Ancient Rome

We have really enjoyed the sights of Rome, however I think I may like the food as much as I do the sights. We had a fantastic dinner last night at a restaurant right by the apartment. I had ravioli unlike any I have ever had before. Luke had the house specialty, which our host told us was pasta with fish. We were thinking pasta with little sardines or some white fish of some kind. Nope. Pasta with mussels, clams, and a whole gigantic crawfish complete with eyeballs. Luke devoured his dinner with a gigantic smile on his face. The girls and Michael each had spaghetti. We had bread and antipasto and water that we bought by the glass bottle. We felt very fancy.

Today we lost ourselves in the past. We left the apartment early and headed over to find the Roman Forum. Julius Cesear was stabbed in the Forum on the way to the Senate.  The ruins are amazing. We saw so many bits and pieces of the past we walked down the Via Sacra (Sacred Way) which is the oldest street in Rome and as we walked on that street on which feet trod thousands of years ago we saw the Temple of Romulus, the Temple of Saturn, the House of the Vestal Virgins, the Arch of Titus and many more. Michael, Luke and I were fascinated. The girls were more interested in the intricate carvings than the history, but I was thankful they found something to be interested in. There is construction happening all along the ruins – they are putting in a new subway line. The thought process behind installing a new subway under the ground next to 2000 year old ruins befuddles me, so I am glad I saw them now before they all wobble to the ground!

Next we walked up Palatine Hill – where the Imperial rulers of Ancient Rome lived. It was interesting to walk through those ruins, and the views were great!

After Palatine we headed over to the Colosseum. We had read online and in guidebooks that one should purchase the triple ticket for Forum/Palatine/Colosseum at the Forum entrance to avoid the line at the Colosseum. And we had done that and had only waited about five minutes to buy tickets. The line at the Colosseum to buy tickets was painfully long – I would guess it would have taken 3-4 hours to get through that line – but we just showed our tickets on the other side of the line and walked through. Only had to stop for a bag check and to go one by one through the turnstile. Oh sad, sad uniformed people. The Colosseum was amazing and revolting all at the same time. Explaining it to the girls was pretty awful – Isa couldn't believe that people were made to fight animals or each other to the death. Pretty horrified. She kept asking “What kind of people would think that is fun to watch? That's awful. What was wrong with them?” Aahh, child after my own heart…..

Luke and Michael, on the other hand, thought the visit was awesome. The sheer scope of the building just blew them away (it was pretty amazing.) Its just as big as you expect it to be, unlike other monuments that are smaller in person. It sat up to 73,000 people. We managed to get onto the arena floor and were just above the underground cages and cells where they would keep the animals and the gladiators before fights. The actual floor is gone, but there is still a pathway and some viewing areas so there is a ground level for perspective.

After we finished at the Colosseum we headed off to find lunch. The wrong way. We walked about ¾ of a mile the wrong way, asked one of the gazillion Rome police officers (really, they are everywhere) who googled the place we were going and told us it was a 30-40 minute walk back the way we'd just come. UGGH. Whoops. So we scratched that idea, headed up the street and went to the first pizza place we found. Pizza and soda for everyone. Took our pizza slices and headed to the nearest Piazza and plopped on a bench to eat.

Pantheon

After a rest we happily discovered that although we had walked away from our planned lunch spot, we had walked ourselves within half a mile of our next destination, the Pantheon. So off we went again through the narrow winding streets of Rome hoping that we would have better fortune. And we did. The Pantheon is the best preserved ruin of Ancient Rome, and honestly, its amazing! It was rebuilt after a fire in 80 AD – sometime between 117 and 138 AD, I haven't been able to figure out when. It was converted into a church in 609, which protected it from being stripped too badly, though it wasn't completely unscathed.

Inside of the Pantheon

Spanish Steps

Next we headed for Trevi Fountain, and the guidebook's suggestion for Gelato. We had gelato at II Gelato di San Crispino. It was really, really good. Trevi Fountain, alas, was under construction and not in operation. Bummer! On to the Spanish Steps we went, took a couple pictures, and then lo and behold, there was a metro stop just a little ways off. We jumped on the metro and headed for home.

This last part of the trip things got a little ugly. The train car we were in had a pickpocket team in play and Michael watched
someone have their wallet lifted on the platform outside the train. Not much he could do about it, especially not without endangering our kids since the pickpocket's buddies were still in the car with us. Made me want to go home. That and the really “snuggly” guy who was right up on my backside in the train. Amazing how much room was available behind him, yet he felt he needed to be so very close for stability. Yeah, I don't think so. I scooted the kids over on the bench and sat down with them, putting Gabi on my lap. I didn't want to freak the kids out by slapping some stranger on the train. Perhaps he was with the pickpockets. I just think he was a creep.

After a dinner at home tonight we headed out to find a chemist/pharmacy since Michael and caught colds from the plane ride over from the US. There was a a very coughy little kid on that flight, and we both have some kind of crud now. Trying to get cold medicine is complicated when you can't tell the pharmacist what is wrong with you. All we wanted was cough drops. Try describing a cough drop using just your hands. However, she was smart enough to read between the lines and get us some kind of effervescent tablet for the cold symptoms and a medicated cough drop. Renewed faith in the Italian people – and I really needed it after that awful train ride.

Tomorrow we have one more partial day here in Rome and then we get on a plane for Santorini! We are so excited!