Lunch was rushed, but good, as we had to get to the Colosseum in time for our appointment. Anna once again joined us as our tour guide and was quite knowledgeable. The Colosseum was, for me, so much more impressive than I was expecting—and I was already looking forward to it. Considering how much of it has been taken away, it must have been absolutely astounding in its prime!
However, it was the Roman Forum that truly blew me away! Perhaps it was because I wasn’t expecting much, but I was amazed time and time again. In particular, it was fantastic to see the sites where Caesar was cremated and Marcus Antony gave his famous funeral speech on the day that they happened (today, the Ides of March)!
Dinner was disappointing and there were a few small issues with students (taking bricks from the Forum and getting into an argument with a street hawker by trying to walk away with an item without paying when the hawker called it a “gift”—a common hustle), but those were minor moments in a wonderful day.
Pompeii (and perhaps Naples) tomorrow!