Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Originally a day to commemorate the dead of the American Civil War, people began observing Memorial day in 1868 on May 30. In 1971, the holiday moved to the last Monday in May to make a three day weekend.
Considered the official start of summer in the USA, this weekend is the first big party weekend of the summer. In some cities, there are events such as laying of flowers, prayers, and ceremonies to honor the dead of all wars. Many women’s war organizations created the traditions that continue today including the decorating with flowers on the graves. (Today, the poppy is considered the flower of remembrance from the poem about Flanders field and the poppies growing among the graves of the fallen soldiers.) Many towns will celebrate with parades, including in the DC area, with the arrival of the Harley Davidson crowd.
A selection of barbecued meats some which show a smoke ring (from low and slow cooking).
But, today, many consider the three day weekend (the first holiday weekend since February), a start to the summer season and reason to barbecue. American barbecue is divided into “low and slow” and grilling. I’ll go into the “low and slow” and those various types, as in Texas or Southern style barbecue, another time.
To mark the start of summer, in Virginia, outdoor pools are only be open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend which is the first weekend in September.
The important thing is to get outside and grill something!
Gelato is usually served with two flavors, no matter the size. This was banana and coffee flavor. Topped with unsweetened whipped cream (panna).
Apparently children make terrible tourists. So I’m told. So what to do with them? There are things that cost money and then those that cost a little money, and those that are completely free. Here are some ideas.
First, here is the list of pools in Rome from an Italian digital nomad. More of her recommendations about what to do with kids in Rome are here. RomeWise wrote Rome with Kids and that basically covers all the bases on bringing your kids to Rome as tourists from food to bus tickets etc. Most important is the list of pools at the bottom of the article. This article, 15 Fun Things to Do in Rome with Kids, has a list of 15 things to do with kids but much seems aimed at shopping.
On a hot day, go to Hydromania, a water world just outside Rome. Open from May 28-mid September sometime. Note that the rides are closed from 1-2 pm so that the staff can eat lunch. No kidding.
Hire a professional tour guide to tailor the tour for your kids. These twocompanies (second link is for a mom who is an archeologist) specialize in tours for kids in Rome.
Take a golf cart tour with Rolling Rome or Rome Golf Cart Tour. You can see Rome by foot, bike, Vespa, bus, buggy (tuk tuk), horse cart, car, and so many other ways. This is a city for walking. But very hard on strollers.
And at the end of the day when you are exhausted (or if there is a meltdown before), your uber will work here. Or download the ITtaxi app and use that if you do not want to use public transportation.
Visit Ostia Antica (it has ruins like Pompeii, but also has a beach nearby), for the day. It is on the coast and it is about an hour from Rome.
A really good thing is that Italians LOVE children and they will be extra friendly and helpful around children. The fastest meal in Italy is a children’s menu at a restaurant — it’s plain pasta with no sauce or butter. Followed by a main dish of fried chicken cutlet and fries. Even if not on the menu, it is always available. It may take 40 minutes for your glass of wine… but your kid will be served immediately. (I usually order the kid’s pasta for myself).
