Our first day of sight-seeing in Rome!
It's about 6:00 PM, and we've just returned to the hotel from our first day of sight-seeing in Rome. We started early (wake-up at 6, breakfast at 7, on the bus at 7;45). The weather was terrific, although a little bit on the hot side (high 80's) but cloudless skies. We started the day with a visit to the Colosseum, followed by trips to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Catacombs. Right now Bill is rehearsing the music program with the kids in the hotel lounge, & the chaperones get a chance to relax a little bit. Dinner is at 8:30...
Here's some of the girls from Bus 2 ("Rutter"; our three buses are named after composers -- Rutter, Hogan and Schubert), getting ready to go into the Colosseum:
An interesting view from the inside of the Colosseum, above the Emperor's entrance. The door on the opposite side is the Gate of the Dead -- only the remains of the victims passed through those gates. A portion of the original wood flooring has been restored to illustrate how the chambers beneath were once used to stage the animals and victims, with elevators bringing them up to the surface as a sort of special effect to please the crowds.
The Colosseum today is a peaceful and serene place, but it's not hard to imagine the horror and scenes of carnage in days past:
This is a shot of the interior of the Pantheon, a one-time Pagan astronomical temple later converted to a church (as all Roman temples were, or destroyed). The sun shining through the (about 10' wide) hole in the roof is used for tracking the seasons. It's enormous; the roof is at least 100' above the floor.
Here's some of the kids at the Trevi Fountain. The temptation to jump into the water is very strong; fortunately there are police with whistles pouncing instantly on any who dare to trespass. Just as fortunately, none of our kids got whistled at (by police or anybody else -- at least not so far!)
The Catacombs were a welcome, although somewhat somber and gloomy, break from the sunshine and heat. However, coming back into the warm weather was a little tiring for some ...
Here's some of the girls from Bus 2 ("Rutter"; our three buses are named after composers -- Rutter, Hogan and Schubert), getting ready to go into the Colosseum:
An interesting view from the inside of the Colosseum, above the Emperor's entrance. The door on the opposite side is the Gate of the Dead -- only the remains of the victims passed through those gates. A portion of the original wood flooring has been restored to illustrate how the chambers beneath were once used to stage the animals and victims, with elevators bringing them up to the surface as a sort of special effect to please the crowds.
This is a shot of the interior of the Pantheon, a one-time Pagan astronomical temple later converted to a church (as all Roman temples were, or destroyed). The sun shining through the (about 10' wide) hole in the roof is used for tracking the seasons. It's enormous; the roof is at least 100' above the floor.
Here's some of the kids at the Trevi Fountain. The temptation to jump into the water is very strong; fortunately there are police with whistles pouncing instantly on any who dare to trespass. Just as fortunately, none of our kids got whistled at (by police or anybody else -- at least not so far!)
The Catacombs were a welcome, although somewhat somber and gloomy, break from the sunshine and heat. However, coming back into the warm weather was a little tiring for some ...
posted by Glen at 8:47 AM
1 Comments:
Glen, Thanks for the wonderful pictures and dialogue. It makes us feel like we are along on the trip without freaking our daughter out, the jet lag or the expense! I know this takes alot of time and effort on your part but it is greatly appreciated.
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