Saturday, Easter Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

 Saturday began with a walk along the promenade. Then I turned up beside a second church farther from our place. I then just wandered around in the town trying to get my bearings. I saw some things I had seen before and some new. I stopped into a couple of florists looking for an aloe plant for David's apartment. I went to the cafe where we'd had our breakfast last to pick up some croissants. 

sunrise

The church

up close

Motorized scooters

how the street trees are pruned

Sand or rock above our place;  I wonder if the holes are made by birds

A little park by one apt. building

ladybugs, cute

If you enlarge this you can see some history

I worked on my blog for a while till I got frustrated with its slowness; then the battery died. The kids went with Dimos to flag practice and later David and I walked over for His practice. I say 'over but it was actually 3.3 k. When we arrived Chiccio was just taking them to the bakery for Easter treat so I went too. We each got a cream filled pastry and I had a coffee with him. We joke about the coffee because it is hardly a mouthful. On the counter there was a huge cup and saucer holding sugar packets. I said with words and gestures 'this is my cup' 😊

The Easter cakes are actually shaped like a dove for peace.

Easter is all about the sweet known as Colomba di Pasqua.

The cake takes its name from its shape – baked in the form of a dove, or colomba in Italian. The symbol of peace, as well as a sign of spring, the dove shape is also the cake’s main association with the Easter holiday.

Traditionally, colomba dough is made with butter, eggs, yeast, and sugar, and is allowed to rise for more than 24 hours, until it has doubled in size. The cake is sometimes studded with candied fruits, then baked in a paper mold in the curving shape of a dove. This beloved Easter sweet takes on an airy, bread-like quality as it bakes, and is then topped with sweet almonds and pearl sugar. 

While Italian home cooks rarely shy away from labor-intensive dishes, colomba is the exception to the rule and is almost always purchased rather than cooked at home. In spring, diehard Rome foodies set out on a quest to find the best artisan versions in pastry shops around the city in order to enjoy a slice of the sweet Easter cake over morning coffee or as a celebratory dessert after dinner. 

We saw these cakes ready to be boxed in beautiful spring coloured boxes-pink, yellow, mauve.

After that we went back to the field and the kids played around and I sat and watched David coaching practice. Jacamo translates for him. The kids had cake with the girls team after their practice. When the men were done Jacamo drove Charlie, Joanna and I and Tedy and David stayed for cake with that team. 

David cooked supper when he got home while Karen, Charlie and I played Phase 10. As soon as it was ready we set the game aside. After eating bedtimes began. We all turn in early, me being the last. Last in, first out. It got very windy in the night and everything was rattling.

On Sunday morning, as predicted, it was raining and continuing windy, so no walk. I hadn't really brought warm clothes so I ended up putting jeans over leggings and wearing both fleece jackets. It's cold in the apartment as there are only heat pumps in the bedrooms and my usual location is at one of the tables in the kitchen. Kids chilled on their devices, we played some games, and naps were part of the day. 

Monday morning was still very windy and I didn't walk. David was up as he was going with Delio to meet Sam coming on the bus. Charlie made breakfast and when Sam arrived, though tired, went with the kids to touch the beautiful beach and walk the dog. In the afternoon, David and I took Tedy and Joanna to see the castle I had found and they played in the playground next to it.

map of the whole castle enclosure as it is today.

Door of the ancient church which was not open. The panels maybe tell some history.

Karen had to wash some clothes so she soaked them in the bathtub and then used a bar of laundry soap I'd bought and said it worked well. She and Sam walked to see the Castello and agreed she found it peaceful. We went to a Donair place to get supper. We each ordered our preferences from choices of- shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, olives, real mozzarella, onions, yogurt, and then mayo, bbq, and/or ketchup. They all had French fries in theirs as that's the way it's done but I had mine on the side. The layers began and ended with meat, which made it the largest ingredients.  They were good and very filling.

shaving the browned meat as it turned on the spit.

13, 029 steps today.                                                                                              

Tuesday- Up and out by 6:45. Another long walk day and I feel like I sort of circled the city. I went past the bus terminal where they got Sam, by some things I'd seen on our walk to practice Saturday, the roundabout that I call the broken boat( probably has a story) soccer stadium, some metal sculptures, 

and then shopped at Conad because it was after 8. Got them cereal and milk for breakfast. 7.35 km.

In the afternoon we challenged the kids to a sand sculpture contest. They all did great and had fun at it. 

Unfortunately, I videoed Charlie and Sam and I can't seem to upload them. 

We went to buy fresh fish from the wharf for supper and got anchovies ( which cooked like smelts) and calamaro (squid). Both were delicious. 

David had practice to make up for holiday Monday. We played some phase 10 after the kids were in bed. I went shortly after though because my neck and shoulder were hurting so bad that I could hardly raise my head or turn it. 

The days are running out. We leave Saturday.