Rome Day One

We arrived in Rome about 9 o'clock at night and had to find transportation to our hotel. No problem since "everyone in Italy speaks English" or so we were told...Wrong! After bartering with a few cab drivers, we were approached by Augusto, a young Italian man who sneakily stole us away from his cab competitors saying he would beat any price. We took him up on it and followed him out to the farthest parking lot away (seemed a little sketchy) but it turned out he had a rather nice Mercedes van. We were off!

Somehow, despite driving 100 miles an hour through the tiny, winding streets of Rome, we made it to our hotel. Or I guess we should say, the annex across the street. It wasn't very spacious (Conner could hardly fit in the shower) but we couldn't have been more excited to be there. We went searching for a late-night dinner and found a little hometown Italian restaurant that was DE-licious! We couldn't wait for the morning to see what Rome had to offer.

We woke up early the next morning to go to the Colosseum. We stopped at a small sidewalk cafe for breakfast and got a grilled ham and cheese quesadilla and a glazed croissant. Conner insisted we buy a fresh-squeezed orange juice even thought it was 3 euros for 1/2 cup. We soon found out that although Italians don't require a tip, they charge you to sit. We enjoyed our Italian sidewalk breakfast, but would eat on the run from that point on.

As we walked through the streets of Rome, Italy came alive. It really was everything I thought it would be. It was wonderful. Off to the Colosseum!

Just outside the Colosseum is the Arch of Constantine.

The infamous Colosseum was constructed around 80 AD. Barbaric gladiator games took place here, as well as public spectacles and executions. It is four stories and 160 feet high, nearly 1/3 mile around and could seat over 50,000 spectators. Tickets were pieces of pottery with section, row, and seat numbers painted on them. Supposedly, it could empty after an event in as little as 15 minutes. It was incredibly impressive and fascinating, despite visions of gladiators, blood and gore.

The arena was huge! Eddie and Conner could have spent ALL DAY there. There were so many interesting facts about gladiators' rise to fame. They were like our modern-day sports heroes; they had sponsorships, tournaments, and statues that were made in honor of the victors. Animals were caged in the lower levels of the Colosseum before they were brought up on a Roman elevator of sorts and released to fight another animal to the death, be hunted in the arena, or be given the opportunity to tear a criminal to pieces. The floor to the Colosseum is missing so we were able to see down to the lower levels where the animals/competitors would be held until it was their turn to fight. To provide comic relief, there were clowns, jugglers, and circus performers. When the smell of blood became too much to bear, Colosseum employees would spray perfume to mask the smell. Yuk!

Eddie thought it was pretty funny to imitate the Asians.

This is the temple of Venus and Rome. This temple can be seen from, and sits adjacent to, the Colosseum. A large statue of Venus, the goddess of love, once sat under this arched ceiling. Worshippers would make sacrifices to Venus in hopes that they would receive good luck in love.

The Colosseum was known as the Flavian Amphitheatre.

Tons of Roman soldiers tried to rip us off to take a picture with them. They were pretty funny with their Roman getup, cigarettes, and charming accents. We were too cheap to give in to their antics, but now I kind of wish we would have done it.

 Its crazy to think that they chiseled away at this rock almost 2000 years ago.

A Roman goddess...half of her anyway.



The holes in the side of the wall were intentionally placed. They used the holes as supports for their scaffolding as they built the tall walls of the Colosseum.

It was beautiful.

When in Rome!

The Roman Forum. The Arch of Titus marked the beginning of our tour of the Roman Forum, or the city-center of Rome. This arch commemorated the victory of Rome over Judea in 70 AD. Jewish slaves were forced to build this arch which celebrates the Romans' defeat.

The Forum's main square.

The Basilica of Constantine, or The Hall of Justice. Romans came here to get permits, settle inheritances, or to sue somebody.

Caesar's Burial spot. After being stabbed to death, Caesar Augustus was burned at this very spot. People still place flowers on his grave today.

The Temple of Saturn. This is the oldest temple in the Forum (500 BC).

The Arch of Septimius Severus. This arch celebrates the battles won by the African-born Emperor, Severus.

The Curia (Senate House), or the official center of government. This is where the laws of the land were created.

This enormous green door still swings on its ORIGINAL hinges...over 1700 years old.



One of the most wonderful things about Rome is their continuous supply of fresh water. You can fill your water bottles in almost any public fountain. It tasted crystal clear too!



The Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years. It grew for 500 years, peaked for 200 years, and gradually fell for 300 years. Christians blame the fall on moral decay (the pride cycle?). Although, there are many theories as to why this empire eventually crumbled. The city of Rome was abandoned and covered up with centuries of silt and dirt. By Medievil times, only a few columns could be seen above the ground.

Thanks to Rick Steves, we had an amazing experience at the Roman Forum. And thanks to Ricky's podcast, I was able to replay the tour as I wrote about all of the amazing things that we saw.

We couldn't believe how much we had learned about Rome in just a few hours, but by about 3 o'clock, we were starving. The Starbursts ran out and we had walked ourselves to complete exhaustion. So, we reluctantly left our incredible experience at the Roman forum in search of some delicious Italian food. We sat at little cafe that faced the Roman capital and were pleasantly surprised to have a waiter who looked just like the one you would dream about having on a trip to Italy.

The Capital Building.

After lunch, I was voted the lucky camerawoman who got to take the 12-euro skyscraper trip to the top of the capital. I was hoping to capture the "sweet light" photos of the city that I had been dreaming of. After circling the building 3 times, being careful not to miss a single angle of Rome, I returned to ground level to show the others what they missed.

I love seeing the majestic Colosseum rise out of the busy, modernized streets of Rome.

The Roman Forum. Unfortunately, the light was bad at this angle, but it was awesome to get an aerial view.

I love this photo of an old Roman cathedral.

The Carabineri. They were everywhere. Not sure what their job was...traffic citations were most definitely NOT their specialty.

The Night Walk. We had the most amazing night walk through Rome. Rick guided us through some of the most popular sites in a one-mile walk of the city. This may have been our favorite night of the entire trip. The walk started at this statue of Giordano Bruno. He was and Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer.

A quick stop for our first gelatto. Between the four of us, we got mint chocolate chip, smarties, black cherries and cream, passion fruit and raspberry.

This city square (which was once a racetrack) was incredible. It was alive with tourists, music, food and all sorts of Italian souvenirs. We each bought a scooter Christmas ornament to remind us of Rome.

This beautiful fountain was in the middle of the square.

Next stop-The Pantheon. The Pantheon was a temple built in 126 AD to honor all of the gods of Ancient Rome. The pantheon houses the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. We didn't go inside our first night there, but when we went back, we were able to see the world famous dome. It was incredible.

When in Rome!

Fontana di Trevi (The Trevi Fountain). At 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, this is the largest fountain in the city and one of the most famous in the entire world.

They say if you throw a coin over your left shoulder, you are ensured a return trip to Rome. Apparently, there are over 3,000 euros tossed in the fountain each day.

Accordions! Just like Lady and the Tramp.

The Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti). This is the widest staircase in Europe. Many famous authors and songwriters have sought inspiration from these famous steps.

When in Rome!

At the top of the steps looking down on the holiday-adorned streets.



When we finally returned to our annex, we found a disgusting sewage smell coming from Kylee and Eddie's bathroom. IT WAS AWFUL! Eddie insisted it wasn't from his ritual morning visit to the bathroom, despite Conner's accusations. We opened the windows, shut the bathroom door, and called the front desk. Kylee began inspecting the room and found that her deodorant "was stolen!" I was sure that of all things to steal, the housekeeper didn't steal her deodorant, but it was pretty funny to think about a hairy-armpitted Italian housekeeper using her Secret. Conner and I said goodnight and headed to bed in our stench-free room. After Conner graciously gave me a long foot rub, we hit the sack. It was an amazing day.