Arch to Urbana

We started the day with a drive into St Louis. Us westerners are always amazed at how green the landscape is out here. The Gateway Arch is a throwback to when we has a country had more balance of appreciation between form and function, in our views of architecture and of the role of government. Lydia loved the park surrounding the Arch, she ran around playing tag even after everyone else was done with the game.




Lydia is developing quite a personality.
Beckett enjoys everything that goes. He loved the elevator that took us to the very top.


We left the arch in the opposite direction of all those pioneers and visited Janelle's family in Champaign/Urbana.
It was wonderful for the kids to play and visit with their Great-Grandparents whom they haven't seen in 4 years. It was also great to play with books and toys at Barb & Bob's.
we can mark two more states off our list for today. Tomorrow is West Virginia or bust!
-Issac

Location:Urbana, IL

We're back on the road.

We are on our way to West Virginia to see Jessica. The best thing about Kansas were the windy rest stops.












I am proud of my kids they made it 8 hours before they got so annoying I had to bust out the iPod. Before that they read, colored, danced, and sang. Their reward... an hour in the hotel pool. Illinois tomorrow.




- Issac

Location:Woodland Springs Ct,Columbia,United States

Nearing the End

22 July 2012
 On our last full day Janelle and I decided to focus solely on what the kids wanted. In the Morning they wanted to sleep in and hang out with Nana, so we obliged. We went to the Roma Museum, in an attempt to squeeze in one last museum. Thanks mom and dad for instilling an unreasonable affinity towards museums, now all I want to do in a new city is visit the local "protector of muses". This particular one is full of ancient Roman statues, mosaics, and frescos. Janelle thought we had seen enough renaissance church art and need to mix it up. Most of the statures are Roman copies of Greek originals, it seems that Hollywood was not the first to repeat what worked before.

"Fear the beard!"

I think the best water in town could be found at the neighborhood fountains found through out the city. Then again that could just be my love of public infrastructure and life outdoors. Which for such an urbanized nation is a value the Italians share with me. Life seems to revolve around the outdoor public spaces in the small towns and big cities. Every evening around 7 or 8 o'clock everyone young and old is out talking and just enjoying being with everyone.

After our early morning date, Janelle and I picked up Nana and the little ones. We went to an out of the way place, Explora Il Museo Dei Bambini Di Roma, the children's museum. This is what I imagine the children's museum in Denver should be. There are no instructions for the children just a lot of cool stuff for them to explore and play with. The only rules were for the parents and that was, let the kids make their own decisions. It was like a giant Montessori play house. My kids loved it.

The next request was a bus tour. So we used hopped on a double decker bus with no roof, and off we where. Here are a few highlights.

Beck and his Mommy.

What's left of Circus Massimo, the dirt track in the foreground and some Emperor's Palace in the back.

Saint Peter's and the Vatican, but it is Sunday  so the museum, and the Sistine Chapel were closed. And San Peitro was having mass. Poor planning on our part. Oh well gives us something to see on the next trip.   

One of many churches in the city.

After a very disappointing meal at a place that we picked last night, I asked our pregnant hotelier were to eat, and boy did she send us to the right place. We had one of the best meals of the trip, Lydia even flirted with the waiter. Lesson learned, always ask a local. Then we had our last gelato.

Exploring the Ancient

21 July 2012

We woke up early to send Iris off, with one last pastry and a stroll to the train station. I can believe she was able to get off three weeks of work to join us. It was great having her around.




Janelle and I left the tiered ones, Deanna and the kids, in bed, and went exploring while they got some more rest. Janelle really wanted to see the Pantheon, so we saw the Pantheon. It was humbling to be inside the dome that has inspired all other domes since. Built during ancient Roman times as a temple, it has survived because it has been in continual use as a church after the fall of the Roman Empire. Even though the statues of roman gods have been replaced with those of saints and crypts of famous Italians, that conversion has preserved this once and currently sacred structure.






This is the fanciest looking police station I have ever seen. Only in Italy would even the police have style.






After we did some more wondering of the Roman streets, we picked up Deanna and the kids and walked the few blocks from the hotel to the Colosseo.







Can you imagine what it would have looked like complete with a shiny white marble vernier?








After the Colosseo we did has the Romans did and went to the forum. In my lack of knowledge I thought in correctly that the forum was one special building. It tuns out it is a series of buildings and the central square they surround. Unlike the the Pantheon, the Colosseo and the Foro were never kept up and it shows. But there is something about their ruinous state that is inspiring, because your imagination has to fill in the blanks.







After all the sight seeing both Beckett and Lydia found that doing their own excavating, digging in the dirt, at the Forum was their favorite part.



-Issac

Location:Roma, Italia

Ciao, Ciao

Today we left Lucignano for Roma. The kids and I took one last dip in the pool in the morning. The kids are starting to show cracks in their armor, I think they are a little homesick, are a little tiered of traveling, and would like to get back to some semblance of a routine.



We said our good-byes to Massimo, and Luigi, our hosts. We also parted ways with the lady at the pastry shop, we became close, as we should have we saw her everyday. Finally to Uncle Don and Terri. I know Uncle Don has been wanting to go on this trip for ten years. I hope he had as much fun as we did. This was a special trip for all of us and I don't know if I will ever be on another like it.

Beckett and Janelle took the train down, no room in the car. Beck loves trains and time alone with his mom, so it was a win win for him. Mom, Iris, Lydia, and I drove down. We may or may not have stopped at an outlet mall on the way.

I heard all these horror stories about how crazy the drivers are in Roma. The drivers were no worse than Milano, but by now I am use to Italian diving. The most difficult and infuriating part about driving in Roma is the one way streets that change direction every block or two. You're driving down a one way street the all of a sudden you have to turn because of the oncoming traffic. Thanks to Iris, Google maps, and a few kind Romans we managed to drop off the trusty little Peugeot, I drove for 5000 km all over central Italia.

Tiered of Italian food we found a Chinese place for dinner. Aperently we weren't to only Americans craving food from another culture, the place was full of our countrymen. We saw one thing before turning it in, the Trevi Fountain. The piazza were the fountain is was not just busy, but no-personal-space packed with tourists. In spite of that it is a beautiful sight at night with the horses seemingly coming out of the water. The only special effects being some well carved stone, water, and lights. Iris has the pictures so she will add them later.


-Issac

Location:The Autostrata

Galleliooooo!

We have been in the Cinque Terre for the past few days. I will post more one that later.

19 July 2012
Beckett, Issac, and I headed to Florence again. Issac was on a mission to outfit our little ones with some soccer gear. It was also Beckett's special day with his parents. Lydia spent a grumpy day with Nanna, Iris, and Don. They are all very brave!

Our other reason for visiting Florence again was to see the Gallelio Museum. It came highly recommended by Don.



The museum features some really amazing tools and inventions by Gallelio, Medici, and Newton.



Here is Issac with Gallelio's actual telescope. Beckett's favorite part was seeing how the pendulum and gears to a clock work. There was an interactive portion to the museum at the very end.
Needless to say, it was a science lover's paradise! We would highly recommend this spot to anyone visiting Florence!



Caio!
- Janelle NG

Location: Firenze, Italia

Birthdays!

Please don't feel that I have been neglecting y'all. I have had trouble with the internet. But I have been writing.

We had a wonderful time cooking together. And ended with gelato birthday cake for Don and Lydia.

Sorry about the short post, we have to get on a train to the cinque terre.
















-Issac

Location:Lucignano, Italia