When in Rome...

Post #2- Italy

     Yes, here I am in Rome. The train ride from Brno was long, but pretty. Passing through those Alps was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We pulled into Rome around dinner time, and I decided to go find a meal. I ate at another sidewalk cafe and the food was delicious! I think Italian food is my new favorite. From the cafe, I had a hillside view of Rome, and I felt the most relaxed I had been during this whole trip. I wanted to stay there forever, but I knew I had to had to go on to the Hotel. It is a five-star luxurous resort, so I get rock-star treatment here.

     It is now the 29th of September, so I am going to relate to you all of the things I did while I was in Italy.

     The first day I spent exploring Rome. Though they are only separated by two countries, Prague and Rome are two completely different worlds. The weather was nice all the time, thanks to that wonderful medditerrainian climate. The apartments are much more closely packed here, but everything was great! The city has milleniums of history spilling out of it's pores.

     This photo is the Roman coliseum. It was built way back when the Roman Empire still thrived, in the BCs. I am amazed that it is still standing, it truly shows that the Romans were great architects. Back in the day when this was functional, the romans used slaves as gladiators to fight one another in the middle of the arena, while spectators crowded the seats around the central ring. It must have been really gory, and terrifying to the gladiators, with people wishing you dead just for the purpose of entertainment. Maybe those Romans were not as civilized as we were led to believe.

     Sorry about the blurry photo. This is of the ruins of a roman town named pompeii. I visited it on the 2nd day in Italy. The mountain in the background is called Mt. Vesuvius, and it is actually a volcano! Around 49 BC, the town was still inhabited, with roman citizens. At that time, the mountain erupted without warning, spewing ash on the poor little town. The only means of escape was by boat, out onto the sea. Most of the people died, however, and the town was buried in thick layers of ash. The ash preserved a large amount of the city, and it was found later on in the 18th century. The preservation also accounted for the people that layed down and died. the impression that their bodies made are still there! Now that kind of creeped me out. If you want to learn more about this extraordinary feature, click here

     On the third and last day in Italy, (by now I am STUFFED with italian food) I visited the Vatican City. The Vatican city is actually it's own country, and it is where the pope lives. The population of the Vatican is only in the hundreds, outnumbered even by visitors. It is a very pretty place, an oasis in the middle of the bustle of modern-day Rome.

     Tommorow I am going to England. I can't wait to see the country of my heritage. Until next time...