Gladiators and Nuns, Oh My!

I cannot say that Rome is my favorite city in Italy, but it certainly has its characters. Today we went on the Roman ruins tour (aka Coliseum and Palantine Hill), saw where Julius Caesar was burned, and then pretended to be statues in the Coliseum. Outside of the massive arches were the fake gladiators who want you to take pictures of them and then pay them loads of money. We took our picture with care from a distance.....

I wish I knew more Roman history. Too much of my knowledge of the Coliseum comes from movies, such as Gladiator and Ben Hur.

Also cannot describe how many churches there are in this city. Yesterday K and I wandered into a random church. It was under renovation, so it smelled of paint. It was impressive and chilly, nonetheless. St. Peter's in the Vatican was impressive for its size, and I loved the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican museum. Cannot express what it was like to stare up at the ceiling at the stories from Genesis and see the "spark of life" overhead. Yet I guess I never realized how many nuns, priests, and monks that I would see walking around the city. Of course, the papal procession was something to behold and probably the reason why it is so crowded here as well. Neither K or I had the desire to actually enter the church where Audrey Hepburn stuck her hand in the lion's mouth. But we waited in line to stick our hands into that wall! (Unfortunately, that line seemed to be longer than the Coliseum)

Tomorrow is Assisi and the Church of St. Francis. Then up to the Italian Alps!