Cleopatra's Ghost

The looted holes inside the
Colosseum

Our second day in Rome was all about visiting the ruins. We started off with a guided tour of the Colosseum led by an American named Tyrion who had lived in Rome for about 10 years. He was extremely knowledgeable about Roman history and he was by far the best tour guide of the trip. We wore these little gadgets called "whispers" that are essentially a small headset that allowed Tyrion to lecture us about the ruins in a normal toned voice while we had the freedom to wander about and explore. The two most interesting things I learned about the Colosseum are that 1) there are holes absolutely covering it, these holes were created in the middle ages when Roman citizens looted the Colosseum and took all the lead in order to make weapons. 2) The Colosseum was also used to educate Roman citizens, for example they would bring in exotic animals such as giraffes and give big lectures about the animal's habitat and features.

The Colosseum

The floor of the Colosseum has crumbled to reveal the intricate hallways and passages that were used to usher in the gladiators as well as the lions and bulls they often fought, these hallways also contained elevators and pulley systems used to raise and lower both animals and props. All of the shows at the Colosseum were free to Roman citizens as an effort to keep them happy and those who attended also received free bread and wine. I vote we start pushing for free concerts in Kansas City, complete with free pizza and beer. That would make me one happy citizen.

The Roman Forum

After the Colosseum we wandered just a few hundred feet over to the Arch of Constantine, a massive marble arch covered with intricate carvings. Tyrion paused in the shade of a nearby tree to give us a little history lesson regarding the next part of our tour, The Roman Forum. To start at the beginning, Rome's founding story is similar to that of Moses, two baby boys named Romulus and Remus were born by Princess Rhea Silvia, a vestil virgin who got pregnant by the God Mars. Because her infant sons were in danger, she put them in a basket and they floated down the river Tiber until they washed up on land and were raised by a she-wolf and a couple shepherds. The sign of the she-wolf with two baby boys is the emblem of Rome to this day and can be seen everywhere from billboards to gas station signs.The boys were natural born leaders and eventually learned their noble blood line, they fought over where to build the city of Rome. Romulus killed his brother Remus and decided to build the city on Palatine Hill where the ruins of the Roman Forum are now located.

The Arch of Titus

I learned the story of Romulus and Remus in my Western Civilizations class so it was really cool to see the hill that they supposedly battled on and thus founded the city of Rome. After walking across the hill we entered the official Roman Forum which was, for centuries, the center of Roman political and religious life. The first monumental structure we encountered was the Arch of Titus, a large archway with carvings celebrating the looting and destruction of Jewish temples. The last person to walk through this archway was Hitler as a sign of disrespect to all Jews so now, as a result, the archway is blocked off and no one else can walk through it.

We continued on, treading across the same smooth, black stones that Caesar and Cleopatra once walked across. We passed Bay trees, used by the Roman's to scent their laundry and stopped to take pictures of the  fallen ruins and old churches that absolutely crowd the long abandoned forum. The Roman Forum itself was buried under so many layers of silt and grass that just a few hundreds years ago it was a field to graze cattle. After years of digging and excavating we are now able to have a full view of the many well preserved ruins. Rome is so full of historical ruins that have been long buried that it is impossible for them to have an underground railway system because that would mean destroying or relocating thousands of artifacts.

 A board game carved into the steps of the
Roman Forum

We turned a corner and came to a small stone room with a large pile of flowers and rosaries in the middle. A beautiful, green eyed cat rested lazily on a large stone near the door. Tyrion explained to us that Julius Caesar had been buried in a temple that was located at the top of a nearby hill. A fire had burned the temple to the ground and it was believed by many that where the pile of flowers was located is where most of Caesars' ashes had fallen. Remembering that Caesar and Cleopatra were in love, and Cleopatra is often represented by a cat, I felt the awesome coincidence looking at the green eyed feline so closely guarding Caesar's ashes. The thought crossed my mind that Thomas would probably think it was pretty awesome to share a resting spot with someone as historically significant as Julius Caesar, so I ducked back into the room to sprinkle some of Thomas' ashes in with Caesars. Now he truly does lie with the Kings, and he's guarded by Cleopatra's ghost. Upon turning to leave the small enclosing I noticed a beautiful white feather at my feet.

Alexa being serenaded "Happy Birthday" at
the Opera 

We returned to our hotel to get rested and cleaned up for our big outing that night, the Italian Opera accompanied by a 5 course meal. We had a great time listening to music and getting ready, my roommate Myca is amazing at hair and make-up so she gave me some smokey eyes and a really pretty french braid across my forehead. We arrived at the Opera a little early and took pictures before dinner. I was seated with a group of girls that I hadn't had much of an opportunity to get to know so we enjoyed the chance to get better acquainted. Our meal consisted of multiple dishes including pesto pasta, rice, salad, coffee flavored tiramisu and both red and white wine. The performance was a collaboration of multiple well known opera songs performed by 2 men and 2 women. The highlight of the night was hearing  them sing Happy Birthday to Alexa.

After my late night the night before, I was completely exhausted after the Opera and returned to my hotel for a solid nights sleep. The next morning we left for Assisi and Florence.