When in Rome...

Jordan and I have spent our first 2 days of our Italy trip in Rome.  He is fascinated by the ruins, old buildings and higgledy-piggledy arrangement of the streets and buildings.  It is so nice to be in an old city where the old buildings have not been replaced by tall mirrored glass towers.  I am sure that there must be more scooters and Vespas in Rome than in the whole of North America.  Jordan described the taxi drive from the train station as 'intense'!  No lie there.  Italian drivers are amazing!  After just two days of walking Rome I am worried that Jordan will return home and step off the sidewalk expecting the traffic to stop for him as they do here, and get squished by a huge Canadian car!

We have eaten delicious handmade  pasta and pizza (with cheese) at quaint sidewalk restaurants while watching mimes, listening to musicians and watching hawkers selling trinkets and then melting away at the sign of the police. 

We walked to the Spanish steps, covered in so many people you couldn't really see the steps.  I was impressed with a watercolour an artist was painting of the steps, wish I could paint like that.  We went to the Trevi fountain, again so many people it was impossible to get close so we didn't throw a coin in and will just have to come back to Rome anyway!

Jordan and I set off early to visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.  We did an audio tour of the forum, the narration was a little dry but the place is incredible.  So many remain from so long ago.  Jordan said that there are so many artifacts here that columns are left lying in the gardens unnoticed!

We then made our way to the Colosseum and joined a tour group, with an odd guide who kept making off-colour jokes.  It was very interesting to walk around inside the Colosseum and see the remains of the rectangular animal elevators below the ground level, the size of the building is impressive.

After that we walked past the large white building that is a memorial to Emmanuel  and Jordan decided to climb the 12 flights of steps to the top.  Once there we took an elevator to the very top, what a view!  It was amazing.  There is also a lovely large church at the top and they were practicing for a musical production.  A lovely chance encounter.

We found a restaurant and had lunch before heading back to the hotel on foot.  After a rest we headed back out to find the Pantheon and dinner.  We walked in so many circles that we saws the pantheon three times that evening!  We had pasta in the piazza watching a mime's antics and listening to music. Jordan bought a lighted flying gizmo from some hawkers who rapidly disappeared when a policeman entered the piazza!  What a lovely day in Rome, At the end of the day we had walked 29417 steps or 20.59km!