Ciao Roma, you crazy ass city.

Our Roman adventure has ended...
Here are some pictures of our last day there and more precisely Kika's last day at her school Girogirotondo in the Pio Nonno school on Aventino. Her teachers Clorinda and Matteo were so lovely and we were all in tears as we came to pick her up from her last day there. The children made drawings and artwork with their hands on it for her. Sad to leave that place, it was actually really wonderful, with lots of theatre visits, art, music and great teachers..
That afternoon me and Kieks took a train from Termini up to Milano and then northwards to Holland. And that was it. Felix and Momo picked us up the next day in Zutphen and that was the end of it.. our year (and a bit) in Rome. : (

Snow!

From Kristin & Daan's phone who took Felix to THE SNOW today!

December

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ah here we are, big catch up there, we're finally upto December. Well what happened this month..

A lot of rain, the Tiber (Tevere) filled up all the way to the edge and almost brimmed over, and caused a lot chaos. One day I even gave up on getting Felix to school when the road there was simply flooded. (Normally he'd go by bus anyway but the weather at night had been so eventful not much sleep was had and the following morning didn't turn very efficient)

Before Christmas Momo and Barthold (my mum and her husband) came over and we took the train to Lucca once again. After the trip we left them in charge in Rome with the kids and Francisco and I escaped to Vienna for two nights. We saw Shantel and the Bucovina Club Orkestar at the WUK.. fantastic sweaty party. Rashad organized the lot for us. Rashad is Francisco's fellow austrian in fisheries at FAO. Francisco felt all at home in Vienna, I hadn't seen him quite so relaxed for a while.. I don't know, was it the gulash? The cleanish looking streets? The cars staying in one lane and indicating? (still smarting about the bad traffic situation)

And then back in Rome it was Christmas, we ate NZ lamb and even found some kumara to roast with it. Felix received a truckload of lego so our C was filled with eating lego building and lazing about reading books. Kika got a big cuddly dog that she baptized Boris after Momo and Bartholds dog that died last month.

Momo and B have now left and it looks like I'll be able to just finish this blog about our year in Rome on time before the end of the year. It's a bit haphazard and picture heavy, nothing too deep here.

Looking forward to celebrating Kika's 4th on Saturday the 3rd of January and then it's time to prepare leaving Rome in a few months time.. Sooner than I would have liked I'm packing up again, just as I feel a little bit more settled. On the other hand we knew that we wouldn't stay for long or ever and we all miss home in varying degrees. There were times here in Rome I felt I knew better where home was, but lately have been struggling trying to decide where I would really want to be. Nederland has come closer but living there would mean once again starting anew and I am a little bit tired after this process of slow acclimatisation and having to dig up our tiny newly made roots again. Somehow I know that I'll only be able to appreciate the experience of living here for a year once we've taken distance again. Losing my father in April made it a sad year as well, but living here actually meant I was present when he died and that means a lot to me.

And hopefully some of the wonderful people we met will somehow stay part of our life as well. (yes I know I'm dreadful at keeping in touch but I do think of you all a lot and I always look forward to meeting again)

November - bad traffic situation

Just when I got all comfy in traffic and started driving like a Roman we had a little scratchy rubby situation when crossing viale Aventino. No, 4 weeks of intensive Italian wasn't enough to express myself there and then. Then I remembered that maybe the traffic wasn't giving me hyperventilation anymore (not since may), people still have complete disregard for white lines painted on the road and where i think there's 2 lanes in reality there are and always will be 3 lanes in Italy. ARGH.

November - visitors

In November Murali came to Rome all the way from New Plymouth and took along his friend Sharat. We ran through the Centro Storico in the rain and had long lunches, did the Vittorio Emanuele Markets, saw some tango and had a great evening with friends George and Oona and kids.








At the end of November my cousin Erik and wife Berendien left their farm in Holland for a long weekend and came to stay with us with their three kids in rainy Rome. It was fantastic to have a house full of kids and see Rome again through fresh eyes. Finally I saw the colosseum from the inside as well!

November - Titignano

Titignano,.. food heaven, endless lunch, good company. November started well with a lovely long weekend with Joachim and Britta and their daughters in Umbria.

more October

Pompeji! A long time ago, probably 25 years orso, Jorien and I told each other we'd go to Pompeji one day together.. And we finally managed, even if we hadn't given Pompeji much thought in those years in between.

After Joor and I got back from Pompeji we got caught up in a large demonstration of the left against the sitting Berlusconi government. Felix even got to hold a flag..










October was lovely and sunny to start with, together with Kristin and Daan and their son Kasper we went to Ostia (yay! the sea!) and walked in the Castelli Romani with donkeys.

Finally Halloween made sense... In NZ it's spring time and it never really works that well I think, but we got a stormy Halloween and pumpkins are in season. Felix is of course a spider..