History Lession in Rome

Castel Saint Angelo located beside the Tibur River
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Sept 28 – Oct 2, 2006

Rome

Rome is truly memorable and highly recommended to history buffs as history dating back hundreds and thousands of years is on display around every corner.

What can one say about Rome? Words really do fail to describe this city. The history, the magnificence and the enormity of the historical buildings, the wealth of the Vatican, the masses of people (tourists and locals), the vast collection of art...it needs to be experienced!

We organized a parade (actually multiple protests) in celebration of Karsten's birthday
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Our experience in Rome was a special one in that we celebrated Karsten’s 15^th birthday here. His wish was to visit the Colosseum on his birthday. We did that, plus the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, and Circus Maximus. In addition, we also landed ourselves in the middle of a parade – of multiple protest groups each promoting its own agenda, such as the presence of Italian troops in Iraq, persecution of Philipinos, protest against Bush and the US, and promotion of the Communist Party. Lots of police presence and a birthday experience not easily experienced in Canada!

The Chengs about to join the line up for the Colosseum
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Rome is overwhelming, over stimulating and over crowded, but it is Rome. History is around every corner and one definitely gets the feeling that we are just living in an instant in time. We discovered that the Roman ruins would have been even more magnificent if not for the civilizations that follow the Roman Empire who pillaged much of the building materials for their own construction projects. For example, much of the marble that makes up Saint Peter’s Basilica was taken from the Colosseum and the bronze used for the alter was taken from the ceiling of the Pantheon. Despite this, the remains are still awe inspiring and this makes one wonder have we really progressed so much in building technology over the centuries. The Romans were truly master builders.

The wait is worthwhile as we tour the Colosseum
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Our visit to Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican made us realize how much effort has gone into building and maintaining these magnificent structures. Saint Peter’s Basilica is the largest domed church in the world and one does not even realize how big it truly is standing inside without putting some proportions to it. For example, the Statue of Liberty can fit inside the dome of Saint Peter’s! Our visit to the Vatican was a short one due to time constraints. However, we did quickly walk through the many galleries and residences to see the art that has been collected there. The collection rivals any museum that we have seen to date. The crowning glory has to be the Sistine Chapel. We were able to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece at the end of the tour.

Saint Peter's Basilica
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Rome is truly memorable and highly recommended to history buffs as history dating back hundreds and thousands of years is on display around every corner.