seekingmygreaterperhaps

In the past week I have eaten more pizza, pasta, and gelato that a normal human should. But… when in Rome… right? Besides devouring some awesome cuisine, I spent time walking where Julius Ceasar once did, which in itself is epic.

Today I conquered the ruins of Rome. I did the Roman Forum, the Palatine, and the Coliseum. (And later the Pantheon, but that’s not a ruin.) It was like stepping back in time, and I loved it. And I loved the Roman sun- maybe a little too much- I got so sunburnt. Also, only half of my forehead is burned- thanks bangs. Let the watch tanline begin.

First stop was the Roman Forum. Helpful hint– do this first if you want to do all of them in a day. All 3 of them are combined on the same ticket, and once you have one, you can walk straight into the other one. The line for the Roman Forum took about 6 minutes. Whereas the line for the Coliseum might take a few hours. I strolled like a princess in front of all the suckers at the Coliseum when I eventually made it there, and it felt amazing.

The Roman Forum is incredible… if you have an imagination like yours truly. There are pieces of ruins everywhere. The signs do a nice job of telling you the importance of the pieces of ruins you are looking at, and also what was done there.

I used an ancient column as a bench today, and I think that’s pretty cool.

Also, people were spread out enough that you could enjoy the ruins. Notice the grass! I got a kick out of that, because I wonder if there was grass during the height of the Romans.

I won’t bore you with history of the Roman Forum because, while I did read the signs, I don’t remember them 100%, and I would rather be accurate. There’s probably, like, a book or something you can read all about it.

I imagined it was back then a lot like how it was today. It was lively and important, just like now, except the people today feature cameras, different accents, and not a toga to be seen.

View from the top of Palatine hill, overlooking part of the Forum. (it’s actually a huge area…) Just so you know, the forum is where the Romans used to hang out and do business, where politicians would do stuff, and trade would happen. I believe. I just remember one sign saying “Julius Ceaser used to frequent this.” Then I kind of just started daydreaming and forgetting other nice facts.

It wasn’t until I was about halfway through Palatine hill that I realized it used to be where the emporers lived, and all of the ruins were actually connected and would have been one house. So that kind of blew my mind, because it’s such a large space.

This is just one of the views of the Palatine.

On to the Coliseum! Gladiators are cool, and I REALLY wanted to buy a hat… but I couldn’t find a cloth one, and I know for a fact I couldn’t roll up a metal one to fit into my backpack.

Did you know?

Gladiator fights started as a way to impress the people. They were free for the public, but also allotted seats to keep all the different classes of people separate. Gladiator fights were typically of criminals or the condemned, or even slaves. (As you knew if you’ve ever seen the movie.)

Gladiator fights happened for over 5 CENTURIES…. that’s a long time. The longest gladiator series was 100 days long, to celebrate the opening of the Coliseum.

Last tidbit- before the pathways and cages and things were put in underneath the arena, the area used to be able to be flooded in order for aquatic games to happen. Boom- betchya didn’t know that.

Next stop was the Pantheon. I kind of forgot what it was, so was pleasantly surprised when I got there.

Oh, of course I ate gelato on the steps of the fountain in front of the Pantheon. I am proud to say I’ve had gelato every day in Italy. TREAT YO’ SELF.

In inside is really spacious. Basically, I’ve learned these two truths about Rome: everything is old, and everything is bigger than you think.

Now I’d like to give a special shoutout to LaurieAnne, who has been my selfless host in Rome. She is studying abroad here, and we met because I was a nosy stranger on an escalator in Vienna. Long story short, we are friends now and she let me sleep on her couch. She has been such a blessing to talk to, and even cooked me dinner every night I was here. I am so incredibly happy that God put her in my life, as she has reassured me without knowing it, and accepted me with all my wacky ways. You rule.

So beautiful. Such love.

NOW; as a special treat, here is a picture that I paid for with a gladiator in front of the Coliseum.

Worth it.