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Our place in Rome

3 Oct

Our household goods and furniture arrived in July, 7 weeks after we did, but it took a little time to get all the pictures hung and acquire some new storage pieces to replace built-in shelves, cupboards, and closets that we have in our Portland condo.  So here, at last, is a peek at our furnished digs in Roma. The “before” pictures are with embassy-provided temporary IKEA furniture. I have to say, although the temporary furniture was spartan, it was great to move right into our apartment, and not have to spend 7 weeks in a hotel room.

Living Room “before.” IKEA temporary furniture: no TV, rugs, nor accoutrement. Bed pillows and a throw added for color. 🙂

Pictures hung, the new TV that is seldom used: it feels like “home.”

Another living room view, looking toward the hallway and kitchen, with the lovely Libby passing through.

Dining Room “before.” This was our multi-purpose eating space and office.

Dining Room “after.” Still partly used as a home office. My desk is in the corner to the right. Ric’s desk is in his train room, but he hangs out with his laptop at the table so we are together.

Kitchen “before.” This is really a nice space but we needed more storage. Note the long empty wall on the right which we filled with…

… a nice wood-topped cabinet. From IKEA, of course!

Our IKEA cabinet. IKEA wanted €200 to assemble, so we scheduled a do-it-ourselves day. It was a very satisfying project. No one was injured.

Forgot to take a “before” picture of the bedroom. It was quite spartan, to say the least. Libby makes another rare appearance and models one of her favorite locations.

We still have some things to do. Perhaps acquire some local artwork for the bedroom, and I plan to hang some draperies before cold weather sets in. But we are “at home” here in every way. So are the cats, who have traded our small garden in Portland for a window sill 4 stories above the street in Rome.

Dare-devil Janie on the (very wide) window sill. The metal braces are part of the shutter assembly. Libby watches from the cat tower. Window screens are a rarity.

It’s here!!!

11 Jul

Our sea shipment of household goods arrived Monday. It was very emotionally rewarding to see our stuff after almost 10 weeks! We had no idea how comforting it would be to see our furniture, rugs, etc. But of course we are once again in chaos as we decide where to put everything. Good thing we “downsized” as much as we did.

It may not look like much, but we already know we brought too much stuff. This is the bedroom with a dresser, nightstands, boxes, and a crappy wardrobe we had removed.

The kitties were so glad to see the furniture! Libby lounged on the couch, they rolled on the carpets, and took turns, reluctantly, in the cat tower. It was clear they felt more at home — as did we — by having familiar things arrive.

Janie in the cat tower.

Tuesday we had IKEA deliver 3 new wardrobes and 3 kitchen base cabinets, all requiring assembly. Today, Wednesday, we had the wardrobes assembled by a crew and we worked on the kitchen. Almost done!

Before and after photos to follow when complete. Don’t hold your breath.

Rome at night

30 Jun

It has been brutally hot in Rome for 15 days; there is no end in sight (well maybe it will be in only the upper 80’s by Tuesday). AccuWeather.com varies the forecast with catchy phrases like “plenty of sunshine” and “blazing sunshine.” The low here tonight is higher than Portland’s forecast high for the day.

Il Colosseo at night, glows as if lit by torches.

But night time is magical and soft. Last Saturday (we are repeating the pattern today) we did our morning shopping, then holed up in air conditioned comfort from Noon until 7:30PM, when we hit the streets. For those who know us, this is aberrant behavior. We were usually on our way home from dinner by 7:30PM in Portland.

Rome comes alive about 8:00PM. We headed to a riverside “event” called Lungo il Tevere. This is a street market that runs along the Tiber (Tevere) River for about a mile. It’s a seasonal, semi-permanent installation that occurs every single night until September 2. Some nights the focus is on jazz, on others comedy or the creative arts. So one can return over and over and find something a little different in terms of entertainment.

The Tiber is >30 feet below the city, thanks to flood-control walls built in the 1870s. The broad riverside walkway is perfect for the tents, booths and cafes that line it for the summer season.

Lungo il Tevere (along the Tiber) summer market, cafe, entertainment venue.

Lamplight makes the river walk more romantic.

Young and old, singles and families, strolled from booth to booth, café to café, enjoying the night and freedom from being cooped up in apartments. We declined to eat at Lungo il Tevere this time, preferring the Largo di Torre Argentina area and a little place we found last December. But on our way out, we paused on the bridge to savor a lovely sunset and the dome of St. Peter’s.

Sunset and the Basilica San Pietro

A summer night out in Rome would not be complete without a stop at the neighborhood gelateria. This is the scene a couple of blocks from our apartment at 23:15. And it is like this every night of the week (at least in summer). There seem to be two peak times: around 18:00 for pre-dinner aperitivo and about 23:00. Bar Gelateria Duse has a melon gelato that is to die for! So intense is the fruit that it is practically healthy.

This is our go-to place for gelato. Open late!

Another night, we ventured out as dusk descended with guests to see the monuments along Via dei Fori Imperiali, which leads from the Coliseum past the Roman Forum. There we so few people compared to daytime, you’d have thought you were in downtown Omaha except more scenic. (No offense to Nebraskans, but you know what it’s like.)

Monuments at night: serene, peaceful, lovely.

Even our neighborhood is bathed in gold at night!

Goodnight Moon! Parioli – view from our window.

JaneGray Kitty’s big adventure

10 Jun

Janie recreates her escape for the camera.

Our cat Janie turned 16 yesterday. Sixteen!! To celebrate she decided to scare the hell out of us and escape the apartment.Since we arrived in Rome, Janie has shown a great deal of interest in the world outside the apartment door. She always runs to greet us when we come home, and peers into the hallway. So a week and a half ago, Ric let her out under his supervision to explore our little landing. (Libby got a turn too, but she wasn’t nearly as brave as Janie.) We repeated the excursion once since. Nothing wrong with a little stimulation right? Yesterday she took advantage of an opening and escaped. By our reckoning she was gone at least an hour! Here’s how it happened.We went shopping in the Parioli neighborhood, with our cute little rolling cart, and came home with wine, pasta, vegies, laundry products, etc.  I unlocked the door, said “hi” to Jane, the greeter cat, and Ric rolled the cart into the kitchen, leaving the door open as he came in behind me. Seriously, it was just for a few seconds! Apparently Janie seized the opening and made a dash for it.By the time I turned to close the door she was gone, but we didn’t know….

Fast forward an hour or so and it is apparent Janie is nowhere to be found. She’s not one to hide, preferring to be on the bed or couch where she can keep track of activity. After a thorough search of the 840 square feet we call home (with minimal furniture as we await our sea shipment, there aren’t many places to look), I traipsed up three flights of stairs to the top floor looking for her, calling

Our vintage turn-of-the-20th-century elevator. Close the gate, close the sliding wooden doors, hit your floor button. Try doing that with a frightened cat in your arms.

quietly so as to not confirm the suspicions of our neighbors: that we are crazy and noisy. I then went down 3 flights to the piano terra and even down some very dark stairs (couldn’t find a light switch) that lead to the basement. There was only a small landing there, with two closed doors I groped for in the dark. No Jane.

So I circled the building outside, by now frantic that our birthday girl had fled. Coming back in the front door, I heard the jingle of a cat bell coming from the dark and scary basement stairs. Janie peeked around the corner coming up the stairs! It was so dark down there I didn’t see her grey smudgy self. Lucky Jane was treated to a ride in our vintage elevator. Not something she cares to repeat based on the scratches she gave me.

So everyone is safely at home this evening. Libby is too scared to go out, and we are ever-watchful with Janie. Guess she just wanted a birthday adventure.

This handy little cart makes it possible to haul water, wine, and other essentials home. The nearest stores are a 10 minute walk away.

How to use a bidet

30 May

30 May 2012. The bidet confuses many Americans. We have two in the apartment: one in each bath. Here’s a demonstration of one possible technique.

Image

LibbyJean demonstrates the bidet-as-a-fountain. (You thought this was going to be something else, didn’t you?)

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