Wonder and Wander

I still remember my first day in Rome. Joy and I were getting the hang of this whole college-girls-backpacking thing, but it felt a little touch and go sometimes. We were standing in the Termini train station, map in hand, trying to figure out where we were going, and a couple of guys started bothering us. When they wouldn’t leave us alone, we high-tailed it out of there, feeling vulnerable and alone, still not sure what direction to go. It was a hot summer day, and the air felt gritty with pollution. We finally found a hotel for the night, dropped our bags, and went exploring.

I have a vivid memory of meandering down some random street when I happened to glance to my left. Down the street I caught a glimpse of something that seemed very familiar. Very familiar, and very, very old. I was pretty sure I had to be seeing things wrong. You don’t just accidentally run into the Colosseum. Do you?

Turns out, you can in Rome. It’s just this city where ancient history rubs shoulders with modern streets, where every corner has an old story to tell. I fell in love with Rome 19 years ago, and I knew I wanted to experience it again with my family.

As luck would have it, we found a great little affordable apartment just 3 blocks from…..you guessed it, the Colosseum. That girl who stumbled into the Colosseum is half a lifetime away, but the magic of the city was still there for me. I know not everyone loves Rome, but my family did. I could see it in Claire’s eyes when we walked around the first day. She felt the pull of a living place so connected to both the past and the present.

The biggest excitement awaiting us in Rome, however, wasn’t architecture or the ghost of Julius Caesar. In an incredible turn of kindness from God, Vance’s sister and brother-in-law were in Rome for a work conference on the same week that we had already planned on being there. Neither of us even had to adjust our travel plans. We had been unable to drive up to NC when they made a last-minute visit over Christmas, and we wouldn’t be in the U.S. when they came for summer break, so this was a golden chance for us.

Even if Vance is feeling okay, the hustle of packing up, checking out, getting to the train station, finding our AirBnB, and getting settled takes a lot out of him. We’ve learned to plan for him to stay home for the first day. The trick for me, as resident Tour Guide, is to figure out what things we should do that are worthwhile and meaningful, while still saving Vance’s “must-see” list for days that he feels well. The added challenge of travel in 2019 is that Europe is just clogged with tourists, and most big tour destinations get filled up unless you play your cards right. It can be tricky to balance planning, hoping, flexibility, and surrender all at once.

Vance and I have to find this grace in our own unique ways–he has to be okay with resting and bowing out of cool things and feeling bad when we’re out having fun. I have to be okay with reworking plans, switching gears, and handling the intensity of traveling in a big city with 3 kids by myself when we would all rather be doing it as a family. We have to remember, and keep reminding ourselves, that every “yes” is a pure gift.

The first morning was cold, so cold for May. We walked to the Baths of Caracalla. They are huge, but not well preserved, and Eve had a hard time getting into it. She kept saying, “I can’t see it,” and I could tell it really bothered her not to enjoy it. When you are travelling as a family, not everything is going to be equally awesome for each of us. But Eve wanted to feel the thrill, and she just…didn’t. Then a kind lady lent us her virtual reality viewer thing, and hope was restored to Eve’s universe. She just needed to be able to visualize the grandeur.

We walked past the Circus Maximus, and I found a little cafe to get my morning cappuccino. My girls love coffee, so our deal is that they can have coffee on Sundays. I let them have share a cappuccino too, and they instantly became fans of Italian coffee culture, Isaac got a biscotti and was similarly pleased. It’s a really different thing to stand at a counter that is bustling with people and drink your coffee in just a minute or two. I still love lingering over coffee, but it’s a fun thing to go get a tiny espresso and throw it back like a local. You get this special jolt of energy about 10 minutes later that is pretty invigorating.

We stumbled on a little artisanal market, came away with some hand-pulled mozzarella for lunch, and headed back to Vance. Ellen and David came to visit us, half-frozen Filipinos, and it was wonderful to reconnect with them. We headed to a pizza place around the corner. Roman pizza is thinner and crispier than Neapolitan pizza–and they’re both amazing.

Turns out, I didn’t see everything in my whirlwind 4 days in Rome all those years ago. It’s a rich, deep city. The kids and I went to Castello Sant’Angelo with Ellen and David–ancient and medieval history all rolled into one, with Hadrian’s mausoleum turning into a papal fortress. It’s now full of armor and medieval weaponry. Vance felt well enough to join us for the Colosseum that evening, and we climbed the massive steps that seem made for giants. The number of people posing with duck lips for selfies inside that arena was a spectacle unto itself, let me tell you.

One of the downsides of our little apartment in Rome (besides an appallingly small water heater and only one small dull knife in the kitchen), was the lack of a washing machine. I spent a full morning traipsing around looking for somewhere to get our clothes washed. It was an act of faith to put most of our family’s clothing into the hands of a complete stranger and hope that it would all be there and whole and undamaged when we got back.

David was at his conference, but the kids and I hung out with Ellen. She treated us to some fantastic gelato, and we visited San Clementi. It’s an amazing 11th century church that was just a few blocks from us. Below the 11th century church you can walk through the remains of a 4th century church. Below that you can see a mithraic temple, an old apartment complex (that also may have been used as a mint?) and a nobleman’s house where the early church was said to have met. It was crazy to imagine that some early believers might have listened to Paul’s letter to the Romans there in that ancient ruin of a house. Who knows? That church was a microcosm of the city itself–layer upon layer of story, ancient and medieval and modern all jumbled together.

Vance joined us for the Roman Forum, and we listened to an audio tour as we looked around. I hadn’t fully appreciated it the first time around–I mostly just looked around, mildly impressed by a jumble of old ruins. This time I heard a story. Titus’ arch was especially impressive–you can see the relief of the captives from Jerusalem, bearing treasures from the Temple. All of Rome is like a reminder: all of these stories really happened. And a huge number of them happened right here.