coveted for a long, long time.

We tried our hand doing our own vases, and I dare say they turned out pretty great.  Such a cool souvenir from our time in Holland.  Thank so much, SF, for organizing!

Family Album: Pop Pop

Thank you, Pop Pop, for coming to visit!  Wow, Amsterdam and London on your first European trip.  Not bad!  You did a lot, and we admire your curiosity and good humor with all the walking around in the cold. 

The kids think you are très, très rigolo and are already asking when you'll be back.  Doug was so thrilled for the father-son time.  Great, great memories.  I posted a few them already (Volendam and Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter), and here's a few more.  Although, I'm afraid I won't be able to cover it all--you did so much. 

One of our favorite places:

That hat!

Games!

Reese's first oyster:

A canal boat ride:

 Ice skating and fondue, a Valentine's to remember:

Lollipop field at Museumplein!

Father and son:

And i would be remiss if I didn't offer a big THANK YOU for satisfying Abby and Reese's deepest cravings!  Merci!