Rome–Day One–Roman Forum

When you purchase a ticket for the Colosseum  you get to go to the Roman Forum on the same ticket.  This place was amazing.  It was a snapshot into everyday life for the Romans.  It holds their palaces, government buildings, shopping, commercial dealings, temples, and shrines – among other things.  We walked to the top of the hill first and saw the massive ruins of old homes and parks.  Since the website did not update their hours for winter, we had two less hours there than we had planned.  I could have very happily used every second of those 120 minutes!

 

The Capitoline Hill – located between the Forum and Colosseum (these two pictures were taken from the upper level of the Colosseum).  It was designed by Michelangelo and was the grand entrance to the forum.  The Capitolum was regarded by the Romans as indestructible and was adopted as a symbol of eternity.

Overlooking the Forum and ruins

It’s hard being this photogenic

There are so many artifacts there are just piles of ruins everywhere…roped off..just hanging out.

Rome–Day One–Colosseum

First picture of the day was with the fountain right outside our flat.  We rented a one bedroom flat in the middle of town and it was absolutely perfect.  Driving in Rome is just….stressful!

We walked to the Colosseum.  The street hustlers know the area and look of tourists from a mile away.  I had guys trying to give me roses, sell me selfie sticks, umbrellas, private tours, etc.  By the time we got to the Colosseum I just wanted to pay to go inside so I would be assaulted by these people anymore!  It was really overwhelming.

Once inside we could start to relax and enjoy exploring this amazing site.  We paid extra for a tour and learned so much about the uses of the colosseum, its history, and the ultimate decline.

I love this shot  because it shows the third level on the left side, and the missing third level on the right.  It’s amazing how this building has stood for over 2000 years!

See that guy in the back?  He really wanted me to to buy this selfie stick I’m trying out for 30 Euro.  I only had 2 Euro.  He followed me all the way down the the entrance of the colosseum and went as low as 5 Euro.  Finally Chris had to use his scary voice to tell him to back off and leave me alone. 

This holes are all over the walls of the colosseum.  When asked about it our tour guide explained that anything of value that could be sold or repurposed was stolen from the site.  Kind of sad…but also look how many things were all over the walls!

A model showing what the inside and outside of the colosseum used to look like.

A few artifacts

Italy!

My amazing husband surprised me with a trip to Italy to see Pompeii….the one and only place I wanted to visit during our two years in Europe.  I had two weeks to plan the trip, find places to stay, and figure out kids.  We had the Erickson annual girls trip the week before we left so it has been a little crazy here at home. 

But on Feb 28th, we dropped the kids off on a cold snowy morning then headed to Gatwick.  Little did we know the next two days would be the most snow Salisbury had seen in the last five years and school would be canceled!

I had to put this picture of Andrew in.  If you look closely he has his cello, book bag, lunch bag, sport kit, and swim bag.  Just your average day heading to school for this kid!

Zack enjoying the snow and iced over pond.  Don’t be fooled…it’s not solid ice yet.

After a short two hour flight we made it to Naples, Italy!

In the women’s bathroom.  They don’t believe in toilet seats.  Yuck.

We had a fun little encounter at the car rental agency.  After waiting in line for over an hour with just one person at the counter…it was finally our turn.  The gal (upon hearing our very American accent) asked us if we really wanted to rent a car.  She proceeded to scare the living daylight out of me by saying the people of Naples are terrible drivers and road laws are seen more as suggestions.  Needless to say I used my little eye mask and just put all my trust in Christopher to get us there safe and sound!

At last we made it in one piece to our hotel in Rome.  There has never been a more welcome sight!  It was after midnight, so we called it a day to get all geared up for a big sightseeing day!