Blog ≫ 2022 ≫ Midlife Eurotour part ten - The Colosseum
Another day, another hotel breakfast. We got there slightly earlier today, same table and same breakfast though. I think yesterday we got there a bit late and they were wanting to clear the table from under us. Today we're off to the Colosseum. I bought tickets in advance again, did I do it from the UK or did I just do it the day before online? Slightly suspicious again that I'd done the wrong thing, but it all worked out. We had tickets for around lunchtime so decided to go and check out the Pantheon before. Actually go inside it, it's free, and it's quite interesting. We got the bus there, and queued a little to go in, and marveled at the sheer age of the front bit of it, and then the beauty of the things inside it. It's mostly tombs and shriney type religious things, dedicated to various important people. There's a ninja turtle in there. OK, not a ninja turtle but Donatello is buried there.
The Colosseum is awesome, but a lot to see, a bit too much for everyone I think. It rained a bit today which cooled it down very slightly.
Ooh I got some transcribed dictation, so this is live commentary on the holiday, from the Coloseum. Not half remembered ideas several weeks later.
We're in the coloseum now. Everyone is flagging, so. Clare and her dad and the boys are sat down taking a little break. I'm leaning over the railings on the second level, looking down on the arena floor. It's raining now, the second time today. It's still hot here, but the rain is coming straight down. I'm sure it is sizzling every time a raindrop hits my head, as so hot here.
It's awesome being in the Colosseum looking down on the floor like this, even though three quarters of the arena floor is exposed. It's gone so you can see down into the tunnels / catacombs cells underneath to show the remains of the workings of it. It's really good. There's still quite a lot left. This place looks more impressive from the outside than from the inside, but inside with with context when you get little pointers that say this was here and that was there, it's pretty cool. We had a drink before we came in in a little bar in the shadow of the Colosseum, was quite expensive and didn't feel super welcome there, but we just needed somewhere to stop before we came in. We got the bus here, and I think we bunked the bus. We had bus tickets from yesterday that we hadn't validated. It's still in my pocket and I think no one really checks your tickets on the bus. You're supposed to get on and put them in the machine to validate them and then you're ok to travel, but because there's no one checking we just didn't get around to putting them in the machine so we had a free bus ride. They're super cheap anyway. Being one euro fifty for 100 minutes of travel so you can use it a few times1. I do not recommend deliberately not validating your ticket to get free travel, it was just a mistake for us.
Thing one has just come over to point out that I am wet because I am stood outside, the rain's coming straight down, and they've been under shelter. I think we're ready to move on. "Who are you talking to?" they just asked, just talking to myself...
So another slightly too tiring school-trippy event, when the boys would rather be on a waterslide. But we're showing them some culture damn it! I think I'd rather be on a waterslide for some of it. Next year more waterslides.
Thing two bought a book and a reproduction Roman coin from the shop, to take back to school. After we took a walk through the forum, which is amazing but again too much to take in, especially following on the heels of the Colosseum.
After this I waved them all off in a taxi, they were too tired for more walking. I enjoyed another meander back towards the hotel, and I don't suppose they got there too much before me. I had intended to stop somewhere on the way but nothing caught my fancy. I also didn't see anywhere I liked the look of for us all for dinner. You'd think it would be easy!
I went back into the hotel, maybe a very quick change? Then out to scout a place for dinner. I had a few places lined up on the map, with good reviews, but they were shut. Quite a lot was shut because it's the Italian holidays, this surprised me in what I think of as peak holiday season. Don't go to Rome in August, it's too hot and some of it closes down. I was looking at one place that I wasn't that inspired by and noticed a lot of asterisks on the menu. This indicated which dishes were from the freezer, rather than prepared fresh, a nice touch I think. It must be a local law. I went to another place nearby which did seem to have the reviews, and the waiter / proprietor / hustler-inner said "you looking at that place? you know it's all frozen? it's not here". I said yes, but I might just stop for a drink while I wait for the family, and sat at a table outside to look at the menu and see what's what. The same helpful guy showed me all the things on the menu that were vegan, and it seemed good and cheap, so I called the others and we ate there. We had all the things we wanted, and enjoyed the meal more than the fancier place the day before. I'm not nice people, I can't go to nice places. Anyway, a good meal, enjoyed it. Also it turned out I'd walked in a big circle and I was back on the street our hotel was on. So not too far to walk back, via the gelateria.
- This not true I think, maybe it's good for 100 minutes from validating it but you can only use it for one journey?