Ciao, bella!

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I really don't have much time to write this. I'll keep it short and let the pictures do most of the talking.
Rome is a city with its own charm. It is a big city so it's probably not what most people would expect of Italy. We hungered for some countryside and small Italian towns, vineyards, and Mediterranean side villas. We got a huge city filled with people from all around the world, a large exhibit of urban artwork, feral cats, and pothole infested streets. Thunderstorms arrived on Friday evening. None of us were really prepared for the wet weather even though we all knew it was coming. The lightning shows reminded me of the 4th of July. Every few minutes it would strike followed by a thunderous grumble that shook the ground and windows. Saturdays thunderstorms began around sundown. Our warning was short. Lightning, thunder, and downpour, all within 40 seconds. We had one umbrella between the four of us. I opted to change the miserable mood that comes with the weather and run through the streets of Rome with no shelter. I splashed in puddles and was soon completely drenched. I believe people thought I was totally insane. (Do they know me?) The weather added so much energy to the trip. Not one person in our group came back with a negative feeling about it. It excited our hearts and gave more meaning to the adventure. Why let a little rain get you down?

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Photos

There she is....
The Vatican!

The real reason why I'm here.
Mounds of Gelato! We got gelato every day! I don't know what was wrong with us. They just sucked us in and we couldn't stop eating!

My name is Corri and I will be your tour guide today...
To your right we have the Colosseum and located accross from that and behind me is the Roman Forum. That'll be 16euros. We toured the Colosseum with a tour guide who wanted to be called Maximus. Hmm.. wonder why? Found out that the Italians invented Red Bull, but back then it was wine, honey, sugar, and pepper. If memory serves, those should be the ingredients.

The Spanish Steps
A denied engagement. A broken heart. A crushed rose drenched with tears.
The Spanish Steps is known for the place where Italian men ask women to marry them. We waited all day and were never approached.

The Pantheon
There's a hole in the center of the dome so that when it rains it can rain inside. Supposedly there is a lot of contraversy about why that hole is really there. Some think it's because they didn't know how to complete the dome quite yet. This is one of the best preserved buildings in Rome because it was saved and turned into a church.

Que color es el aqua?
View of the Vatican accross the Tevere. Jesse and I made a bet on the color of the water. I guessed it was brown. He guessed green. We passed over it in the daylight and decided it was sort of in between. Kind of an olive tone.

Fallen leaves in a Roman street fountain
The best time of the year to be here. Falls colors are everpresent and add so much life to the dull stone fountains.

Waiting for our first Italian meal.
First thing we did after checking into the hostel was find a place to eat. Rome is not lacking in Pizzerias and Pasta joints.

Metro station
Many of the Metros are covered in graffiti or urban art. The colorful trains really brighten up the underground.

Pizza!
Our first pizza in Italy! This spot had about 10 different choices. However, two doors down provided at least 30!

The Pantheon
Fountain in front of the Pantheon..only a small segment of it.

Around the bend...
Our midnight stroll brought us to this massive building. We were told that it's called the wedding cake and that it was built for the first King of Italy. I haven't had a chance to check on the accuracy of that information yet.

Around the bend...
Same building from the front.

Colosseum
After seeing the "wedding cake" we walked over to the Colosseum. Jesse was VERY excited. It was one of the things that he absolutely had to see. Goal achieved!

Colosseum by day
At night there were no people or cars around. I was surprised to see the Colosseum right in the middle of an intersection. The exterior lost some of it's magic during the day. But the interior offered history and wonder.

Colosseum interior
The very bottom level, half covered by a wooden deck, is where the Roman would keep the animals. They were in darkness and starved for many days so they would go insane. When it came time for the Gladiators to fight, the animals were hungry and extremely pissed off as well as disoriented from being out of the light for so long. Our tour guide said that when the games were rigged, due to gambling, the animals would be drugged so the Gladiator could kill it with his bare hands by asphyxiation. All this while the animal was asleep and could not put up a fight. How brave were they?

Trevi Fountain
We spent about an hour and some hanging out at the fountain, people watching, and drinking wine. Kristin and Jesse got scammed by the guys selling roses. Watch out for them! They're slick!

By the river..
How uncomfortable do Jesse and I look? Then there's Monica and Kristin our two lovers. These trees made an arch over the entire walkway along the riverside. Absolutely gorgeous! A man from the U.S. took this picture for us. He now lives in Rome.

Gelato!
More of the goods..We had gelato three times a day. The last day I had to have a break. Kristin soldiered on through and had all the gelato she could.

Comments

[lydia]

omg
by far, the best pix! after seeing the pix n reading the stories i really want to go to rome now! n i was never really jazzed bout it b4. the gladiator story was totally intriguing . . .i want to learn more! xoxoxo