Two Little Travellers

Our next destination was Lake Como, Bellagio specifically. The most beautiful of the lake towns, we had heard great things and were looking forward to seeing the famous water + mountain views. And maybe George Clooney?

This meant another long day of travelling after my early morning interview, starting with the short trip back to La Spezia, where we caught a ‘fast’ train to Milan. This train was empty when we first got on board but soon filled up. We bought lunch at the train station in advance and settled in for a long one. Longer than we had thought in the end as the number of minutes late the train was running was extended several times until we ended up missing our connection to Varenna.

The trains are a bit dull with regard to scenery, but do provide good entertainment in the form of people watching. There surely must be a special place in hell reserved for people who speak on FaceTime on public transport. There’s also those who feel their suitcases are too precious to be put away under the seats in the area designated for them, instead they must be kept in the aisle, blocking others from passing with their luggage. Two such women sat opposite us and used their respective suitcases to create a full blockage in our carriage. One eventually took the hint from R and pushed her case between the seats, but the case must have been lonely because on a sudden lurch of the train it nipped out and across the aisle into the gap opposite in a gold flash. I must have been very tired because this make me cry with laughter. Next minute the train lurched the other way and the case was out in the aisle again, free to roll any which way. R pointed out the fugitive case to its owner and she took it back next to her, once again blocking the aisle.

Bitti handled the train journey reasonably well, watching Tin Tin on the iPad (in French, Netflix has picked up our region change) and eating all her salami and buffalo cheese sandwich despite declaring it ‘disgusting’ at first glance. In Milan we had an hour or so to kill. We rested at Maccas because they have WIFI and toilets. The loos ended up being the second most disgusting ones yet, only topped by the train toilet on the Pisa-La Spezia leg, which I’ll talk about in a moment. Bitti and I lined up for about 20 minutes, reaching the front to realise that only one cubicle was actually working. The floor was covered in a centimetre of ‘water’, emanating somewhat ominously from the direction of the cubicles.

When we were second in line two men in uniforms pushed in unannounced, examined the issue, then returned with a squeegee broom and a large water sucking machine. They proceeded to swish the water around and suck it up, like they do on tennis courts in wet weather, while we ladies stood on tip toes along the wall. One of them plunged the broken toilet with the toilet brush while the seat was down, then declared it ready to use. Bitti and I went in, and she had the difficult task of using the loo without allowing any part of her body to touch it, nor her jumpsuit to touch the floor. Luckily we had practiced this before in the train toilet, where we entered to find every surface dropping with liquid, including the loo paper (perhaps water, but we weren’t taking any chances). That time she was wearing her overall shorts, and the dangling shoulder straps proved difficult to keep up while I held Bitti over the loo seat, as the train was lurching along. I then added an element of difficulty by getting a tissue to wipe with out of my backpack while Bitti dangled off my arms. We had a good laugh about it afterwards, but I requested Bitti to please advise me BEFORE we board that a toilet stop is needed.

Honestly, between all this extreme toileting, hauling the luggage around and the piggy back rides I’m shocked my back is still working.

We boarded the train for Varenna finally, looking forward to some lakeside views on our left as we headed north. Bitti went a bit nuts at this stage, bouncing around and shouting a bit. We tried to keep a lid on her but she was clearly cooked. The lake did come into view and it was most impressive. The landscape changed from flat fields to green slopes with jagged mountain rocks. We got to our stop and walked to the ferry terminal for the final leg.

This part was more fun. Bitti was genuinely excited about the boat and spent the whole time asking lots of questions and admiring the view. The sun was setting as we crossed the lake and we disembarked as Bellagio glowed in the magic hour. Unfortunately this was where we left R and A. They had their own accommodation booked. For some reason they wanted to finish off their honeymoon alone, without a five-year-old badgering them to play ‘Tin Tin’ or ‘Would You Rather … ?’ Rude! We hugged and promised to meet for a coffee on Friday morning before they left for Milan.

Bitti and I walked the luggage to Loppia, a small port not far from Bellagio centro. Our accommodation is a little apartment right next to the entrance to a botanical garden with a small view of the lake. Delightful!

We made it to our final joint destination! The journey here was a tad arduous, starting at 8.30 and ending just before dark. It began with the car drive back to Florence, where we dropped R and Bitti off at the tram stop with the bags, then drove around to the car drop off point. A was navigating, and thank goodness! It would have been hard to do both driving the manual on the wrong side of the road plus navigate. We had to take a bus from the car park back to the tram stop because even though it was a mere 500 metres away there is no pedestrian access from car hire to airport. Then on a packed tram into Florence, a short walk to the train station and onto a train for La Spezia. Change to another train for a 7-minute ride to Riomaggiore, our home for the next three days.

When we arrived it was raining a little, but the views of the sea were still impressive. Our little apartment was very central, a short flight of stairs from the main street. We were all relieved not to have to drag our luggage over the rough cobblestones up many levels, as we saw others doing when we went exploring. But our apartment did have two sets of immaculate wooden stairs, which came with a warning not to scratch them or face incurring a 100 Euro fine (a note we were able to read AFTER we had already dragged our bags up the first flight…). Bitti had her own tiny little bedroom on the top floor in a section where the roof sloped away to about 80 cm from the floor. The bathroom was next to that room so none of us could stand in the shower, instead we had to sit in the bath, rather like a Japanese style wet room really! I got my OWN bed, luxury. R and A gamely took the fold out double bed down in the living area.

We didn’t do any cooking here, just relied up on the little cafe downstairs and around a corner for all our needs. They weren’t terribly friendly, but by day 3 they had our breakfast order memorised: 4 plain croissants, 4 chocolate croissants (yes, we have all been eating for two). What was nice about Riomaggiore was it was plainly a functional fishing village, with locals mixed in with tourists and the smell of fishing gear throughout. Although there were really fancy restaurants down by the foreshore, there were also cheaper cafes that locals were eating in.

Our first day A wasn’t feeling well so R, Bitti and I headed off to Manarola on the train, paying the exorbitant fee of 1.50 each for a 2-minute train ride. (We did not make that same mistake on the way home.) The train platform was absolutely packed, even in Japan I never experienced a crush like that on a train. We managed to squeeze on and amused ourselves by watching a man with a large jogging pram try to jam it into the carriage. After a few minutes of wrestling with it and running people over he had the bright idea to fold it up!

We did a bit of huffing up and down stone stairways in Manarola, Bitti getting more and more whiny and bemoaning the lack of friendly black kittens. She did perk up when we happened upon a playground at the peak of a hill, which must the be in the running for playground with best view ever. Lunch and gelato then home again. It is all very beautiful, but hard to get around with a 5-year-old who really doesn’t care for stunning landscapes (seascapes?). I was itching to get out without her and do a proper walk.

I had a chance later that evening when A kindly put Bitti to bed for me so R and I could go out for an adult dinner. We went for a walk up the hill to a church in Riomaggiore, walking past houses full of families getting ready for dinner. We found a small kiosk with a table free to order a drink and watch the sunset. I really enjoyed spending some quality time with R, especially in such a glorious setting. We had talked about coming to Cinque Terre for years, and this was the primary motivation for setting up this trip in the first place. Good friends are really worth so much.

After dark we found a fancy restaurant called Il Grottino and ordered a few courses of seafood. I am on vegetarian hiatus while here if it means tasting local delicacies. We enjoyed a superb seafood meal with wonderful service, polishing off a half-litre of wine along the way. We even lashed out on dessert and I had a fabulous orange and ginger panna cotta, while R had a very fresh tiramisu.

The next day we all got Cinque Terre train and park passes and rode a slightly less crowded train to Monterosso, the furthermost village from ours. From there, after powering up with a second breakfast, we began the walk to Vernazza. I have to admit, we didn’t really do much research about this walk and if we’d known how long it was going to take I’m not sure we would have done it with Bitti. But once begun, it seemed pointless to turn back. She was distracted at first by the enormous peach—think James and Giant Peach—she selected at a small grocery store. It was actually juicy and tasty despite its size. About an hour in we encouraged a huge number of stone steps going up and up and up and up. Bitti nearly lost the plot, but I managed to get away without having to piggy back her. That came later!

It was a beautiful walk, taking us through some fields, always with a view of the sea. Without Bitti it would have been a pretty basic walk, but with her it took about 2.5 hours. The outfits people were wearing on the trail was simply breathtaking, I felt very conservative wearing a t-shirt. Next time I’ll have to pack my athletic underwear I guess? The sun was out so it was quite hot, which as we discovered in Rome, is her Achilles heel. After distracting her with some games, and the lucky discovery of a ‘troll’ bridge and some caves along the way, she actually managed to get most of the way to Vernazza quite well. But the final 20 minutes was too much, with a lot of very steep downhill sections. Her legs are pretty short, so she was working harder than any of us. I gave her a piggy back and we made it to Vernazza quite sweaty, but in good spirits thanks to a grey and white cat who allowed Bitti to pat her extensively.

We dived straight into the nearest shop to buy cold water, then found a fish and chip shop, conveniently located next to a very popular gelato place. We divided up to get both, Bitti and I in the gelato queue. We were just approaching the front of the line when a random older lady suddenly appeared to my left and tried to start ordering what she wanted ahead of us. Not today, Satan! I just talked over the top of her and put in Bitti’s order. She gave me a very dirty look, which I enjoyed immensely.

We have found some tourists to be quite entitled here, pushing to the front of lines to ‘ask a question’ and then ending up taking 10 minutes of the staff’s time. Organised groups are also an annoyance as they steam through, chasing their tour leader. R even had a group of tourists ask her to leave a lookout spot so they could take a series of photos of themselves as if they owned the place.

Vernazza is the most attractive of the towns I think, but Riomaggiore was a good choice for our accommodation. There is a tunnel in the rock leading to a pebbly beach that Bitti absolutely loved. R and A caught the train back early but we stayed to analyse rocks and build a ninja warrior course for pebbles out of pieces of wood she collected. Some people were swimming, it looked a bit rough for me! It was a very peaceful little cove.

That night Bitti went to bed early, I had some time alone to prep for my job interview as R and A had a date night out. They helped me setup the iPad in the best spot before they went to bed and I set my alarm for 4.10 am. I had a crazy night’s sleep, dreaming that I’d overslept and missed the interview and all sorts of anxiety-informed plot lines. But I did wake up in time, put on every ounce of make up I brought with me, which wasn’t much, in an attempt to appear human. I’m of an age now where the face I wake up with is not immediately suitable for public presentation. It was very nerve-wracking waiting for 4.45 am, 12.15 pm Adelaide time, wondering if the video hook up was going to work, wondering what the panel would ask me.

In the end it went reasonably well. I can’t guess what the outcome will be, it was very difficult to get a reading on how they were receiving my answers. The video link failed after about 5 minutes, they could not see me. So we tried just audio over the internet, but then they couldn’t hear me. So they ended up calling my mobile and we had an old-fashioned teleconference. I really don’t recommend this! I could really have done without the stress of having to prepare for a job interview while on holiday. Fingers crossed it results in a job because otherwise what a waste of my time!

Afterwards I went back to bed but couldn’t sleep until about 7 am. Then we were all up and out of the house by 9.15 to start the journey to Como. Another big long day that should wait for my next post. OH, and I just realised that a I forgot about our Pisa stopover!

This holiday is passing terrifyingly quickly. I can’t tell you what we did on which day, but somehow we have left Tuscany behind and are now in Cinque Terre. I think what happened is we ate a lot of very good Italian food, drank a lot of delicious wine, and slipped into a time portal? I can’t be sure, but that’s what it feels like.

Tuscany was amazing. We could have spent a lot longer there, and should have. Bitti adored the farm, especially her little kitten mate. She had to bid her farewell on the last morning and managed it without too much emotional turmoil after I promised that we shall return to see her again (!). Personally, my favourite animal was the horse, who at one point clip clopped self-importantly around the pool area where we had reclined in banana lounges, stopping to eyeball R and I in turn, as if to say, ‘what the fuck are you doing in my garden?’.

We visited Montepulciano on one day, and I piggy backed Bitti up and down more hills than I care to recall. At this town there was a bit of a show going on in the main square, with a double bass going up against a flute in some sort of musical combat from opposite sides of the piazza. Tourists were stopping to see what it was all building up to, gelato in hand. Then the bell tower chimed for noon and about 20 people fell to the ground and the musicians put their instruments aside to hold up signs advocating for action on climate change. The square remained full of inert figures for the full 12 chimes, then the tourists clapped politely, as if it were an unsolicited but reasonably good street performance. Many of the protesters got up after the bells fell silent but one dedicated sitter-inner stayed lying in a painful looking yoga pose for at least the length of time it took Bitti to wind up and down from a full meltdown about her chocolate gelato getting on her hand.

We found a playground for Bitti that day, and she had a good slippery dip session. And actually I think we found her one the next day too. We had been self-catering for dinner, R was cooking up some fresh pasta and sauce with a rocket salad, we were contributing by eating it. We got the cheapest wine we could find in the supermarket and it was amazing. For dessert we had a 2L tub of gelato that we polished off over two nights and lemon biscotti. It was very cosy in the farmhouse sitting down to a home cooked meal.

Our last day we went to another town called Saltearno and had the best meal out yet. A little family-fun cafe serving hand-made pasta, with the friendliest waiter ever. He brought Bitti a special half serve of spaghetti with bolognese, which she ate almost all of. A group of workers came in to eat not long after us, so we knew it must local-endorsed. The Tuscan bread leaves a lot to be desired, mostly salt. It’s not very tasty at all, we can see why it ends up in Pappas Pomodoro. But the pasta was fabulous, and A ordered gnocchi and got a plate full of these tiny fat balls, so light and satisfying.

Each night we would walk down to the pool area, sit on the banana lounges and demolish some cheese and crackers, with wine, watching the sun set across the fields below. Bitti would bring the kitten down and she’d amuse us, the horse would drop by for a gander, chickens were rambling around and it was all so relaxing. It really is a beautiful place in the world.

We regretfully left Florence by taking the tram to the airport and then walking a needlessly circuitous route across three lanes of traffic to the hire car pick up point. Picking up the car was quite simple, although we did not get the model we had booked, it was small enough to navigate the narrow roads. Our three suitcases slid into the boot with such satisfaction that we all took a moment to admire the fit. Roles for driving were allocated as such: driver – me, navigator – A, child distractor – R, and of course the child itself – Bitti. After undertaking a lap of the car park to test out changing gears on the wrong side we launched into traffic proper!

The good thing about Italian traffic is that they are always expecting others to merge without indicating and to accommodate odd driving behaviour. This makes it easy for tourists because no matter how late the need to merge is identified, one can always squeeze in. Not like Adelaide, where putting your indicator on and actually identifying that you want to squeeze in somewhere is likely to prompt your neighbour to speed up immediately and block you off. Also, tailgating is not an issue here, it is just how to drive. I had some insight into large vehicle driving when I was unable to see any cars in either side mirror so was surprised to find one looming large in my rear vision mirror, such was its proximity.

But driving culture differences aside, we managed quite well and made it through the 2-hour drive without incident. Bitti even fell asleep, making it all the more pleasant for me. Our agriturismo accommodation is located near Montepulciano, situated atop a small hill overlooking a valley of olive trees, vines and within view of both Montepulciano and Chianciano.

We had arrived a little too early to check in so went for a drive to the closest town, looking for a place to eat lunch. Well, we found a pretty great place and enjoyed some really delicious Italian food. We even indulged in some non-gelato desserts, one of which was described as including ‘a soul of peanuts’. We were quite amused to notice that we three girls received a pink side plate while A received a blue one. Gendered items seem to be big in Italy, at Maccas you have to choose from a ‘girl’ or ‘boy’ happy meal toy and the car hire guy made a big deal about finding a ‘girls’ car seat for Bitti.

After stuffing our faces we had a walk around Chianciano’s historical centre. It is just as you imagine a Tuscan village would be. A view of rolling green fields, ancient stone houses with bright splashes of flora on the window sills. Lots of cats. Every now and again a little old car will speed past on the narrow cobblestoned street. There were few other people around, tourist season seems to have finished for this town.

Our farm house is pretty ancient, inside the ceiling features thick wooden beams, terracotta tiles line the floor, and the walls are super thick. It’s warm and cosy. Bitti and I have a little bedroom downstairs, while R and A are upstairs, both with windows overlooking the veggie patch and chicken coop. When you close it all up no light gets in and we feel like bears down for the winter.

There are a few different animals here, all roaming free. The horse that just plods around the backyard like a large dog is quite amusing. Bitti’s favourite is definitely the little black kittens. One of them has adopted her and they are fast becoming inseparable, playing together for long periods. We have visited the local supermarket and are all set with some supplies to cook our own Italian feasts with. And of course some local wine to wash it down with. The Chianti we bought is particularly nice!

‘Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice‘—E.M. Forster

Yesterday we arrived in Florence from Rome and immediately fell in love. It is quieter, cleaner and is stocked with plenty of beautiful narrow alleys to get lost in. Plus, it has the zebra cathedral (Duomo di Firenze), which Bitti found fascinating and we were all awed by.

We dropped our bags off at our accommodation and immediately set out to find a famous sandwich shop, I Fratelli. On the way we stopped for a motivational $4000 gelato. The sandwich shop was pleasantly quiet so we made our selection in peace, ordered a glass of Prosecco each and sat in the gutter to eat, where we belong. We only nearly had our toes run over by taxis three times. Completely delightful! Bitti wasn’t quite so impressed with their offerings but did actually try and enjoy some salami.

From there we wandered to the Ponte Vecchio, which was packed with (retches) tourists. Several street artists were set up, selling pre-made portraits and landscapes of the city. Bitti watched with great interest as a man drew a charcoal caricature of a British gentleman. After a while she commented loudly, ‘His face looks weird!’, which the man’s girlfriend found hilarious. She very badly wanted her own caricature, but after seeing the quality I wasn’t about to lay down half our daily budget on it so we quickly moved her on.

We had booked tickets to enter the Accademia, where the statue of David is housed, so headed there next. It was relatively painless to gain entry, although there was still some lining up to do. The gallery was quite warm and stuffy, but Bitti was really interested in some of the paintings and wanted to hear all about them. Then we got into the main room, where a domed sky light beams down onto the star attraction: David. Bitti was very impressed, and we spent quite a bit of time sitting behind him, admiring his … form. She had been seeing his member all over Rome in the form of fridge magnets, calendars and various souvenirs so was very excited to see the real deal, although she did express some disappointment with the size, at top volume of course!

On the way out Bitti found a rainbow eraser in the shape of a snake that she desperately wanted. It was far cheaper than the sketch she had coveted so I gave her the money and she bought it all by herself, with the help of a kind stranger who prevented another tourist from cutting in front of her in the line. Our first gallery visit, successful!

By then it was mid-afternoon and a decision was needed about whether to push on or go home and rest. I wanted to see Santa Croce because you never know, a modern day George Emerson may be hanging around, and/or we may witness a melodramatic murder. We wandered back across town, Bitti taking the piggy back ride she had pre-negotiated. I do feel as if I had a previous life as a donkey. It was about time to rest our feet again so R found a great little bar to stop for a ‘Spritz and Chips’ at happy hour prices. Bitti found some more admirers in the waiters who were very attentive to her and Bunny, even though Bunny now looks as though he’s had more than just lunch in the gutter.

We all got a bit tipsy at lunch, although it was only one drink. I think the heat of Rome and walking so much had taken it out of us all more than we’d calculated. Or perhaps it was a generous serving of Aperol?

Although I moan about Bitti’s failure to walk at times, she has been doing a good job. My iPhone app shows that we have been doing a LOT of steps, including nearly 22,000 on our first full day in Rome! And given that my legs are twice as long as hers, she probably did more like 42,000 … When Bitti lost her shit in Rome because the inflatable toy pig she had convinced me to buy her broke she was devo, but when she had got over it she did wave it in front of my face and say, ‘I’m deflated but I’m still alive’, and I think that about sums up Bitti’s holiday attitude.

After a short rest back at the hotel, serenaded by a couple rehearsing their vocals with piano accompaniment in a nearby apartment, we headed out for dinner and found an underground restaurant with some very stereotypical red and white check tablecloths. We ordered pasta even though we were only a little peckish, yet somehow when it arrived we were ravenous and ate it all up. It is a magic trick here in Italy. We are rarely very hungry but can always clear our plates.

Bitti has been sticking with her spaghetti or penne with pomodoro sauce, but will try bites of others things. She ate a large amount of her serve this time, and I polished off the rest as my lasagna wasn’t huge. Serving sizes have been hard to estimate. Service in the restaurants varies a lot too. I think we were spoiled a little in Rome. This place was very busy and they seemed not to notice us at all after delivering the menus. But when we managed to flag someone down and order the wait for the food was incredibly short. All meals seem to come with bread, although the quality of that varies. And I have to say (quietly) that although I love olive oil, I do long for a little butter for my bread!

And with that, our day in Florence was done. Far too short. It is a very pretty and charming place, everything in easy walking distance. Next, to Tuscany in the hire car!

Getting the monthly average up a bit!

The last two days in Rome we spent inside the Colosseum and at Borghese Gardens. I was pretty excited to check out the inside of the arena where Russell Crowe famously battled tigers and a despotic Caesar, so once the four of us were together we caught the tram down and braved the crowds to see about a tour. It actually worked out really well as A was pulled up by a woman selling rapid entry tickets with a tour, she took us straight to a tour guide and within ten minutes we were ushered through the entry, passing an enormous line of poor suckers waiting to purchase single entry tickets. An American expat who had clearly done the tour more times than was healthy for her peppered us with facts about the structure and the people who used it.

It must have been incredible when it was newly constructed, completely covered in marble (since ‘recovered’ and used to construct the Vatican), painted brightly and with canvas sun shades overhead. The arena floor hid a couple of layers of storage facilities and cages underneath, where zebras and lions waited their turn to be paraded in front of the crowd. Bitti’s favourite part of the tour was hearing about the vomitorium: the sloping design of the stadium steps that assisted in pushing the entire 60,000-strong crowd out in 15 minutes flat.

I am beginning to think I have a vampire for a child as she is so averse to the sun. It was pretty sunny for parts of the tour and she almost melted and ended up flopping around in a most annoying way. She’d have made a terrible gladiator.

That evening we walked to our local breakfast spot and got some take away pizza, paid for by the kilo. It’s a great system as it meant we could try a little of each pizza. Bitti has been having croissant every morning for breakfast, and we’ve now got the ordering down well enough to manage in Italian. And I’ve even been trying some coffee! Espresso is foul, completely unpalatable. But the cappuccino is tolerable enough, if I’m motivated to get some caffeine into me. I ordered breakfast to go on the final day and they gave me the coffee in an old pear juice jar! Loved it, didn’t need to feel guilty about not having a keep cup.

For our final day in Rome Bitti and I headed back to Borghese Gardens on the tram. This time determined to rent some bikes and row a boat. R and A headed off for their pre-booked tour of the Vatican. This time Bitti did a really good job of walking around. We chased some lions around the steps of the Modern Art Gallery, rowed a boat around a lake and rented a funny little four-wheeled bike (quadcycle?) with electric assist that we used to fang around the whole park.

I’d love to tell you a bit about the gardens and why/how they are there, but I am not really learning much this holiday. If Bitti doesn’t crack the shits it’s a good day! There were statues, monuments, a theatre, museums and art galleries all over the place in there. I wish we’d had time to actually visit an art gallery. Maybe next visit.

We are getting the hang of the geography and public transport now, and used the metro to come home from Spagna, a station Bitti was getting quite familiar with. She enjoys riding all the escalators, putting the ticket in the machines and swinging around on the numerous poles inside the train carriages. Back home we went to reunite with R and A, have a rest before dinner. Unfortunately we left dinner a little too late for Bitti, and after a massive altercation over putting her shoes on to leave the house I decided to just put her to bed and stay in. So, it all ended with a bit of a whimper.

Next, Florence!

Time is already getting away from us. I can’t figure out how many days have passed since the one I last posted about. We’ve now got our friends here with us! Bitti and I were chilling all afternoon inside after checking into our new accommodation, a two-bedroom apartment near Termini. R and A were due to arrive at 7 pm, and I thought maybe we could wait to eat with them.

Checking into the new accommodation was a bit stressful because although it was a mere 6-minute walk from our old hotel, Bitti had had enough of walking and decided that the moment I was carrying all bags and pulling a suitcase over cobblestones in the hot sun on our way to meet someone at a predetermined time was the right moment to stage a sit-in. After much cajoling we made it to meet our AirBnB host, but I had forgotten to change my 50 Euro note to pay the tax of 31.50. The man who met us with the keys didn’t have change so I had to venture out again, on a Sunday when everything was closed, with a crying child because the toy she bought from a dodgy street hawker had just broken and she still didn’t want to walk.

There were no concession stands open nearby, so I tried a fancy restaurant first. I asked if I could buy a bottle of water for my poor little hot child (who of course was also teary-eyed, which was actually helpful for once!). The waitress said they only sold glass bottles so couldn’t give me one. Damn. Next a pizzeria. An old man near the entrance said they were closed, I asked again to buy water for my thirsty daughter who was about to die from dehydration. He started to get her a glass of water. Nooooo, just a bottle please! He called the owner who did get us a small bottle of water, but when I produced my 50 Euro note he was pretty pissed! He made a real meal out of getting the change, while I forced Bitti to go through the charade of gulping down some water, shushing her when she protested, ‘but I’m not thirsty!’, ffs, keep up child!

Finally furnished with the correct change, I handed the taxes over and we returned to our new apartment for a well earned rest and toy mourning session.

The apartment is larger than I expected, with plenty of windows as we are in a corner of the building. It is like living in an IKEA showroom, there’s nothing here that I haven’t seen before on Sir Donald Bradman Drive. The shower is comically small, and making things worse, one of the two sliding doors seems to be jammed so I can only just squeeze into the recess. But you should see the deadbolts on the front door, feels like we are in a fortress. Something we are realising is that although the public places aren’t terribly clean or well-kept, Roman’s private spaces can be quite luxurious. Behind the facade of these graffitied, run-down buildings there are beautiful gardens and cushy modern living spaces.

We waited for evening and went back to the favourite restaurant for dinner. While we were eating A and R turned up! We had a little table for two, and no tables were free nearby so they sat down across the restaurant and we made eyes at them while we finished dessert. Bitti was ready for bed so we went home early. Excited for group travel to begin!

A gelato ranking has been requested, so I’ve added a page listing all flavours tried and the verdicts given by Bitti. As you will see, she describes what she tastes in great detail!

After all the walking on day one Bitti was not keen to repeat it. I plotted a tram journey that could take us directly to the door of Rome’s zoo, Bioparco. We travelled almost alone, seems like weekend mornings are pretty quiet here. The zoo is located in Borghese Gardens, which I’m told have a lot of cool stuff for kids. Unfortunately we didn’t make it that far as Bitti called time on being anywhere but in the hotel room by 11 am. I insisted we see the tiger, because I bloody love them, but we left after that. It was a nice little zoo with plenty of shade and good spots to have picnics, perhaps a little on the small side if you’re an animal!

To get home it was back to the tram stop, but we didn’t have a ticket. You can’t buy tickets on the trams here, and there aren’t machines at the stations. You need to find a ticket seller, which may or may not be located near the tram stop. In this case, not. I tested my dodgy Italian on a young man waiting at the tram stop to see if he knew where I could get a ticket. He replied with a look of panic on his face, ‘Uh, I don’t speak Italian!’ in an American accent, lol.

With grumpelstiltskin following me at a protest pace of .5 km/hr we walked to the next stop, hoping to find a ticket seller there. Nope! In the end I decided to risk it and we jumped on the next tram and rode home for free. I noticed that no one else was validating tickets either. And I later discovered that I didn’t even need a ticket for Bitti since she’s under 10.

I convinced her to stop for lunch on the way ‘home’ and we found an old cafe overlooking a large square with an ancient wall cutting through it. We sat al fresco and ate lasagna with crusty bread, I drank an irresponsibly served volume of vino blanco. An ambulance went past every second minute it seemed, wailing an impression of five-hundred cats in mourning. Tiny cars weaved in and out, scooters shot carelessly up the inside and outside of stopped traffic and everyone tooted horns continually. An old woman parked in front of us, mounting the kerb and then backing into a street sign. Normal. Bitti tut-tutted as a scooter rode past us on the footpath to park on the side of the road. ‘He should back in!’ she cried, still not on board with the Italian ways.

Once back at the hotel Bitti did not want to leave. She played games for a while, I had a nap. At about 6 pm I insisted on us going out for tea. I had watched the beautiful Roman weather being wasted away all afternoon while we hid indoors. It was pretty frustrating, but nothing could be done about it.

We went around the corner for dinner to try a different restaurant. Bitti wanted to eat downstairs in the hotel breakfast buffet room, but was devo to discover it dark and empty. This time we had pizza, a plain old Margherita to suit Bitti’s palette. When it came time for dessert the waiter took Bitti by the hand and led her inside to choose from the dessert cabinet, lifting her up so she could see everything. She chose profiteroles and was so impressed she wanted them the next night too.

The next day we expected our friends to arrive, and we were moving from the hotel to an AirBnB. More walking for Bitti, let’s see how that goes!

Pretending we aren’t in Europe on the holiday of a lifetime

Bitti and I spent our first full day in Rome on the hop on hop off bus. I thought this might save Bitti’s legs, but it didn’t really work. The closest stop to our hotel was near the Colosseum so we started by heading down there. On the way Bitti noted that the streets were very dirty. She kept finding rubbish lodged into cracks in buildings, the bottom of lamp posts and the hollows of tree trunks and getting very indignant about it. She concluded that the people who live here must not care at all about anything. This suspicion was confirmed when she noticed that every building has graffiti on it. The final nail in the coffin was her observation that people here drive their cars and scooters all over the footpaths with impunity, a reckless practice she cannot condone. Her opinion of Romans is thus set as the dirtiest and naughtiest people to ever live, and nothing can change her mind.

We headed to the Spanish Steps first. Bitti found it all too hot and boring. There were step monitors blowing their whistles at tourists who sat on the steps. We had morning tea in a busy cafe nearby and that perked her up a little. Meanwhile, I keep accidentally speaking Spanish to everyone. I didn’t know I knew so much Spanish, but it keeps rolling off my tongue here! But we seem to get by. The waiters and shop staff are super friendly, especially to Bitti. She has received a lot of attention, free lollies, bracelets and was taken inside to personally choose a dessert at one restaurant. Of course she hates it! ‘Why did that man touch my face?’ She asks with a look of disgust on her face. God, it must be awful to be found adorable everywhere you go.

Back on the bus and we headed to the Trevi Fountain, taking a detour through a very fancy department store along the way to cool down. I am not sure how we were allowed in because the place was basically only selling high end fashion, and Bitti was carrying a great big dirty old bird feather she’d acquired at the bus stop, using it to tickle $20,000 bags as we made our way past each floor to the top. That ended up being a good detour because we found some clean toilets to use for free.

I got us a little lost, but we eventually found the Trevi Fountain. It is enormous! I didn’t get a chance to actually look at it because Bitti was on a mission to be anywhere but there and the crowd was making it too easy for her to get lost. Instead she found a quiet back alley with some chains to swing on and we just chilled there for an hour like a couple of delinquent teenagers. I’m quite sure she has touched or licked every germ in Italy by now.

We went home for a little rest, then Bitti wanted to return to the chains so we set out again. We did get on the bus again, but because it was travelling in peak hour traffic this time progress was slow and bedtime was fast approaching. I convinced Bitti to get off at the Colosseum and walk home. But the Colosseum was suddenly really interesting to her so we did a little more looking around. We found a little church at the top of a hill by following a stream of people up a big bill. Bitti was very disappointed with the destination, ‘why are so many people coming to this place?’. Probably because they followed the crowd like we did! I’m afraid I don’t do a very good job at explaining churches. It’s a pretty abstract concept, the whole god and faith thing.

We headed back home, Bitti catching a piggy back ride in the second half. We stopped at a restaurant around the corner from home and Bitti ate half her body weight in spaghetti then fell asleep in her chair waiting for dessert. First time for everything! Of course she woke right up when the strawberry gelato was delivered. Wouldn’t want me to eat that! When we finally got back to the hotel she fell asleep faster than I have ever seen. The food really was excellent though, and the waiters were astonishingly looking (they definitely have a hiring policy). But even young men seem to adore children as Bitti got the special treatment again.

It was a long day for Bitti, perhaps longer than I can understand. The next day she wanted to stay in the hotel all day 😦 I haven’t learned a lot about Rome so am itching to get out there and explore. Would happily walk all day, only stopping to eat and drink. I’d love to do a walking tour so I can hear what all these buildings are instead of just looking at them ignorantly. Finding a compromise between our energy and interests is difficult. We might manage it by the time we need to return home!