Back to school...for now

 School started weeks ago.  Long enough ago that My Boy needs another haircut to tame the mop.  Although, I actually like a bit of moppiness on him.  Classes are in person every day on campus for both kids for now.  I got a message today that this will be changing.  According to the latest decree, starting Monday grades 10-12 will be 50% online for at least two weeks.  It's not about crowding at school, but crowding on the public transit system.  Ninth graders are excluded because some are still 13 years old, too young to stay home alone by Italian law.  News reports say that less than 4% of new cases are from school contacts.  More than 80% are from family contacts, but with more and more cases being reported in the cities the officials are worried about spread on the sometimes crowded busses and metro.  At My Girl's school there have been a handful of cases, all asymptomatic and all from contacts outside of school.  There has been one at My Boy's school.  The schools have assured us that they will interpret the official decrees in the way that allows kids to be on campus as much as legally possible.  So it was fun while it lasted.  My Girl's school has given families the option of going fully online if they want to.  We don't want to.

I managed to snap a couple of first day of school photos as the kids rushed out.  My Girl leaves first.  This year the bus picks her up in front of our building.  It's a big improvement over the half mile dash to the bus stop last year.  This year there are two other girls in her grade on the bus.  They can't sit together, but they can chat a bit.  Much better than the squirrely boys from last year.  The ride is also on a completely different route.  This time she passes Piramide, through the more residential Testaccio neighborhood, past Castel Sant Angelo, then along and over the Tiber river.

The pyramid that the Piramide area is named after was built during a time when Egyptian things were all the rage in Rome.  It was the time of Anthony and Cleopatra and during the time the Romans "imported" obelisks from Egypt.  You can see them all over town.  They have been moved around over the centuries and some have been augmented with Christian decorations, like the ones at the Vatican and San Giovani in Laterano, but you can still see the hieroglyphics on the sides.  

The pyramid is the burial monument for Caius Cestius, a wealthy man from the 1st century.  In order to ensure that his wish to be buried in a pyramid would be carried out, his will stipulated that the pyramid had to be built before his sons could inherit his wealth.  I love the jumble of Rome.  About 300 years after it was built, the pyramid was incorporated into the Aurelian walls around the city.  Now it and the walls enclose part of the non-Catholic cemetery where many notable non-Catholics are buried, including the British poets, Keats and Shelley.  There was once another pyramid in Rome, but it was taken apart and the marble used for the steps of St Peters at the Vatican.

My Girl decided to try some of the after school activities this year.  Mondays is Robotics and Wednesday and Friday are soccer.  The team practices but is limited in what they can do because of distancing requirements.  They can't play games, but she is having a fun time anyway.  It is a great way to spend time with friends and get moving.  She moved up a year in math after a lot of work over the summer so she and a couple friends are in with the 8th graders.  She was a bit nervous about it, but she was the only student to earn 100% on the first exam so I think she is doing just fine.  The day everyone else had to retake the exam she left school early to go camping with the scouts.  That was a much better way for her to spend the afternoon.

My Boy is enjoying school after a bit of adjustment to having a schedule again.  He is happy to be back on the tech crew for Drama.  One of his jobs during rehearsal is to track contacts on stage in case someone gets sick.  He also works with the props and lighting.  Last year he got to perform a part as a disembodied telephone voice.  It was fun to hear him and see his excitement after the performance.  He loved being part of a team that pulled together something big.  His other favorite class this year is Latin followed by Programming, English, and City of Rome.  Last year they studied Ancient Rome.  This year it is Medieval and Renaissance Rome.  I want to take those classes.  I get a glimpse with the school's Lyceum field trips for parents, but more would be fun.

My Boy walks to school.  He could take a city bus.  He did last year.  But it is often crowded in the mornings so the school has asked the kids to avoid them if possible.  It is just over a mile and a very pleasant walk when the weather is nice.  (We got some waterproof-ish shoes for the days it isn't so nice.)  Last year I walked My Girl to her bus stop and picked her up.  It was a great time to catch up and talk.  Now that we don't have to do this I was missing my morning walk so I decided to start walking at least part of the way to school with My Boy.  He doesn't need the escort, but it is a nice time to chat and it is a beautiful walk.  He walks me through the neighborhood toward Porta Latina, a gate through the Aurelian Walls.  For the first couple weeks of school the shadows of the umbrella pines on the old walls were perfect.  There is a narrow bit of park there between Porta Latina and Porta Metronia where people walk their dogs in the mornings and evenings.  It is a nice quiet part of the city away from the busy streets.

We walk through the gate and down the road between Parco Scipioni and the Canadian Embassy.  Just on the other side of the gate is a tiny little octagonal chapel.  It is called San Giovanni in Oleo, St John in Oil.  Traditions say that it marks the spot where St John the Evangelist survived being dipped in a cauldron of boiling oil.  The building we see was built in 1509.  Although, there may be a much older structure below.  There is graffiti carved into the marble around the door from the 1700s.  The nearby church, San Giovanni a Porta Latina, was originally built in the 5th century, but of course has been changed and added to over the years.

There are tall walls on either side of the road here.  The walls are old, but not old old.  You can tell that they were built with whatever was lying around at the time.  On one corner there is part of a Roman column.  Bits of marble, sometimes carved, are incorporated with the rough bricks and stones.  Roman walls are usually evenly constructed with orange flat bricks.  These later walls look like they were made of rubble.

From here we walk by the Baths of Caracalla toward Circo Massimo.  Here My Boy goes left toward school and I turn right.  This is the site of the Porta Capena.  It is no longer there, but they did name the bus stop after the gate.  Porta Capena was a gate in the Servian Walls built to enclose the seven hills of Rome in the 4th century BC, the time of the Roman Republic.  The city grew and spilled outside the walls for several centuries until the Aurelian walls were built between 271-275 AD when the Empire was crumbling and the city was once again threatened.  The ruins of Porta Capena were finally removed in the 1st century AD by Emperor Caracalla when he redid the neighborhood as part of his redevelopment project that later included the new fancy baths.

Viale delle Terme Caracalla - Former site of the Porta Capena

It was a beautiful misty morning.  The umbrella pines are so iconic of Rome.

Sometimes I circle around the Colosseum.  More often I head up past San Gregorio and the Caelian hill.

Just after the church is Clivo di Scauro, dark slope.  (Clivo is actually Latin, not Italian, according to Google Translate.)  I like walking through here.  You can imagine all of the people through history who may have walked up this hill.  On the right is the entrance to the Roman house we visited in January and the church where we stumbled across a concert one dark evening.

I don't know when this wall was built, but you can tell it is not during the Ancient Roman times, possibly Medieval.  The stones are irregular and the wall incorporates bits of mosaic floor.

From here I wander through the grounds of Villa Celimontana then back along the walls or through the neighborhood to stop by the open market at Piazza Epiro.  This fall they have had outdoor jazz concerts in the park, but I haven't gone.  Joining in groups at a concert just didn't seem like a good idea right now, although it did sound like a lot of fun.  Someday...

We're not always at home.  One of our favorite pizza places took all of their tables outside onto the sidewalk.  It is gorgeous on warm evenings.

Update:  Today's national decree says that High Schools need to be 75% online and restaurants and bars will close at 6pm among other things.  This will be tough on them since many don't even open until 7:30.  The High Schools are scrambling.  Certain regions have tighter restrictions where all schools are closed and there are calls for a nationwide shutdown like there was in the spring.  At the same time there are also protests against the restrictions.  The Premier is resisting a full shutdown because of the economic devastation the last one caused.  Who only knows where this one will end.

Home sweet Rome

We arrived in Rome quite late on a Sunday.  Last year we also arrived late in the evening after a stay in Ireland.  Last year I was a wreck of nerves and anticipation.  It took awhile to get settled and get used to being here.  This year the circumstances are similar, but I feel like I'm coming home.  It also helps that we brought a little bit of Dublin weather with us.  Our first full day was cool and rainy.  So nice.  Last year was hot, muggy, and buggy.  Instead of a new apartment and neighborhood to figure out I came home to a full pantry and a new washing machine.  Still no dryer, but so glad for the quiet new machine.

The kids are also glad to be back.  They have the normal back-to-school feelings, but they are happy to be back in this chaotic, noisy, dirty, beautiful city.  We need to buy books and school supplies.  To get the books we took the Metro to Piazza di Spagna, stopped at the Anglo-American book shop then wandered past the Trevi fountain and on to Piazza Barberini.  

Is he really going to read ALL of Emily Dickinson's poems?

My Girl enjoyed seeing her old school bus route.  She had quite the scenic ride last year through the historical center of town passing near the Colosseum, by Santa Maria Maggiore, and through Piazza Barberini with Bernini's Triton fountain.  The route will be different this year.  New things to see.

We need to eat gelato and visit some of our favorite restaurants.  Indoor seating is more limited so there is a lot more outdoor sidewalk seating which is lovely this time of year.  We even have an in-person scout meeting this Friday.

 Before school starts My Boy needs a COVID test.  I was able to navigate the whole process pretty well including finding the place, setting up the appointment, and figuring out how to get the results when the online system didn't work.  All in Italian.  I felt quite accomplished.  It was my win for the day.  This would have been overwhelming last year.

One piece of happy news is that the school bus will pick up My Girl right in front of our building.  Last year it was a 15 minute walk/hike/sprint to get to the bus stop rain or shine.  Boy did it rain in November!  Then a wait in front of a bank on a busy street.  Twice we took a taxi to the school bus stop when crutches were involved.  Knowing we won't have to do this, I'm already missing the walk and the time to talk and see the city in the morning when it is quiet.  I remember walking down the empty side walk during the winter sunrise singing to the Beatles,  Here comes the sun do de do do...  We watched the birds, especially the starlings, and the sky change color.  We filled her water bottle at the sidewalk nasone, one of the water fountains that dot the city.  After school the ups and downs of the day tumbled out on the walk home.  By the time we got home it was all out.  We stopped at our favorite gelato shop at Piazza Re di Roma.  It was a real accomplishment when My Girl could order her own cone in Italian.  It was a script they had worked on in class.  She didn't need to say much, since she got the same thing every day, but it was a real breakthrough for her to be able to communicate what she wanted.  She is much more confident now.

• Cono piccolo per favore.  (Small cone, which is plenty big.  I usually get stracciatella/chocolate chip, and strawberry)
• Due Euro. 
• Fior di pana, solo.  (Only flower of cream, the closest thing they have to vanilla.)
• Con pana?  (With cream?  You can get whipped cream on top of your gelato if you want.)
• Si, Grazie. 

 We'll need a new routine for this year to make sure we still get our time to talk about the day.  Maybe we will take a walk and get gelato.  But only if it isn't raining.

John and I went for a walk last night and went through Campo di Fiori, a beautiful piazza in the historical center.  We saw the statue of Bruno, the heretic burned at the stake in that spot.  When we left you couldn't find a face mask anywhere.  I had to make the masks we wore on the plane home.  Now there are shops that sell all sorts of fashionable fabric masks and disposable masks seem to be pretty available.  What really struck me is how delightfully empty it all was.  There were enough people that it felt lively with cafe tables all around the edge of the piazza.  But there were none of the pressing crowds you would expect on a warm summer evening in a famous piazza in the middle of the touristy center.  I imagine the Italians and others who live here full time are glad to have their city back, but it has been a heavy price to pay.

 

The Causeway and Carrick

We left Tory island on the morning ferry and drove through the afternoon in a bit of a storm.  It was still beautiful if a bit more hazardous because of a surprising number of sheep on the road.

We spent the night in Derry, just over the border into Northern Ireland.  There are no border controls, just a sign as if you were driving into another state in the US.  This has been a point of concern/contention with the whole Brexit thing.  Ireland is part of the EU and Northern Ireland is part of the UK so would no longer be part of the EU after Brexit.  Neither side wants a hard border for fear it would bring up past tensions between the two countries.  A hard border was expressly forbidden in the Good Friday agreements that officially ended the Troubles.  The Troubles were a time of sectarian violence between the predominately Catholic Republic of Ireland and the mostly Protestant Northern Ireland.  Wikipedia describes it as an ethnonationalist conflict.  I don't know many details, but it wasn't that long ago so memories are still fresh.  We were only in Derry for one rainy evening so we didn't see much.  We did find a Supermacs, our favorite Irish burger place.  I also noticed subtle differences between the countries other than the obvious differences in flags.  One thing that was so funny was to see little mannerisms in girls that I had noticed while watching Derry Girls.  It's an absolutely hilarious show (available on Netflix) about teenage girls growing up in Derry during the Troubles.  The show is made by the BBC and is quite popular in Northern Ireland.

The next morning we headed to the Giant's Causeway along the northern coast of Northern Ireland.  This is one of those geographical natural wonder places I've been wanting to see for awhile.  The main attraction is the unusual pillars of basalt that look like honeycomb stepping stones.  If you listen to the geologists they were formed by volcanic activity.  But if you like a good story the Irish don't disappoint.  It involves dueling giants throwing rocks and a woman who outsmarts her husband's enemy.

It was a blustery drippy day when we were there, but I still really enjoyed it.  The kids had a good time scrambling around on the rocks.  We speculated about how it would be different if it was in the US.  Would it all be roped off with warning signs?  There were a few people around to keep you away from the rougher edges where the waves come in, but otherwise you are pretty free to wander.

I enjoyed learning about the 18th century Irish artist, Susanna Drury, in the visitor's center.  Her paintings of the stone formations and the popular etchings made from them helped make the Giant's Causeway famous.  Her causeway paintings were first noticed when she won first prize from the Dublin Society in 1740.

That night we arrived in Carrick on Shannon, a lovely village in Co Leitrim.  We stayed there for a week and had a wonderful time visiting with our cousins there.  They helped us find a great place to stay with amazing views of the Shannon river.  I realized too late that I stared out the window every day, but only got one picture and it isn't the best lighting.  The village is a hub for river boating (and stag and hen parties).  It was quiet while we were there with so many of the pubs closed.  I loved watching the river with the boats and the swans and other water birds out on the water.  

We took a rare sunny afternoon to rent bikes in Leitrum village and ride along the Shannon blueway, a network of trails and waterways through central Ireland.  This trail went along the Shannon and connecting canals.  Lots of beautiful green and lazy cows.  I kept thinking that my sister-in-law would be so jealous if she knew what we were doing.  She loves a good bike ride with family and friends.  Maybe we can make it work out some other summer.

One thing that was quite interesting was seeing the locks in the canal.  We were lucky enough to catch a boat going through.  (The water is brown because of the high tannin content.  The water picks up tannin as it moves through the peat and other plants.  It is still clear and clean, just brown like tea.)

At the end of the ride we found a cute outdoor cafe perfect for a little break before heading back.

One of the sites in Carrick is the Costello chapel.  It is a tiny building sandwiched between two much larger buildings.  At only 12 x 16 feet it has a reputation of being the second smallest chapel in the world.  It was built 1877-1879 as a memorial to Mary Josephine, the wife of Edward Costello.  Both are now buried there.  After seeing so many grand and glorious churches I enjoyed the sweet simplicity of this tiny chapel dedicated by a loving husband to his departed wife.

One drizzly evening we went with our cousins and their adorable new puppy to Lough Allen, a park and lake along the Shannon river.  The land was formerly the grounds of a large estate, as many parks are.  You can see the remains of some of the buildings including the stables and chapel.  The main house is no longer standing, but you can see a small castle on the little island in the middle of the lake.

  

View from inside the chapel missing a roof.

For a few rainy minutes we took shelter under a tree.  I don't know what kind of tree this is, but I'm sure it is very old.  There are many trunks coming out from a central point.  They swoop and droop in the most interesting way and make a great place to climb and play.

Our cousin's husband has been in charge of PPE supplies at work so he gave us a bottle of the local "protective cleaner".  It is made nearby in Drumshanbo by the makers of Gunpowder Gin.  With the lock down many pubs are still closed and gin sales were down, so the distillery turned to making "hand sanitizer" to meet the high demand for such things, an easy transition for a distillery.  I love the fact that they put it in the same blue bottles as the gin.  The whole thing makes me laugh.  The label has a warning not to drink it and even includes their jackalope mascot.  Why a mythical American creature on an Irish gin label?  No one seems to know, but there it is.

We spent time this week visiting our cousins, catching up on summer reading and school work, visiting the dentist, and getting a haircut for me.  It was a lovely time.  We will definitely be back.  There is more to explore.  We enjoyed the cool weather, knowing what was to come in Rome.  After 3 weeks of winter like weather (for us) we were almost ready for some heat, but don't say it.  You just might get what you ask for... and then some.  

Tory Island - Oileán Thoraí

After leaving the town of Donegal we drove north through the county of Donegal.  It is beautiful, rugged and wild.  There is something about it that has the same feel as Wyoming although it doesn't really look the same.

 

We were heading to Magheroarty and the Tory Island Ferry.  When we were looking for places to stay we didn't have anywhere in particular in mind.  We were looking for places outside of town (self-isolation) and near the coast where we could go on nice walks.  We found a lovely cottage on Tory Island.  At first I wasn't sure about going out to the island, but I'm so glad we did.  

View of the Magheroarty beach

The ferry wasn't a big car ferry like the ones we have ridden in Puget Sound.  It was quite a bit smaller which made for a much more bumpy ride.  A storm was predicted for that night so a few fishermen were pulling their boats out of the water.  The wind was picking up on the afternoon we left but we enjoyed the crossing.  My Girl thought the ride through the 6-8 foot seas was almost as good as a roller coaster.  Our host's brother picked us up from the ferry landing and took us to the house.  He is a man of few words and a master of understatement.  In response to the incoming gale he said, "Yup.  It's freshening up a bit."  Technically, a "fresh" breeze are winds 20-24 miles per hour.  A gale is 40+ mph.  That night it rained and blew so hard that it drove water under the front door.  When John asked him if his family had been on the island long he said that people with his family name had been there for at least 500 years.  Yup.  He's a local.

Our towels drying in the fresh breeze.

The neighbors house

Toraigh - Tory

Tory island is off the north east corner of Donegal, the northernmost county of Ireland.  It is as far north as the Aleutian islands of Alaska.  It was late enough in the summer that we didn't get the full effect of the short summer nights.  The island is small, about three miles by 1/2 mile.  In the center of the island is West Town where you can find the main harbor, a small hotel, the shop/post office, and the remains of a 6th century monastery.  The ruined round tower is about all that is left.  The monastery was the center of life for the island for about 1000 years until it was plundered by the English in 1595.  I was surprised to learn that the island had been inhabited for so long.  It is an isolated place where it would be difficult to survive.  There are no trees because of the constant wind.  The rocky soil would make farming extremely difficult.  You could have a few sheep, but I can't imagine growing enough staple food.  People would have lived off the sea, fishing and collecting sea weed.  It is within site of the mainland, so if you are handy with a boat it might not seem that far.

There is also an East town, where we stayed, but calling it a town is a bit of a stretch.  It is about a 20 minute walk from the harbor.  Nice enough when it isn't raining.  East town has fewer than 20 houses widely spread out along two lanes.  There are a surprising number of cars for an island so small.  Cars and other large items are brought over on a barge.  I can understand not wanting to carry all of your good up from the harbor or walk at all in the middle of a winter gale.

It is funny to read tourist reviews of their experience on the island.  I don't know what they were expecting.  There are complaints about the lack of hospitality and the rugged and rustic nature of the island.  Whining that the local "king" didn't greet them at the harbor.  This is a remote place where a few people go about living their lives and a few make a living off the tourists who come during the pleasant summer months.  It isn't Disneyland where every experience is manufactured for your comfort and convenience.

West town

Near the harbor and the round tower is the Tau Cross.  This T-shaped cross dates from about the 12th century.  Following a long tradition, sailors pray before this cross before setting out to sea.  The cross is made of a single piece of mica.  This type of stone is not found on the island so it must have been brought here from somewhere else.  Tau crosses are rare in Ireland.  Only two exist in the country.  This symbol is more common elsewhere including among early Coptic Christians in Egypt.  Some speculate that the seafaring Irish had contact with the Egyptians and adopted this style of cross from them.  

Tau Cross

On our first full day we walked over to the An Club for lunch, but got caught in the rain on the way back.  Fortunately the club owner saw us walking and gave us a ride.  We just said we were staying at Liam's and he knew just where to take us.  At the club we had a nice chat with the club owner.  It is pretty quiet there now.  The club is a restaurant, bar, and community center of sorts.  Typically during the summer there are a lot of tourists and the club books bands from the mainland, but not this year.  On our way home we shared the ferry with the Humble Earthworms, a rock band from Letterkenny that had come over to play Hughie's 30th birthday party.  It must have been quite a party.  They are prepared for all situations.  The club had the now usual health and safety notices, but also had this sign on what to do in the "unlikely even of a musical emergency".  It involves a melodion.

One of the unique things about Tory Island is that it is in the part of Ireland called the Gaeltact, the part of Ireland where Irish is still the primary language.  The Irish language is dwindling, but there are still people who use it daily.  Here on Tory Island we heard it being spoken by a group of young people having lunch at the club.  They switched between English and Irish during their conversation.  We also heard moms were talking to their kids in Irish.  Our host, about our age, told us that he learned Irish as his first language and didn't learn English until he was in school at age 10.  Today Irish is taught in schools, but few people speak it outside of the classroom.  Keeping Irish alive is a point of national pride, but keeping a minority language going is a hard thing to do.  

What we consider modern life was late coming to Tory Island because it is so remote.  Our host told us a bit about his Grandmother's way of life.  She wore shoes that were bits of leather laced around her feet.  His stories reminded me of the exhibits we had seen at the museum of country life.  It wasn't until the 1950s and 60s that electricity came to homes in much of rural Ireland.

Many tourists come to Tory Island to see the sea birds, especially the puffins.  Puffins are an adorable cross between an toucan and a penguin.  They spend most of their life at sea and come to the cliffs of Tory Island and  western Ireland to mate and raise their young during the spring and summer months.  Baby puffins are called pufflings.  Too cute.  Unfortunately, we were too late in the year to see any puffins or pufflings.  Perhaps we will need to make a return trip another year.

On our second day the weather was spectacular.  By the end of the day I had walked nearly 9 miles.  That's a lot of walking on an island that is only 3 miles long.

We started by heading East to the cliffs the island is famous for.  There was a second little cove where boats could have docked.  At the top of the hill was a large old winch that we guessed would have been used to pull boats out of the water.

The easternmost bit of land is a narrow spit of cliffs called the An Eochair Mhór, The Big Key.  The spires are called Balor's soldiers.  Balor is a cyclops-type figure who was chief of the Fomorians in Celtic mythology.  One look from his monstrous eye could turn you to stone.  That's probably where the pillars came from.  Balor's fort is a hill above the cliffs near the Big Key and the highest point on the island. (More about Balor and his heroic murderous grandson here, here, and here.)

Another well known spot on the island is the wishing stone, a stone pillar in the cliffs.  You get a wish granted if you stand on top of the rock.  No thank you.  It's a long way down.  Or if you can toss three rocks onto the top of the stone pillar.

After our second lunch at the Club the kids went home and John and I explored the Western part of the island.  The western point is home to the light house and a small foreigner's cemetery where sailors from wrecked and sunken ships have been buried, including the HMS Wasp wreck in 1884.  We came across a ruined building that didn't look very old.  We were told it was an old radio station from WWII.  Even though Ireland was officially neutral, the British, and through them the Americans, used Tory island as a radio base to contact their North Atlantic naval fleets.

I loved out stay on Tory island.  It was so amazingly beautiful.  Quiet except for the wind and birds.  And a lovely places to spend a few days.