When in Rome!

First off followers: sorry for not posting more frequently. "When in Rome, update your bog frequently," is not the saying.  Instead we did as the Romans did: visit ancient sights and eat lots of pizza and gelato. Wait, thats not right either. 
     We had a very full four days in Rome.  I'll try and get the order right to coincide with the pictures. There are huge old churches and buildings every direction you turn, very much like Madrid.  in the evenings everyone hangs out in plazas.  They are super crowded but still very worth it. The fountains and statues were created centuries ago by Bernini and his peers.  They are incredible and huge. The size of all of the things are so much bigger then you think they are when you research and see pictures about them.
    We started at the Roman forum next to the Colosseum. This place had acres of crumbled buildings that were originally shrines and dedications to the Greek gods.  It was neat to see there are still many archaeologists digging around discovering new revelations about how the people lived back then.  After a wonderful picnic on the hill where Romulus fought Remus which led to Rome being named Rome, we walked a short distance to where Russell Crowe intertained us all.
     What do you say about the Colosseum?  It is stunning. It also gave me the heebee jeebees a bit.  When you look down and see all of the little rooms that stored the fighters and animals, you realize that it was not all glorious fun and games. It was quite gruesome.  Only around one hundred of the gladiators fighting for their freedom ever got it.  Hundreds of thousands tried and failed.  To look where all of the fighting took place and think of those numbers gets to you a bit.  It was also chilling to realize that the structure in which we stood was the prime location for grusome executions of christians. Then you add in the cheering of thousands of fans and it makes you think humans are gross.
    All of that aside, it was still marvelous to look at, and again, the size of it could not be understood unless you have seen it in person.  What a truly memorable experience.