Psychiatric Circus

Sunday, October 18, 2015

First of all, there are a million and one more photos of my trip to Rome on my Instagram account (@smallyspice). Secondly, you may need to know Bice Family humor in order to understand the underlining theme of our trip--"Psychiatric Circus".

One of the first things we saw as our driver took us from the airport to our apartment was a huge billboard for some sort of (I assume) Halloween show called "Psychiatric Circus." My dad made some comment about it and my mom and I got an excellent laugh out of it. He didn't realize it was a Halloween show and his comment was hilariously misguided.

My dad had surgery on his foot 6 weeks prior to this trip and had a hard time walking. A boot on his foot and a cane on the ready, we slowly made our way through the streets and sights of Rome. It was MAGNIFICENT. But each time my mom and I stopped and waited and looked back to see Russell hobbling toward us, we'd flatly state, "Psychiatric Circus". It never got old. And the day it poured rain and my dad pulled out the trusty emergency poncho I was carrying in my backpack (see photo below) and proclaimed, "Walking on cobblestones is hard enough, but walking on slanted cobblestones is another story," is the day Psychiatric Circus hit its peak and we could not stop laughing. (I know, we are mean. We laugh at my dad a lot. But it is all done in a spirit of love. I don't understand families who don't make fun of each other).

The day we walked in circles on end and tried in vain to catch a bus home, only to end up on the same street corner 2 or 3 times (then later learned our apartment was just up the street) was another popular scene in our Psychiatric Circus. So. much. laughter.

Our little apartment for the week. "La Casa Del Peonie"

Insert laughing until you cry Emoji. 

Read about Michelangelo's giant pinecone in the Vatican courtyard HERE. It's fascinating!!

Psychiciatric Circus on tour. 

Warning to all psych patients: Look out below. Slanted AND wet cobblestones. 

Our 5 star hotel the last night in Rome was such a treat!

This was our view at breakfast. 

Another incredible treat was a weekend visit from our friend Tanja who lives in Switzerland! (As well as the Swiss chocolate she brought for us). She added an invaluable bit to our Psychiatric comedy routine by proclaiming that my dad had a "sweet ass". She meant "Sweet tooth" but couldn't remember the phrase in English! (Please insert laugh until you cry Emoji again). 

These photos are just the TIP of the iceberg, but you get the idea. So much delicious food. So many charming streets. So many well-dressed men. So much history! So many sights--Vatican, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc, etc. So much charm. So much fun. So many incredible memories. A huge thank you to my parents for allowing me to tag along. 
More photos below if you feel like scrolling further. Ciao Belle!

P.S. I spent an extra night in alone in Rome after my parents left to fly to Istanbul. THAT was trippy. 


  1. Thanks for linking that symbolism of the pinecone article. That really was so interesting!!
    Stacy Woods

  2. You are gorgeous, Molly. You fit in with those beautiful Roman streets perfectly. What an amazing trip, and hilarious stories to go with it!

  3. Molly I see that you deleted your wonderful painful poignant post. I am so grateful that I read it before it disappeared. It was a soul bearing read and made me love you and Vic and feel that there might be a fellow kindred spirit out there in the world. You are gifted in your goodness and the sharing of words. I think it should not be deleted, but stand as a testament to your life and courage. I can feel myself teetering on the edge of my teenage anorexia and I want to plunge back into it because if the sense of control I desperately need, but am struggling against it knowing the effect it would likely have on my beautiful teenage daughter.kisses!

  4. Psychiatric Circus is hilarious...I can only imagine the laughs. Love it.

  5. Loved the pics - what a wonderful vaca !


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