Roman (and Parisian) Holiday

We are about to launch on a grand adventure.  We are taking the children to Rome and Paris.  As soon as the kids were old enough to hold a fork, we told them that if they could learn to twirl their pasta, we would take them to Italy.  And now, after years of dreaming about it, the time has come. 

Gabe and I were both lucky enough to spend some years of our childhood in Europe and we have traveled there a few times together.  We went to Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium the summer after law school.  We got engaged in Italy, in Positano, or Propositano, as Sarah calls it.  And we spent our honeymoon jumping from Island to Island in the Lipari Islands, just off the northern coast of Sicily.  A few summers later, Sarah, Ed, Gabe, and I took an amazing trip to Sicily.  The island has been host to many cultures, including the Greeks and northern Africans, and those influences make it a rich, unique place.  Italy in particular is a place that holds many memories and a bit of magic for us. 

But that was all before we had little people to care for.  Things do change with them in the picture, don't they?  I feel like our love of other lands is such a big part of who Gabe and I are and yet we haven't had the chance to share much of that with the children.  So now we have our chance.  

The other night, we spread a map of Rome out on the dining room table, and each of us took a sheet of paper and drew something that inspired us.  I took the not-so-creative route of trying to draw my own map, but it helped me orient key sites in a way that I had not before.  Eva, Gabe's mom, drew monuments for us to plot.  Chloe drew pictures of Pinocchio dolls that she had seen in a guide book.  I love that little row of boys!  Olivia drew places and thoughts that inspire her, and Oscar mapped out all the parking garages.  Gabe's map highlighted a few sites and some walking routes, all of which tracked through a pizzeria or gelateria.  All roads may lead to Rome, but all of our walks will lead to food.

Tomorrow we will draw Paris. Gabe and I don't have much of a history there, so it will be a place that we discover as a family.  We are already well primed with our loves of cheese, bread, wine, and hot chocolate.  I think we'll do just fine. 

 
I just had to share this photo of Oscar.  We took it last fall when we found a beret in the hat box as we were getting them out for the winter.  He looked so French in it that we had to give him a baguette to hold, too.  Don't worry, I promise not to dress him like that while we're there, although baguette-carrying will be strongly encouraged.

I have a few recipes that I'm eager to share with you, so I will post a bit while I'm away, maybe with less writing, though.  When I return, I hope to have lots of pictures and stories to share.  And maybe even a few recipes.

If we have as much fun in Paris and Rome as we have had planning, dreaming, and drawing, I'll be thrilled.

Comments

[Noreen]

Have a great trip!

[Leticia]

I hope you have a fabulous trip and can't wait to hear all about your adventures. I agree that if all of your walks lead to food, you will have an amazing time! Wishing you safe travels and full stomachs!

[Patti]

I can't wait to hear your stories when you return, and to enjoy your photos. Hope you have a wonderful, safe and happy family adventure.
Love, Patti

[Diane Cummins]

Each of our three boys spent large parts of their lives inn Paris, and each is more interesting because of it. Have a wonderful, memorable trip, with jaunts to the Luxembourg Gardens and a boat ride on the Seine. And, of course, lots of warm pain chocolat and Orangina

[Margy]

Thanks, everyone. And thanks for the tips, Diane. The Luxembourg Gardens, river boat, pain au chocolat and Orangina are all on our list!