At last! Peanut butter!

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!

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

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!

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

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

Our Apartment

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!

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

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

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