This past summer we tackled the task of deciding on our first major European vacation. We only had two real criteria: somewhere warm and somewhere near a beach. Typically, I am not a beach-type person, but the cool summers of the UK had me craving the warm sun on my face and my toes in some sand! Since we know our time is limited here, we wanted to make the most of this vacation. With a map of mainland Europe in front of us, we talked and researched, and then we talked and researched some more. After a few weeks of discussions that went a bit like, "Well...what about X? Yeah, that sounds great! Or what about Y? That sounds awesome, too!" we decided on a tour of Italy. It would be warm, and there would be a beach.
Our first stop in Italy was Rome for two days. We saw the majority of the must-see sights, except Vatican City. We will return to see that! We were fortunate that our hotel was just a minutes walk from the Colosseum.
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| AJ deep in thought as he looks out at the people wandering about on the Colosseum grounds. |
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| I cannot imagine living in one of the flats to the left and waking up to the view of the Colosseum each day! |
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The side of the Colosseum; this photo does not adequately illustrate its size.
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| As I stood looking onto the arena of the Colosseum, I remembered the hours I spent with a few friends constructing it for a sixth grade social studies project. |
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There is something charming and absolutely Italian in my mind about looking out an
opening in the Colosseum and seeing a VW bug! |
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| The beauty of the stone work on the ruins of buildings in Palatine Hill were stunning. |
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| While we did not make it to Vatican City, there is clear view of St. Peter's Basilica from a spot on Palatine Hill. |
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Throughout Rome you will find "SPQR" (Senātus Populusque Rōmānus: The Senate and the People of Rome);
it can even be found on sewage drain covers! |
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We spent hours walking the streets of Rome, checking off all the must-see items. Hours were spent in Palatine Hill, the Forum, and Colosseum reading about the history. With the sun beating down on our faces, we strolled through this ancient city pinching ourselves that this was our summer vacation! As we reminisce about those hot summer days, remember the lights are always on!
~W
