The happenings of Wednesday September 18, 2024 in Rome, Italy
We woke up and set out early for our second day in Rome to ensure we would reach our Colosseum tour on time. Unfortunately, the Italian train system had a different idea. The train was delayed for at least ten minutes, which meant we would miss our bus. After the previous day’s experience of a delayed bus we weren’t willing to wait for another one. We became that family that was running at top speed through the streets of Rome. Everyone was staring at us. My body was not made for running (so said a doctor two decades ago after I had an injury I’m still recovering from). The boys were shocked that I was running and kept calling out things like “But Mommy! You’re not supposed to run!” or “Mommy! I didn’t know you could run!” When we finally arrived at the Colosseum, very late, I called our tour guide, Mariaclaudia, to try and find her. Unsurprisingly, we were on the wrong side of the Colosseum on a street level that ended above the entrance. We had to find our way down and around, which took another five minutes. I felt so badly for the other family that was waiting for us. Thankfully, they were another Australian family and very laid back about it all.
Once we met up, we caught our breath in the entrance line and made our introductions with the other family. They had a young boy about the twins’ age. The three of them made fast friends, it was adorable. Mariaclaudia gave us another excellent tour. Kids against adults, winners get the spoils and the losers need to buy gelato for the winners. The boys knew the drill and answered as many questions as they could. Chaim impressed everyone with his Colosseum knowledge. First, he explained that the Colosseum roof (when it had a roof) was made of sails that were managed by sailors because only sailors would know how to handle the sails. Second, Mariaclaudia was explaining the kind of food the spectators would eat and mentioned fermented fish. Chaim added, “Oh, they probably ate their food with Garum sauce.” She was shocked and said that no one in twenty years knew what Garum sauce was. (If I’m perfectly honest, I didn’t know what it was either. I am not a foodie – Chaim is very much a foodie and lover of trivia). Even with all the points Chaim had earned for the adults, the boys won the competition.
After we left the Colosseum we walked through the Roman Forum where we showed the boys the Arch of Titus. The arch includes an important Frieze depicting the Romans stealing the Menorah from the Second Israelite Temple in Judea and taking it back to Rome. A woman overheard me giving the boys a mini-history lesson about what was happening and commended me for teaching them an important part of history. Though I found it strange that someone was listening to us, I also appreciated the validation. Had it been the other way around, I probably would have wondered why anyone thought it was okay to interject with their own judgment.
The boys found the Roman Forum less exciting after that and begged us for gelato, reminding us that we owed them two scoops since they had won both competitions. It was a hot day. We obliged. Even after two scoops of gelato, the boys were still hungry. I didn’t think they were going to make it home before getting hangry. We opted for burgers at BaGhetto (Meat) to avoid the chaos of the previous day. We ordered four burgers for the boys and some Roma artichoke that Eitan was excited about. Chaim and I had grown accustomed to not ordering for ourselves since there were always leftovers from the boys’ plates. Bellies full, we walked to our bus stop and appreciated that it hadn’t rained until we were on our way home.
Back at the apartment, I was digging deep into my patience well. For whatever reason – or because everyone was exhausted and our flipped schedule wasn’t ideal – everyone needed me next to them. We had a family meeting about calming ourselves down and avoiding snapping. The boys eventually settled in and read in bed, leaving Chaim and me with a moment to discuss whether we wanted to change our upcoming plans to spend Shabbat in Naples.
Subconsciously, I kept second guessing this decision and never signed us up for Shabbat meals. It was Wednesday. This was not good. Usually, small communities require a week’s notice to make food for a visiting family. We decided to try and extend our stay in Rome, but only if it meant we could stay at our current Airbnb. Sadly, our hostess informed us that her place was unavailable. I kicked into high gear Naples prep and immediately contacted the Chabad rabbi to inquire about food. Well, let’s just say the price was exorbitant and felt like highway robbery. He tried to explain that the fee was so high because it is hard to get kosher food in Naples. While I understood, I declined to purchase any items vowing to shop at the kosher market in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto instead. With that we finalized our plans to leave early Friday morning so that we could squeeze in a visit to Pompeii and spend Shabbat in Naples.
