The Eternal City

Greetings from Rome.. Roma.. the Eternal City...

I have had to cut down many of the photos Matthew and I (but mostly Matthew... I'm still not sure he's not Japanese) took in Rome. There are simply too many things to take photos of, since you can barely walk a mile without tripping over something of historical significance!




Here is a quick breeze through of some of the more memorable sights!

Below is the largest "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" I have ever been to. 43 Nations worldwide have these memorials/grave sites which stand as a place marker for all of the lost soldiers from a war. Most of them were erected after World War I, but some countries commemorate locally significant wars instead. Where England had a touching tombsone ringed with red poppies in Westminster Abbey - Rome did it Roman style - and apparently out-did everyone else...

It is a stunning memorial, with gold mosaics and two honour guards which are present at all hours. Two "eternal" torches also flank the memorial with helps remind you of the history of Rome and its empire.

Next, as you turn away from the memorial and walk down the road which leads to the Colosseum... We ran into some less than usual soldiers from another time frame... although I question their authenticity..

Behind the rather brightly dressed man in the red skirt... sorry - I meant the historical depiction of a gladiator.... is the beginnings of the Roman Forum ruins dating back to when Rome was first a Republic.

Next up: was the Colosseum .. a standing tribute to the blood lusty days of the Romans when life and death matches were for entertainment and occasionally the people would decide a man's fate with the wagging of their thumbs... Glory aside, the Colosseum dates back to 80AD if I remember correctly... and entertained thousands (5,000 people, or 10,000 thumbs at a time) for almost two hundred years.

The workings of the Colosseum was surprisingly like a theater.. although perhaps it shouldn't be all that surprising as the Greeks invented theater long before the gladiator games. The picture below shows a tan platform where the floor of the Colosseum would have been (in the distant backgound) and  you can see the stone passageways and under compartments where sets, wild animals, slaves, and gladiators would be moved about all waiting for their curtain call. Most would ascend through the floor using elevators/raising and lowering platforms...

Rome was first a Republic, which grew through the plundering and unlimited slave power of the countries they slowly took over - until it became too large for a Republic legal system and that was when Julius Caesar took over and made it a ruling dictatorship... although not entirely as the senate always retained some power.

It was at the Roman forums that all the important business was discussed and where Julius Caesar's body was burnt..

The picture above is from the central market of the Roman Forums... ruins of the temple of castor and pollux.... The forum was also interesting in the sense that you can easily envision the ruins being a busy town square with merchants and politicians and ladies milling about... in fact tour guides with groups of Asian tourists nicely help fill in the scene.. :)

Although, before everyone starts booking their airline ticket to the Eternal City - keep in mind that most of the ruins look a lot like this:

Rome was lovely.. and we barely scratched the surface of things to see and do! A few other highlights which are recognizable by almost everyone that really need no introduction:::

Trevi Fountain:

And the Spanish Steps:
Doesn't really look like the postcards eh?