The Art of Puddle Jumping

Supposedly it only averages 9 days of rain during the month of January in Rome. But that seems much too low to me. In the 17 days we've been here, I think we've had at least 13 where it has rained. Yesterday was definitely one of them. In fact, I think it rained harder yesterday than any other day so far.

So we took the opportunity to see something indoor and visited the Barberini Palance. I had previously been there but not been inside. You'll recall it had the beautiful - and completely inaccessible - oval staircase leading up to its entrance. I wasn't able to climb that alone with Augustine asleep in the stroller. But yesterday with us together, CJ and I carried him up in it and were able to enjoy an hour in the museum. (Meanwhile it poured outside). The museum was worth the visit. There were a number of very striking paintings, and the ceiling frescoes were fantastic.

After Augustine woke up and we finished our tour, we walked to Trevi Fountain and CJ's studio. But along the way we got stuck in a couple VERY strong bursts of rain. (See the rain clouds in the pictures.) And when it wasn't raining? Augustine was out of the stroller jumping into every puddle he saw.

Now...there's a real art to puddle jumping. And Augustine has mastered it. You cannot just walk through the puddles. What fun would that be? First, you need to spot the best - deepest - puddles on your route. Then you must approach the puddle with speed. (If you move too slowly you won't get the desired results, apparently.) Then, if you are taking notes on Augustine's methods, you slap your whole foot down in the middle of the puddle. Augustine likes to puddle jump with one foot at a time (leaving the other foot behind so as to not get wet from the splash). But I believe he would endorse puddle jumping with both feet simultaneously. If performed correctly, the splash will spray outward and soak those around the jumper, but not the jumper him/herself.

It was quite a wet walk for me from Barberini palace to the Trevi fountain - both because of the sudden downpour and because I was the adult walking with Augustine. We did stop and pose for a couple of quick pictures in a guard booth along the way though. And by the time we got to Trevi Fountain, the sun had come out - momentarily...