I guess posting from vacation isn't a problem, heh heh heh.

Rome is an amazing place. If someone gives you the chance to see this gorgeous city, hop on that bandwagon immediately with sunscreen and a flyswatter (but more on that later.).

Wednesday marked our first day in Rome where we weren't part of the walking dead. Our tour guide has probably marked us as 'those crazy-ancient-Roman-history-geek Americans', and she's probably correct. At the Colosseum, we knew quite a bit of what she told us, although we did learn some things, such as:

• Caesar would sit down close to the games, and he always had archers near him, in case one of the wild animals thought he looked tasty.
• The women had to sit at the very top of the Colosseum, the only exception being the Vestal Virgins, who sat across from Caesar.
• The name for the chief place of gladiatorial games is 'Flavium Amphitheater', not the Colosseum. During Medival times the Roman people used this building as a quarry, and a fortress. They forgot its name, and possibly its purpose. Seeing as a very (and I mean very) large statue of a man stood outside, which was called Colossus Solis, they called the building the Colosseum. The statue (which was of Nero) is no longer standing.
• Although most people think that Christians were massacred in the Colosseum, this is not entirely true. Although many Christians died in the arena, it was as an execution. They were not sent into the Colosseum in large groups to be devoured by lions. The cruel treating of Christians really took place at the Circus Maximus, where they were often used as human torches to illuminate the games.

We then walked up Palatine Hill. There are structures up there that are from before Christ, and they have much, much more to excavate. There are pieces of the marble flooring still in tact, so you may walk where emporers of Rome once walked. There is the garden of the emporers, and it's gorgeous up there.

Next we strolled down the Forum. There are flowers on Julius Caesar's thing. (in case you happen to be wondering, I totally blanked on the word. It's the place where he was cremated.) the house of the Vestal Virgins is gorgeous, with pink roses encasing aquamarine pools, and marble statues lining the once decorated halls. The ceiling has fallen away. Three highly decorated marble columns are all that is left of their temple. By now, you are probably wondering who the Vestal Virgins are. Here's a little summary.

You may be familiar with the story of Romulus and Remus being raised by a she-wulf, although you might not remember why. Well, their mother, Sylvia, was chosen by her uncle, the emporer at the time, to be a Vestal Virgin. She was required to tend to the fire in their temple, to keep it going day and night. The Romans believed that the moment this flame went out, Rome would be at its end. the Virgins lived in a very nice house, but it was like a convent. They had to swear a vow of chastity for 30 years. Well, according to legend, Sylvia met Mars, and she ended up with twin boys. Her uncle was very mad, and he ordered the babies drowned, and she was buried alive. (This was the typical punishment for breaking the chastity vow.) The soldier who was to drown the babies had pity on them, and placed them in a basket. This is how the she-wolf found them.

The temple of the Vestal Virgins

We went to the Capitoline Museum as well, and this is all Abby and I did the whole way, because there were a bagillion statues.

Alright, now that I've gotten my ancient history geekiness out of the way, I feel free to continue. We bid our tour guide goodbye after the Forum, and went to eat pasta. We then headed to the Trevvi Fountain, and all of us except for Hannah threw in a coin of some sort. Hannah, as I'm sure won't surprise you, was busy taking pictures and helping videotape it all.

Trekking to the Spanish Steps was a stretch for us kids after all the walking, but it was definitely worth it. The pinks, soft sands, and greens make it one of my favorite parts of Rome. We sat on the Steps for quite a while, just absorbing and people watching. For example, as we watched the people, we saw a girl we had seen at the Trevvi Fountain, (whom I've named Demitria) and a bride and groom who we'd also seen at the Trevvi. Hannah was able to take a picture of Demitria. I think she's pretty.

I'm not even going to comment on the length of her dress, since it seems to be the style here.