"Rome"ward Bound!

Homeward Bound

2009-12-15T04:33:00.002+01:00

Sorry I didn't get last night's post up. I will have to finish it later.

We are up and ready to head to the airport. It is 4:34 am. We will be home in South Bend tonight!

-Terri, John, Paul, Elizabeth, and Grace

Two Days Left in Rome

2009-12-13T22:21:00.000+01:00

December 13, 2009

We have only two days left in Rome. What did we do today?

We stayed up late watching a movie last night and slept later than we wanted to this morning. Maybe we are just trying to adjust our body clocks to get ready for the trip home! After breakfast we headed for the flea market to pick up a few more souvenirs. It was cold and rainy today, so we didn't wander around looking for things - just headed for what we needed and got back on the bus. The 75 bus took us up near the train station so we could walk to Santa Susanna - the American Catholic church in Rome. Unfortunately, they closed early and we had to leave the books in the church with a note. We donated many of the books we've already read to the library. Hopefully they will make some other children happy.

We waited again for a bus - this time the 62. The bus service runs on Sundays, but not as frequently. This means more waiting at bus stops. Did I mention that it was cold and rainy? Oh well! We took the bus to St. Peter's to stop at a shop, but it was closed. We were able to mail our last postcard while we were out though! By this time, everyone was cold, wet, tired, and grumpy and so we headed home. We can do the rest of the errands tomorrow, right?

We came home and worked on the packing again. We packed the backpacks and cleaned out the kids' bedroom. Now everything is in piles in my room. I guess it will be incentive to finish putting everything into the suitcases so that I can go to bed tonight!

After dinner and showers, we headed back into the city for Mass at Santa Maria in Monterone. It's a tiny little church right near John's studio. John and the rest of the graduate students weren't back from Greece yet, so we went by ourselves.

We are home now, John is home now and all is well. John and I will finish packing tonight so that we can play tomorrow. Lots to do before we leave!

Only one more day!

-Terri

La Befana

2009-12-13T18:15:00.000+01:00

We are going to be starting a new tradition in the Mellor family called "La Befana". La Befana is celebrated on Epiphany, January 6. The legend of La Befana is that when the three kings were taking their gifts to Jesus they invited everyone in the towns they passed through to accompany them. They passed through one town where a woman lived. She was the best housekeeper in town and when they asked her to accompany them, she said she had a lot of housework to finish. Later, she had a change of heart, but it was too late. The kings had already left. The legend says that on the eve of January 6, she flies around on her old broom bringing gifts to children. The good children receive books and other small toys and the bad children receive garlic, onions, and coal. She puts the things in the children's socks, similar to St. Nicholas Day.

We bought a Befana. She is an old woman sitting in a rocking chair with her broomstick. This is a neat Italian tradition that we thought we should celebrate!

See you soon!
-Elizabeth

Sant'Ignazio - Is the dome there or not?

2009-12-12T22:48:00.000+01:00

This is the church of Sant'Ignazio - St. Ignatius. The neat thing about this church are its frescos on the ceiling. In this first fresco, it appears that the ceiling is much taller than it actually is. Can you see the columns and windows along the sides of the photo? They are part of the painting!

These two photos are of the dome. When the church was built, they couldn't afford to build the dome. They hired the same artist, Andrea Pozzo. He painted a dome on a flat, round ceiling. He painted the dome in perspective so that when you stand in a certain place in the church, you cannot tell that the dome is fake. However, when you get right under the dome, it doesn't look right anymore. Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of this. This is the same artist who painted the rooms of Saint Ignatius that I wrote about earlier.

Three Days Left in Rome

2009-12-12T21:00:00.000+01:00

December 12, 2009

Three days left in Rome. What did we do today?

Well, we worked on packing again today. I am trying to pack the things we aren't using, but we brought so little, that packing leaves us very little to do.

One thing that we really enjoyed visiting a few months ago was Castel Sant'Angelo. We went back today. This castle was originally a mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian and his family, but was later a fortress and castle. There is even a fortified walkway that goes between the Vatican and the Castel Sant'Angelo so that when Rome was being attacked, the Pope could go hide out in the castle. The last time this happened was in the 1500's. Anyway, now it is a museum and it has one of the best views of the city.

We spent several hours at the Castel Sant'Angelo, exploring through the ramps, staircases and hidden rooms. We found a whole exhibit inside artwork that had been stolen and then recovered by the police here in Italy. Some things were missing for just a year or two, and some for more than twenty years! There were even a few artists we recognized - art by Renoir, Cezanne and VanGogh!

No visit to Castel Sant'Angelo is complete with a trip down into the former moat which is now a park and has a nice playground. There were lots of kids playing down there today and many people walking their dogs. Apparently people walking their dogs think that this park is a good place to let the dogs run around without a leash. It was interesting to watch dogs chase one another and owners chase their dogs!

The weather is chilly here now and we weren't dressed for an extended time outside. We were planning to go do a little souvenir shopping before dinner, but we were all too cold. We elected to jump on a warm bus and head home. Made a quick dinner and then? Yes, more packing! Now we are going to relax on the couch with some afghans and the movie "Cars".

Lots of things to finish up tomorrow! Only two days left!

-Terri

Four Days Left in Rome

2009-12-12T20:48:00.000+01:00

Friday, December 11, 2009

Only four days left in Rome. What did we do today?

Aunt Kathy and Barb left early this morning. We were up late with them last night, so we slept in this morning. It is time to start packing. We spent most of the morning cleaning and organizing. We went through our "stuff" and figured out what needed to be thrown out, donated, and what will actually come home with us. I also started a list of everything we have purchased so that it will be easier to fill out the customs forms when we get to the US.

After lunch we headed down the hill to the playground in the piazza for some playtime. It was chilly, but the sun was shining and it was nice to just relax. We took the tram across the river to see three churches that have been on our list.

The first was Il Gesu which is the home of the Jesuits. We've been to the church before, but I had read about it again and realized that we hadn't looked carefully at the ceiling when we were there. The ceiling was painted to look like some of the figures are 3D and are coming down toward you. We also went next door to see the rooms of St. Ignatius - where he lived nearly 500 years ago. Amazing to see so much history in one place! There was also one fantastic room that was painted by the same artist as the ceiling in the church. The room has a barrel vault (half circle shaped ceiling), but is painted so that if you stand in one place in the room, it appears to be a flat ceiling. I don't think the photos really do it justice. I have a guide to the rooms that is easier to understand.

This is the ceiling in the church. It looks like some of the figures are coming down from the ceiling.

These photos were taken in one of the rooms of St. Ignatius. I don't know if you can see the scrolls that are between the ceiling and the side walls. They aren't actually there! They are painted on! The ceiling is actually rounded! Neat, huh?

After Il Gesu, we went to two other churches that John had recommended we visit. Both were quite beautiful and we enjoyed them. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store. We are getting close to our last grocery shopping trip. That will be a relief! Of course, we hit the grocery store about 5:30 in the evening which means it was very crowded. The lines were very, very long and we had to wait about 10 minutes for the check-out. We caught a bus up the hill and had a relaxing evening in the apartment. We have many blog entries to do.

Great day! Only three days left!

-Terri

Five Days Left in Rome

2009-12-12T12:01:00.000+01:00

Thursday, December 10, 2009

We have five days left in Rome. What did we do today?

After a relaxing morning at home, we headed to the tram and into the city center for lunch. We went to Remo's again, but this time for calzones. John has been raving about the calzones which are cheap, large, and fantastic, but you have to get there before the high school kids get there if you want one. We got to Remo's shortly before noon and all had a prosciutto (ham) and cheese calzone. They are indeed terrific!

We headed over to the Corso for a little bit of souvenir shopping with Aunt Kathy and Barb. Today is their last day here. Caught a bus from the Corso over to the Vatican and stopped at a shop called Castroni where we picked up a few souvenirs and Christmas presents.

The Vatican Museums was next. We have been there once, but Aunt Kathy and Barb really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. I was hesitant because the last time we were there was in mid September and the museum was packed! Instead of walking through the museum leisurely enjoying all the exhibits, we felt like we were a herd of cows moving from room to room! There were so many people in the Sistine Chapel that you could hardly move around and certainly couldn't relax and enjoy the beauty!

However, there are virtually no tourists here in Rome now! (Delightful!) We basically had the museum to ourselves. We saw a few things on our way to the Sistine Chapel, but spent most of our time in the Chapel itself. It is really too bad that you can't take photos in there, but I do have a really nice book about the Vatican and the museums, so it is fine. Michelangelo's ceiling is really something, let me tell you. I just cannot imagine having that much talent to be able to paint something so beautiful!

We headed home for a bit while Aunt Kathy and Barb finished up some shopping. We met them down in Trastevere and went to dinner at a restaurant called Carlo Menta. Delicious pasta and fantastic pasta e fagioli soup. You have probably had pasta e fagioli soup at Olive Garden. Here it is much thicker and is made with wide, thin, flat noodles instead of macaroni. I will be making it this way from now on!

After dinner we headed for gelato because everyone must have gelato on their last day here. Our favorite place was closed, so we went to Della Palma where we could eat inside. This was good because it is pretty chilly once the sun goes down now. Tram and bus back to the apartment.

Great day! Only four days left!

-Terri

Six Days Left in Rome

2009-12-11T23:59:00.001+01:00

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

We have six days left in Rome. What did we do today?

Well, today is Paul's 10th birthday so it was lots of fun and excitement! We started by heading over to St. Peter's with John, Aunt Kathy, and Barb. Yesterday was a national holiday in Italy, so many people made a 4 day weekend. There have been tons of people in Rome all weekend, but apparently they have all headed back to work. We had St. Peter's almost to ourselves today! Fantastic!

We started by climbing to the top of the dome. Aunt Kathy, Barb, and Grace took the elevator to the base of the dome, and then climbed the stairs, but we took the stairs the whole way. It was over 500 stairs! The view was spectacular! Look for a blog entry on this in the next few days. We descended the dome and toured the Basilica and then the crypt below. This is where Pope John Paul II is buried.

After St. Peter's, we headed into the city center for pizza for lunch from our favorite pizza place - Remo's. We ate pizza in the piazza in front of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and then went to get gelato. I think Paul got an extra big 2 scoops because he told our friend at the gelato place that it was his birthday.

We came home for naptime/downtime and then had dinner. Paul's favorite meal is penne with ham and asparagus. For dessert we didn't have cake because the oven here is too unpredictable. Instead I got a recipe from one of the secretaries in the ND program. Paul had a birthday pie - Nutella pie. (For anyone who doesn't know - Nutella is a chocolate spread that is the consistency of peanut butter. Europeans spread it on bread or toast for breakfast.) For birthday candles we used a candle that Paul got at St. Paul's Outside the Walls. It was a delicious pie.

What an exciting day! Only six days left!

-Terri

Seven Days Left in Rome

2009-12-11T23:49:00.003+01:00

Tuesday, December 8

Well, we have seven days left in Rome. What did we do today?

Aunt Kathy and Barb are visiting this week, so we had to show them some of our favorite things. Today we had pizza for lunch with John. He is finally done with his major projects and had his big presentation yesterday afternoon. After lunch we took Aunt Kathy and Barb to the "Bone Church". (See Paul's blog entry on this.) They were fascinated. We also went to see another church that we really like - Sant'Ignazio. (St. Ignatius) This church has a trompe l'oeil ceiling and dome. This means that the ceiling is painted to look much taller than it actually is. It also means that the church doesn't actually have a dome, but the circle in the ceiling is painted to look like one. We will post photos of this in a different entry.

After those two churches, we had to do a little souvenir/Christmas shopping. We headed over to one of our favorite piazzas - Piazza Navona where there is a huge Christmas market. We picked up a gift for Grandma and a "La Bufana" for our family. Look for an entry on La Bufana as well.

Aunt Kathy and Barb went out for dinner and we came home for a quiet dinner of leftovers. We have to start cleaning out the fridge and cabinets! Only seven days left!

-Terri

Switching Teachers

2009-12-11T23:27:00.002+01:00

We will have some big transitions when we get home, especially when it comes to teaching and learning.

Paul and Elizabeth have had one teacher for this whole semester - me! We've done reading, writing and math, but most of our learning has been "out in the field". We've learned about Roman and Italian history, emperors, churches, buildings...the list goes on and on. It has been fascinating to see how different churches are from one another. We have learned a lot about architecture and architects around the city, studying as many works as we could by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Borromini. Paul and Elizabeth even put together a PowerPoint presentation about Michelangelo that they are excited to share when they get home. Lots of our learning has been "living". We've learned enough Italian to get around, and how to shop for, cook, and eat Italian food. Paul and Elizabeth have learned how to navigate around the city on foot, as well as public transportation, and have become excellent photographers!

Now they are heading back to Holy Cross School where there are lots of kids in their classes and they have to switch between several teachers. They will have homework and a much stricter schedule of working. They will have to get up and go to bed early and wear a uniform again! Finally, they will be back with all of their friends and the people they have missed so much!

My teaching is going to change too. I have only had three students this fall. (Grace gets out her workbooks each day and works on her "schoolwork".) I just received the exciting news this week that I am going back to teach 4th and 5th grade at Elm Road School in January! I am thrilled! I just cannot wait to share all the exciting stories of experiences we have had here. I have books that are in Italian, as well as many travel books about the places we have visited. Not to mention all the photographs we have! Oh, there is so much to share with those 4th and 5th graders!

Now, they will have to be patient with me too, because I might get a little mixed up! I might call them "ragazzi" instead of "young people" and when we are trying to go somewhere, I might say, "Andiamo!" I might also answer "Si" instead of "yes" or say, "attenzione!" when I need them to watch out for something! I am sure that they will either catch on quickly or help get me on the right track!

Yes, it will be an interesting transition, but I think everyone will do fine. We are packing in as much "Rome" as we can into these final days and looking forward to sharing our experiences with everyone.

-Terri

Scala Sancta

2009-12-11T22:58:00.000+01:00

This is one of those experiences that you just never forget. The "Scala Sancta" is the "Sacred Stairs". This is a set of stairs inside a building across the street from St. John Lateran in Rome. It is the set of stairs that led up to Pontius Pilate's palace which makes it the set of stairs Jesus climbed to meet Pontius Pilate.

The stairs are marble, but for several hundred years have been covered on the top with walnut wood. There are places in the walnut covering where you can see through to the marble.

People come from all over the world to see and climb these stairs. Do you notice that everyone is one their knees on the stairs? Yes, they are praying, but you are required to climb them on your knees and you cannot walk up them. Some people pray for a long time on each step, and some for just a short time.

Paul, Elizabeth, Grace, and I climbed the Sancta Scala about two weeks ago. We said a short prayer on each step. Even Grace! It was definitely a memorable experience both because of the significance of the staircase and because my knees were sore for the rest of the day!

-Terri

Buses and Trams

2009-12-11T20:50:00.000+01:00

We ride lots of buses and trams because we don't have a car. Also, sometimes it is too far to walk to the playground. This is the settanta-cinque (75). We take the 75 up the hill to our house, or to the playground with the teeter-totter. Sometimes we also take it to go to Santa Susanna. It has books. (That is where the English lending library is. -Terri)

The 44 bus always takes us up the hill too. This one is going to Piazza Venezia. That is where the Campodoglio is and the building that looks like a wedding cake.

This is a tram. We get the tram at the bottom of the Glorioso stairs and we take it to Largo Argentina. Because that's where Dad's studio is. The TIM store is there too. It is also by the Pantheon. I like the Pantheon because we go to our favorite gelato place. But now when it is dark, the gelato place is closed. When it is closed, we have to go to another one.

This is a "skinny" tram. The one below this is a "fatty". Paul named them this because of the way they look in the front. I like the "skinnys" better because I just like them. (Paul likes "skinnys" because they are newer, they look more aerodynamic, and they have some seats up a set of stairs. John likes "fattys" because they seat more people and he doesn't like to be crowded on the tram.)

I like the trams the best and buses too because I just like to ride them!

-Grace

Hey! Where Did My Bones Go?

2009-12-10T18:47:00.000+01:00

Hey! Where did my bones go? If you were buried in the indoor cemetery at Santa Maria della Concezione, that would be your question. Do you know why? When they used up all the space in the cemetery, they dug up all the bones. And do you know what they did with them? They decorated with them! From walls to chandeliers, from beds to clocks. And guess what? There was a Barbarini princess (it was just her skeleton of course) holding a sickle and a scale.

The message at the end of the cemetery was this: "We were what you are, and what we are you will be."

So, why did we go there? It was the day before Halloween and we thought it would be kind of creepy. It wasn't really creepy, it was cool. I was really surprised at how many different ways they decorated with the bones.

Unfortunately, like a lot of other places, we weren't allowed to take pictures, so we bought some postcards. That place is really quite something, isn't it?

-Paul

I Am Also Thankful

2009-12-04T16:31:00.001+01:00

Dear Grace, Elizabeth, Paul, and Terri,

It has occurred to me that I have not contributed in any meaningful way to the entries on the blog. You all have done a great job with it, and everyone back home must enjoy sharing your adventures with you. I'm sorry that I have not been around much these past few weeks - it is hard for me to be away from you all for so much time. I wish that I could have been a part of these grand explorations of yours, and hope someday to have the chance. After reading all of your Thanksgiving blog entries, I decided to contribute one of my own, so here is what I am thankful for - Grace, Elizabeth, Paul, and Terri.

Grace, you are my sweet little peanut, and you are getting to be so big! You have grown so much here in Rome that nobody will recognize you when we get home. You have been so curious, brave, and cheerful these past months, and I hope that you will remember your time here in Rome with us.

Elizabeth, you are my big girl, and I am so proud of who you are, and who you are becoming. You have an amazing talent with words that is really developing in your blog posts, and your mom is doing a great job encouraging your gift. You are also a pretty, confident, independent young girl that has proved to me that even when you are homesick or scared, you still try and make the best of things. I am so glad that you could come to Rome with me.

Paul, you are my son, and you are very much like me in many ways. Your awareness of the world around you astounds me, and your ability to draw and describe the things you have seen is a great gift that I hope to continue to nurture. If I sometimes seem too critical of you, it is because you have so much potential, and will someday do great things. I hope that you have found Rome to be fascinating and inspiring.

Terri, you are the love of my life, and it hurts me most of all that we have been apart so much these past weeks, particularly on our anniversary. I am thankful for your patience, your support, and your willingness to allow me to become better than I am. I hope to be able someday to repay the great gift you have given me. I also hope that you will always treasure your time in Rome, and keep it always in your heart.

I miss you all, and will be with you guys again very soon (three more days!). Of all the things I have in the world, you four are the things I am thankful for the most.

-John

St. Paul's Outside the Walls

2009-12-02T23:21:00.000+01:00

This is my favorite church in Rome - St. Paul's Outside the Walls. It is one of the four pilgrimage basilicas in Rome. When you first get to St. Paul's Outside the Walls, you enter a large cloister with a statue of St. Paul (notice the sword) in the very center. Here is a photo of Paul with the statue of St. Paul so you can get an idea of just how large everything is.

Here are some photos of the inside of the basilica. Notice just how long the nave is. Here is a photo of Grace on the altar so you can tell how tall the baldacchino really is. Unfortunately, the angle isn't quite right, so it is still a little hard to tell.

The mosaics above the altar are just amazing.

There are two really special things about this church. The first is that it is the burial place for St. Paul. His sarcophagus is right under the baldacchino. You can go down a set of stairs from the altar to see the tomb. Right above the tomb is a glass case that contains the chain of nine links that chained St. Paul.

The second thing is that there are mosaic portraits of all the popes around the upper part of the basilica. They start just to the right of the altar with St. Peter and wind their way around the transept and the side aisles. The portrait of the current pope is always lit up. Here is a photo of Pope Benedict XVI's mosaic.

Now, I admit that I am a little partial to St. Paul, but I feel this is truly the most peaceful and beautiful places in Rome.

-Terri

Monet's Water Lilies in Paris

2009-12-02T22:00:00.000+01:00

I have been to Paris several times in my life, and on this trip, I wanted to make sure I saw something new that I had not seen before. One of the new things I saw was the Orangerie Museum that holds Monet's Water Lilies. Absolutely amazing!

The museum has two eliptical shaped rooms that hold the paintings. I wish I had taken a photo of the rooms to make it easier to describe it to everyone. The doorways to the rooms are on the diagonal and the paintings are inbetween. There are eight paintings, one on each of the walls.

The paintings are only about six feet tall, but are as long as 55 feet! What we see in books and on notecards of his paintings are really just close-ups, similar to these two pictures I took.

I have always enjoyed Monet's work, and especially love the Water Lilies series. In person, it is so much more beautiful than what I have seen in books. There are benches in the center of the room, and it is nice and quiet. I really could have sat and relaxed in the gallery for a very long time, just soaking in the beauty.

-Terri

Eiffel Tower

2009-12-02T15:22:00.006+01:00

Bonjour! For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Paris, France. On Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, we went to climb the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for about a half hour and we finally got into a really big elevator. It went to the second level of the tower. At that level, we would have taken a second elevator to go all the way to the top, but the top was closed, unfortunately, due to the wind. Even so, we got an amazing view. Here is a picture of my mom and my Aunt Shelly and Uncle Garett on the second level.

Also from this level, I took a picture looking up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Do you see all the steel that was used to put this thing together? The Eiffel Tower was built for the World's Fair in 1889 and was designed by Gustave Eiffel. It is nearly 1000 feet tall! At the time it was built, it was the tallest structure in the world. Originally, it was supposed to be knocked down after the World's Fair, but enough people liked it that it was not demolished. Unfortunately, some people didn't like it. One of those people was a writer, who ate lunch in it so that he wouldn't have to look at it!

Here is a silly picture of us with my cousin, Ryan.

At night, the Eiffel Tower is all lit up. Beautiful, isn't it?

At the top of each hour, the Eiffel Tower has a light show that lasts five minutes. My mom took a video of it. While she was taking the video, someone came up to us to try to get us to buy small models of the Eiffel Tower. In the video, you can hear my mom say, "Non. Merci." This means, "No, thank you", in French.

What an impressive landmark, huh?

-Paul

Yes, I am thankful

2009-12-02T15:21:00.001+01:00

I asked Paul and Elizabeth to sit down and write essays about being thankful. I figured that I had a lot to be thankful for as well, and I should model good behavior, right? Well, yes, I am thankful!

This Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for, but I've narrowed it down to three things: pasta, pastries, and pizza. Now, you are really probably thinking that I am crazy, or just hungry, but read on.

I am thankful for pasta because it represents opportunity. When you boil a pot of water to cook pasta, you have endless opportunities. Lots of different pasta shapes and sizes and tons of different sauces and things to add to the sauce. You could have pasta every night for months (and we have!) and never have the same meal. Pasta represents all the opportunities to learn that I have had in the last few months. I've learned a lot of Italian and though I cannot speak fluently, I can get around just fine here in Rome. I have had the opportunity to navigate all over the city and I've mastered the buses. I've learned that I like anchovies, and how to survive without peanut butter. I've had the opportunity to home-school my children and have learned that teaching my own children is much harder than I thought it would be! I'm thankful for all these opportunities and am thankful for pasta!

I am thankful for pastries because they are beautiful and make me happy. Making pastries in Italy is considered an art and pastry makers are artists. The pastries are small, delicious works of art that are to be savored. This represents all the beauty in this city. I've had time these last few months to sit and look, really look, at beautiful things. Now I know that we have complained that Rome is so very dirty, which it really is. However, that is only on the outside. On the inside, Romans are proud of and take very good care of the beautiful works of art around them. The churches, courtyards, and museums are immaculate. I've sat in churches, in museums, and in piazzas and absorbed these beautiful things. I've been able to admire the love that artists had that inspired their work. With over 300 churches here in Rome, I've even had a few times to soak in the light, stillness, and quiet of a church. I've had time to admire the beautiful art as well as enjoy the delicious pastries.

Finally, I'm thankful for pizza because you can always count on it. No matter where you are, you can almost always find a pizza place. This represents family and friends, who I know I can always count on. Without everyone at home supporting us with encouraging e-mails, reading our blog entries, and taking care of business, we would never have been able to take advantage of this time overseas as a family. I'm thankful for Paul, Elizabeth, and Grace who have enthusiastically (most of the time) agreed to my adventurous daily itineraries and who have managed to learn a lot along the way. I'm thankful for John who gave us this opportunity and who struggles daily to make time for everything and everyone without ever lowering his standards. I'm thankful that we've become closer as a family and that we know that we can always count on one another. Everyone needs something they can always count on - even if it is just pizza.

Grazie a tutti!
-Terri

Our Thanksgiving Dinner in 2009

2009-11-30T17:22:00.005+01:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Paris. We also had our Thanksgiving dinner as usual. But, our dinner was a bit unusual. Here's what we had: Paul and Grace had a hamburger and my cousin, Ryan, and I had chicken nuggets. Mom and Aunt Shelly had hamburgers with Roquefort cheese on them, and my Uncle Garett had a steak. The restaurant was called Hippopotamus and we all received plastic hippo toothpicks poked in our food. We had chocolate mousse or hot fudge sundaes for dessert. Here is a picture of all of us at our Thanksgiving feast.

I am wondering what all of you had for Thanksgiving. Was yours as unusual as mine or did you have turkey like always?

-Elizabeth

What I'm Thankful For

2009-11-30T17:13:00.002+01:00

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for many things. I'm giving you three examples of those many things.

My first example is I'm grateful for my family and friends. I'm glad I have friends at home to look forward to when I get home. I'm glad I have my family here with me to have fun with one another. I'm glad that I have my family to come and visit me here in Rome. And I hope that if anyone visits a different country, their family and friends will do the same.

My second example is I'm thankful for my food and shelter. I'm thankful for our apartment. I'm glad I don't have to live on the streets like the beggars do. I'm thankful for the fresh pizza and the gelato here in Rome. I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving dinner to be thankful for.

My third example is I'm thankful for my education and books. I miss going to Holy Cross so much and I am so thankful I have it to go back to. Books are one of my favorite activities. Without books I would be as unhappy as gray clouds. School is one of my favorite places because that's where you learn and I love to learn!

I have many more things to be write about and if I could I would. I'm glad I have all these things to be thankful for and I hope you are too! What are you thankful for?

Ciao!
Elizabeth

Thank the World!

2009-11-30T17:06:00.002+01:00

Here in Rome, I have quite a bit to be thankful for. To start, I'm thankful for being in Rome. With all these tourist attractions, who wouldn't want to be here? I also find the different cars interesting because they're so tiny and compact. And I really like the Colosseum. Imagine if you could visit it all the time!

I'm also thankful for having modern technology. I would have a hard time if there weren't cool things like cars and flying machines and electricity. I find machines really interesting and I want to know how they work. It's cool to know that your home is powered by something once unknown!

And finally, I'm thankful for my family and friends. Isn't it good to know somebody cares for you, knows you, is friends with you? I think so. I'm glad to have all these things!

Ciao!
Paul

Rome, Italy from my point of view

2009-11-24T17:10:00.001+01:00

Life in Rome Italy from my point of view, well, it has two sides, The first, it's really cool here. I mean with all the ancient stuff. It's cool because we get to be in a place where people actually were over 2000 years ago! What's also cool is I'm in a different country. I get to have experiences that not very many people in America get to have. And it's really cool to go to all the different places in the country! I have been to Florence, Venice, Pompeii, Siena, Viterbo, and Pisa in Italy, and I'm going to Paris, France on Thursday.

The other side of it is I'm still so homesick! And I miss home so much and I can't wait to get back home! And I guess I've learned that I don't like big city life. I only have a few weeks left and I'm going to try to forget about being homesick and enjoy the rest of my time here. I am going to miss Rome when I come home. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

-Elizabeth

The Berlin Wall in Rome?

2009-11-24T17:02:00.000+01:00

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall came down. The Berlin Wall was an 87 mile long concrete wall that separated the city of West Berlin from East Berlin and from the country of East Germany. This wall was built beginning in 1961 to keep people from going from East Berlin into West Berlin. It was 12 feet tall, 3 feet wide and had guards watching 24 hours a day. This is a very complicated story - too much for me to write about here. Feel free to ask someone about it or do some research on your own.

So, November 9, 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. There were celebrations all over the world, including here in Rome. The Romans put up a temporary exhibit on the Spanish Steps which included information and a model of the Berlin Wall. I took some pictures so that you could see what it looked like.

We visited the Spanish Steps and the Berlin Wall exhibit with John's brother, Brian, and his wife, Ogi. Here is a picture of all of us on the Spanish Steps. The Berlin Wall exhibit is not in this picture. Behind us you can see some of the steps, and there is an overlook in the piazza at the top. This piazza is right in front of the church, Trinita del Monti. Here is a photo that I took in September that shows the whole set of stairs, from the Piazza de Spagna at the bottom, to the towers of the church at the top. The staircase is apparently the longest and widest in Europe with 138 stairs. (Golly! Our Glorioso stairs that we climb every day have only 126 stairs!)

Pope John Paul II

2009-11-24T16:25:00.000+01:00

We visited St. Peter's the other day and heard a really neat story.

On 13 May 1981, Pope John Paul II was in his "Pope Mobile" riding through the piazza. May 13th is the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima and he was holding a picture of Mary in his hands. As Pope John Paul II leaned over to look at the picture, Mehmet Ali Agca shot the Pope several times, hitting him four times. The Pope was critically injured.

According to the story we heard from a priest in the piazza, immediately after the assassination attempt, a small nun tackled the much larger Agca, and together with other bystanders, restrained him until the police arrived. The Pope was rushed into the Vatican complex, and then to the hospital. He underwent several hours of surgery, but survived. The doctors reported that the bullets missed major arteries by mere millimeters. The path the bullets took swerved.

Once Pope John Paul II recovered, he returned to the Vatican and credited his survival to the help from Mary. He noted that of all the hundreds of saints that are represented in the Piazza San Pietro, Mary is not there anywhere. Thanks to Pope John Paul II, Mary is now represented on one of the buildings in the Vatican complex that faces the piazza.

There is a marble marker that marks the spot where the assassination attempt took place. Notice the roman numerals that represent the date: XIII V MCMLXXXI = 13 May 1981 The seal of Pope John Paul II is also on the marker.

Neat story, huh?

-Terri

An Amazing View Through a Keyhole?

2009-11-21T16:55:00.000+01:00

On Monday, Nov. 16 we went for a walk on Aventine Hill. Up on the hill we saw 2 churches. One was called Santa Sabina and the other called San Alessio. Santa Sabina was a very strange church, unlike other churches in Rome. It was very colorless, and plain. The other church, San Alessio, was a standard church full of color and decoration. One of the side chapels contained the stairs that a saint hid underneath to prevent his execution.

In between those 2 churches, we found a nice garden with an amazing view of the city. Here is a video of it and a photo of St. Peters.

But that isn't the best part! As we were walking, (my mom intended for us to see it) we came into a Piazza. In the piazza and there were people staring through a keyhole. It looked kinda funny. Here is a photo.

When I got to look through the hole, do you know what I saw? I saw a path lined with vines and bushes and at the end of the path was St. Peters! The trees made a perfect frame for the dome. I tried to take a picture, but it was too bright. When I took the picture, the flash went off! It turns out that the flash actually made the photo darker. So now I had a really good photo! Here it is:

Cool, huh? A photo through a keyhole!

I'm impressed with the picture myself.

-Paul

Ponte Sant'Angelo

2009-11-19T22:40:00.005+01:00

This is the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge over the Tiber River in front of the Castel Sant'Angelo. There are ten angel statues designed by Bernini along this bridge. Each one of the angels holds something from the Passion of Jesus Christ. See how well you know the story. Can you figure out what each angel is holding? Answers at the bottom.

1. Angel with nails

2. Angel with lance

3. Angel with crown of thorns

4. Angel with the garment
5. Angel with the whip

6. Angel with cross

7. Angel with column

8. Angel with the inscription INRI

9. Angel with the sponge

10. Angel with Veronica's veil

A Cannon Blast in Rome?

2009-11-19T22:17:00.005+01:00

Yes, there is a cannon blast in Rome every day at noon! It used to be that the church bells would ring at noon to tell the citizens the time. However, there are hundreds of churches in Rome and they were all ringing at different times. They needed a better system.

In 1847, Pope Julius IX started shooting a cannon from Castel Sant'Angelo to mark the noon hour. However, he was shooting real cannonballs over the rooftops of Rome! Fortunately, they have now moved the cannon to the Janiculum Hill and they only shoot blanks from it.

I must warn you that the cannon blast in this video is loud. First you can see the guard with the rope in her hand and you can hear my voice reassuring Grace. You should be able to hear another guard count down. Quatro (4), Tre (3), Due (2), (and me repeating it for Grace) and then BOOM!!! I apologize that I shook the camera so much but it was really loud!
Enjoy! -Terri

Playgrounds

2009-11-19T20:47:00.003+01:00

This is a playground we found near the Basilica St. Paul's Outside the Walls. This playground has a teeter-totter and you can go on it. But you need at least two people. There are three of us on this teeter-totter though.

Here are some swings. They are big kids swings. Most of the swings here are little kids swings. See me and Elizabeth on the swings?

This is my favorite playground. This teeter-totter is really big! That is Paul and Elizabeth playing on it. I was on the little swings and running around a little track while they were playing on the teeter-totter.

I am mad in this picture. I didn't want to leave the playground.

-Grace

San Pietro in Vincoli

2009-11-18T22:12:00.002+01:00

This church is called San Pietro in Vincoli, or St. Peter's in Chains. It is a large church up on the hill from the Colosseum. It is most famous for the tomb of Pope Julius II. The tomb was carved by Michelangelo.

Interestingly, Julius II was the Pope who decided to build St. Peter's Basilica and he wanted his tomb to be right behind the altar. He hired Michelangelo to design and sculpt the tomb. Unfortunately, he died before the whole tomb was finished and before St. Peter's was finished. The next Pope had other ideas, and so Julius' tomb ended up at San Pietro in Vincoli.

The tomb is famous for the beautiful sculpture of Moses, the central figure at the bottom. The photos really don't do it justice. It is quite beautiful and so detailed! In the top photo, above Moses' head, is the actual tomb of Julius II.

What is more interesting about this church is what it was really named for. Below the altar in a crystal and bronze urn, are the chains that bound
St. Peter during his imprisonment by the Romans in Jerusalem. Quite striking.
-Terri

Who knew?

2009-11-10T23:21:00.002+01:00

We have searched the TSA website and discovered that no, you cannot bring peanut butter in your carry-on luggage! Here is the list of things you cannot bring:

cranberry sauces
cologne
creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.)
salsa, jams, salad dressings
gravy
jams
jellies
lotions
maple syrup
oils and vinegars
perfumes
sauces
snow globes
soups

Now that we know about this list, we have had fun trying to imagine the circumstances under which one would try to travel with some of these items! Great writing topic!

-Terri

Our Peanut Butter Has Been Confiscated!

2009-11-10T22:56:00.002+01:00

Uncle Brian and Aunt Ogi came to visit us today. We asked them to bring us some peanut butter because we haven't been able to find any in Rome for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, there was a "peanut butter incident".

When they went through security in Minneapolis, the guards x-rayed their bags and spotted an unknown substance. (Maybe it looked like Kryptonite!) Anyway, they asked Uncle Brian and Aunt Ogi to open the bag and let them examine the contents. They removed the two jars of peanut butter and x-rayed them again. They asked, "Sir, why are you carrying so much peanut butter?"

Irritated, Uncle Brian explained that his nieces and nephew were living in Europe and couldn't find peanut butter. The guard made him speak to a supervisor! Uncle Brian repeated the story to the supervisor. With a sigh, the woman explained, "Sir, we cannot allow that much peanut butter on the airplane." Unfortunately, Uncle Brian and Aunt Ogi didn't check any luggage so they had to give up the jars of peanut butter.

Do you think the guards had any jelly in the breakroom?

Longing for peanut butter,
Terri

No Church, But Ferrari!

2009-11-06T17:10:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we went to visit Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the basilicas in Rome. Unfortunately, when we got there, they were having a Mass and we were not able to tour the church. We decided that we could come back another day and see it and so we would just head home.

Out in the piazza in front of the basilica, we saw a Ferrari coming down the street! Wow! Finally! I had not seen any Ferraris until this point! The Ferrari pulled away as the traffic in front of it cleared.

Fortunately, it was stopped at the next traffic light. We were able to run down the hill, and get a video of it. Here is the video!

Remember how I said that we ran down the hill? Well, I was carrying Grace while running. If you listen carefully right at the beginning of the video, you can hear me say, "Whoa!" I tripped and Grace and I fell down just as we got to where Mom was shooting the video. Don't worry! We are both fine! However, we must have looked kind of ridiculous running down the hill and taking a video of a car. But, I am glad we did! Now I have proof that I have really seen a real Ferrari!

-Paul

Food - Yum!

2009-11-05T14:16:00.003+01:00

Several of you have asked about what we eat and our favorite foods here in Italy.

What do we eat for breakfast? Most Italians have a cornetto and caffe. This is a croissant or some type of sweet roll and some coffee. Kids have succo (juice). Sometimes that is what we have especially when we are traveling, but usually we have cereal or toast. We have found Rice Krispies, Multi-grain Cheerios, Corn Flakes, and everyone's favorite: Miel Pops. (Honey Pops) We also often have fruit or yogurt sometimes. Paul has had cappuccino and loves it. Elizabeth and Grace prefer hot cocoa.

Lunch is a large meal for most Italians. Many businesses close about noon and reopen at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Traditionally, Italians have a large (pranzo) at this time. Some of the schools even let out for a few hours at lunch and resume classes in the afternoon, going sometimes until 5 or later. We often have sandwiches at home. Peanut butter and jelly is still a favorite, but we haven't been able to find peanut butter for a few weeks now. Our next visitors are bringing us some! Sometimes sandwiches are prosciutto (ham) and cheese, or just bread with cheese. If we are out and about we get either sandwiches or pizza by the slice. These sandwiches are usually like focaccia bread with something inside. They are usually heated for you when you order them.

Pizza is sold by the slice and has all sorts of toppings. Cheese, sausage and cheese, prosciutto and cheese, pepperoni (red and yellow sliced peppers), and mushrooms with a white sauce instead of tomato sauce are just a few of our favorites. Some of the more unusual toppings include potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, shrimp and lettuce with ranch-like dressing, and anchovies. Grace's favorite is Margarita - just tomato sauce and cheese. I like to try them all. I haven't found a pizza I don't like. And I have learned that I really like anchovies!

Dinner is traditionally a smaller meal for Italians. They also tend to eat much later that we do in the US. In the US, restaurants are busiest at about 6pm. Here, they are busiest (with Italians) at about 9pm. Restaurants have antipasti (appetizers), primi (first courses - mainly pastas), and secondi (second courses - mainly meat/chicken/fish). A large traditional meal would consist of all of these followed by salad and then dessert. We usually only order two - an antipasto and primo, or a primo and secondo.

At home we eat a lot of pasta. Boy, can I make a lot of different sauces! We tend to eat very little meat and opt for fresh vegetables in the sauces instead. The (farmer's) market in the piazza has lots of fresh vegetables that are not very expensive, wheras meat, etc. is pretty expensive here. I have also been making risotto which is rice. I found a delicious risotto recipe that has prociutto and peas in it. Fantastic! I have also made calzones a few times. Spinach and fresh mozzarella, or prosciutto and cheese are two of our favorites.

For dessert we love gelato! We try not to go to our favorite gelato place too often though! They have all sorts of great flavors. Grace's favorite is strawberry and banana. I think my favorites are chocolate, peanut butter, caffe, and all the fruit flavors. Again, I am trying them all and I have yet to find one that I don't like! Other desserts we like are tiramisu and cannoli.

Hungry now?
-Terri

Florence, Venice and Lots More!

2009-11-04T15:53:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago we went to Florence. The first thing we did was go to the Duomo. A Duomo is an Italian word for Cathedral and dome. We went to the baptistry and then the actual church. When we were done looking at the church and the dome from the inside, we went to the very top of the dome. It was awesome! You could see almost the full city from up there. The next day, we went to Siena and went to another Duomo. We were hoping to go to the top of another tower, but it was closed. On our last day, we went to Pisa. Pisa is famous for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We wanted to go to the top of the Leaning Tower, but we couldn't. The next time we could go up was when our train was leaving. It would been fun to go to the top of three towers, but at least we went up one.

-Elizabeth

Up, Up and Even Further Up

2009-11-03T16:46:00.005+01:00

We went to Florence. Once we got off our train we checked into our hotel. After that, we went to a church called the Duomo. Paul, Mom, and I got to go to the very top of the dome. Here are some photos of what it looked like when we were climbing up. It was interesting because we were climbing inbetween the painting on the inside of the dome and the outdoor part of the dome. Look how narrow, steep, and curvy everything is!

Once we climbed 464 steps, we got to the top. Here is what we saw. Isn't that neat how you can look down at the ground and see just how far up you are? The middle picture shows the side of the dome from the top.

We were at the cupola at the top of the dome. We were actually outside! The first photo is of the dome when we came back down. You can see the cupola at the very top of the dome. The second picture is zoomed in on the cupola. You can see where we were because there are still people up there. Look closely. They are right where the cupola meets the top of the dome. Hint: they look like specks!

It was really fun and we got a lot of good exercise!

-Elizabeth

P.S. I am glad I don't have to climb 464 steps to get home every night! We only have to climb 126!

Michelangelo Day

2009-11-02T18:14:00.004+01:00

On Wednesday, October 14, we had a Michelangelo Day in Florence, Italy. First, we went to the Academia Museum to see David, by Michelangelo. David is a sculpture with very lifelike detail. I sketched him because we weren't able to take any photos. The hall leading up to the David sculpture was lined with unfinished statues for a tomb. These were also done by Michelangelo, but he died before he completed them. It looked like real people were trying to break free of the stone. The sculpture of David used to be in piazza in Florence, but is now in a museum. There is a copy of him in a piazza now. Fortunately, we were able to take a picture of that.

Next, we went to a church called Santa Croce, to see Michelangelo's tomb.

Finally, after lunch, we went to the Uffizi Gallery. There we saw a painting by Michelangelo called The Holy Family. Not only did Michelangelo do the painting, but he also designed and made the frame. I wasn't allowed to take a picture of this either, but we got a postcard. I will have my dad scan it.

Elizabeth and I are doing a PowerPoint presentation on Michelangelo. We can send it to you or show it to you when we return.

-Paul

Big City at Night

2009-11-02T18:00:00.002+01:00

Big city at night.
On a tram.
Going across the river.
The streets are shimmering reflections.
Otherwise the water is pitch black.
Going past shops.
Inside people are buying what they please.
Going past restaurants.
Each table is filled with joyful spirits.
On my feet.
Walking.
Walking.
Finally I have what I want.
Gelato.

-Elizabeth

Rome or Home?

2009-11-02T17:53:00.002+01:00

Which one? I can't tell which! I don't know which! Which one?

When we first got here, I was really homesick. All I wanted to do was go home and do nothing else. But now, I like it here and I don't really want to go home. (That doesn't mean I don't miss you guys!)

Part of me wants to stay here with all the cool things, like the Colesseum, the busy traffic and the trams. I like the buses, St. Peter's, the crowd, the market. I basically like everything. But Rome is no South Bend. I miss South Bend and I can't wait to get home. I miss all my friends and my family. And I miss my cat, Mr. Flynn. Again, I miss home, but I am going to miss Rome too!

So all I can say right now is "Home Sweet Rome!"

-Elizabeth

Halloween Photos

2009-11-01T15:50:00.003+01:00

Here are some photos from our Halloween Party. Waldo is one of the grad students, Danny. Paul was a very elaborate tourist complete with a huge camera and audio guide. Elizabeth was a chef, with handmade hat and apron. Grace was a beach beauty since she has been dying to wear her swimsuit since we arrived. John was dressed as a cashier from the local grocery store. I was a basket of laundry. You can't see the basket on my back in the photo. The third photo is Eva, a grad student. "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

We played games and had great American food. Lots of fun was had by all!

-Terri

Lots of Boats

2009-10-30T17:34:00.008+01:00

When we were in Venice, we saw lots of boats! Here I am getting ready to ride the vaporetto on the first day.

This is a vaporetto. It is a big boat that you ride like you would on a bus. There are lots of stops on the Grand Canal where you can get on and off the vaporettos.

This is a water taxi.

A Post Office boat in front of the post office.

Police boat. We saw an ambulance boat too, but it was going too fast to get a photo of it.

Gondola Parking Lot

Gondola on small canal

Gondola on Grand Canal

Delivery Boat

Construction Boat

I only got to ride the white vaporetto boats. That was really fun.

-Grace

A Mass with the Pope

2009-10-26T14:52:00.005+01:00

Ever been to church with the Pope? I have. We went to St. Peter's for church on Sunday. The Pope was there. I took three pictures of him. Only one of them turned out fine. In the other two I either got bumped or shook the camera.

See? What did I tell you?

You wouldn't believe how many people there were. People here, people there, people, people, everywhere. hundreds of people, thousands of people, millions and billions and trillions of people. (There weren't really that many, but it sure seemed like it.) The Mass was in multiple languages, mostly Italian and Latin. Fortunately, the 2nd reading was in English. I enjoyed the Mass even though I couldn't understand most of it, and it took a long time.
Don't you wish it were you?

-Paul

St. Mark's Square Floods!

2009-10-26T10:55:00.004+01:00

Can you believe it? One of Venice's well-known piazzas flooded. Do you know why? The square is one of the lowest places to the water level. What happened was the water level rose during high tide.

The water bubbled up through holes in the piazza and flooded. It stayed there for a couple of hours and then slowly receded. There are three ways that cause flooding: a full moon, low pressure, and a certain kind of wind.

Fortunately, it was only three inches of water in the deepest parts. What a relief! Even better, the water was gone by noon. But, while I was in the piazza during the flood, I saw a store that was completely flooded. Also, there are several restaurants with outdoor seating in St. Mark's square. When it flooded, I saw a waiter serving customers in rubber boots! It was funny because it was a fancy restaurant. The waiter was dressed in a nice white suit, but was wearing green rubber boots. Plus, I heard that some hotels in Venice have a room full of nothing but different sized boots for their guests. Man, they really have to make a big deal about flooding, don't they?

-Paul

Laundry

2009-10-26T10:25:00.006+01:00

Several of you have asked about how we do the laundry here in Rome. It is definitely different from what I do at home.
First of all, the washing machine is quite small. I can only put about 6-8 kid-sized pieces of clothing in at a time. The washing machine takes about an hour to run. When the wash is done, I either hang it outside or on the drying rack in the house. There is a dryer, but it uses a lot of energy, only dries a few pieces of clothing at a time (about 1/3 of the washer load), and we hear that it shrinks things. Since things dry fastest outside, I have to do a load of laundry in the morning, and then hang it outside only when I am sure it is not going to rain. Fortunately, the drying rack we have is large, so I can use that when it is raining or for the clothes I have to bring inside at night. Most clothing dries in a day on the rack. (Jeans and sweatshirts take much longer.)

How will I do laundry differently when I get back to South Bend? Well, I cannot wait to get back to my big washing machine, first of all. But, I think we will get a bigger drying rack for the basement and I will try to make a better effort to air dry clothing instead of always using the dryer.
-Terri

Guess Who's Coming For Dinner?

2009-10-25T22:47:00.004+01:00

Guess who came for dinner tonight? That's right! Father Michael Wurtz! He is studying here in Rome and we were finally able to get together.

Dinner was not pasta, believe it or not! We had bruschetta with tomatoes and basil or with roasted peppers. That was our antipasto. For our "primi", we had potato soup. Very delicious, if I do say so myself! Fr. Wurtz brought a wonderful dessert - cannoli. Elizabeth has one on the tray in the photo. They had a chocolate shell with a delicious custard cream in the middle. Yum!

Today was a fantastic day! Thank you Fr. Wurtz!

-Terri

Papal Mass

2009-10-25T14:05:00.004+01:00

Well, I heard that Father Michael Wurtz wanted to make an appearance on the blog. He will since he is coming to dinner tonight. But I think he figured that might not do it, so he gave us tickets to go to the Papal Mass this morning. It was the conclusion of the African Bishops Synod. I don't know if that was why there was such a long processional or if it is always like that, but WOW!

We got up at 6am and left the house about 7:20. We caught the 115 bus over to St. Peter's and then got in line. I think we were in line about 7:45. You can see that the Piazza in front of St. Peter's was nearly empty. The line to get in started over at the right side of the colonnade and wound all the way around to the other side. We were about in the middle of the line, straight in front of the Basilica. The line finally started moving about 8:20. We went through security and then into the Basilica. Fortunately, we got good seats. We were in the front third of the nave and there were only 2 people sitting between us and the aisle!

Here is a photo I took during Mass. It is hard to see because I had to crop the photo, but right in the center in front of the altar is Pope Benedict XVI. Paul took a photo of him during the processional, but he got bumped by a security guard and the photo blurred. I will let him tell about that.

The Mass was neat. It was in several different languages and the second reading was in English. Since the Mass is the same everywhere, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was happening. Unfortunately, the Homily was in Italian and I didn't understand it. However, I can assure you that the Pope talks longer than both Father Michael and Father Brad!

Paul was able to get a good photo of the recessional. Impressive photo, huh? Paul and Elizabeth were able to stand right on the aisle and were probably only 3-4 feet from Pope Benedict XVI! (John says this is about as close as Notre Dame's offensive line ever gets to the end zone!)

After the Mass, Pope Benedict XVI went out to the steps in front of St. Peter's. There were thousands of people in the piazza who had watched the mass on huge closed-circuit televisions. He spoke to the crowd out there in eight different languages - Latin, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, German, and Polish. Each language brought a cheer from a different part of the crowd. While he was speaking to the crowd, we had to wait inside. We could hear him speaking through the sound system. Afterward, he returned to the Basilica and then we were able to leave. The last photo is of the piazza . Thousands and thousands of people!

Thank you, Father Michael. We had an amazing time and it was definitely something we will never forget. Thanks, John, for agreeing to go! It wasn't so bad, was it?

-Terri

The Last Apprentice, Revenge of the Witch

2009-10-22T15:59:00.002+02:00

I recommend the book, The Last Apprentice, Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney, particularly if you have read Harry Potter, fantasy, or science fiction. It is about a boy named Tom who is a seventh son of a seventh son. His father found him a job to work for a spook. A spook rids towns of witches, bogarts, or ghosts. Tom finishes his monthly trial, but with grave news. A daughter of a witch tricks Tom into feeding a powerful witch (most of her power had drained away) something that gave her enough strength to break free of her bones. This would allow her to move from her dead body to someone else's body and possess it! What will Tom do to destroy her?
-Paul

Superfudge

2009-10-22T15:56:00.002+02:00

I read a book called Superfudge by Judy Blume. What is it about? It is about a boy named Peter and his little brother, Fudge. Fudge gets a myna bird named Uncle Feathers who knows how to say, "Bonjour Stupid!" and repeats everything you say or command him to say. I recommend it to everyone who likes to laugh because you'll laugh out loud when you read Superfudge by Judy Blume. Make sure you read this book!
-Elizabeth

Back From Vacation

2009-10-19T21:50:00.002+02:00

We had a wonderful week of vacation up in Northern Italy. We visited Florence, Siena, Pisa, and Venice. Siena and Pisa were just day trips, but we spent 3 days in both Florence and Venice. In Florence we were able to see Michangelo's David, his famous painting of the Holy Family, and the tomb where he is buried. We also climbed to the top of the Duomo for amazing sights over the whole city! There were "must-sees" all over Florence and we really spent a lot of time in churches and museums.

Venice was completely different than anything I have ever seen before! We didn't go to any museums and only visited two churches. We really just walked around and rode the vaporetto boats through the Grand Canal. We took in the sights without actually "doing" anything. We rode so many boats that when I close my eyes, it still feels like I am on a boat swaying back and forth! I will get the photos downloaded and sorted and Paul, Elizabeth, and I will get going on the blog entries.

-Terri

Heading to Florence and Venice

2009-10-12T00:26:00.002+02:00

Grandma and Grandpa Dundon have arrived in Rome so we are leaving Monday morning for a week-long vacation in Florence and Venice, Italy. We are hoping to make side trips to Siena and Pisa as well. So, no blog entries until sometime next week since we won't have internet access and are not taking our computer. We will be doing lots of research on Michaelangelo and hope to have lots of photos!

Tune in again next week!

Love, Terri, John, Paul, Elizabeth and Grace

Mrs. Vargo in Rome

2009-10-12T00:19:00.002+02:00

Our Elm Road friend Mrs. Vargo is traveling again! This time she is in Rome with her husband and some friends. We met up near the Pantheon to take them to our favorite gelato place. After gelato we walked over to Piazza Navona to show them the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Great fun to see her!

-Terri

P.S. Don't tell her I told you, but I think she ate gelato for dinner!

Bioparco - The Roman Zoo

2009-10-10T11:28:00.004+02:00

I don't think there are very many people who have been to Rome who can say they visited the Roman Zoo!

We did just that last week! The Roman Zoo is really just like the zoos in the United States. Lots of animals and neat things to see. One of our favorite exhibits was the monkeys. There is a photo of the mother monkey and the baby monkey. They were really funny and quite cute.
There was an extensive playground at this zoo and we spent about a half an hour running and playing. I love the photo of all four kids on the teeter-totter. We got some cute pics of everyone on the jungle gym too.

The first photo here is of Grace riding the bus with her Uncle Garett. She was having so much fun that I just had to snap a photo. Elizabeth took the picture of the four adults. Uncle Garett, Aunt Shelly, (John's sister), Marilyn/Grandma-sota (John's mom), and me. The photo after that was really funny. In order to take the picture, Grace is standing on Elizabeth's shoulders and Ryan is sitting on Paul.

-Terri

Lots of Fun with our Cousin

2009-10-10T11:21:00.005+02:00

My nephew, Ryan, has been visiting us here in Rome for the last two weeks. (That is why we have been a little behind on the blog entries. Sorry!) We had lots of fun with Ryan. In this first photo, we are in Pompeii. That is an ancient piece of something that all the kids are sitting on.

The second photo is in our apartment. All the kids had fun doing art projects and building forts to play in. In this photo they are making mosaics using stones that they picked up from a nearby park - Villa Sciara. The next two photos were also taken at Villa Sciara. That is Uncle Garett playing soccer with Grace. The last photo was taken in Piazza Sopra Minerva which is near the Pantheon.

Thank you to Marilyn, Shelly, Garett, and Ryan who came and treated us to such fun times! See you in Paris at Thanksgiving!

-The Mellors

Graffiti

2009-10-10T11:10:00.004+02:00

In a few of our previous blogs, we have mentioned about how things are not very clean around here. Another example of "cleanliness" is the graffiti - which is everywhere! The first photo is of the sidewalk and gate in front of our apartment. Some of you may be thinking that this is a terrible area where we must be living! This is not so. It is a beautiful area with very nice apartments. But, no place is left uncovered. I think that if the graffiti were to be cleaned off, someone would come add more graffiti!

This photo is taken in the piazza down the hill from our home. I took this picture on a Sunday when all the stores were closed. Can you see the archways with the gray "doors"? This is actually a nice little grocery store that sells fantastic bread and cheese. However, when the store is closed, they close the regular glass doors to the store and lock them. Then they pull down this metal garage door in the opening and lock that too. You can see that the doors and walls are covered with graffiti.
-Terri

The Tempietto

2009-10-10T11:06:00.002+02:00

Here is truly a beautiful little chapel. It is called the Tempietto and sits within a courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio.

This chapel is very tiny. Look at Paul and Elizabeth in the photo for a comparison. It is perfectly round and you could probably only fit about a dozen people comfortably inside it. In fact, it is the same size as just the lantern on the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and it could fit through the oculus in the roof of the Pantheon!

For those of you studying Catholicism, the Tempietto was built to mark the spot where St. Peter was crucified. You can see the carving on the altar that shows the crucifixion in the second photo. Now many of you are thinking, "Wait a minute! I thought that is why they built St. Peter's Basilica!" You are correct! There was some confusion when they translated the information about St. Peter's crucifixion. By the time they discovered their mistake, the Tempietto was already done.

The third photo shows the intricated patterns in the mosaic floor as well as the grate that lets light into the grotto below the chapel. It is a beautiful place!

-Terri

Eight-Year-Old Mummy

2009-10-10T11:02:00.003+02:00

We visited the National Museum in Rome last week. Here was one of the interesting exhibits.

Apparently when the Romans were excavating in order to build the Termini Train Station here in Rome, they came upon many ruins and a burial ground. They discovered this mummy, which they believe was an eight-year-old child. She was in a very decorated sarcophagus. I will have to do some more research on this because I have never heard of mummification in this area of the world!

-Terri

What Time is it in Abu Dhabi?

2009-10-10T10:59:00.004+02:00

There is only one person who will understand this question:

Does anybody know what time it is in Abu Dhabi?

-Terri

Plaster Bodies in Pompeii

2009-10-10T10:47:00.003+02:00

As you know from previous blog entries, we visited Pompeii, where the whole city was covered by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Everyone in the city was killed.

There are a few places in the city where you can see plaster models of the people who were killed in the eruption. As the archeologists were uncovering the city, they came across voids in the ash. These voids were where bodies had been. The bodies had decomposed, but the space was still there. The archeologists filled the voids with plaster and let it dry. Once the casts were dry, the archeologists were able to chip away all the ash and were left with the plaster cast of the person who had been killed. You can see some of these images here.

The plaster figures are neat to see, but also very sad. Many of them are covering their faces or have their arms up as if they were trying to protect themselves from the ash and lava. It makes you realize how scary and tragic the event must have been.

-Terri

Reminder of Safety

2009-10-03T20:13:00.003+02:00

Just a reminder about safety for all the students who are following this blog:

Last night, as we were returning from a visit to our favorite gelato shop, we saw a clown performing in the piazza in front of the Pantheon. I have mentioned in previous blogs about all the people who try to earn money by performing in the piazzas. Well, this man was dressed like a clown and had a painted face and squeaky horn. He tried at first to get Paul, Elizabeth and Grace's attention, but they ignored him. So, he decided to grab Paul and just "play" with him a little bit. He grabbed Paul's arm and pulled him toward the middle of the piazza. Paul knew he was joking and pulled away, but the clown didn't let go like Paul (and I) expected. Paul started to push against the clown with his other arm and when the clown didn't let go, I told him, "No! Grazie! No!" The clown frowned and let go of Paul as I started toward them.

So tonight I want you to discuss with your parents what you are supposed to do if someone tries to take you.
1 - Say "NO!" "HELP!" "YOU ARE NOT MY MOM/DAD!" Yell, scream, holler, make as much noise as you can.
2 - Fight back. Do whatever you need to do to get the person to let go of you. All those things that your parents and teachers tell you that you are not allowed to do - DO THEM! Kick, hit, punch, bite, poke, scratch, whatever might work!
3 - Once you get away - RUN!
4 - Tell your parents, teacher, or another adult what happened.

So, everything is fine. Paul is fine. I am fine. But now every time we go into a piazza, Grace says, "Watch out for clowns!"
-Terri

Ancient Fast Food Restaurants?

2009-10-02T16:21:00.006+02:00

Hey! You hungry? Let's go eat! Did you know the people who lived in Pompeii had fast food too? Some restaurants were small, some big, but believe me they were everywhere. The first picture is of me pretending that this is my restaurant. Do you see the holes in the counter in the second picture? They placed pots in the holes to keep the contents warm or cold. I think people would walk up to the counter, someone would serve them food from the pots, and they would go sit down in the back to eat. I thought this was interesting because I never thought that they would have places to go out to eat!
-Paul

Santa Maria degli Angeli

2009-10-02T15:51:00.002+02:00

Here is a neat church that we visited about a week ago. It was originally part of a bath complex from about AD 300. This dome part was from the bath. In 1561, Michaelangelo was hired to convert part of it into a church. It is a huge church with very high ceilings.

Another interesting thing about this church is that it was renovated in the 18th century and turned a quarter turn. That means that the nave became the transept. (These are the two parts of the church that make it into a cross shape.) It was neat to see.

-Terri

Ancient Mosaics

2009-10-02T15:35:00.003+02:00

When we went to Pompeii yesterday, we found that many of the houses had mosaic flooring. A mosaic is a bunch of colored tiles or small, flat pieces of colored stone put together to make a picture or design. Most of the mosaics we saw were in designs. Here is a photo of a mosaic we saw. It is a picture of three birds and some kind of casket. We also saw a picture of a dog, but the photo didn't come out. I hope I see some more mosaics soon.
-Elizabeth

The Bakery

2009-10-02T15:10:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we went to Pompeii. We saw the ruins of an ancient bakery. The guide book said that they found 81 burned loaves of bread already cut into eight sections.But the baker was not the one who burned them. The volcanic ash and lava did. Here are some photos of the brick oven and the pots they ground the wheat in. They would put the wheat into the cone shaped part of this. Can you see the square hole? A long pole fit into the hole and out the other side. This pole was attached to animals or slaves who would walk in circles around the stone mill. This made the top piece turn, grinding the wheat between it and the round piece below it. The other picture is a brick oven used to bake loaves of bread. The fire was in the area where you can see the dark square. The bread was baked in here. My mom says the best places for pizza here in Rome still use brick ovens similar to this.

-Elizabeth

A Buried and Forgotten City - Found!

2009-10-02T15:08:00.004+02:00

1,930 years ago Pompeii was a great vacation city. Today it's a tourist attraction. On August 25, 79AD, at noon, a volcano called Mount Vesuvius erupted. Ash covered the buildings. It buried the people. 1,669 years later, the city was accidentally discovered. Even today, 290 years later, only 3/5 of the city is uncovered.

I saw it yesterday. There's actually more of the city of Pompeii than there is of the ancient Roman city in the Roman Forum. What does it look like? The roads are made of large stones laid out on the ground, just like cobblestones, only bigger. There are sidewalks made of stone and dirt that are raised up from the streets, with high curbs. (a little higher than they are in the US) One of the photos shows a typical street scene. The three stones in the center of the street are a crosswalk. At night, the streets would be flooded to wash away the junk, and so the crosswalks were raised so the people could cross the streets without getting themselves wet.

The other pictures are scenes from the city. The photo of the four columns is the city center. This was a temple. In the city center there were lots of shops like a market for vegetables or fish. It is also where some of the government was.

Did you notice that there are no roofs on the homes or buildings? They were destroyed by the volcanic eruption. The photo below is of a typical floor in a home. Read Elizabeth's blog entry on mosaics for more information.

-Paul

Our Car! In Rome?

2009-09-30T14:32:00.007+02:00

This morning we saw a Mazda MPV. That is the kind of car my mom has. It has three rows of seats, which is really rare in Italy.

The reason that vans are really rare in Italy, is because there is not much space for parking. The most common cars to see are taxis, which are just front seat and back seat. Most of the cars are only the size of a subcompact car in the US. Another popular car in Italy is a SmartCar. These are only slightly smaller than regular cars! Some reasons why the cars are so small are:

1: The streets are tiny and very narrow. You could never get a pick-up truck down some of the streets!

2: The gasoline is very expensive. It is at least three times as much as at home - about $8-$9 a gallon.

3: There is practically no place to park, even at 8:00 in the morning!

Most people get around on foot, or on a motor scooter, or on buses/trams.

Us? Mostly just feet and buses. (Dad? Mostly feet.)

Here are some photos of cars we have seen in Rome. Also, notice the orange trees growing behind the white car along the side the road in one of the photos.

-Elizabeth

Getting Around in Rome

2009-09-28T10:06:00.005+02:00

Several of you have asked how we are getting around in Rome without a car. First of all, thank goodness we don't have a car! The driving around here is downright frightening and the parking is a nightmare! Not to mention the fact that I am having enough trouble finding my way around while walking! No thank you!

We recently invested in bus passes, so we have been taking the buses lately. We usually walk from our apartment about 10 minutes to the tram station. This tram takes us to Largo Argentina, which is a large piazza with lots of bus connections. It is also close to John's studio and many other popular sites in the city. From there we either walk or take another bus.

When we go grocery shopping, we usually walk there and take the bus back up the hill. The walk to the piazza and the shops is about 10 minutes. We usually go to the open vegetable and fruit market and then stop at two of about four supermarkets. We can catch one of two buses to ride the two stops back up the hill. When we are not laden with groceries, we usually walk back up the hill.

The other day we took a day trip to Bagnaia, a small town with a beautiful Renaissance garden and villa. We took the tram and a bus to the San Pietro train station, then a two hour train ride to Viterbo, and then a bus to Bagnaia. Here are two photos from the train ride and two photos of our regular tram rides.

-Terri

More Gelato! Yum!

2009-09-28T10:02:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we got more gelato. Yum! I've been getting chocolate and mint, (Cioccolato e menta) but yesterday I got banana and pineapple. It was delicious. We went to a place by the Pantheon. They make the best gelato in the world. If you ever get a chance to come here, I would suggest going to this place if it is still open. Here are some photos of our gelato. The other boy in the photo is my cousin, Ryan, who arrived yesterday.

-Elizabeth

Large Garden in Tiny Town

2009-09-28T09:29:00.007+02:00

Saturday morning we took a double decker train to Villa Lante in Bagnaia, Italy. Villa Lante is a large garden that was built during the Renaissance period. At the very top there was a fountain that represented the end of the Golden Age. It was a flood. Here is a photo.

There were two buildings on the side of it. They were used for outdoor receptions. A little bit lower, there was another fountain surrounded by bushes and hollow trees. Unfortunately, it was blocked off. Coming from that came something called a "Water Chain". Here is a photo of that. This photo is from the top of the water chain, looking down toward the continuation of the fountain.

The Water Chain carried water to yet another fountain. This one had two large statues on each side of it. They represented the River Gods. This photo only shows one of the River Gods. There was another one on the other side. The entire fountain and garden was symmetrical. The bottom part of the garden was symmetrical horizontally and vertically. See the photo.

At the bottom there was another fountain that represented the lakes. This part of the garden was enormous. In the four sections of the fountain that represented the lakes, there was a boat in each section. In each boat was a sailor that spouted water from his gun. This represented naval battles.

There is really nothing like this in South Bend. The only thing I can compare it to is the landscaping at Copshaholm. It is a little bit like that because it is a formal garden. But Copshaholm has no fountains. I really enjoyed seeing it.

-Paul

Haiku on Rome

2009-09-24T17:04:00.004+02:00

Got a big guidebook?

Got some strong feet for walking?

You're ready for Rome!

-Elizabeth

Rome in Ruins!

2009-09-24T14:13:00.008+02:00

Ancient Rome in ruins!

Can't you guess? This part of Rome is more than 2000 years old! This is an area in Rome called the Forum. The Forum is part of an Ancient Roman city. Here's a picture of it.

There is very little of the city left. In the picture you can see three arches with a plaque on top. This is called a Triumphal Arch. My mom is going to write more about this arch. Do you remember Palatine Hill from "Paul's Thoughts"? Well, the Forum is right next to it. Unfortunately, we haven't visited Palatine Hill yet.

In the Forum, there's a lot of rubble and foundations of old buildings. One thing I learned about was a purple stone called Porfery. Porfery is rare and used to show that someone or something is important. I saw a statue made of Porfery. It had no head and no arms and was in a building somebody restored. I don't know who the statue was of, but he or she must have been important. I will take more pictures of porfery when I see them.

-Paul

Homesick

2009-09-22T13:51:00.003+02:00

I am so homesick! I miss Holy Cross so much. I miss all my friends there and my teachers. I miss my grandma and grandpa and my cat, Mr. Flynn. I miss Aunt Kathy and family friends too. I miss everyone that I left in the United States.

If you have never been homesick, it is a really horrible feeling. It just makes you want to cry all the time. I don't like it when I have to talk about home because it makes me feel like I want to cry again. I miss my street and my house and I wish I had gotten to meet the new neighbors that moved in next door to my house in South Bend. I miss the toys that I left at home. I miss my friends there too.

It just isn't the same living in Italy. It is so weird because everyone is speaking a different language. There is trash everywhere. (See future blog entry on trash.) Everybody is smoking everywhere and I am not used to the buses and trains. I am not used to the sirens. I am not used to living in a big, busy city. I think it would have helped if I had lived in Chicago. I am not used to walking in streets the size of alleyways with cars going down them. I always think the cars are going to run over my toes!

I just miss home so much!

-Elizabeth

The One, the Only, the Ferrari Store!

2009-09-22T10:40:00.003+02:00

Last week we went to the Ferrari Store! This isn't a place where you buy a vehicle. It is like a fan club store, you might say. You can buy t-shirts, models, jackets, pants, helmets, bikes, and a bunch of other stuff. It is on a street called Via Tomacelli which is near the Corso and the Spanish Steps.

The photos I included were taken in the store. The first one is a Ferrari from 2004. The second photo shows the inside of the store and is a wire frame of a Ferrari. It was a really neat store.

I really wanted to buy a cool model of a Ferrari. Unfortunately, it was 100 euro - about $140. Oh well, it was fun to look.

-Paul

Capitals

2009-09-22T10:36:00.004+02:00

We learned about the three major types of columns and capitals. They are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These three photos are from the Colosseum. The first level of the arches has Doric columns, the second has Ionic, and the third and fourth have Corinthian. The columns often appear in this order, with Doric at the bottom and Corinthian at the top. You also might see the Doric or Ionic on the outside of a building and Corinthian on the inside.

Erased from History

2009-09-22T10:31:00.007+02:00

Last weekend we visited the Roman Forum. Here is a photo of part of the Forum, with the Arch of Septimius Severus. It set the standard for all triumphal arches. It is so large that newcomers were led directly past this arch so they would be impressed and intimidated. Here is a close-up photo of one part of it so you can see how detailed it is.

We read in a guidebook that Septimius Severus had two sons, Caracalla and Geta. After their father died, Caracalla had Geta killed so he wouldn't have to share the power. Geta's name was on the arch though, so Caracalla had it removed. Look at the fourth line of the inscription. See how it is different from the others? It used to say something about Geta, but now it says "Optimis Fortissimisque Principibus" which apparently means "best and most valiant emperors" and refers to his father. Talk about sibling rivalry!

-Terri

Police Cars, Trains, and Buses

2009-09-22T10:07:00.003+02:00

Here is a photo of a police car that I took. We saw it near the Colosseum the other day. The emergency vehicles have blue lights on top. I don't know the lady in the picture. She walked in front of my picture.

We have been riding the buses and trains in Rome. This is because I don't like to walk very much and my mom is tired of carrying me all the time. My mom and dad got bus passes and Paul, Elizabeth, and I ride for free.

Some of the buses are very crowded and we have to stand up. One of the first days we rode the bus, we got on the wrong bus by accident. We rode for a long time until the bus stopped. We had to get off and ride the bus back again. My mom was frustrated, but I loved riding the bus!

We have also been riding the tram which is like a train. It takes us across the river. I don't like to get off the train. I want to stay on it.

The police cars make a lot of noise here. The sirens are not the same. They go "wee-waa, wee-waa". (a high tone, then a low tone, repeating) They don't have red lights, only blue ones.

Ciao! -Grace

Where's Waldo?

2009-09-21T14:31:00.003+02:00

Here are two photos with Paul, Elizabeth, and Grace in them. See if you can find them!

Hint: Paul is wearing blue in both photos. Elizabeth is wearing pink in one and a light-colored shirt in the other.

Answering your questions

2009-09-20T17:12:00.007+02:00

Many Holy Cross students sent us questions to answer. Here goes:

We don't know what the National Anthem of Italy is - at least we haven't heard it yet. Maybe we will if we go to a soccer game.

The food here is very good. We are eating a lot of pasta and pizza. I have had cheese, mushroom, prociutto(ham), and pepperoni (which is really strips of peppers, not what we have at home). My mom had squash on pizza one time (which I tasted and I didn't die!) We are eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.

It took us about 24 hours to get here. See Paul's earlier blog entry for details.

How do we buy stuff? Either with Mom's credit card, or with euros! It's just like buying things at home, but they are speaking Italian. Luckily, we know our numbers in Italian, so that helps us know how much something costs when they tell us. One thing that is different is that they always want exact change and they don't want to take big bills like the ones we get at the ATM.

What do I like the most? I really liked going to the Colosseum and the Forum yesterday. Paul is writing an entry on that. It was interesting to see how the Romans lived in ancient times.

Gelato - yum! We got gelato on the third day, even though Mom and Dad promised it on the first day. Not fair! I have had strawberry, chocolate, mint, banana, lemon, nut, coffee, peach and pear. Not all of these were mine! I tasted some of these from my family members. So far, my favorite is chocolate.

Churches - they are everywhere! The closest one to us is Santa Maria in Trastevere. Yesterday, we went in San Pietro in Montorio. See a future blog entry about the Tempietto.

The peanut butter is delicious. It tastes like the natural peanut butter from home. I wish there was a peanut butter flavored gelato! Yum!

We have not been pick-pocketed thankfully. There are a lot of people on the streets asking for money though. Here is a photo of a street performer. He has painted himself completely to match the trashcan he is leaning against. He sat as still as a statue and then would move suddenly. We have also seen other street performers like this in Piazza Navona. One was all in white and was dressed like the Statue of Liberty. People would give him coins to have their picture taken with him.

The numbers in Italian: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci. We have been playing "Go Fish" in Italian. You have to say, "Pesca!"

That is all for now!

Ciao ragazzi! -Elizabeth

To Rome and Away!

2009-09-16T15:18:00.005+02:00

Several of you have asked about our flights to Rome.
On September 8, 2009, our family took a flight to London on British Airways. We took off at 5:25 pm and landed at about 1:30 am.

Our section of the airplane had three rows of three seats each. Each person had a small TV placed on the seatback in front of you. The crew gave us a pillow, blanket, headphones, and package containing a little toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, and a mask to block out the light while you were sleeping.

We all watched a movie of our choice. I watched Night at the Museum 2, Battle of the Smithsonian. Then a flight attendant brought us dinner. After that, I slept for about three hours. When I woke up, we all received breakfast and watched an interactive map on the TV to watch the plane land in London. We landed in London at about 6:30am London time (1:30 SB time). After that, we got on another plane to Rome. This plane had two rows of three seats each. We took off about 12:40 and landed at about 4:00 Rome time (10am Wednesday SB time). In Rome, a man met us with a van and took us to our apartment.

-Paul

Answers to questions: There is a TV. See the photo of the living room. The TV is in the right hand corner. It's just like a regular TV. We have a satallite, and a DVD player. However, everything is in Italian and we have been so busy, we have hardly watched TV.

No pool. Not a pool in sight.
The city is very large. We will try to take a photo for you to see. We haven't been to the Colesium yet. We will take lots of photos when we do. Food - we are eating a lot of pasta with bread. They even have Barilla pasta here. We are also eating lots of fruit and vegetables from the fresh market in the piazza nearby. We have had pizza a few times. I will have to write an entry just on pizza.

St. Peter's Basilica

2009-09-15T10:22:00.006+02:00

Hi! Saturday we went to St. Peter's Basilica! There were statues and tombs of many of the former popes! The Basilica was really big. Just to give you an idea of how big it was, if you put Holy Cross Church in there, it wouldn't take up much room. There was this really cool thing. Down the center aisle of the church, there were names of big churches around the world and a mark to how big the church is compared to St. Peter's. It made me realize just how big St. Peter's really is. It was cool. We took a bus there and a bus back. One of the bus drivers was not a good one. We couldn't get off the bus at our stop even though we had pressed the button to say we wanted to get off the bus. Apparently, he only pays attention to people who stand next to the door!

I attached some photos of the adventure. You can see us in St. Peter's, the Baldacchino (canopy above the altar), the piazza (plaza) outside the Basilica, and Grace's reaction to the magnificent church. Also, there is a photo of "Pieta", a sculpture by Michaelangelo

-Elizabeth

P.S. To answer some of your questions: I can speak a little Italian, but not much. I know "Grazie" means "Thank you" and "Per Favore" means "please". I know a few other things too.

At last! Peanut butter!

2009-09-14T23:58:00.004+02:00

Well, today's shopping trip was much more successful. It took more than two hours, but we did finally get everything we needed.

Left home with one backpack, one wheeled shopping cart, and three children. First we stopped at the farmer's market in the piazza down at the bottom of the hill. Tomatoes, onion, carrots, lettuce and some peaches. We went to the first grocery - Todis. We immediately noticed the sign that said that they couldn't accept credit cards today. I don't know why - my Italian is not that good! So, we went to the grocery store next door. Here we picked up cereal, cookies, prociutto (2 kinds), cheese, butter, and spaghetti. We didn't get milk because it was over one euro and I found it at a different store for only 50 cents (1/2 euro). Next stop was a bakery down the street for a loaf of fresh bread for lunch sandwiches. Next grocery store was Standa - a larger grocery in the basement of a clothing store. We got milk, juice, cream, and eggs.

While standing in the long check-out line, Grace announced that she needed to use the restroom. She is newly potty-trained, so that didn't leave me much time! In the US, there are public restrooms everywhere, but this is not the case in Rome. I asked someone in Standa, and she told me to go to a coffee bar. We left Standa, pulling all the groceries carefully packed in the rolling cart. We found one coffee bar. But when I asked, they told me they didn't have a restroom. Poor Grace was wiggling and starting to panic when we finally found another coffee bar. I didn't even ask the man - I just headed to the back of the place and found one of the tiniest restrooms I have ever been in. Despite the fact that there was no toilet paper (wet wipes in the backpack) and the lights went out in the restroom while we were in the stall, Grace made it through the shopping trip with dry pants.

We found the final grocery store near this coffee bar and bought:
Peanut Butter! (for 4.50 euro) (about $7)

Finally, we headed home on Via Gloriosa. This road ends in a staircase that leads up the hill. I think there are six sets of 21 steps. That wheeled shopping cart handles stairs well, but boy was it heavy!

The best news is that I don't think I have to grocery shop tomorrow!

-Terri

Go Irish!

2009-09-12T17:38:00.002+02:00

We do a lot of walking around here and it is hard to keep Grace holding someone's hand. So, if we are in an area where I can give her a little more freedom, I do.

Last night we were heading back to the apartment after gelato. We were on a very narrow street turned pedestrian way. Grace was strolling and singing - The Notre Dame Victory March. I was amused and thoroughly happy that she was still walking. While walking in the other direction past us, a couple stopped dead in their tracks to make sure they were hearing Grace's tune correctly. They laughed, said "Go Irish!", and continued on their way. What a small world!

-Terri

Grace's Thoughts

2009-09-12T17:35:00.002+02:00

I went on two big planes. I ate snacks and carried my purple pack-pack. I slept for a few hours. A man picked us up. He drove a van. We were in the back and I had a seatbelt.

We go for lots of walks in Rome. My favorite part is running up and down the stairs. On the sidewalks you have to watch for dog poo. There is lots of dog poo and lots of dogs. I saw two black cats too. I had gelato last night. It was strawberry and banana. It was delicious. I just ate it by myself. It was like an ice cream cone.

-Grace

The Shopping is making me crazy!

2009-09-11T16:29:00.002+02:00

Well, we have been here for two days and I think the part I dislike the most is the shopping. First of all, everything is tremendously expensive! A liter of milk is about 1.50 euros. We are getting about $1.50 to every euro. That means I am paying about $2.25 for a quart of milk - or about $9 for a gallon! Needless to say, we are only drinking milk for cereal and a glass at dinner.

Secondly, as with any new grocery store, I can't find anything. So every trip takes twice as long as it would at home. Plus, we are walking, so anything I buy has to be carried home. Fortunately, there is a wheeled shopping bag here and it handles stairs very well. That was easier today.

Yesterday, I went shopping four times. In the morning, we went to the Campo di Fiori (outdoor market) to get tomatoes, basil, and fruit. On the way home at lunch, I stopped at 2 different stores, and acquired pasta, olive oil, Nutella, bread, and some sliced lunchmeat of sort. I couldn't find any kind of cheese to put on a sandwich, believe it or not! Finally, after John came home and we invited the grad students for dinner, we went to a big grocery store and found parmesan and provolone cheese, milk, garlic, cereal, and more pasta and tomatoes.

I think this is going to be the hardest part of our adventure!

-Terri

Courtyard

2009-09-11T16:21:00.002+02:00

We made it to our apartment. It has a courtyard with it, which is kind of like a backyard. The floor of the courtyard is orangish-brownish tile. It's surrounded by a tall wall so you can't see the street. The wall is stucco over bricks, but is mostly covered in ivy. Along the walls is a raised garden surrounded by a stone wall about 3 feet high. There are 2 trees and some other plants growing in the garden. Part of the courtyard is on the west side of the apartment and another is on the south. It's not a big backyard, but I'm glad we have it!
-Elizabeth

Photos of Apartment and Courtyard

2009-09-11T16:04:00.003+02:00

Our Apartment

2009-09-11T15:57:00.003+02:00

Well, we're here and we made it to our apartment. It's on the ground floor and we happen to have a courtyard. The apartment has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room and dining room with no separating wall. See my floorplan and the photos.

-Paul

We made it!

2009-09-09T21:31:00.004+02:00

Well, we made it! We arrived at the apartment this afternoon about 5:30 local time. Amazing, since we landed at 4! The apartment is great, we had a nice pizza dinner (Thanks Leah!) and the kids are in bed. John and I are following shortly.

We left South Bend about 1:00 Tuesday afternoon and arrived here 22 1/2 hours later. We've had about 3 hours of sleep since we left, but everyone is amazingly in a good mood.

Tomorrow we are heading into the center of the city for John's orientation. The kids and I are going armed with maps and writer's notebooks and we are on a mission to explore.

We will update the blog with many stories to tell - as soon as we get some sleep!

Love to all!
-Terri

Packing, packing, and more packing

2009-09-08T05:42:00.003+02:00

What do you pack when you are taking a family of five to Rome for 3 months? Not very much!

We are limited to one suitcase per person. Italians don't wear shorts, so we are taking only long pants (mostly jeans). Five per person. We will have a washing machine and clothesline, so I will be doing small loads on a regular basis. We will also do as the Romans and wear things again unless they need to be washed. The weather forecast for this week is in the 80's, with lows in the lower 70's. With jeans and short sleeve shirts, we will be warm, but not too hot. By the end of our stay it will be in the 40's and 50's, so we also packed long sleeve shirts, jackets, and coats. We have 2 pairs of shoes each: hiking boots and tennis shoes. John and I also have a nicer pair of shoes. Paul, Elizabeth, and Grace packed toys and games for entertainment once we get there. We have most everything packed into the five suitcases and 4 1/2 carry-ons, with a few things to add in the morning. So far the bags are stuffed and we are under weight! Unheard of!

We have 10 hours of flight time tomorrow with a five hour layover in London in between. We have books, games, cards, crayons and markers, madlibs, and lots of snacks. Our seats are in the middle of the plane so that we can get some exercise on the way to the restrooms. It will be a long day, but I already know where the gelato place is near our apartment!

I can't believe it is almost here! Ciao!
-Terri

Paul's Thoughts

2009-09-01T17:38:00.000+02:00

There are lots of great things to see and do in Rome.

I would like to see Palatine Hill. It is an archaeological park that has palace ruins. I also would like to see the Necropoli at Cerveteri. It is a burial chamber in Italy. I read in a guidebook that it is unsupervised so that allows you to climb on the tombs. Some parts of it date back to about 900 BC. I would also like to see the Colosseum and everything like that, but that's obvious. And I'm going to see it all in the next 3 months! Would you like to follow my adventures?

-Paul

Elizabeth's thoughts

2009-08-31T20:47:00.000+02:00

Seven days until we're on the plane to Rome! I'm not really looking forward to it, but I'm looking forward to a few things. The first thing is their gelato. Gelato is Italian ice cream and it's really good! My Dad said his favorite is strawberry, so I want to try it. The next thing is the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Pompeii is a Roman town that existed long ago. One day Mount Vesuvius, a volcano, erupted. The town had no warning so many people died, frozen like statues in ash. Archeologists have discovered the ruins. I have read lots about it and I really want to go. Now is my chance! That is all for now, but I am sure I will be looking forward to more when I get there!

-Elizabeth

Looking Forward

2009-08-31T20:44:00.000+02:00

What am I looking forward to in Rome? Of course, I want to see all the famous sites like the Vatican and the Pantheon. However, I really just want to experience everyday living in Rome.

I have been studying Italian with the computer all summer. I've learned a lot. Now I want to go use it. I want to take Paul, Elizabeth, and Grace to the outdoor market and see if I can communicate with anyone. I want to try to find some Italian children in the neighborhood and help the kids make some friends. I want them to feel as comfortable as they are with their South Bend friends. I can't believe this is only a little more than a week away. I'm getting excited now!

-Terri

St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul, Minnesota

2009-08-21T03:08:00.000+02:00

We went to mass at St. Paul's Cathedral on Sunday 8/9/09. There were more frills than we are used to at Holy Cross - an impressive pipe organ and incense too! After mass we walked around a bit. We found the statues of the 4 evangelists in niches in the piers of the crossing of the church, under the dome. St. Mark is represented by the lion, Luke the ox, John the eagle and Matthew the angel.

Behind the altar were the chapels of the nations, representing the different nationalities of people who helped build the church. There were bronze screens that separated this area (the ambulatory) from the sanctuary (where the altar was). The bronze screens had angels and saints set into them as well as scenes from the life of St. Paul. Magnificent!

We walked around to a side chapel dedicated to St. Peter. (We found a key in his hand.) While we were talking to the kids about it, a parishioner approached us. He pointed out the Latin inscription carved in the frieze of the chapel. He told Paul and Elizabeth that this was the same inscription that is in St. Pater's Basilica in Rome, only in St. Peter's the letters are 6 feet tall! He was astonished when we told him we were heading for Rome in a few weeks!

Mike, the parishioner, introduced himself and then showed us something else unique about the cathedral. He explained that the architect was Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, a Frenchman. Mike took us back to the chapel of St. Therese of Lisieux and showed us a stone that Masqueray had sent away for and placed in the wall of this chapel. It was a stone from the cell where Joan of Arc was imprisoned before she was killed. Wow! I guess the kids and I need to do a little research on Joan of Arc now!

We also chatted with a nun from the Little Sisters of the Poor. (There was a second collection during mass.) Their founder, Blessed Jeanne Jugan, will be canonized (become an official saint) on October 11, 2009 in St. Peter's in Rome! Maybe we can go! How many connections we made that morning!