Other Notes on Rome

1. Go to the Aventine Hill for a break from the city.  Green, quiet, beauty.
2. We like the bread here better than the bread in Viterbo.
3. We like the gelato in Viterbo better than the gelato here.
4. Will someone some day want to raze the Coliseum because it was the scene of so much brutality?
5. What made the good emperors so good (yes, google-able) when they were still starting battles, enslaving nations, not acting with justice?
6. Was Rome ever a force for good? (not counting art)
7. Cis = 7 day pass for bus, tram, and subway...I find it easier to go by foot.  I trust my feet more than cars and buses and trams and trains.  But I got brave today, finally taking the metro and a tram out to the apple store to get batteries for our always-dying phones.  Unsuccessful venture in getting batteries, but successful in navigating my way there.  Confession: I walked the few kilometers back.  
8. Roma versus Real Madrid this past week: Real Madrid still the world champion.
9. Sign at a grocery store: no alcohol sold november 27 and 28 because of roma versus real madrid game.
10. Don't let Connor time races on Daniel's phone or he might set alarms that wake you up at midnight and 5:10am and make you grouchy first thing in the morning.
11. Living in Rome feels calm to me.  Visiting Rome for a week feels a bit stressful, wanting to get to everything, when really, one can never exhaust Rome.  When I lived in Rome, I was able to relax, see things, relax.  Live, not just hit places to see.
12. Come back for Dream Exhibit at some Bramante museum that students raved about.
13. Next time let kids skip Friday of school, too, so they can stay in Rome as long as I do.
14. Do a little less and sit a little more.
15. Don't put down restaurants that are near touristy spots too quickly: had a great lunch a few blocks from Vatican -- meals ranging from vegetable soup to pizza margherita to spaghetti carbonara...and tiramisu and a muffin for dessert.