Come And See Rome!

First day on the streets of Rome! It was exciting! It was fun! It was dirty! It was cold! It was terrifying!

So the only big plans we had for the day was to go see a giant pile of rocks! I believe they call it the Come And See Em. Which makes sense when you want people to see a truly giant pile of rocks! EDIT: So I am being told its the Colosseum, which is apparently also the incorrect name for the place, as it was really called Amphitheatrum Flavium. Rough translation is Amphitheater of Flavor. I guess they filled it with delectable meats and sweet treats. The name we currently know it by came about because the giant statue of Nero that was placed near one side of the arena that people used as a meeting place. Also I now have a need to get some ice cream.

We arrived at what is liberally known as a park in central Rome (pictured below), and wait for the rest of our tour party to arrive. (Dan booked us on an English guided tour of the place, which is why a kitten knows so much about the history of this historic pile of humongous rocks.) Soon the tour group arrived and we were off to the Come And See Um..err..Colosseum!

The tour took us through many parts of the Colosseum (Dan says I should use the proper name of things, even though they are all made up right? I mean really, who cares, you know what I am talking about) most notably the arena floor! Which, much to Dan’s chagrin, I felt compelled, nay, REQUIRED, to scream at the top of my lungs: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! In remembrance of the late Russel Crowe in his iconic and defining role of Maximus in the mega accurate movie from 2000, Gladiator! YET ANOTHER EDIT: Dan has informed me that none of the above is true. Which is one of the biggest bummers of my short life.

After an extensive tour of the grounds and of the forum we arrive at the Circus Maximus! The great track where the chariot races were held! I was so excited about this I was fairly quivering with anticipation! And, wow, WHAT A HUGE LET DOWN. It was a dirty track in the ground! I was ready to see ancient blood! The bones of my enemy’s! Guts and GORE! Instead, it was the equivalent of crappy high school track. All said though it was pretty cool.

To wrap up the tour, we visited the tomb of Julie Must Seize Her! It was…anti climactic to say the least. Though its a common misconception that he was stabbed there (Et tu, Brute?) this is just his burial place. The real place he was stabbed is now a…get ready for it…here it comes…oh its exciting…ok, for real here it is!!…CAT SANCTUARY! More on that later though! The day closed out with a fine meal at The Box Co. (it was pretty lack luster) and a good long nap till the next day! Hurrah ROME!!!