Day 15

The Rise of Rome!

The day broke beautiful. An amazing breakfast at our hotel that included bologna, frosted flakes, and nutella. And then we were off. First, the Pantheon!

Closed -- again (argh)

Hope sprung eternal and we headed off to the Collesium. It was a free day, but we opted to pay for the guided tour, which was a good choice. We learned how they brought and killed thousands of animals from Africa and how they used trap doors to have the animals pop up on the floor of the arena. Arena, by the way, we found out means "sand", which was what was on the floor to soak up the blood. We learned about gladiators, and about how thumbs up meant slice the gladiators throat. (Not good).

We were told that the Romans would sometimes flood the arena floor to stage naval battles. Hard to believe. But, when you consider that they had a canvas covering for the entire place, nothing surprises you. The big tarp was hoisted by sailors. The big pillars by elephants. And the big cats by workers under the floor of the arena.

We then went up to the Palatine and saw Augustus Ceaser's old house. Incredible views. You turn back and you see the Collesium and these wonderful grassy fields.

Next time, we'll bring a picnic and just hang out up here. Rome is, and was, a city of seven hills. Sitting atop one that was largely unspoiled, you got a sense of what it must have been like thousands of years ago, just some little hills along a river.

The history can be overwhelming. No one has the feet or the head to gather it all in. We tried out best to balance relaxing and learning. We consulted maps and books throughout the walk so that we wouldn't miss the little things like the green stains in the forum floor that were remnants of the money changer's copper coins that had been seared into the marble when Rome was burned in the late fifth century. Or, the crazy view of the Circus Maximum.

We made the long walk back to the hotel and had a relaxing lunch and then FINALLY, to the Pantheon. It's two thousand years old and was built to celebrate all gods (Pan + Theos). Luckily though, the Catholics claimed it early and it's been saved. There are 22 little holes in the ground that drain off the water that pours through the roof -- that is when Cooper's head isn't stopping it up.
I don't know if it's the dome, the columns, the marble interior, or the sunlight pouring in, but this is one of the most impressive buildings I've ever seen. They say, if you come to Rome and don't see the Pantheon, that you arrive an a-- and you leave one as well.

I wonder what our not seeing the Sistine Chapel makes us?

On the way to the train, we stopped and saw a person blowing bubbles and even caught a glimpse of the famous Michigan Hotel (see left). For those less versed in history, on the second floor in a small room with a leaky window, Cicero spent many a summer in this hotel writing some of his best work. Some historians claim it was here he wrote the first off tackle play. It involved pulling a Samnite guard.

We caught our train home. We all read and vegged out and then had a fabulous dinner in Bologna at a streetside cafe. Jenna's genius revealed itself once again after Orrie had lost a bookmark. In full Agatha Christie mode, she correctly deduced he must have slipped it in his menu - a la Uncle Billy in "It's a Wonderful Life".

As we sat in the Bologna's gorgeous piazza and ate gelato by the moonlight, I was inclined to agree. It is a wonderful life.

Day 14

Rome!

We got up early and hopped the EuroRail - a mere two hour and twenty minute trip. We arrived during a mild rain and had a long trudge across town with luggage. Our energy was flagging, so we stopped at a ristorante where the boys each had their own pizzas.

Then we were off on La Dolce Vita, stopping at the famous Trevi Fountain, which despite the weather was packed. We then fought our way through an umbrella wielding crowd to our hotel, which was only a block from the Pantheon. We got to the hotel and crashed for a couple hours waiting for the rain to clear.

Then we were off and we hit obstacles at every path. The Pantheon was closed for a service. If we strained against the gate, we could see the hole in the center of the dome though. That was very cool. By the time we made the mile and half walk to the Collesium, we found that it had closed for the day, as had the entrance to the Forum. Undaunted, we headed off toward the Circus Maximus and let the boys run around on the old chariot grounds to work off some energy. Pretty cool. Then back to the hotel and off to a lovely dinner.

All in all, we've had better travel days. Our first impressions of Rome were that it needed more parks and that it could be a bit cleaner. Overall though, we were impressed and at times awed by the ruins. We were just eager to be able to see them up close.

We did get to see inside some amazing churches, one of which had an exhibit on Galileo. Jenna noted that we think of the Catholic Church as being opposed to science, and yet, historically, they had a deep interest in all things scientific. (They just weren't always happy with what they found). Jenna called the churches "the palaces of the people." I thought that a beautiful sentiment.

The highlight of the day came as we walked home from our trek to the Collesium. We're all tired, the boys are mudstained, and we're over a mile from the hotel. We cross the bridge that crosses a little island in the Tiber. This was the spot where Rome was first founded. On this bridge, people attach locks to decorative loops on posts. On the locks are proclamations of love -- Paolo and Stacey 4/24/2010. The keys, presumably, lie at the bottom of the river.

As tired as we were, we could still appreciate this little morsel of beauty.