Parigi

My second trip back to Paris was, to say the least, a complete success. It was actually perfect! The weather was beautiful the whole time, the apartment was beautiful, comfortable, and in an amazing location (right across the street from the Pompidou Center- Marais area), and a truly good time was had by all. We arrived Friday evening, tired enough to go to bed early to get ready for a full day on Saturday. Saturday morning, we met Shana and Tommaso's friends from Milan who now live in Paris and their two year old daughter at the Pompidou Center. We actually spent the whole time we were there in the children's section. They have great, simple but fun, play areas inside that the kids really enjoyed. We ate lunch and then walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg where the kids played for a while. It is so interesting traveling with kids because you get to see so many different aspects of cities that you would never experience just as a tourist. Case in point: the playground at the Luxembourg gardens! It is this huge area for kids with really fun toys that the kids had a blast playing on. We then waited in line for amazing macaroon's and the city's "best chocolate" at Pierre Herme. They were amazing- although I cannot compare to Laudree, because even after my second trip to Paris, I still have not tried their macaroons! Even with my sweet-tooth... The kids and I stayed in that night while Shana and Tommaso went to dinner, and spent the night playing Wii (by far what made this house exchange stand high above the others- at least for the kids...and maybe a little bit for the adults too).

Liv not looking happy about waiting in line for Pierre Herme (but worth the wait).

Jasper playing Wii in the living room (the wall projection made it even better!).

Sunday, we spent almost 3 hours at the Louvre, which is almost unbelievable with a 4 year old and a 7 year old (without lunch). We had a great lunch that afternoon at a French bistro, and afterwards Tommaso took the kids to his friends house for a visit; Shana and I walked around a bit and took the metro back to where we were staying. I had a few hours to myself that afternoon before dinner that I spent walking around the Marais. It is such a great area, tons of quaint streets with great shops and restaurants. We were very lucky with the location of our flat. We had a nice dinner at a crepe place called Breizh Cafe.

Shana and Liv at the Louvre.

Shana and I took a thousand pictures of Liv outside, and everyone who walked by stopped to say, "OH MY, LOOK HOW CUTE!!"...in a variety of languages.

Jasper at the Louvre.

We spent most of Monday waiting in line to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. None of us had done it, and all agreed it was worth it, even though the wait seemed like forever. We ate a late lunch at this great little museum restaurant in the gardens of Musee du Quai Branly (one of Paris's newer museums), before spending some time in the museum which was collections of objects from African, Asian, Oceanian, and American civilizations. It was a great museum, even if we were all exhausted. Tommaso cooked dinner at the house for the kids that night before they went out with friends (one of the nice aspects of home exchange..returning home after a long day, without having to leave again for dinner).

In line for the Eiffel Tower (Shana and the kids).

The view from the middle (no one told us until we got there that there was another line to get from the middle to the top!).

Finally made it to the top!

Poor Livvy's tights were falling down the whole day.

Tommaso had to leave on Tuesday- Shana took the kid's and I to a great bakery and we walked around for a bit, doing a little shopping for the kids. We went to the Musee d'Orsay for as long as the kids could stand it, and then spent most of the afternoon at the Jardin dus Tuileries. The Musee d'Orsay had a Art Nouveau Revival Exposition going on and I felt so knowledgeable as I recognized many of the pieces, and even outside of the exposition- the classic Art Nouveau metro signs on the streets (before, only seen in my teacher's powerpoint).

We had a great time at the Jardin dus Tuileries. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the park and the day itself. That night, we ate soup and delicious fresh bread for dinner, and then Shana took us all out for dessert at a place nearby.

Crossing the Seine to Jardin dus Tuileries.

Jardin dus Tuileries.

Pastry picnic in the park!

Liv LOVED the carousel...and looked like she was made to ride on it!

Shana and the kids.

We spent our last day in town walking around for a while in the morning in the Saint Germain des Pres area. We did a little shopping, grabbed a quick lunch, and headed back to the Jardin dus Tuileries because the kids had fallen in love with it the day before. We ate dinner at home that night and got in our fix of Wii before leaving Thursday morning.

We had to go back to Jardin dus Tuileries for the trampolines. Such a cute idea for the kids.

I have spent the last couple of days around the house, resting from Paris (trying hard to not catch the cold that the whole family has had), and enjoying being back in Rome. I went to see Julie and Julia last night- it was such a cute movie, and I forgot how much I missed going to the movies (in English too!). This morning I went to the Palazzo delle Esposizioni (the museum where Meredith and I had lunch for my birthday). They have a really lovely exhibition right now of Alexander Calder's Mobiles, sculptures, and paintings. His Mobiles were truly incredible, and the space made for a truly beautiful exhibit. How lucky I am...

New Friends

After a wonderful birthday week, I spent last Friday night at home with the kids. I was exhausted from all of the celebrating, and it felt great to stay in. Jasper headed to his weekend sailing camp on Saturday morning, and Liv and I had a lazy morning at home- ate pancakes in our pajamas until 11, when we went to the Villa Borghese to play at the children's gallery there. It has been freezing in Rome lately (just finally warming up a little bit today) so we spent the rest of the afternoon at home drinking hot chocolate, doing puzzles, and reading books. Her cousins and aunt and uncle (Tommaso's sister's family) surprised us that evening, and Shana gave the night off since they were all in to stay. I had received an invitation from a girl in my first class to go to dinner with a group, so I called at the last minute and was able to meet up with them. I met another girl from class, Kristy, before and we went together (Kristy is also an au pair and I have really enjoyed getting to know her. We had lunch this Monday at a fabulous place near our school in Villa Torlonia, and had a great time together!). Dinner on Saturday night was with a group of eight girls from all over- Holland, Australia, Russia, Mexico...I was the only American! We ate at this great local place in a small cobblestone street off Piazza Navona, and had such a good time. After dinner we went and had a drink at a pub nearby, and then headed to La Maison- "Rome's chicest club." And chic it was. All black inside with crystal chandeliers and black leather couches...oh to have been at a VIP table with waitresses serving Grey Goose and champagne...I watched them longingly as I sipped the house red wine. We had such a fun time though and I was so exhausted Sunday, but it was so worth it!

At dinner. From right to left: Lisa, Hester, Paulette, me, Marie-Laura, Natalia, and Kristy.

At La Maison. With Hester, Marie-Laura, Paulette, and Lisa. And (below) with Paulette and Marie-Laura.

This week has been pretty routine. We leave for Paris Friday afternoon for a week. I am looking so forward to it! I am a strict reader of interior design blog, Habitually Chic, and Heather Clawson (author and designer) just arrived back from Paris not too long ago and shared so many of her pictures. The last time I was in Paris with my mom, it was raining and freezing the whole time. So I'm hoping that this time I get to see everything without my wind-flipped-inside-out umbrella over my head!

MY BIRTHDAY (Part II: Celebration with Meredith!)

After a great weekend in Firenze, I gave Meredith a hug goodbye that only had to last 3 days! She told me last minute that she was going to take Wednesday off to come spend the day and night in Rome for a belated birthday celebration! She got here around lunch time on Wenesday (I have noticed that I no longer say times...just describe according to the closest meal...no comment on that), and went to an amazing place that Shana recommended. It is a rooftop restaurant called Open, on top of Palazzo delle Esposizioni on Via Nazionale. The interior was amazing (as you can see in the pictures) and we got a table on the small outdoor terrace. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place, and the food was amazing of course!

After lunch, we walked around Piazza di Spagna for a while and bought a new pair of sunglasses (grazie Daddy!)- the celebrating went on forever! We picked up Liv from dance class that evening and spent some time at home before we headed to dinner at Roscioli in Campo dei Fiori. I was so excited that Shana recommended this particular place to us, because it's in my favorite area and I was in love with the place itself- so quaint with brick interior walls lined with wine bottles and tables for two everywhere. I had such a wonderful birthday! Thank you so much Meredith for coming and everyone else who also made it so special (Mom, Dad, Sarah Margaret, Andrew...it meant so much to me!).

Proseco in Campo dei Fiori before dinner.

Roscioli.

MY BIRTHDAY! (Part I)

Last Tuesday, Octover 13, was my 22nd birthday! I was initially feeling pretty down about spending my birthday "alone," but in the end, it was PERFECT! I spent my actual birthday at home with Jasper, Liv, and Shana, and wouldn't have had it any other way! I also had a wonderful hot stone massage (again, thank you Mom!) early Tuesday afternoon before picking up the kids from school, and spending a nice afternoon at the park. Shana cooked dinner, and we al ate together (minus Tommaso, who was in Milan). Shana also made me the MOST delicious chocolate truffle cake that the kids decorated. They all sang to me, and made me feel so special on my so out-of-the-ordinary birthday! The cake itself was to die for... Shana is such an amazing cook and inspires me in so many ways, cooking being one of them for sure! She loves trying new recipes and has such an appreciation for great food and unique dishes.

The kids and Shana decorating my cake. It was so sweet how excited they were.

So proud of their masterpiece!

Jasper's photography skills as I blow out the candle, and Liv licking it down! Please excuse the oil left over from my massage!!

Where to begin??

I cannot believe I have gone this long without a post! I, selfishly, got so caught up in my "birthday week" that I gave up on everything else! So...lots to catch up on. So, since my last post was my first day of school (pathetic, but true), I will start with that. I am now in my third week of Italian class, in the second level of the program (there's probably about 10 levels). I so enjoyed the first week of class. I really liked everyone in my class, and as a whole we had a great dynamic. I got to know some of the girls, which was great. After the first week though, it was time to move up to Level 2. Moving up a level meant my class changed as well. I was sad to see our group broken up, but it was also nice to meet more new people. Overall, I am learning a lot from the school and am picking up the language relatively well. I have noticed that I am understanding so much more, which is comforting, and I am able to speak it much more than before. I still have another week left (I initially only signed up for 4 weeks, but will most likely add on), but will have to take a break after this week and finish up two weeks later. The kids have their mid-semester break next week so we are going to Paris on Friday until the following Thursday! I am so looking forward to it (and another house exchange!). So before I get ahead of myself, I want to begin from where I left off (bear with me for those of you that care!).

After my first week of school went so well, Shana gave me the weekend off for any pre-birthday celebration I wanted to do, and they headed to the beach house for the weekend. They didn't leave until Friday night, so I ended up staying in here and getting an amazing night's rest after a full week. Saturday morning, I got a call from Meredith saying she was pretty much free for the rest of the weekend, so I literally jumped out of bed and hopped on a train to Florence. I was there by lunch time on Saturday, and we had such a great time. We walked around for a little while Saturday afternoon, baked a delicious cake for her family (but mainly the two of us!), and relaxed around the house. Saturday night we went to this cute little wine bar for proseco and appetizers, Le Volpi e L'uva. Then we went to this awesome place called The Fusion Bar and Restaurant. The outside was this cozy dining area with heaters and huge sofas for lounging. The requirement to sit outside was to order dinner, so we pretended that we hadn't just had plenty of food at the first restaurant of the night and ordered dinner for two! When in Rome, right....? It was completely worth it though! The atmosphere was perfect and the food was amazing (first time having sushi since I've been over here).

Dinner: Round 1

And, Dinner: Round 2 at Fusion

Sunday morning, we woke up and went to St James Episcopal Church. It was an English church and was truly a beautiful service. Meredith and I both found ourselves with chills as we were walking out- completely moved by the service. I spent the whole day in Florence...had lunch with Meredith's family after church, played with the kids some, and (the best part) got a new leather jacket for part of my birthday present!! (Grazie Mommy!) I have been looking for a leather jacket for so long, and couldn't be happier that hadn't found one yet! I absolutely love it and I also fell in love with the store where I bought it. It is this great boutique called Anna in Piazza Pitti. They gave me the jacket without tax so I promised them that I would be back and would send everyone I know too! So spread the word...it's fabulous. Sunday night, Meredith and I cooked her mom's Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe for her family. It was so much fun and ended up being delicious- and luckily everyone else liked it too (we had our hesitations about introducing their very Italian family to our Asian cuisine!). I left Florence late Sunday night, so content after such a great weekend. I am so grateful to have Meredith just an hour and a half away.

Meredith and her adorable, camera-shy kids.

Pietro and I walking back while Meredith dragged a screaming Gilda!

First Day of School

I had my first day of Italian class today, and it went really well! I was a little nervous because I was coming into the second week of the class as my first, but I really like the people in my class and the teacher. The class is pretty small, 12 students. There are about 5 or 6 girls relatively close to my age, and they were all really cool and very welcoming. We all went to get coffee during the break and I think I'm going to enjoy getting to know them better. They are from all over- Australia, Budapest, Holland, Argentina. I'm the only American in the class. I am really excited about it, and I think I am going to learn a lot in the 4 weeks I signed up for.

Last week flew by and I had the weekend off, which was really nice to have time to myself, but still stay here in Rome. I stayed in on Friday night, exhausted after the week, and slept in Saturday morning. I spent all of Saturday afternoon walking around, turning down streets I'd never been down before (inspired by Meredith's blog entry) and just wandering. I have so enjoyed walking around by myself, stopping when I want to, and going wherever the little cobblestone alleyways take me. I also finally found the hotel where my mom and I stayed when we were in Rome. I stumbled upon the general area, and it is actually adjacent to the path I run to Villa Bourghese. It is on one of my very favorite streets (decided since I've been here recently) near Piazza Barberini, named Via Vittorio Veneto.

Saturday night, I did a pub crawl with my Australian friend, Rebecca. For those who don't know, pub crawls are pretty popular in Rome, and you basically just go from bar to bar with the same group of people and have drink specials, etc. Though I'm glad I went out and saw a bit of the nightlife, I feel pretty confident saying that that was probably my first and last pub crawl...not exactly my scene. But! I did give it a chance and had a good time with Rebecca at least. Sunday, I slept in (exhausted after my one night out!), and then met Rebecca for lunch at this great salad place that I plan on going back to all the time. I had a quiet afternoon- rented a movie on iTunes that I watched in bed.

I am already feeling a little bit of the pressure of having something to do everyday after having such wide open days for so long, especially since the class takes up most of my day (until 1:00, and I get the kids at 3:00). However, I am thrilled to have a routine. As much as I have enjoyed wandering, and could never run out of things to do in Rome, I was craving a tad more structure. I'm sure the week will fly by as I adjust to my new schedule. I have the weekend off; the family is going away to their beach house but gave me the time free so I could have a weekend to celebrate my birthday, since it's the following Tuesday. I'm hoping to go to Florence, but Meredith probably won't know until the end of the week whether or not she has off, so it will be a last minute decision- fine with me, I would be happy to stay in Rome, as well...maybe get together with some of the girls in my class. Shana told me yesterday that we will be going to Paris from October 23-29 because the kids have a week break from school. It is another home exchange, and I am really looking forward to it! So, not much else going on at the moment, but overall-- life is good...

Here are a few pictures I took of our hotel and Via Vittorio Veneto (mainly for you, Mom. Isn't it the yellow building to the left, at the top of the stairs? Yes..I was too lazy to walk all the way up there, which is why I'm unsure and both of the pictures are taken from the bottom!)

This picture doesn't really do the street justice at all, but it is so beautiful. It is fully lined with trees on both sides, and has chic restaurants that overflow onto the sidewalk. I absolutely love it.