Rome #1...

 I know I've said this a lot on this blog recently but WOW, Rome was amazing and we only skimmed the surface!  We headed up there to see the Colosseum and the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.  Just those goals in mind for one day and boy what a LONG day it was.  After riding on the metro (which the kids thought was great) we arrived to the Colosseum.  Nobody can prepare you for just how big it is.  It was amazing.  Jake went in to book us some tickets on the next accompanied tour, which just means we got to go to places most people don't with a tour guide who only answered our questions, not gave us an actual 'tour'.  It was completely worth the 2 euro extra to get access to the underground part and the 3rd level and with our own personal 'tour guide'.  I was completely in awe the whole time we were there.  What an amazing structure.  We learned that the holes throughout the exterior and interior was from when the Barbarian's came and took out the precious metals that were holding the blocks in place.  The Roman's knew what they were doing when the built things though because it is still very much in place.

 This was on the way out to the arena.  This is called the staging area where they would prepare the gladiators, animals or whatever was going to fight that day.  I cannot even imagine the rush of adrenaline you would have as you waited to be lifted up into the arena.  While I don't love what happened in this place for the most part, I am still incredibly awed by the engineering and the structure.  Unbelievable!

 This is from the 3rd level and you can really get a feeling for how amazingly huge this place really is.  I think it is so cool how intact it still is.  So glad we ended up going in and seeing it.  The staging area of Capua was much cooler than the Colosseum was, but this literally took your breath way with how grand it was.