30 June

Monday, 30 June

Last night we had the meal everyone warned us we would have.  Every place else we have eaten the service has been somewhere in the range of "just fine" to "pretty good."  We went to the Trastevere neighborhood for a pizza place that's supposed to be amazing. We were absolutely smashed together in this restaurant. We were seated at a table so tiny that one person using a fork would have an elbow in the face of the person sitting next to him. This was seriously a two-person table. Finn's chair was physically touching Lane's chair on one side and a stranger's chair at the next table (with 1 inch of space between tables), which made him very unhappy. The waiter, after delivering our first course, proceeded to ignore us for the next hour, not even bringing us water.  It was quite loud as well, being so crowded. Is it better or worse that the pizza, once it arrived, was great?

Today we (sort of) figured out the bus schedule to get to the San Callisto catacombs. The general consensus was that it was interesting, but the tour was pretty short, and it took quite a long time to get there with two buses and quite a bit of walking. The bus went by the street that the first Montessori school is on (Casa dei Bambini), but we didn't get off the bus since it was the last one of the evening going towards our destination, and I was afraid we would get stranded.  I'm just going to have to let that one go.

On the way back, stopped in at an exhibit of Leonardo da Vinci's machines, which were constructed from his original drawings using only wood, glue, and rope.  These machines really defy explanation--you simply can't believe anyone could come up with these things.  A wooden tank.  A machine gun (with cannons). The precursor to ball bearings (made of wood)...and the flying machines, of course. Finn wanted to go in to this little museum, but we were all enchanted.

Sicilian gelato today--hazelnut and dark chocolate for me, nougat and pistachio for Lane, chocolate for Coen. Finn declined the "weird" flavors and waited for "regular" gelato at a different establishment, opting for chocolate and milk flavors.  Milk was surprisingly yum!

On the way to get gelato someone stopped in the street near our apartment in Campo de' Fiori and said "No way!"  The voice sounded familiar, so I spun around...and saw Natalie L., one of my former students!  No way indeed!  She is here with the University of Washington "Month in Rome" project, doing community service working with refugees.  The UW Exchange office & housing is apparently about 2 minutes' walk from our apartment. How crazy to meet someone from Woodinville Montessori School in Rome!  We had a nice chat--it seems like she is having a terrific time.

Trevi Fountain tonight, and my vote is for dinner at a mozzarella bar.

Rome Thumbs Up
gelato
pizza
pasta
cobblestone roads, tiny streets that could be creepy but instead are warmly lit, full of people and interesting little shops
sunny weather, balmy at night
Roman ruins just as part of the landscape many places you go
Egyptian obelisks everywhere (long story)
being able to speak just enough Italian to want to inflict it on the locals; having them being good sports about it
an apartment that's a fun place to hang out--really feels like a temporary home
the view from our rooftop patio
the open-air market just down the street, open every morning
ancient buildings that "literally make it hard to breathe when you look at them" (Lane)
espresso is great (Lane only, for sure)
Nice to be able to walk to so many placesdxD

Rome Thumbs Down
Transportation is difficult, confusing, tiring or expensive
A lot of smelly trash around--not in all areas, but in a lot of places


Rome Surprises
Pizza is just one size--everybody gets their own for 8-10 euros apiece--very very thin crust and maybe 12" across
They don't cut your pizza for you, just bring a fork and butter knife--kind of awkward
I knew not to expect ice water, but it was still surprising to get a can of soda and have it be only cold-ish.
This city does NOT shut down until about three in the morning.  Don't these people have jobs?
A lot of graffiti in many parts of the city--not ours, fortunately
More SmartCars than I have ever seen in my life. Probably 10% of the vehicles on the road are SC (and 25% are scooters).  Also saw my first car smaller than a SmartCar--a Renault that seats two people, one behind the other.
Not many children around--Rome seems to be 99% adults
Lots of people smoking
Women wearing open-backed shirts with their bra strap cutting right across the middle of the opening. Since when is that a thing?