Colosseum

What a day! (I think I have started a lot of posts like that)

We decided to skip the hostel's breakfast this morning in favour of making our own (ours would be better and was - peanut butter and banana on small buns) before heading out to the Colosseum. About five minutes into our walk Jeff realized he forgot his Roma Card, so we had to turn around. Lucky for me though, we passed a stall of purses and I picked one up for half the asking price (they always start so high!).

It took us about half an hour or so to get to the Colosseum by following our map; we could have taken the metro but walking lets us see more of the city. Once we got there we noticed quite a long line and joined it. We were moving so quickly through it that we didn't bother To check if we could take an express line with our pass. Thankfully we were only in the line for five minutes before we realized we could have skipped it! Oh well!

Instead of opting for a guided tour I paid for an ipod video and audio tour. Although we didn't start in the right place, or something (?), it still had lots of great information about the colosseum, the arena, the gladiators, etc. The arena sure was something spectacular to see, while still acknowledging the many, many deaths that occured there (gladiator fights, executions). We learned about the seating arrangements according to class, the types of games played (gladiator fights to the death, hunting with wild animals from all over the world, mock sea battles, theater, etc.). It was a place where people of status came to enjoy the show, commonfolk to the emperor.

The gladiators (slaves trained to fight) were more valuable($) than soliders and were often massaged, oiled, and trained the best. It is very sad to think how many were killed for sport and sometimes in very brutal ways. It was all about the show, so a slow death was best.

A number of individuals were killed based on their religion and so became martyrs and at some point (I can't recall when) the colosseum became a holy site.

It was a neat place to explore and to imagine the tens of thousands of people who would attend the games, even if some of them were fatal.

We then went to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum - admittedly, I was a little bored. I mean, seeing rubble that is 2000+ years old is only so interesting for so long. It was neat how old it was but as far as who owned what and when, I couldn't tell you and am not that interested. I think Rome is a little wasted on me and my inability to grasp history (whether 2000 years ago or just yesterday).

We sat outside the colosseum for a bit to people watch and found ourselves constantly shaking our heads 'no' to the many vendors trying to sell their wares, whether scarves, glass blocks of the colosseum, sunglasses, toys, whatever. I must have been a walking target with a scarf already on and sunglasses ('She wears both! Go! Go! Go!). It's really annoying and after awhile politeness is tiring and ignoring sends the message.

We took the metro back to our place as we were a little sore and I was tired after only getting a few hours sleep last night (all of those 'to-do-when-I-get-home-thoughts' were racing... Uncool).

Jeff and I picked up some more lunch material for the next few days and more cheese... lol. We enjoyed smoked white cheese and brie on crackers with wine around 5pm as our afternoon snack. It was delicious.

We are now trying to decide if we go to Naples or Ostia Antika on Saturday... Tough decisons. The two girls staying here with us were in Naples today so when they get home we'll pick their brains.

Tonight is free pizza and wine night at the hostel so dinner is covered for us, lol Well, we have a couple of cheese spinach things that we may make as well.

We've got three things planned for tomorrow, Castelo S. Angelo, the Pantheon and a crypt of monks' bones ellaborately displayed (if we can find it and aren't too creeped out by it), so it'll be a full day and then it's the weekend.

Nearly time to head over for dinner and then early to bed for me.

Chat soon,

Amanda