Arrivederci, Roma

 To say our goodbyes to Rome, we all walked up behind the Spanish Steps to look over the beautiful city.  Everyone kindof took some time to themselves, and I walked into the Borghese Gardens and collected some pine cones and acorns to put in a glass vase at home to remind me of our trip.  The relaxed morning was in direct contrast to the anxiety Scott went through at Termini while we were waiting to board our bus to the airport.  He was thinking of all the things that could go wrong, and what we would do if we missed our flight.  That's what happens when we go on a timetable that normal people operate on.  Of course, we were fine.  But it was as close as we want to get.

 Rome is just a remarkable city, unlike anywhere in the world, with its rich history, unique flavor and the Vatican right in the heart of it.  Around every corner is a quaint cafe, a hidden cathedral, an architectural wonder, a half-revealed archaeological excavation, a monumental tribute to a past emperor, or just a monk in a powder blue habit, quietly drawing you in with his inscrutable intrigue...just like Rome itself does.

Thanksgiving in Rome

Cathedral overload!  On Thanksgiving Day, we mapped out a cathedral crawl.  We took the metro to the furthest one from our apartment, St. John Laterano, dubbed by Trajan as "the Pope's home ward," for all you Mormons.  I don't know why popes would travel away from the Vatican to go to church, especially back before Popemobiles, but this cathedral is extraordinary.

We tried to spend time, and not just rush through.  It was easy to lose 30 minutes without even blinking, there was so much to look at in every single cathedral.

On the Metro, we were sandwiched in with several of these monks in their powder blue habits.  I was intrigued.  It seems like in Rome, every order or branch of Catholicism has a presence.  These monks were all black, and I wondered where they had come from and what their story was.  We caught up with this monk at Santa Maria de Maggiore, I think, and I asked him if he spoke English.  No, but he was able to tell me in French that he and his brothers were from Benin, official language French, and were here in Rome studying.  He gave us some Virgin Mary prayer cards.  I'm still intrigued by this man's soft-spoken demeanor, and how the beautiful robes seem to carry a sacred presence.  I loved seeing monks, nuns and clergy from all the different orders with their unique robes.

If I had a map, I would tell you all the cathedrals we visited, but I can't remember right now. Plus, there were several that we just happened to see, and went inside to discover a trove of gold leaf and fresco.  

At the top of the stairs, someone had spray painted an arrow with "St. Pietro Vincolo."  Someone got tired of giving directons!  This cathedral is tucked away, but it contains one of Michelangelo's most important sculptures, Moses.  It's incredible to see.

Piazza Navonna

We got Ptolemy a little Pinocchio puppet.

Everything was decorated for Christmas.

Back to teh Pantheon for a daytime view.

This is the gelato store where Scott's faith in gelato was restored.  It had been years since his mind was blown by gelato, but sesame and honey changed all that.  One afternoon, we ate our gelato in the store and then got another double-scoop.  There are so many flavors, and it's not every day we're in Italy!

Moses.

The chains St. Peter was bound in, hence the name of the cathedral.  I love all the religious relics in Rome.

We went back to the restaurant that we'd been to with Genevieve and Hubert.  The woman making pasta in the window was just the touch of charm that made the place special.

Thanksgiving dinner!  I didn't miss the traditions of home a bit, and I was proud of Ruby and my dad for pulling off Thanksgiving dinner alone.  Ruby laughed when Ptolemy's favorite thing about the meal she spent two days preparing were the Hostess Ding Dongs that Uncle Jim brought.  Uncle Jim always brings the best stuff! ;)  He brought Nana, too, even though she was dead set on staying home and not putting anyone out.

Marco, out waiter both times, was really fun.

Sage ravioli.  To die for, but not as good as the carbonara.  Oh my gosh.  We were joined by a Canadian woman who burst into the restaurant and zeroed in on us, exclaiming, "English!"  She had been traveling for 6 weeks and was thrilled to sit down with us and speak her native language for a change.  She was fun.

Scott and the pole he crashed into.

Shopping

I think our favorite was the Pantheon.  The girls loved it, and all the good gelato was near it.

A church dedicated to the patron saint of health care workers and the sick.

Scott and Hubert were so funny!  We met for dinner and were walking down Via del Corso, where all the fancy shops are, when they suddenly decided to be super models.  No language barrier can keep men from being boys!

After being turned away from a snooty cafe, we ended up at the most charming little neighborhood place.  It was like a movie set, it was so quintessentially Italian.  The owners were so nice, too.  Our second "Thanksgiving dinner" of the day was cozy, quaint and full of love, as we said our farewells to Genevieve and Hubert.

We look forward to more time spent with the Neyrand-Roux family in the future!  Genevieve, thank you for making Rome so perfect.

A nativity in one of the churches included far more Roman soldiers than nativities at home include.