Roma one: Jordan

We arrived in Rome in the morning and set out to find our hostel. Our hostel was close, a nice 5 min. walk, but when we got there, no one was there, it was just a door to an apartment complex. We stood there confused until a woman camp up to us and asked if we were looking for Pink Floyd. We said yes, she rang the bell, then told us to wait. A man came up to us and walked us up the street a few doors and into a hotel where he checked us in. It was a little bit of a sketchy operation, but not too bad. We dropped off our bags and decided to make today ancient Rome day. We first headed over to the Colosseum where swarms of people lined up to see the ancient stadium. It was massive and imposing and impressive. You could see down into the area where animals would have been held. You could almost make out cages and see where the people used to sit. It was interesting to learn about the history of the Coloseum (eg. did you know the Colosseum floor was once flooded with water to stage naval battles?), and to see where major spectator sports took place for the Roman Empire.

After the Colosseum we decided to head out for lunch. We found this little place about 10 min. walking from the Colosseum. The place was tiny, but buzzing with locals and the food looked good. I ordered Penne with Salmon and, although simple, it was really good.

After lunch we went to the Paltine Hill and Roman Forum. The ancient ruins are amazing. We wandered around and ended up at what used to be a private stadium. I tagged along with an English tour group and found out that the stadium, and most of the buildings, were covered in marble. The marble, it turns out, ended up being used to build Rome including parts of the Vatican. The marble was recycled, which I found amusing.

If you walk around the stadium to Augustus's home you end up in his bedroom where the original marble flooring is still there, in fragments. I really enjoyed wandering the ruins. It is amazing what the ancient Romans were capable of doing. The are of the Palatine Hill and Roman forum also includes the curia, where you can barely see the outlines of anceint frescoes.

We continued our anceint Rome tour by heading over to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is massive and completely crowded with people. Walking in actually takes effort there are so many people. When you get inside, there is light streaming in from the hole in the dome. There are niches in every wall with beautifully done statues. Raphael is buried in the Pantheon, and people crowd around to see the master's tomb.

After the Pantheon we walked over to Fontana di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain. You can tell when you are getting close to the fountain by the combined thunderous sounds of gallons of falling water and hundreds of happy tourists. I made my way down through the crowds to the edge of the fountain and, according to tradition threw three coins into the water: one to return to Rome and two to fall in love there. The fountain is beautifully carved and very imposing. The hundreds of gallons of cascading water do nothing to detract from the imposing feeling.

After the fountain we went out to dinner and then headed back to the hostel.