Today was an absolutely phenomenal day! We got to do so many incredible, once in a life time things!
We started out with a guided tour of the Colosseum. Except this wasn't any ordinary tour. RomeKids got VIP access to all the cool places! We had our own tour guide who showed us all around, including the very bottom level (I thought it was the basement, it's actually the ground level), and the very top level. These places are usually off limits unless you buy better tickets.
The whole tour was great, but being at the top was what was the most amazing. We could see everything in the Colosseum, and got spectacular views of the rest of the city. Of course, we took a whole bunch of photos. I think we were technically allowed five minutes to run around on the top for pictures, but I'm pretty sure we stayed a bit longer.
After the Colosseum, we went to the Palatine Hill (admission came with our Colosseum tickets). It's an absolutely beautiful, open space full of gardens and ruins. We were supposed to see the House of Livy, but unfortunately it was closed (and Dan got us a bit lost again). At that point, Dan and Jackie said, "Have fun! See you tomorrow!" We were left on our own, and we had to find our own way back.
A group of 12 of us decided to stick together and walk around, because we all wanted to see Castel Sant' Angelo together afterwards. We explored the gardens, even tried to get an orange from one of the many orange trees (no luck!). We came across the gardens, ruins we could actually touch (and climb on), even a pair of feral cats.
We then went out through the Roman Forum and sat in front of the Temple of Venus and Roma, which was, at one point, the most important temple in Rome. We just sat together, took out our journals, and relaxed. It felt amazing to sit in front of such a part of Rome's history and not be rushed, but just to sit quietly and reflect on everything around us.
Getting home was easy! I was a bit nervous without Dan or Jackie to point the way, but we still had the 12 of us, and we figured it out fairly easily. There's a metro right by the Colosseum, so we took that home. I'm really happy that we all stuck close together. We took care of each other. We came up with our own counting system and used the buddy system on the subway (you're never too old for the buddy system in a busy metro area in a foreign country).
We finally got back, and a group of us decided to go out for drinks downtown. We head down to the Piazza Navona, only a few metro stops away. Except the metro stops at 9, and at this point, its just after 11. So we took a bus down in hopes that it would stop near where we wanted it to. After a few stops and a bit of walking, we make it down town to where we wanted to be. The night was fun! The city is absolutely beautiful at night, and is completely different than it is during the day. We also made it home safe and sound, after a bit of confusion, thanks to a lovely young (and very cute) Italian boy.
All in all, a very good day!
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