This coming April, less than five months away, I am expecting to take my granddaughter to Rome! The trip is to coincide with her spring vacation, and a couple of days before.
So the plan is to leave here 22 April on a late flight to Rome and return from there on 2 May! Nine nights in Rome with her! She will then be just past 11. Oh the places we'll go and the things we'll see!
Now I've got to practice stair climbing so I will stand a chance of going to the top of St Peter's with her.
So amici mei, I expect to be returning here often to ask questions of those of you who've taken kids to Rome. Karlie is a pretty adventuresome kid, and this includes food, so at least we don't have to worry about that. (Although I do remember taking my daughter, her mother, to Paris when she was 10. Adrienne was also very adventuresome and not a "fussy eater". But on our first day, having just arrived in Paris, she brightened up at the suggestion of a shrimp cocktail, then got a shock. The shrimp, of course, had their heads and tails, and poor Adrienne burst into tears. )
That's very cool, Marian! I can't wait until my grandaughter is old enough to take to Italy.
Deborah Horn In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I want to do a past life regression and stay there. ----------------------------------- www.petsburg.com My blog: Old Shoes - New Trip
Posts: 5590 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: 04 September 2001
Awwww, that's so cool...I promise you that you'll never be the same, Marian! There's nothing better for your soul than traveling with a grandchild. You'll be making a change in her life and for sure, a wonderful change will happen in yours, because of this trip. The best part of all is the deepening relationship that will develop between the two of you. I'm so happy for you!
It's so enjoyable to spend lots of time with your granddaughter reading about and learning about where the 2 of you will be going. She'll really enjoy sharing in the planning, choosing and booking accommodations, booking flights...I'm green with envy!
I'm looking forward to reading all about your trip planning, Grandma Marian!
"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children." ~ Alex Haley Brenda
Marian - how very cool for both of you! I have a sense of how close the two of you are, and I'm sure you will have a wonderful time exploring Rome together! Just think - the Pantheon, Castel Saint Angelo, the Forum, the incredible sculptures and art at the Borghese Gallery; Giolotti, and, and, and. And, amica mia, if you can make it to the top of St. Peters, you will be my hero of the year!
Judy
Posts: 3915 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
I've covered most of Europe with my kids when they were all the way from in utero to teenagers.
Couple of suggestions:
Little legs wear down fast on city streets. Be conservative with your plans for walking.
Have some teaching games in mind...around the age of your granddaughter, my kids always enjoyed scavenger hunt games (Find the representations of the four apostles in the church ceiling; find a painting with a dog in it, etc.)....never hurt to have some gelato as the prize for completing the hunt.
Have your granddaughter pick out her own things of interest, places to go.
Buy a children's book (maybe The First 1000 Words ofin Italian)for her prior to the trip and help her celebrate recognition of words as you travel.
We have always been big fans of the picnic as a nice break from the time spent in restaurants (and just about any open space or wall of a fountain or pedestal of a statue is picnic territory)....a Swiss Army knife and a tube of mustard in your day pack combined with the fun of shopping in a small grocery takes care of all the prep you need...the pigeons take care of much of the garbage disposal.
Posts: 722 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: 22 May 2006
I'm like Deborah...eagerly awaiting being able to travel abroad with my grandchildren. We go somewhere in the US each summer (so far, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis), but Italy will be the first Europe country for sure! Ages 8 and 5 and counting.
Do try to involve Karlie in the planning...maybe give her research responsibility for several specific sites? Does she have a cat? If so, have her read up on the cat sanctuary for sure!
Marian, how wonderful! Seeing Rome through her eyes will be so exciting for you. It will be something she'll remember for a lifetime. What a fantastic gift for you both!
Thanks, all! I am very excited. She and I need to go find a good book or two to begin with. Then she can start picking out what she'd like to do.
I think I need to worry more about OLD legs than "little legs" ---- she's nearly as tall as I am already, and is a competitive swimmer. In these days of specialized workout programs, is there one for "senior citizens" about to take their granchildren to Rome?
And all you grandparents out there --- I feel blessed that I am apparently about to do this.
Marian - in planning for my Italy adventure with kids (my 3 grandchildren and their parents next June) I found this travel with kids website, which has a list of books on/about Rome that might be useful, as well as other hints - including where to take a gladiator training class!
I also found this link to a downloadable "Discovery Journal" that I'm thinking about ordering.
Happy planning!
Judy
Posts: 3915 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
Marian, Please don't worry about being able to keep up with your dear granddaughter. Here's what I did, and this might help...before we left on each of my grandparent-grandchild trips, I made sure that my grand-darlings understood that I can't go at their pace, that I need to sit and take a break every so often, and that the heat and high humidity can knock me out pretty fast if I don't take my breaks during the day. We talked about what they could do to help me when we were out and about.
All 3 of them were wonderfully kind in watching over me, looking for a sidewalk cafe for me to sit and relax while they wandered in shops closeby, and generally making sure that I was ok with the pace of the day. This actually became a lesson in compassion for them! They passed with flying colours.
One day, when we were trudging home from the Louvre in the heat and traffic and high humidity of a muggy summer day in Paris, my 18 year old granddarling told me, "Mugga! You're such a wicked trouper!" That was so cool!
You are going to have the time of your life with this darling child on this trip of a lifetime. You'll get to know who she really is as a person while walking through the Colosseum or spending an afternoon in the Vatican. Invite her over to browse through accommodation listings, talk about the flight and what she can expect, look at all of the possibilities for an afternoon walk or an early morning adventure. What a dream of a trip! What a stellar grandmother you are!!!
"You're special, you're AWESOME, You're one of a kind! Best of all, dear Grandchild, You are mine for all time!" ~ Karen Hill Brenda
Marian, this sounds like a trip that every grandmother and granddaughter dream about. Lucky both of you!
As for getting in shape, if it's too cold out this winter for taking walks, there's a great site that I order exercise videos from called Collage. They've got tapes/DVDs for all levels and interests, and the best part is that you can see a one minute preview of anything you're interested in.
Originally posted by Sally Watkins, CTC: (so far, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis),
Whow, whow, whow... Sally! You were in St. Louis and didn't call me?!?!?
Deborah Horn In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I want to do a past life regression and stay there. ----------------------------------- www.petsburg.com My blog: Old Shoes - New Trip
Posts: 5590 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: 04 September 2001
I will miss you by a week or so in Rome Marian. Too bad, I would have loved to meet your grandaughter. I am sure this will be a trip of a life time for both of you. Have fun planning!
Oh, so sorry to hear that Colleen; it would have been fun. (I will have to look at the Trip Calendar to see where you'll be and when you will be there...) And hey ... wouldn't this be five (5!) years since Florence, when you were the first ST person I ever met???
See what happens when you're away for a few days, you miss the exciting news. All I can add here, Marian, is my excited best wishes for the Grandaughter Tour of Rome. It sounds like great fun and like many others, I look forward to traveling with grandchildren, ok, fine, right now we just look forward to having our first in February . And I really hope my legs, especially my knee, are up to chasing said kids in Italy in 10 years.
And hey ... wouldn't this be five (5!) years since Florence, when you were the first ST person I ever met???
Has it been 5 years already? Where does the time go? Yes you were the first ST I had met as well before we went off to lunch in the Tuscan hills to meet with a few more. Now I will have to go fill in my dates on the trip calendar!
Marian, Istarted my family a bit later than others and have a now 13 yr old son,almost 9 year old son and an 8 year old daughter. We were in Italy this summer for 3 weeks staying in Venice,then cortona then Rome.
We stayed in a fabulous apartment that we rend through Rome Sweet Home just a block from the Spanish Steps. the views were great of the little street below and was a great central location.
The kids were wowed by the Ancient sites and on our first night,my daughter and I along with our friends (late 50's) and the children's God- parents, went to Trevi fountain. Loved it. Just ignore the folks selling the toys to the kids.
Staying in an apartment allowed us to cook sometimes at home (pasta!) and there was a great little grocery store a minute away. The Borghese gardens on a nice day is great just to have a wind down. I went to the museum (Borghese) while my husband took the kids on a 4-wheeled bike ride. They has by then had their fill of museums!
Kudos to you and how lucky a granddaughter to have a grandparent to share such an incredible adventure. My kids are still in awe of the magnitude of ancient history and seeing thins that predated Christ! It was the best trip ever! Enjoy! One last thing,we hired a private tour guide (he charged by the hour and was the highlight of our trip. His passion about the history was so infectious to our children! If you need a good one,I'd be happy to refer him to you.
WOW Marian, this is such fun news! You and Miss Karlie are going to have such a magnificent time together in Rome. What a fabulous opportunity for the both of you...You're so blessed to have each other.
I'm having a brain freeze - there's a movie about a high school class trip to Rome that Meredith loved at Karlie's age ... starring the wonder kid prior to Miley Cyress ... blonde ... from Disney also ... whose name I just can't remember.
Judy, Ellen: I've just put "Roman Holiday", "Three Coins in the Fountain" (geez, now I can't get that sappy song out of my head ) and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" on my Netflix list.
But still: La Dolce Vita, the Conformist, Open City ---- probably not for my granddaughter.
hey Marian, just caught this...what great fun!! I will try to think of some more Rome films that are suitable for kids...there's something in the back of my mind... You better get a good pair of walking shoes
Janet, it was YOUR suggestion, when we had lunch the other week, that I go to Rome (where I've hardly spent any time) that got me started.
I was thinking "Rome in the spring, nice idea. Hmmm... when is Karlie's spring vacation, and when are Passover and Easter? Maybe this could be the vacation when I could take her."
Last month when I had an extra day at a Rome airport hotel, instead of going into the city, we went to Ostia Antica. I think very few tourists go there, I know I never had. It was awesome, rivaling anything I had just seen in 2 weeks in Sicily. It is huge, with acres of ruins, a nearperfect amphitheater and mosaics almost (but not quite) as good as the Roman Villa near Villa Armerina. You both might like that. Have fun, Brenda M
Posts: 53 | Location: Squaw Valley USA | Registered: 29 February 2008
Also, I bet she'll love the famous view of St. Peter's through the KEYHOLE atop the Aventine Hill(I think it's Aventine, someone correct me if I'm wrong).
Betsy
Posts: 123 | Location: Florida | Registered: 13 August 2006
Ostia Antica is on my list of places to visit. I've never been and I've read such good things about it.
Also: I just received three books to prepare us for our trip: Rome With Kids (Pasquesi), Ancient Rome: Monuments Past and Present (this is the book with the overlays), and the Kids Europe Italy Discovery Journal. ( I ended up getting this one in the spiral bound version; I originally ordered the one you print out, cut and bind yourself but it's a real pain in the ...).
Marian, My trip report http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1356 with my granddaughters last year may be of use to you, just skip to the end for Rome. If it helps you can check my Slow Travel page for a couple more trips with grandchildren.
I highly recommend that you and your granddaughter visit the Colosseum and take a tour. It was very interesting when I went with Tony. Beware of the living statutes in Piazza Navona, they're creepy. Yo.
Originally posted by Marian: Ostia Antica is on my list of places to visit. I've never been and I've read such good things about it.
Marian, I have a "vintage" (i.e., yard sale ) copy of one of those overlay books for Ostia Antica. I can bring it with me to Boston in January if you want a look at it - and you're welcome to take it with you on your trip.
btw - I'm so excited for you and Karlie! You're going to have such a wonderful time together, and traveling with kids opens all kinds of surprising doors.
Colleen
Posts: 16049 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Is Karlie as excited about this as you are? I have a hard time getting the kids jazzed up about trips until about a week before. (Maybe they're just spoiled.)
ellen
Posts: 3675 | Location: mahwah, new jersey, usa | Registered: 10 December 2003
I just received the books from Amazon, and she is enthralled with the Kids Discovery Journal. But it comes and goes; remember that unlike your nieces and nephews, she's travelled very little. Washington DC, I think, and that's it.
Actually, Sophia, Casey does, too. That was just his weird 10 year old humor. Here's a great picture of him the first time he was there when he was 6 (1st grade)--like your son. We were walking along and he stopped to observe this "statue" when all of a sudden it lunged out at him. It was attached to a rubber band type thing. Casey scampered quickly away and everyone watching got a big laugh--one of our favorite memories. We've been back a few times since and Casey looks for this one but she isn't there anymore--I don't think.
*mis-spell fixed at Jane's request*
This message has been edited. Last edited by: teaberry,
You're going to have a great time in Rome with your granddaughter. I took my granddaughter to Italy for her sixteenth birthday a few years ago. At first I wasn't sure it was a good choice. She was very quiet, though game to try everything, except the food. She had ravioli for dinner every night for the first week. She liked the shopping and the sites. Loved the hotel and the idea of planning every day. She didn't show much interest in the sites, but one day, early evening we turned a corner and there was Trevi fountain. She looked at me in amazement and said, "Grandma, I feel like crying." That was good enough for me. It made it worth the trip.
A couple of years ago I took my fifteen month old granddaughter and her mother, (I'm not crazy)to Italy. The Italians love children and wherever you go in Italy your granddaughter will be treated like a principessa, believe me. Mine were.
I'm going again in February with two granddaughters, (a four year old and two year old)again with their mother. I expect nothing but wonderful memories from this trip.
Just updating here, as our planned trip is less than two months away:
We've so far booked two walks with Context: The Evening Passeggiata for our first night, to have a little fun while we become oriented, and the Imperial Rome for the next afternoon, as I am nearly clueless when it comes to the "Archaeological Center". She's got her books (thanks again, all, for the recommendations). I even weaned her away from Disney Channel and we watched the NGC program on Underground Rome, which we both loved.
Once we're a bit closer to the date, I'll make sure she's got two pair of really comfortable shoes for walking.
Marian, get her the shoes a few weeks before the trip and make sure she wears them a bunch before you leave (take it from my daughter who spent Sunday afternoon walking around the mall in the shoes she's wearing to her Bat Mitzvah); it will make those first few days bearable.
I should have given you my overlay book that shows Rome now and then - do you want me to mail it to you?
)
. And I really hope my legs, especially my knee, are up to chasing said kids in Italy in 10 years.
Where does the time go? Yes you were the first ST I had met as well before we went off to lunch in the Tuscan hills to meet with a few more. Now I will have to go fill in my dates on the trip calendar!
) and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" on my Netflix list.
Yo.
