Rome, Italy: Day Two.

Looking down the rainy street on our way to the Colloseum.
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Today I woke up at 11:30am! Jeff woke me up in the middle of the night saying that he couldn't sleep. After that I couldn't get back to sleep until almost 4am. I woke up sometime in the early morning, heard the rain and went back to bed. Yep. I said rain. Great huh? It rained most of the day. Sometimes poured. We didn't pack an umbrella either. I finally broke down and bought an umbrella on the Island because I was drenched through and through.

We got ready and walked towards the Coliseum. There was lots of traffic and people along the way. We saw a lot of souviner shops too. The Coliseum was pretty awesome! We took lots of pictures from the outside then went and got tickets and took more inside. We did lots of walking inside. We walked along the first floor then went up the steep stairs to the second floor. I can't believe it was finished being built in 80 AD! It was able to hold over 50,000 spectators! I honestly can't get my brain around how old this building was.

It is lucky to throw coins with one's right hand over one's right shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

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We took pictures of the Arch of Constantine (315 AD) which was just outside of the Coliseum. We decided to walk to the top of the Palatine Hill. The view from the top was magnificent! We could see the Vatican off in the distance among other prominent buildings. There were palm trees and blooming Rose Bushes throughout the 'park'. It was very nice.

From here we walked out on a nearby street. We saw a vendor and decided to grab a bite to eat. I got a slice of pizza with cheese (it was more like a pita) and Jeff got a patry and we split a chocolate bar. We both enjoyed our food. We decided to walk through the Forum which is right at the bottom the of the Palatine Hill.

The Forum.
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There were a lot old buildings to look at here: The Temple of Saturnm Arch of Septlimius Servus, Temple of Ceasar, Arch of Titus, the Ruined Baths, the Temple of Venus etc... This was another very historical site. I wish it wasn't raining so we could have enjoyed it more but oh well. We made do.

We walked up along the Tiber River. It was very dirty looking - murky with garbage along the edges - and moving very fast. We walked over Ponte Fabrico (a bridge) and ended up at a hospital on Isola Tiberinaor Tiber Island. This is where were bought our umbrella. We decided to walk back over the bridge and ended up at Sant' Andrea Della Valle -a Cathedrial to dry off. I was just about to take off my sweater but remembered that they have a strict dress code for churches in Italy. No tank tops allowed!

The brigdge to Isola Tiberina.
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We made our way to the Panthenon next. This was a very busy tourist site. We took quite a few pictures. I really liked the domed ceiling.

Dinner was at a little restaurant near the Trevi Fountain. Their specialty was hot chocolate. It was melted chocolate in a cup. I liked it but found it a little bitter. Jeff really loved his and ended up finishing mine too. I had Spaghetti Bolognese and Bread. He had Lasagna. The food was ok but not the greatest.

The beautiful Trevi Fountain.
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We went out to take pics of the fountain. Again, there were a lot of people at this spot. A man offered to take our picture. He was selling roses and gave me his bouquet to hold in the picture. We were both worried that he was going to run off with our camera but he didn't. He just wanted a few Euros. He forced 3 roses on me and Jeff gave him 5 Euros. He wasn't too pleased with that but too bad. We didn't want any roses. Especially because they looked half dead. I ended up with one rose because two of the flowers fell off the stem on the way home!

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We took pictures of each other throwing coins over our shoulders. It's a tradition:

Lucky coin throwing

Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" were thrown by three different individuals, a reported current legend is that it is lucky to throw coins with one's right hand over one's right shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

Throwing one coin in will ensure that the thrower will return to Rome. Throwing two coins ensures that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy), and throwing three coins now ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome -Wikipedia

At this point, we were cold, wet and tired. We headed back to our hotel room. We walked to a Metro station and took a packed train back to Termini Station. From here I called home and spoke to my sister Kara who was watching our cat Diego. She said that Diego was hiding but ate some food when she wasn't there. We miss our little kitty. I hope he'll be ok.

Jeff's already asleep. I should be too. I really enjoyed today. I just wish it rained much less or not at all. More tomorrow. Night.