Rome, Italy

Today was by far the longest day I've had on the trip.  I was on my feet for 9 long, but amazing hours.  I started out lost, as always.  Just assume I'm lost whenever I go anywhere cause more likely than not, I am.  Today I spent 40 minutes wandering from my hostel to the Colosseum...I ended up back at my hostel, entering the street from the other side, having zero idea how I got there.  I found the Colosseum the second time around, and the first glimpses I had got me super excited...and then...there it was! Big and round and beautiful and ruined.

The Colosseum is huge. If the size is a big deal in our day, imagine it back in 82 AD when it was completed.  Wow.  It's a whopping 160 feet high, 1/3 mile around, and covers 6 acres!  It held 50,000 fans back in the day.  The Romans were engineers, not artists, and while this building is beautiful, it's mostly just super functional.  It had over 80 entrances so all 50,000 Gladiator fans could exit within 8 minutes! That's unheard of.  If only Jazz games could be like that.

I walked around the outside of the building, just taking it all in.  It's prettier than the pictures, but the hundreds of tourists kind of ruin it.  I skipped the super long line thanks to my Roma Pass, and went on in.  I started on the top floor and saw the view from what we would call the "nose bleeds." I made my way through the next floor and then the main floor.  On the main floor, you can walk to where the Emperor sat.  I found it funny that the "retractable ceiling" provided shade for the slaves/commoners in the top seats while the Emperor/nobles roasted below.  The floor of the arena is gone, exposing the hidden passageways or "backstage" area.  It was under the arena that the Gladiators would warm up and also where the animals they would be fighting stayed until their surprise release into the arena from one of the hidden trap door elevators. Because of the trap doors, the Gladiator didn't know where, when, or what he would be fighting until it sneak attacked from below.  

I saw the Arch of Constantine and headed over to Palatine Hill.  This hill was home to many palaces...in fact, it's where the word "palace" comes from.  The ruins were amazing, but I definitely had to use my imagination to try to see how grand the palaces were.  It also didn't help that there was scaffolding in many areas as they were doing excavations of some of the areas.  You may not remember this, but in an earlier post I said that my first impressions of Italy weren't great because there is a lot of unfixed damage...well, Rome is a good example of that seeing as instead of fixing broken anything or even moving it, they just built on top of it.  So every time they go to restore anything here, they end up finding something new underneath it.  It's annoying, but if they didn't do it then I wouldn't have been able to see the Forum, my next stop.

Just about anything important that happened in ancient Rome happened in the Forum.  The Arch of Titus was for the victory over Israel in 70 AD.  The Basilica of Constantine was the hall of justice and the size of a football field.  Only 3 arches remain, and they're huge, but they're not even half as big as the ones that spanned the hall (those ones fell).  I walked down the Via Sacra, the main path through the Forum.  I learned that most of the stones on the path are originals...which means that I have walked where Caesar Augustus walked.  Sick right?! I visited the temple of Julius Caesar which is where his body was burned.  There is a big dirt hill hidden there that has flowers on it to remember Caesar...the man who personified the greatness of Rome more than any other.  It was easy to hear "Et tu Brute?" but I heard it in my dad's voice instead of Caesar's for some reason.  He says it a lot I guess? I visited the main square where I once again had to use my imagination to see the marble buildings, 40 foot high columns, and statues throughout the square. I even pictured the tourists in togas to try to get the full effect. But it was hard.  The remaining columns are gorgeous, but the rest just looks like a field of old rocks..important old rocks!  The Forum was beautiful and historic!

I headed upstairs to Capitoline Hill and visited the Capitoline Museum.  The best part was the view of the Forum (haha!), but there were also chunks of the ginormous statue of Constantine that used to stand in front of a Basilica in the Forum.  They were huge. His finger was the size of me. Judging by the size of the remaining pieces, it is said that the whole thing would have been 40 feet high.  

I visited the Victor Emmanuel Monument...it's pretty hard to miss. It's a very pretty building with the biggest equestrian statue EVER...43' long. His mustache is 5' long!  The view from the top of the stairs is great. I ran into a girl that stayed in the bed underneath me in Florence.  She is Korean and doesn't speak much English, but it was fun to see a familiar face and say hello.

I ate an overpriced, but delicious, panini on a ledge by the Colosseum. It was a great place to sit because I was out of the souvenir sellers reach and I could stare at the Colosseum. Those souvenir dudes are brutal.  They get all up in your face, and they trick you by asking you if you speak English...then when you say yes they go off about something else before trying to sell you anything and everything they have.  If I hear "Ciao bella!" or "Americana!" one more time...I might hurt one of them here dead beats.  :/ That was rude. Sorry.  I sat for a good 30 minutes to rest my legs, and then I was off for more adventures.  

My next stop was the Pantheon.  On my way there, an Italian guy asked me what time it was.  I showed him my watch, and he proceeded to ask me if I spoke "italiano." I told him that I only spoke English and we talked about where I was from and what not.  He has family in California.  He told me he was either an architect or archaeologist (I can't remember which) and taught at a local university.  He had an hour break and wanted to teach me about the town.  He pulled out my map and told me about the Victor Emmanuel Monument that we were standing by as well as the square across the street.  We talked about Ben Hur, and I told him about how my dad loved that show...he laughed and asked how old I was.  Then he said, "I have thirty forty minutes. We get on vespa. In two minutes were here (pointing at map), and I tell you about the rest."  I kindly told him no and he kept telling me he had no gun and was not a bad man. I asked him why he wanted to tell me about Rome...did he want money? Did he want to practice English? He said he did not understand.  He said he could see in my eyes that I did not trust him. I told him something like well duh...haha. He tried to talk me into going with him for a good five minutes! Finally, I said ciao! and walked away. I felt bad cause he really was nice...but he must think I'm an idiot or something.  

I got to the Pantheon, and I think this may have been my favorite site of the day. It probably ties with the Colosseum.  The Pantheon was dedicated to all Gods (pan=all, theos=Gods).  Its walls are 20 feet thick.  The pillars in front are 40 feet tall and 15 feet around, and each one is a solid piece...imagine setting those babies up!  Poor slaves.  Its dome was the model for Florence's Duomo that I visited earlier this week as well as St Peter's which I visit on Saturday.  It even inspired the Capitol in DC.  The main building is just as tall as it is wide...a perfect circle. There is a hole in the top of the dome, and there are holes in the floor so that the rain that falls in will drain out.  There was a guy that started following me while I was in there trying to listen to my audio guide and enjoy the church in peace.  When he turned his head, I ran away, and he never found me again. I laughed about that.

I walked to Via Veneto, the street with the ritziest hotels and restaurants. I went there to Star Search, but this time of year I had no luck.  In fact, I really wasn't impressed at all. It was walking to the Spanish Steps that I saw Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and many other high fashion, expensive stores.  I stopped in Nike and Adidas in search of running shoes because I have two long workaways coming up, and I want to run. I want new running shoes anyway...but the ones here are way more expensive than at home.  I might buy online and have them sent to the French family's address. We'll see. 

I went up to the Piazza del Popolo where the "carnavale" festivities were taking place.  I saw important looking men riding horses in an arena in perfect circles and lines.  I was offered flowers and almost accepted them until I realized he'd want money in return.  It took me five minutes to get him away from me.  I enjoyed my "Dolce Vita Stroll" through town.  There are red, white, and green lights lining Via del Corso, the main road. I hope to see them when it's darker tomorrow night.  I went back to the Spanish Steps to see all the lovey dovey lovers watching the sunset over Rome. 

I went back to Via Corso to get dinner.  I had seen a pizza place earlier and really wanted some authentic Italian pizza.  When I was in the Pantheon, I learned about the lady that the margarita pizza is named after.  She had it made so that it had all the colors of the Italian flag-red sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil leaves.  :) I got one that had tomatoes on it, but it was the same idea. Same colors.  I got it "take away" style so I had to wait until I got to the hostel to eat it.  I walked by the Forum and Colosseum again, only this time they looked completely different as the sunset changed the colors of everything.  It was beautiful! It looked like a totally different place. It reminded me of the red rocks in southern Utah.  I couldn't get very good pictures of that, unfortunately, so I'll just have to remember that...and I think I will.

I got lost on my way home, and I was pretty irritable since I was tired and really, really wanted to eat the pizza I was carrying.  After 40 minutes, I made it home and ate the most delicious pizza I have ever eaten in my entire life.  I don't know what America has done to the pizza, but it is not. the. same.  The dough was so soft inside and crunchy on the outside...the cheese, fresh...the tomatoes were also fresh and delicious and I son't even like tomatoes. Mmmmm. It was the Italian pizza experience I have been waiting for.  I loved it. I will have more tomorrow, no doubt. By the way, it was 1.50 euro less than the 5 euro good but not great panini I ate for lunch.  I might buy two pizzas and save one for later! ;) So good. So so good.

It is a relief to be back at the hostel and sitting.  I enjoy relaxing at night in the hostel, and I also have a terrible headache. I think I'm dehydrated.  I also breathed enough second hand smoke today to last me a lifetime.  Ugh. There are sooo many people in Rome, and when they all smoke...it just makes for a very stinky, dirty city.

  I have talked to a couple guys from the states (Virginia and Oregon) and compared stories and what not.  We all apologized for talking so much...but we're all traveling alone so we don't talk to anyone all day.  There are a lot of cool people in the world and everyone is unique. No two stories are exactly the same. I like hearing about their lives and why they're traveling. It makes me feel less alone. 

One of the guys and I did a midnight run to McDonald's. How pathetic and American is that? I actually haven't eaten at McDonald's in who knows how many years...but it was fun. Not delicious like pizza in Italy...but a fun, gross, fattening, once in a lifetime for me run with a new friend, I guess. He is the first person I have talked about the church with. He thinks I sit home and sew on the weekends. Sorry Mormons. I think I made us look bad.

Sorry so long today! Rome is important. Tomorrow I see the lesser sights of Rome, so the post will be shorter. Ciao!

Spanish Steps

Gross

Roman Forum

Palatine Hill

Umbrella trees

Roman Forum and Colosseum

Snack stands aka RIP OFFS

View of Forum from Colosseum

Arch of Constantine

Caesar Augustus walked on these. Oh, and so did I.

Where Julius Caesar was burned

Victor Emmanuel Monument

Inside the Colosseum

Laugh.

Inside the Pantheon

Palatine Hill

Pantheon

Listening to my audio guide in the Roman Forum