The Old Gray Mare She Ain't What She Used to Be...Day 2 in Rome...

Up in the morning. Breakfast eaten. Down we went to gather with our group to get to the coach. Alas, this did not go well. In Italy, their first floor is 0. Their second floor is 1, and so on. We were on the first floor. We opted to walk down the stairs to gather with the group instead of fighting the tiny little elevator. When Claude got to the bottom step, he missed it somehow and I looked and saw my hubby on all fours at the bottom of the stairs. Ugh!! Someone came running to help him up. I asked them to wait a minutes. I know from all my falls that sometimes you need a minute to get your bearings before you try to stand. Claude did get up and realized his ankle was hurt. He would hobble through the morning. 

This day we were to explore "Imperial" Rome. This would begin with a visit to the Colosseum. We would have a different driver, Stephano. The rules for coach drivers is very regulated in Italy. They are also very attached to a digital method. They turn on that bus and go any miles and it registers with their office. They must have two days off every so many days. These were Vincincio's two days off. Stephano would drive those days. We found this with comfort stops when traveling from city to city. Some of those were timed because of the rules for Vincincio and the digital monitoring of his drive times. 

Driving to the Colosseum, we past a large expanse of open ground. This was Circus Maximus. It would have accommodated hundreds of thousands of spectators. It was known for chariot races. In the 6th century AD the circus fell into disuse. This was largely because there were other venues like the Colosseum for gladiator and animal fights, and the Stadium of Domitian for chariot and horse races. The last chariot race in Circus Maximus was held in 549 AD, after which the site was abandoned. 

And, before you knew it, we were at the Colosseum. Built between C.E. 70 and 72 under the emperor Vespasian on land that had been Nero's home and pool. It was built as a gift to the Roman people after the self-indugence of Nero.

We again broke into our three groups to tour the Colosseum. 

This is a new wall built to support the old wall. 

At the bottom of the new wall on the left side is an entrance/exit. This was the exit at which deal bodies of people and animals were removed. 

I got a kick out of this pigeon watching all of us. It felt no need to fly away. Just enjoyed watching the silly tourists.

Sandi and Claude. 

By the time we finished hiking around the Colosseum, Claude was in agony. He couldn't keep up with the others and there were many more miles to walk. 

We left the Colosseum and headed to The Forum and Palatine Hill.

Okay, honestly, I can't tell you what a lot of what we saw in The Forum was. Three key things I will explain. The rest is pictures of things located in The Forum and on Palatine Hill. I was trying to stay behind so Claude didn't get too separated from the group. I was trying to listen on the 'whisper set' we were each given. It was all a lot of absorb with a lot of distractions. 

This first picture was taken from the Colosseum and is a view of The Forum and Palatine Hill. This is where Rome was founded and the wealthy lived and the government functioned.

This is the Arch of Constantine. It is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312.

The next arch we saw was the Arch of Titus. This arch commemorates the military triumphs of Titus and his father Vespasian, in particular, their victory in the Jewish war which ended in 70 AD. The images carved into the stone celebrate the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the divinity of Titus.

This relief on the inside left of the Arch of Titus shows the treasures of the Temple in Jerusalem being paraded through the streets. You can clearly see the Menorah. On the far right is the Table of Shewbread that was found in the Holy Place in the Temple with the Menorah. On the right above the two crossed spears is the Ark of the Covenant. Clearly, Titus and Vespasian brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Rome. We know that now it is in a warehouse in Washington, DC area somewhere. Thank you Indian Jones!!

See the pink building in the center of the pictures. That was the prison. It was the prison where Paul was kept when he was imprisoned in Rome. From this prison, he asked Timothy, his most trusted and capable assistant, to bring him a cloak and some paper on which to write letters. These letters from Rome are the Pauline Epistles. 

Claude and I took a taxi back to the hotel after The Forum and Palatine Hill. Time to give his swelling ankle a rest. We would miss the catacombs and another cathedral. I first went for something for us to eat. I was told of a little market a few blocks from the hotel. This was our dinner this night.

I was able to get one picture of the interesting parking people in Rome do. Everyone drives a tiny little car. They park bumper-to-bumper on the streets. How they ever get out of those spots, I will never understand. If there is any space between these cars, a person on a little motorcycle will squeeze their bike in between to park. When you get to the end of a row, often you will see a car turned the wrong way to so they park in a made up space. It is really amazing. 

Then I found a pharmacy in the opposite direction. I explained I was looking for something like an ace bandage with which to wrap Claude's foot which was sprained. Clearly this kind person has this happen with tourists a lot. She recommended a cream to help reduce the swelling. I purchased the cream and some elastic tape to use as the ace bandage. 

We were in for the evening. Claude was feeling a little nauseous. We went to be early to get as much rest as possible.