the caesar schuffle

whew! what a day!

i have to digress for a moment and talk about the hotel again. we have to walk UP 30 (one flight) stairs to the front desk, where i am writing to you. this is also where we have breakfast--cereal, rolls, croissants, etc. oh, breakfast. i love it here. they have spreadable chocolate. yum!

okay, back to our day. we started out on the metro and headed up two stops to the colosseum. it was huge and beautiful. thanks to our travel guidebook, we passed up the hour-long line by buying our tickets at a different booth. after touring the colosseum, we got a picnic lunch from a little baker, a mom-and-pop place. for about six€, we each had huge ham and cheese sandwiches on home made bread. fabulous.

we then walked through ancient rome. the birthplace of modern civilization. i still get goosebumps....several arches, a huge bascillica built by constantine, and the huge finale--the spot and building where juilius caesar was cremated. there is a small monument there, inside a decaying temple to caesar. the funeral bier is still there and some people bring fresh flowers and place it on the spot of his remains. we walked where emperors trod. it really was awe-inspiring.

after ancient rome, we went to capital hill and the monument to victor emanuel, the first king of italy. we were fortunate to have our guidebook, it saved us from walking up the 242 steps to the monument.

we were crossing the street on the way to the pantheon, when we ran into a group of ladies from seattle, traveling with the same guidebook. so, we walked with them to the pantheon--also an amazing experience. we did not realize raphael was burried there, until we happened upon his tomb. again, goosebumps.

leaving the pantheon, we thought we would head back to the hotel for a siesta, but the trevi fountain was so close, that we headed there. what a huge fountain! it has to be as wide as a city block and 40 feet in depth (not water depth).

just the marble carvings here alone are breath-taking. they are everywhere. we were also blown away by ancient rome--priceless carvings, columns, etchings, bits of statue--just laying in the grass.

oh, we also met a little priest named romano. he asked where we were from and told us detroit is the best! i do not think he has been there...