The Colosseum is Old.

I don't know why blogging is so much harder in Italy.

Maybe it's because I haven't been on my computer all week so I feel a little out of practice. Or maybe because the things I have been doing are so different than my regular daily routines that blogging about it just feels a little strange because I'm still processing where I am and what I have been doing.

Either way, I've had another two eventful days since I last wrote. After our McDonald's Internet excursion yesterday, Eia and I set off to see the Colosseum. We took our time getting there, because it was a pretty long walk from where we're staying. We ducked in to a few little shops (one in particular where a nice lady kept giving us samples of this "fruit cream" drink that she failed to mention was alcoholic until after we'd tried three kinds xD), and of course hit a few more gelato places.

We've been seeing how many different gelato flavors we can try while we're here.. so far I've had Caramel, Peach, and mixed berry with Vanilla. I think we'd need to extend our trip another two weeks to try them all.

On our walk we stopped at this pretty building with lots of steps of which I can't remember the name (there are a lot of buildings like this in Rome! I'm sorry!) and I saw a smooth, shiny rock on the ground. Kayley sent me a worry stone in her care package she sent for me, so I thought I'd pick it up and take it home for her, to replace the one she gave to me. I bent over and grasped it between my thumb and forefinger; turned it over, examining it... and freaked out. I threw it back on the ground and rubbed my hands against my pants. Turns out it was a cough drop. Sick.

We stopped at the Termini to buy our train tickets to Paris (we leave tomorrow evening). We're taking the night train, which takes a total of about 14 hours, and while that may sound horrible to anyone else, we couldn't be more excited. Plus, one less night we have to pay for a hostel in France.

We eventually made our way down to the Colosseum, and I stopped a few moments to take it all in. I mean, it was pretty touristy, with people in colorful fanny packs and visors milling about on the grounds and up in the open windows and everything, but if I squinted my eyes just the tiniest bit, it was so easy to imagine this place existing thousands of years ago. Basically, it was old, it was breathtaking, and despite the tourists and the cheesy men dressed as gladiators, I really got a sense of just how much history there is out there. This isn't like... a monument or a statue or an homage to the past like we have in America - this IS the past. A very well preserved, constantly under renovation, tourist attracting version of the past, but people WALKED on those streets, well before the Internet was invented or Converse shoes or Chipotle or, you know, electric plumbing.

We were going to stroll through the Roman Forum as well, but there was all sorts of construction happening, which kind of detracted from the impact, so Eia and I instead sat in the shadow of the Colosseum for nearly an hour, just taking it all in and chatting. It was really hot and dusty there as well, so we were feeling a bit sluggish. I'm sure not walking through the Forum is something I'll probably regret forever, but I was there. I saw it through bars. I ate some more gelato. I took a picture for a family from some random country.

The gladiators were desperate to earn a euro, and were demanding of pretty woman that they let them take their picture. One particular gladiator man didn't quite have the lingo down - I laughed for about five minutes after I heard him yell after a woman, "No picture? But - but you're a sex machine!" How that's going to make her turn around, I have no idea.


After another half hour or so of laughing at all the high-heels wearing people tripping their way along the cobblestone, Eia and I headed home for the night, where we made ourselves some wonderful Gnocchi and watched most of Season 1 of Weeds on my laptop. ANOTHER GRAND DAY IN ITALY.

Today we slept in again (couldn't help it) and spent the morning wandering the streets nearer to where our apartment is. We ended up eating some ham, mushroom and pea tortellini in a little café and bought a chocolate pie in a bakery that we're saving for tonight when we drink wine and finish Weeds. :)

Right now Eia and her grandma are at her cousin's wedding that I ended up not being able to go to because of strict catering numbers, and they feel a little guilty but I really don't mind. I am going to read my book (I'm finishing up "Extras" by Scott Westerfeld and then I am jumping headfirst into "The Hunger Games") and maybe wander a bit in town on my own.

Tomorrow was going to be beach day (god have we been looking forward to having a beach day) but I think we are going to the Vatican and then having drinks at Rome's Hard Rock Café, since our train leaves a bit too early in the evening to make it to the beach and back and not be stressed out about it. Oh well.

Times I've had Indian food: 12
Times I've had gelato: 3
Days until I leave: 14