Roma

Hello again, we are now in Rome! We will be spending a few more days here than in Florence, and since there are so many important sites here, there may be two posts for this one city. Here is the first: Today we saw the Arch of Constantine, the Colosseum, the ancient Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. It is hard to image the ancient city when there are so many modern day buildings, cars, and tourists. But there is something in the air around this city. Walking through the Roman Forum was mostly rubble with some great columns and some preserved buildings, but you couldn't help but feel like maybe you were standing where Julius Caesar once stood or that maybe a horse and chariot might come racing by. At the forum we saw the Arch of Titus, Julius Caesar's tomb, Capital Hill, and the Curia (where the senate would meet). Next was the Colosseum! Talk about bringing the movie Gladiator, to life. Of course the floor is missing, but you can see down below to where the gladiators would prepare and where the animals used to be kept. For sure it has been one the sites I could imagine in my head the best. Nothing says ancient Rome like the Colosseum! This is where we got a little wet, it started to rain, but we had a rain jackets so we kept on going! To the Pantheon! I didn't know this, but it is actually a church. People still get married there! This is also where Raphael's tomb is (the artist, not the ninja turtle). Here are some pics, more to come later!