Exploring Rome

First, I would like to say Disney/Pixar have very smart people working for them: at least the writers. I have this tendancy to get some place I feel safe (like my hostel) and just think to myself, "I could just stay here. I don't really have to go out and do anything. Then nothing can happen to me." It was at that point that Dory's voice from Finding Nemo popped into my head and said, "But then nothing will ever happen to you." At that point I threw back the covers and got up, took a shower, got dressed, and got ready for my day. I went down to the bar in the hostel and asked the guy the best way to get to the Colosseum and the Vatican. He said the Colosseum was about a 15 minute walk from here and the Vatican to take the Metro. Well, I wasn't feeling quite up to the task of figuring the Metro out so I descided to make for the Colosseum instead.

Per my map (which doesn't list my hostel, but includes the train station and directions from there) I set off for the Colosseum. I started off going in the direction I was sure was right (it turns out it was - that's got to be a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing) and started following my map which is very accurate. The only thing that still kills me about Roman streets is the sort of fork the main road turns into, with a row of busineses or houses in between the now split street, but the main road doesn't seem to meet up again at the end so I was never quite sure which way was best. As it turns out I took myself down a longer way but it actually worked out for the best.

I was walking along the streets and noticed a large church that people seemed to be just walking in and out of - I thought for sure they were on tours, but I sat and watched a bit and it appeared others like me just sort of stumbled on this church and went inside. There was something about this massive church that drew me in, so I though, "what the hey" and went inside. I don't know if it was the size or the history pressing in on me, but I could actually feel something in my heart shift. It was like there was a piece of it and it recognized it was home and it started weeping for the joy of it. The church as it turns out was the Santa Maria Maggiore. It was founded in 352 AD. There's gold gild on the ceiling brought back from "the New World" by Columbus. This place was beautiful. I couldn't help but think about all the people who've walked through there for hundreds, thousands of years.
I finally left and made my way to the Colosseum. I didn't think I was going to take any tour of it or anything, just pay for a ticket to get inside and look around. Well, I stumbled across someone who was selling an English Speaking Tour of the Colosseum and The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill for 25 Euros. I was leery thinking I had been scammed (along with 20 others) but actually it was great and informative. I knew it was where all the gladiators fought, but all the other history like about how Popes over the years, trying to make it less "Pagan," allowed citizens in to strip the marble and metal out of the walls (all the holes in the walls is where people dug out any and all metal when Rome was trying to rebuild itself and they needed materials for wagon wheels and weapons).

Then the other half of the tour was with a UK native woman and she was hilarious and took us through Palatine Hill and some of the Roman Forum. (History note: the Colosseum and Palatine Hill were both made into existence by an Emperor named Nero. He was an evil ruler and the people ended up revolting against him. He committed suicide shortly after he fled the city). Much of the stuff on Palatine Hill were ruins, due to the earthquakes, civil unrest, and natural elements. Rain is actually seeping through the ground destroying architecture underneath (Emperor after emperor and king after king wanted to be the almighty so they constantly built on top of previously existing structures).

Overall, I had a very historically filled day. The thought I kept having while standing in the Colosseum is that people died in there. People cheered for death in there. People from 1000s of years ago walked there as everyday life. I touched the same walls Emperors and Empresses touched. It's crazy!!!

My plan for tomorrow is to attempt the Metro and get to Vatican City. I'm finding the thought of trying to get the right ticket/pass and then get on the right train, then get off at the right place, then after all is said and done, find my way back, a little daunting. I'm hoping maybe one of the staff can advice me on what to get.