1st Day in Italy

---

Well....we were actually up before the sun came out this morning. This is hard to do, especially since the sun comes up at 4:45 AM....no, this is not hyperbole..the sun actually rises at that time in London. We had to catch an early flight.

We hopped down to London Luton airport for a cheap Ryanair flight to Rome, Italy. The flight was so cheap (19 British Pounds...like 38 US Dollars) that they had to make up money by selling raffle tickets and perfume DURING the flight... It was pretty hysterical. The whole thing was a little sketchy, but we arrived in Roma just fine.

Get ready for it...I'm about to admit it...I JUST CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE STREETS IN THIS TOWN! I have been lost about 4 times. There is no logical grid or system. Streets (aka..narrow alleys) run around like crazy.

We found the Ancient Roman Colloseum and took a tour of it and the ancient ruins of Palatine. The Colloseum was overwhelming (as was the heat). I was standing in the place where the Gladiators (the original ones, not the "American" ones on TV) had their fights.

We then walked throught the remains of the Roman Forum and went inside the Building that housed the original Roman Senate. Candace was feeling weak, but insisted that I continue the day while she went back to take a nap. So, I headed towards the Pantheon, an ancient site used to worship all gods (pan-theon). Well, I got lost and ended up in Piazzo Navona. It was a fortunate find. I enjoyed some gelatti and completed the trek to the Pantheon and to Trevi's Fountain. Trying to heed to Diane's advice, I didn't put my feet in, but I had to put my hand in the famous waters of the fountain.

LONG and HOT day in the sun = sleeping in, in the morning!

Check back later for more photos of this day...

---

Photos

Colloseum
Ancient Site of Gladiators

Constantine's Arch
Remember that famous Roman Warrior who conquered all of those places? Yeh, here's his arch...and me in front of it.

Senate Hall
The actual room where the Roman Senate met... ''E Tu Brute" happened here.

Trevi Fountain
Yes, I put my hand in the waters. P.S. There is a bad replica of this in Las Vegas.

The Pantheon
One of the most ancient surviving structures from the time of Roman gods. The Pantheon (pan-all,theon-gods)remains in fairly good condition

Herder Library
I was lost (imagine that) in a piazza on my way to Trevi Fountain and I stumbled across my library/bookstore. Pretty Cool!

Comments

[Jayne]

Gelato
Brandon, I knew you would indulge in the gelato! My favorite flavor was Nocciola. You have to have some for me! Don't sleep in too late, you can always sleep in the States - explore and enjoy!