day twenty-three . 23 may

roma, italy
it feels very surreal to actually be coming to rome. seems like all the books we have read, pictures we have seen, stories we have heard, is not enough to prepare us for what to expect when we finally arrive.

for one, rome is actually a very much advanced city. just like any other cities in italy. in fact, its train station looks so advanced, it resembles an airport more than just a train station.

also, the colossuem and for that matter, the rest of the ancient city (with all the roman ruins) are not found in some outskirts or hilltop, but is located in the heart of the city. and that was my 1st encounter with the ancient world. one minute i was walking on the main road with crazy italian traffic (the cars never stop even when making a turn), the next, i round the bend and there, i see the colossuem before my very eyes. between us was a row of messily parked vehicles, lots of street lamps and a dirty lane. very nice.

see the colosseum?

we are really in rome!!!!

the colossuem did indeed lived up to its name. the sheer size of the place is enough to inspire awe in any visitor. the place, in its glory days, can take up to 50,000 spectators (according to our guide, the men got to sit while the women had to stand. pfft.)

inside the colossuem

of course, hearing all the crazy crazy things that took place here is another thing altogether. afterall, this is the very place where battles are fought.

battles between men and beasts (exotic animals were shipped in from all over the world, like lions from africa and tigers from asia. these animals were kept in cages and through elevators found below the floor of the arena, transported up to the battle field) men and slaves, men and prisoners (mostly christians since the romans were anti-christians) and men and volunteers. gladiators were one of the most revered people then. they get money, power, prestige, honour, fame and the women. the colossuem was a place where only the best walk out alive.

one cannot imagine the bloodshed that took place here

the exotic animals were kept in the small cubicles

the palatino hill was less enjoyable since half the time we were trying to locate our guide, the other half, trying to leech onto other tour groups.

ruins on palatino hill

roman ruins

but the ruins at the ancient forum was really a sight to behold. it is amazing how all of them are still pretty well-preserved and that what we have here is a civilization which existed more than 2000 years before ours.

the forum used to be a marketplace for the people in the past, and structures that were still intact showed evidence of what was formerly the senate house, temples, market square, basilica and a speaker’s platform where julius caesar used to address the people.