Chapter 2 - Rome, the Colosseum et al

The Colosseum is hard to describe. It is just amazing that these huge stadium has survived almost 2000 years. We are all used to seeing it from the outside.

 

The context of the building is very striking. It is at the very heart of ancient Rome, with the Palatine Hill and Forum literally next door. We would be back for those the next day.

Also all around are the sinuous pine trees that forever say "Italy" to our eyes...
  

Inside, there is much more...this shows how tall it is. Climbing the stairs up and down can be a challenge as they are uneven and steep.

  

The structural elements will amaze you.

The floor is a giant maze of rooms for animals, gladiators and staff (er um slaves).

Some things never change. There were special seats for the Roman senators...sort of the "skybox" of those days - the light colored ones shown below.

  

The stonework is a dazzle of patterns and shapes and the arches and walls make for artful eye candy.

 

 

This is such a special, historical place it is hard to believe we were really there--we were!

After so much history, we spent the late afternoon shopping. Streets are not well labeled so plotting a path without using the GPS is difficult.  But we found beautiful sheets at a wonderful linen shop. We recovered from the Colosseum by having our first gelato, so yummy!  Elaine had coffee and dark chocolate (so dark it was almost black) and Lester had mango and dark chocolate.  

This night we had Ethiopian food for some variety.The restaurant was a special treat and a real adventure.  Located in the university area, it is off an alley.  We almost thought it was not there. The cab driver waited to see! This was the view from the street.

 

The outside looked charmingly rustic...

 

as was the inside...

Looking out from inside to outside in the early evening light seemed to make a perfect still life...the camera couldn't resist.

When we arrived we were the only people in the restaurant.  The owner, an Ethiopian woman who studied in London and overstayed her vacation in Rome because she met the  fell in love and remained to build a family.  It was a wonderful traditional injera meal.  

 

All the other patrons were students.  We shared a Sicilian Nero d’Alba - a good fit with the food and a nice end to one quite amazing first vacation day.   This trip focuses on four things--beautiful locations, art, great food and wonderful wine.  Day one hit all our targets.