Veni, vidi, vici (almost)

(Arrived in Rome 5/26 and departed 6/4)    We left off in our last post on our way to Venice via a ferry from Greece. This was a two night ferry, which we boarded at about 10pm on the first night. We had a quite spacious state room with four comfortable beds and enough room for a child to sleep on the floor, a large window smack center overlooking the bow of the boat, and our own bathroom (true luxury). Kelli and I even celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary onboard, so I can forever relate that I once took her on a cruise to Venice on our anniversary which sounds much more luxurious that it actually was.    A classic cruise this was not. It was a ferry with limited amenities, which we quickly exhausted, and mediocre, grossly overpriced food. Plus, we had a very scary incident while at the small deck pool when right in front of Kelli, Jack and I, a young man fell off a two-foot high bench flat on his back and had a seizure. At the time, we did not know what was happening to him, and for the three of us it was the first time we had ever seen a person in the throws of a seizure. Let me tell you it was extremely scary. Kelli was convinced this young man had died and this upset her greatly. We can report now that the young man (from Scandinavia somewhere) was actually fine, but Kelli and Jack were extremely shaken. I guess, again, a bit of foreshadow of things to come in Venice because we were left with a very uneasy feeling as we stood on the rail of the ship entering Venice, gazing across the grand canal standing next to the young man, our very own Lazarus.    We gladly left the ferry on the second morning at about 10am, and walked to our hostel, which was lovely. As you all now know, appearances can be deceiving. We had a great day in Venice just wandering around the streets, touring the basilica of San Marco and eating the best gelato of our trip. We had plans to visit more churches the next day, but when we awoke to find all our electronics stolen overnight from our room as we slept, none of us was in the mood to remain in Venice for another second. We called our friends in Rome, whom we planned to visit the next day anyway, told them of our experience and our immediate need to leave Venice. Very graciously, they said, hop a train and come to Rome!    Now, we use the term friends to describe Helen and Andrew, but in fact, we met them in Chaing Mai, Thailand, when they and their two children, Hunter and Giada, stayed at the Secret Garden at the same time as we. We shared some meals and spent a day sight seeing together, and Helen and Andrew very sincerely offered us a place to stay in Rome if we wanted to visit as part of our trip. I doubt we would have traveled to Italy at all had we not met them, but our travel all year had been filled with planning fluidity and we were excited about seeing Italy again (and eating the food).    It is difficult to explain the emotional toll extracted from the theft after so many months of travel, though. We were worn and weary when we landed on the Bannigan-Davis doorstep, mere acquaintances of the folks who welcomed us with such understanding and warmth. We always will be grateful to them for taking us in and opening their home to us at a time when we were all so low. Spending time with them, having other children to play with for a few days, sharing conversation and making new friends, these things all did wonders for our perspective on losing our photos, the most dear of all the things we lost that night in Venice. Plus, we all enjoyed the wonders of Rome.    Helen and Andrew have a simply fabulous apartment, literally a few blocks from the Vatican. Ainsley, Kelli and I all read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown while in Rome and loved visiting the sights that are so prominently a part of that tale. Highlights for us included climbing to the top of the dome on St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon, the Coliseum and the Vatican Museum, especially the Sistine Chapel and viewing the Pietà inside the basilica. Eliot, as he had in all other catholic countries, really took to the churches. On our last day in Rome he even requested that we walk through St. Peter’s again, especially because his middle name is Peter. All the kids were sure to rub the foot of the statue of St. Peter near the alter of the basilica. Jack and Eliot even were sure to drop a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure that one day, they will return to Roma, the foundation of western civilization. 

     Helen and Andrew also have a country house about an hours drive from Rome in a small town called Monte Leone, up in the hills. Our retreat to this gorgeous place filled with olive trees, grape vines, spring flowers and cherry trees provided us all with a place to truly relax and unwind. Plus, Helen and Andrew have such great friends, with whom we dined al fresco every afternoon overlooking the hills in a sweeping vista from their patio. We drank lots of great Italian wine, made pizzas and paella, and picked more cherries than you can imagine. Jack spent the better part of his time in Monteleone at the top of various cherry trees simply picking and eating cherries, and Kelli made a delicous cherry tart with the bounty.       So in the end, our expereince in Italy represents the lowest, but also some of the best of our trip. We not only were able to expereince the big city of Rome, but we enjoyed the splendid and sultry Italian country side as well with new friends. Although we all wish we could forget about Venice and even wish we could turn back time and have had it never occur, we recognize that each and every day of this trip presents a new adventure in learning, and some of life’s most meaningful lessons are those that are the hardest to bear. A recurring trip theme for us has been that the people we have met, not the places we have seen, are the true treasures of travel. Helen and Andrew represent the best of the best for us. Essentially strangers, they took us into their homes and welcomed us as the oldest of friends. Both Helen and Andrew are seasoned travelers as well as ex-patriot Americans living in Rome for the past eight years, and they truly understand the ups and downs of travel, especailly with kids (remember, we met them in Thailand with their 6 and 4 year old kids!). Their offering a home with the simple pleasures of a kitchen and washer machine, toys and friendship, was a kindness and gift beyond our ability to measure. We can only say thanks and arrivederci Roma.

The End

Sadly, tomorrow (Thursday July 9th) marks the official end of our year “Exploring the Marble.”  Kelli, Ainsley, Jack and Eliot fly from Zurich, Switzerland to Cape Cod where they will have a reunion with Kelli’s parents and siblings.  I’m so proud of each of them.   They were amazing on this trip. 

You might see some fear on Jack’s face in the picture above from our departure day.  Each of us was nervous and excited at the same time, unsure what the future would hold.  Well, it held a magical, special and unforgettable experience.  We learned a lot about ourselves, each other, our family and the broader world.  No two days were the same.  Each of us comes home changed from the experience.  Thanks to all of our family and friends for all of your support.  We couldn’t have done it on our own.