Rome: 
Day Two:
Thursday September 24th, 2015
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day, with stunning azure skies. Ready to take on the day. Carpe diem.

Tim was up early and had already scoped out the route to the Colosseum, only a fifteen minute walk away. When he returned from his hour long jaunt I joined him for another quick walk around.  We grabbed our first cappuccino in Italy, with a freshly baked, warm, and sinfully delicious croissant. A most excellent start to our day.

We walked into a church, (still searching for the name) and came upon 'The Holy Stairs.' A beautiful old building, (aren't they all?) the walls and ceiling painted with beautiful scenes, and ancient marble steps where the devout lined up to take their turn to pray. 

The energy of that place was outstanding.

There was a power there, not sure what exactly, and for some inexplicable reason I found myself moved to tears.

Prayer is an entity of energy, never doubt that.

We booked a 'skip-the-line-tour' through City Wonders to The Colosseum, Palatine hill and the Roman Forum, thanks to our wonderful friend and travel agent, Kellie Neuenfeldt. Highly recommended because the line ups to get in as a single ticket purchaser are enormous.

We chose to walk, to enjoy the beautiful weather, and to take in a bit of Rome on the way. Peter navigated the uneven cobblestones well, but I can see why my friend, John, who is an amputee and often uses a chair, had difficulty during his visit. Accessibility is still an issue here.

                                          The Colosseum

Our tour guide, Helena, was fantastic, very knowledgeable and happy to answer any and all questions. I am in love with the history of this place. To experience it first hand is a dream. As a child I devoured any book I could find in our local library that had even a hint of days gone by. Too bad every student struggling through the history books in school couldn't come here for a field trip. I think we would create a whole new generation of historians if that were the case.

Hard to believe this structure has stood for almost 2000 years. Construction began in 72 AD under the guidance of the emperor Vepasian but it took two more emperors to complete the project. The correct name is actually the Flavian Amphitheatre in honour of those three Flavian emperors. It was built as a venue for public entertainment, to re-earn the favour of the Roman citizens following the turmoil of Nero's destructive reign. Entry to all shows was free. Historians have estimated that it could have held between 50,000 to 90,000 citizen.

The entire structure took only eight years to complete. Considering how long it is taking to put up and take down our Port Mann bridge, and that using every modern convenience, a pretty outstanding accomplishment.

Multiple earthquakes over the years have caused one side to collapse, but most still stands, a testament to the quality of the construction. The complexity of the architecture, including water fountains and toilets for the more important fans, is phenomenal. I can't help but think of our modern structures that are hard pressed to withstand the passage of a hundred years.

During the middle ages the Colosseum was used as a marble quarry and the beautiful white marble facade was stolen and reused, as was much of the iron used to hold the stones together. Now all that can be seen is the travertine stone used for the framework. These steps were once covered in that beautiful marble, and the bricks were not visible.

Palantine Hill

The palace on this hill was added to over the centuries by many different emperors until it covered the entire hill, complete with it's own private stadium, and an island surrounded by pools (for the emperor's use only). It faces the Circus Maximus, and arena used for executions and chariot races. The blood of more than one Christian was spilled on the sand covering the arena.  (The word arena actually means 'sand' in Latin.)

Shady spots were a blessing as the day turned out to be warmer than anticipated. The fan came out on more than one occasion. I think I saw a few women staring in envy. The sweater I brought was also great, for those brief moments when I was actually cool.

After an eight hour day of walking over uneven cobblestones and a few 2000 year old Roman roads, we were happy to return home for a dinner of, what else? Pasta.

Pasta again? I know, I know, wheat is bad for you, blah; blah, blah. But I'm in ITALY for goodness sake. I think if might actually be a sin to not eat pasta while you're in Italy. I'm only trying to be a good citizen.

Tomorrow: The Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Room, and The Vatican and San Pietro's Square, and there's a high probability of even more pasta being consumed.

Probably some more wine too.