Penelope and Peter visit
Rome and the Vatican
Mrs. Chica, a
friend of Mrs. Normann-Petersen’s, agreed to take Penelope and Peter, the
penguins, with her and her family to Rome, Italy for their Christmas
vacation. With the help of the
Martinez-Chica Family, Penelope and Peter answered the following questions:
1. Where are Penelope and Peter? Celebrating
Christmas in the Vatican and in Rome, Italy.
2. What is the geography like there? Rome is located on the eastern
banks of the Tiber
River. The Apennine
Mountains are to the west of Rome and forms the backbone of peninsular Italy. Rome is close
to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Vatican
is located on top of Vatican Hill near the Tiber
River in Rome;
located within a walled area of Rome; it is the
smallest country in Italy;
the Vatican’s
boundaries were originally constructed to protect the Pope. Pope Francis is the chief of the state and
the first Argentine Pope. When Pope
Francis was elected to be the Pope he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3. What are typical foods that are eaten
there? What type of foods do you and
family and friends like to eat? Different types of pasta with different
sauces and a lot of seafood are the most popular food eaten in Italy. On Christmas Day the Martinez-Chica Family
ate lunch with their family. They had 10
people for the meal. The lunch had six
courses which included the following traditional food: To start the meal they ate different types of cheese with toasted bread;
along with prunes, prosciutto bites, and chicken pâté; the 2nd course was capellini in a
broth; the 3rd course was lasagna al pesto; the next course was roast beef in a veal
broth with onions jam; the 4th course included a green salad and
fresh fruit; last but not least was dessert,
panforte and coffee. Panforte is
similar to a fruit cake.
4. What types of jobs are there? The jobs within Vatican City include mainly Catholic
priests, nuns, guards, and other dignitaries.
Banking and development of tourism are the primary jobs in Rome.
5. What are the popular sports or games
played there? What popular sports or
games interest you, your family, and your friends? Soccer,
rugby, and tennis are the most popular sports in Europe!
6. Where are you going next Penelope and Peter?
Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Their clue is at the end of this post.
7. Tex,
can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or
landmarks? Please see the pictures below of Penelope’s and Peter’s adventure in Rome!
The Martinez-Chica Family left from Houston George
Bush Intercontinental
Airport. The first flight was from Houston
to Amsterdam, Holland and took 10 hours long. The second leg of the journey was 2 and half
hours longs from Amsterdam, Holland
to Rome. Dr. Martinez, Gabby, and Felipe enjoying
breakfast at the airport before their flight departs Houston.
The Penguins in the plane with Gabby and Felipe.
The pictures below are of
the penguins in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
In the Basilica is a relic of Baby Jesus’ crib.
Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs. Inscribed in Italian is
the following:
The Lord is great and great is His love.
December 22, 2015 Saint Peter's Square with Gabby and Felipe. They were getting ready to pray the
Angelus. St. Peter’s Square is the center of Vatican Center and where St. Peter’s Basilica is
located.
Peter and Penelope helped
set the table for Christmas Lunch.
The family that Peter and
Penelope stayed with during Christmas vacation had a pet, cat, Groppios. Groppios was very interested in the penguins.
The penguins went with the
Martinez-Chica family to the catacombs, where early Christians were buried.
The Copede Piazza an
Arquitectonic.
The Forum Romanum was the center of
life of Rome
until 509 B.C.
Colosseum
The Forum Romanum was the center of
life of Rome
until 509 B.C.
New
Year’s Eve at the Martinez-Chica’s cousin’s home. Peter, Penelope, and the rest of the family
enjoyed ringing in the New Year with fireworks on the roof top terrace.
For more
information on Rome and the Vatican please
visit websites below.
For Rome facts:
The official
website for Vatican City:
For Vatican City facts:
St. Peter’s
Square
Penelope and Peter’s
clue for Tex’s next stop: Tex
visited three states during Christmas vacation with Ms. McDonald, the third
grade teacher at St. Thomas
More School. The first state is lies on the Gulf of
Mexico, the second state is home to the Kansas City Chiefs football team, and
the third state celebrates its independence from Mexico on March 2.
Can you guess
where Tex
went on his next visit? Please email
Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess!