Mediterranean Cruise 2005

ROME!

OHMYGOODNESS!!!!! We’re going to Italy and the Mediterranean!

Kathy’s parents, Paul and Geri, have invited us to join them on a 10 day adventure with them that we just could not pass up. We’re starting off with a couple of days in Rome, seeing as many sights as our legs can handle. This grand trip starts with our Air France 777 from Washington D.C. to Paris. 

We’re excited to get going, but a pretty bumpy stretch across the Atlantic leaves us more than ready to get off the plane.  We have to go through incoming customs and back through EU security checks, forcing us to (almost literally) run to catch our connecting flight to Rome … but we make it!  After flying over the Alps (that was cool!), we arrive at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, gather our bags, and get a cab to take us to our hotel for a quick nap before heading out for Day 1!

After a refreshing catnap and splashing some water on our collective faces, we take a bus into the heart of Rome.  Our first stop, though, is lunch – we’re FAMISHED!  Kathy enjoys her first authentic Italian pasta dish, and gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up!

With appetites sated, we head off towards our first destination. One thing to note – and you’ve probably heard this from anyone who’s ever traveled to Rome – the drivers are CRAZY! Definitely look both ways … several times … before crossing the street!!! Between the buses that definitely claim their own right-of-way to the ever-present buzzing of Vespa scooters, crossing streets – even with designated crosswalks and traffic lights – deserves hazardous duty pay!

My high-school Latin teacher would’ve been proud, as I instantly spotted the SPQR initials almost everywhere. SPQR – standing for “Senatus Populusque Romanus”, or “Senate and People of Rome” – has referred to the ruling government body since Rome’s earliest days. I took a few photos, of course – here’s one on a manhole cover.

The Pantheon

Our first stop takes us through some awesome winding streets until “poof!” we’re in front of the ancient Pantheon!

The Pantheon was built and rebuilt on the site of an earlier temple, but dedicated around 126 AD. It is one of the best-preserved of all ancient Roman buildings and has been a Catholic church since the 7th century!

Strictly from an engineering and architectural standpoint, the Pantheon is a marvel (especially for its time) for being a free-standing concrete domed ceiling that is much thicker at the base than it is at the top. The “oculus” (or “eye”) at the very top of the dome actually lightens the structural load of the entire complex. There have been many studies made of this, and I’ve watched lots of documentaries since being there, but to be in this massive (almost 200′ high!) open and almost cavernous space really has to be experienced first-hand.

Even the columns and inscription to Marcus Agrippa on the portico are impressive, but nothing prepares you for walking through the massive doors into the Pantheon interior.

Vittoriano Monument

Dodging crazy Italian drivers and gawking like the first-time Roman tourists that Kathy and I are, the four of us make it to our second landmark of the day – the Victor Emmanuel II (Vittoriano) Monument. 

This massive structure was built to honor the first king of a unified Italy.  It’s built on Capitoline Hill, one of the seven symbolic hills and the center of ancient Rome.  This is a huge and imposing structure that would’ve fit in easily in the times of the Caesars. 

The details and statuary around and on top of this monument were only a teaser for what was coming next!

The Colosseum

If there is one thing that defines what people think of when they think of Rome, it would be The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre.

This massive structure, imposing from great distances away, has been the focal point of countless movies, photos, and famous events throughout history.  

As we walked towards our next destination, there were numerous ruins and archaeological digs alongside us.  I could’ve spent days at each one of these, but given our extremely limited time – we marched on towards our (pun intended) colossal destination.

This amazing structure is surrounded by a buzzing swarm of traffic circling around its base.  There have actually be some concerns that the combination of the constant vibrations and the polluting exhaust fumes might have some detrimental effects and that there may need to be changes in the future — but for now, we’re ducking, dodging, and weaving our way across another crosswalk.

While Paul and Geri decide to wait outside (they’ve been here before), we meet up with our tour guide and start the time travel back to ancient Rome and the time of the gladiators!

The interior really allows us to see the age of this wonder, as the old “floor” of the Colosseum has been lost over time.  This lets us see the old slave and animal cells and various storage areas that used to be hidden from view.

The various seating levels, organized by class, made sure that no matter where you fit in the levels of society you were able to see the more-often-than-not bloody “games” held in this massive arena. 

As with other places we’ve been, you can actually “feel” the history within these walls.  The echoes of the crowds cheering and yelling, sometimes viciously, and the sounds of the brutal battles held below…  all were precursors for our modern sporting events and arenas.

That was something that was very easy to see, once here.  Modern stadiums for almost any sport owe their lineage to this building.  The seating, providing clear views…  the segmentation of sections of the venue… the extremely efficient (brutality aside) of moving “contestants” into and out of the arena. 

Our guide even pointed out the Roman numbering above some of the entrance archways.  These would be matched against your entrance ticket to make sure that you were authorized to enter the section accessed by this archway.  Our modern stadium sections, rows, and seats are direct descendants from this system! 

 Our tour ends far too soon, as again – I could’ve spent a month poking and exploring around the sections.  I really wanted to get down into the lower levels.  But, alas, there are SO MANY OTHER THINGS TO SEE!

Forum Romanum

We’re not even done with TODAY! Next up, passing through the Arch of Titus, we enter into the ruins of the Roman Forum.  

The Forum was the center of day-to-day life for early Romans – the seat of government, home of most of the large markets, and other business dealings that drove not only Rome but the entire Empire! 

Over time, these ruins have crumbled, but some have been preserved and it is amazing to walk down the same streets and pathways that sandled and toga’d Romans would have crowded along thousands of years ago. 

An adorable photo of Paul and Geri eating a gelato later, and we’re all ready to call it a day, as tomorrow will be an endurance march!