Rome - Day 6

SATURDAY!!  I love Saturdays and it was our first full day in Rome.  I was a little nervous about things being really busy, so we got up early and ate Frosted Flakes (didn't expect to get those in an Italian grocery store) before heading out the door.  We found the metro station easily and bought a few tickets.  We were headed to the Colosseum by 0830.  We read the information that was printed on the backs of the subway tickets and we thought that one ticket was good for 45 minutes from the time it is first used...in a sense, this is correct.  However, we found out the hard way that it does not count if you exit the subway and then return.  I had read in the Rick Steve's guidebook that we could find Roma Passes in the Termini train station, so we exited here.  We asked around at several different stores and then tried to re-enter the subway, but couldn't.  So, we purchased two more tickets and continued onto the Colosseo subway stop.  As we were exiting, I just happened to spot a very small sign in the window of a tabachhi that said "Roma Pass."  We purchased two for 32 euros each.  These are good for unlimited metro trips for 3 days and free entry into two museums or attractions...very good deal if you plan on being there 3 days or more!

The Colosseum....ahhh.  Words cannot describe how awesome it is!  So historical, so famous, so...HUGE!  We went through security quickly and, with our handy-dandy Roma Passes, skipped the ticket-buying line and headed straight into the arena.  We turned on our Rick Steves' free audiotours on our iPods and strolled through this monstrous landmark in awe.  W took lots of pictures.  Unfortunately, we have our earphones in our ears in most of the shots...oh well.  After exploring the site and gift shop, we headed toward the Roman Forum...avoiding the annoying Gladiators along the way.  They stand in the middle of the road and offer to let you take your picture with them, then tell you to hand over 5 euros...no thanks.  Brett pointed out that most of them were "like 80 years old" and didn't look like "real" gladiators.  Which was true...they 

looked pretty weak.

The Roman Forum is basically the ruins remaining of Rome's center city 

and government buildings.  Julius Caesar ruled these streets some 2,000 years ago and his body was burned here as well.  We used our Roma Passes again for free entry (included with Colosseum) and walked in without waiting in line and roamed around the ancient, cobblestone streets.  There were churches, government buildings, apartments, etc.  Parts of the buildings were still standing, but for the most part, it was just random columns and foundations lying around and you would just have to imagine the buildings that once stood there.  Your feet can only take so much of cobblestone streets, so we sat down on a 2000 year old column and just people watched for a while before heading out for some lunch.

Rick Steves never let us down.  We found a inexpensive cafe that he suggested just about 

2 blocks from the Colosseum.  I was called Cafe de Studente; thus named because it's a popular eatery for students at the nearby university.  It was great...far enough away from the crowds and noise, but still with a view of the Colosseum.  As promised, the owner greeted us joyfully when we showed her our Rick Steves' guidebook and showered us with free appetizers and dessert :)  For the meal, I had a Margherita pizza (named after Queen Margherita) and Brett had a "pizza sandwich" which is pretty much a pizza folded in half that you eat with your hands.  He chose salami...and it had mozzarella and spinach...yes, Brett ate spinach.  Well, he picked off about 75% of it, but I was proud of him for not picking off all of it!!  It was a great find and a great way to rest our feet for a while.  Also, we got to sit at an outside table for no extra charge just for having Rick Steves' book!  You see, in Italy, they usually charge you to sit at 

one of their tables and they charge you even more if it's outside.

After lunch, we were off to see more of Rome.  We headed to Palatine Hill...basically more ruins of the ancient Roman capital.  It was neat, but we were extremely tired by this time and we walked through it very quickly...and sat a few times since our dogs were barking.  Palatine Hill was a huge palace at one point, but all that remains are a few crumbling walls and foundations.  The audiotour kept saying "imagine a beautiful fountain" or "picture a gigantic atrium."  After about 15 minutes of this, Brett said "I'm 

tired of imagining things."  And, that was the end of our audiotour.  After Palatine Hill, we headed back to the apartment via the Metro and took a little nap...much needed after those 3 huge sites.  We ate dinner at the apartment, watched a movie on the iPod and went to bed.  We had intentions of going out to eat and/or getting some gellato, but we were just too tired...