Logusch Family outings

George has been working very hard and very long hours this past month or so. But he has found a little time to spend with little George and I. When the three of us are together we have such a wonderful time. Little George get giddy because both Dad and Mom are with him.

In between two of George's field trips back in mid-October, we went exploring and found a playground behind Castel San Angelo! It is the best plat area we have found in Rome. There is great playground equipment there, lots of clean grassy areas, and it is far away from the roads! Little George and I have been back a few times since then.

Something George told me as we were crossing Ponte Sant' Angelo, was that each of the angels along the bridge are holding an object from Christ's crucifixion. If you stand right in front of the angel holding the crown of thorns, then it looks as if it is placing the crown on the top of St. Peter! Awesome symbolism.

A few times we have had breakfast dates at a cafe to get some quality time with George. One of these dates was at a cafe in a piazza.  Georgie had a ball running in the piazza with George or I! Georgie also likes the drinks at the cafes; latte (warm milk), orzo (barley "coffee") or hot chocolate!

We also have gone out to eat a few times recently to spend some more quality time together. When we eat out, Georgie has started imitating some of George's and my actions. One of which is wipping a plate with bread to get up all of the yummy sauce.

At the end of October, George took a day off from studio and we all went to the Forum and the Palatine hill together (we ran out of time for the Colosseum). Between George's knowledge and my tour book we were able to put a pretty nice tour together for ourselves. Haft way through our exploration of the Palatine hill it began to pour down rain. So we stopped taking pictures and briskly walked through the rest of the sights.

Arch of Titus

Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius

Temple of Julius Caesar built on the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated

Flower are still placed by people on the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated.

Rostra, the place where speeches were made in the Forum. Antony's speech after Julius Caesar was killed was given from here.

Water break! Georgie loves these water fountains.

Temple of Saturn

 Cuddle time! The only real way to travel with a child on old Roman streets is with a baby carrier! Strollers do not fair well. 

Santa Francesca Romana

Part of the Arch of Titus depicting a triumphant procession of Roman soldiers carrying of the  spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Entering the Palatine hill via the Farnese Gardens

Somewhere in there are the ruins of the Romulus and Remus huts

Farnese Gardens

The emperor's private stadium

Trajan's Market

Knights of Malta Loggia

On All Saints Day, we all went to mass at the Pantheon! Mass at the church dedicated to martyres was a perfect way to celebrate the day. Afterwards we made a quick visit to another church in the area, Sant' Eustachio and ate lunch in Piazza Farnese.

Little George has become quite the holy little boy. I do not know where he gets it! He kneels when we kneel at church (I know I probably should not have taken a photo...). He also loves the holy water font. When I put his finger in there he knows to make the sign of the cross (he is not able to do the whole thing but he tries!)

The Saturday after All Saints Day, Giorgio and I joined George while he worked on an out of class assignment sketching at Santa Maria della Pace. While he sketched, Giorgio and I explored the church and then went up and down the outside stairs innumerable times. Before heading back to studio, we took George to two churches we had been to but George had not visited yet: Sant' Agnes in Agony and San Agostino. I got a kick out of showing him around since it is normally the other way around.

The image above the altar is of Our Lady of Peace. It used to be kept outside of the church. In the 15th century, a ball struck the image during a game the image began to bleed. The Pope came the church and promised to build a new church in that spot if peace was restored in Italy. It was shortly there after and this image was thus named Our Lady of Peace.

Cloister of Santa Maria della Pace

George is very interested in one of the chapels at San Agostino

This past Friday, on the 9th, two of George's classmates babysat little George for us and we along with the Zepeda's and the Duke's went on a Scavi tour of St. Peter's. (We had to have a babysitter because children are not allowed on the tour). The tour was lead by a seminarian who did a great job of explaining what we saw, its significance and when we were seeing the bones of St. Peter's he gave us time to pray. It was one of my favorite things we have done here.

This past Saturday, George took the whole say off to spend the day with Giorgio and I. We went to the Villa Borghese gardens and had a picnic there. Giorgio enjoyed running around and exploring everything!

Overlooking Piazza del Popolo from the Pincio Garden (next to Villa Borghese) with the Vatican between us

After our picnic and while Giorgio napped, we went to the art museum that is in the Villa Borghese. The museum is filled with the masterpieces of Bernini, Caravaggio and Titian. This museum is amazing! George was drooling over all of the Bernini statues and I am realizing how much I appreciate Caravaggio's work.

Front of art museum

Gardens to the side of the museum

Back of museum

When we were heading out of the museum we ended up seeing Chris Clark and his new wife, Lauren! They are on their honeymoon here in Rome! (We knew they were here and we knew they would be going to the Borghese museum but we were not sure if we would see them there!) It was great catching up and being able to congratulate the newlyweds.

One of the beautiful fountains in the park

Where we had our picnic

On our way home (it took us hours getting home because we made many stops), we walked along the Via Veneto (ritzy street) and passed the US Embassy. It is a gigantic complex and is a stunning palazzi.

We visited the Capuchin crypt at Santa Maria della Concezione. When I was a little girl I used to look at my grandmother's National Geographics. One of the articles always stood out in my memory. It was one about the Capuchin crypt in which the bones of over 4,000 Capuchin friars were arranged into the decorative aspects of five chapels. Ever since then I was intrigued by the place and given the opportunity, I wanted to visit the place. I have to be honest, it was pretty creepy. George actually could not stay down there and I walked through but at a pretty quick pace. But something did strike me. In the final alcove before you leave, there is a sign that says "You are what we once were; you will be what we now are." In part because of the shocking value of these chapels, they really do articulate what that sign is stating. A viewer cannot help but recognize death when there and in doing so one begins to reflect on the afterlife and ones' preparation for it.

Continuing down the Via Veneto, we saw Piazza Barberini where there are two Bernini fountains. Then we headed up the Quirinale hill. We visited San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane and Sant' Andrea al Quirinale. San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane was designed by Borromini and is a Trinitarian church. (I will post lots of photos from there soon.) Sant' Andrea al Quirinale was designed by Bernini. (I could not take any photos of that church as the interior was dark due to fading daylight.)

We reached the top of the Quirinal, where the Italian president lives. This was our view!

St. Peter's at dusk

Ever since our trip out on Saturday, George has been sick. We all had slight colds before the weekend and were getting over them but due to George lack of sleep, working all the hours he does and going out on Saturday, George's cold has gotten much worse. George has still been working hard and has been in studio but he has been taking a few breaks to come home and rest. The positive in all of this is that we have been having a little more time with him than if he were not sick. We have all been cuddling up and watching a few movies.

Our little angel