The Allisons

Rome again.

This was our last excursion while Mike's mom was here. However, we were all unexpectedly inconvenienced when Milda broke 2 bones in her foot 3 days before we were supposed to leave. A word to future visitors: watch the bottom step on our staircase. I could not help but to include the picture of Mike piggy-backing his mom to the terminal from the airport parking lot. The Italian man following closely behind was kind enough to help with our luggage. (While I, crippled with laughter, attempted to take this picture.)

As our movement was hindered by the crutches, we opted for a couple of rides around the city on a bus tour. We were able to see the major sights at least. On the upper left is the Mausoleum of Augustus or more recently called Castel St. Angelo. Originally it was a place for the bodies and ashes of the dead. It was built outside the city walls for sanitation purposes. Then, much later, it was made into a fortress for the defense of the Pope and Cardinals from the Vatican. A raised walkway was built going directly from the Vatican to the fortress. It still exists and is pretty cool.
The next pictures are inside the Coliseum. I think my favorite part was the steps going up to the next level. They were incredibly steep. I can't imagine how people got up there in "togas":). The next picture was taken from the upper level of the Coliseum looking out over the historic center of Rome. Except the big white building in the back wouldn't have been there.
Then next stop on the bus tour was the Circus Maximus. There's a sign obstructing the view but, hopefully you can get a feel for how big it is. You can kind of see where it looks like a track in the middle of the green. That's it. This is where the Ancient Romans had chariot races. The ruins to the right of the Circus Maximus are on the Palatine hill. The Palatine was where the emperor's palace was. The next picture is just a different view.
I can't remember what this building was (left), but the history was interesting. You may notice it looks a lot like the Coliseum. That's partly because a lot of the stone that was used here came from the Coliseum. When the Coliseum went through a period of neglect, it was actually used as a quarry for other buildings. Romans harvested the valuable travertine stone to build other stuff. Not only is this site updated for your viewing pleasure, but also I hope, a source of great insight and knowledge. Ha! Just kidding.
I don't know exactly what this is, but I do know that the giant statues at the top of the stairs are Romulus and Remus--the founders of Rome.
I know this next picture is hard to see. It snuck up on me both times we passed it and the bus didn't really stop here. On these steps (behind the obnoxious yellow car and down about 10 feet) is where Julius Caesar was murdered. "Et tu Brute?"
This is the Vatican and St. Peter's square. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the Pope knows me by name, what with all my trips to the Vatican.
And last, I know you saw it on my other Rome blog, but it is becoming one of my favorite places in Rome. Trevi Fountain. It was especially nice this last time because Mike and I were there at sunset. We people watched and chatted. I know the picture on the right doesn't look like he's having that great of a time. He's just concentrating really hard on taking a good picture for the blog. :) The bottom picture is at twilight with the lights on.