30 Sept Roma

Just to complete the all-round experience, today we were very thankful for umbrellas and ponchos. The forecast was for about 24° and .7ml of rain. We reckon we had about 20° and maybe 3 inches of big fat rain! I can't remember what Forrest Gump called the rain that came in at you sideways, but we also had that and it came with huge force. I was amazed at the happy attitude of the masses of tourists stuck in this weather and just being content to wait it out.

So we were dressed for a warmish day and in fine sunshine, as we awaited the bus number 44. If your teeth weren't too secure, they'd be in a much worse state after a Rome bus ride! The buses rattle over the cobble stones and poor roads, as well as careening down narrow two way roads with cars parked each side and delivery trucks randomly stopped in the way.

We found the walk up past Marcus Aureleus on his horse...

This led us to a fine view of The Forum (thanks to Colin Orr for the tip on location):

There are ruins of various temples, etc. covering a period of hundreds of years. Some are in better repair than others; some look like piles of rock. Here is the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus, "dedicated in AD 203 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 194/195 and 197-199" (Wikipedia):

A single ticket, costing 24euro, gave us access to the Forum, the Palatine Hill (site of several emperors' palaces, and patricians' houses in past times) and, of course, the Colosseum. We had only just entered the Forum when it started raining, and we donned our complementary [sic] ponchos, and put up out 'brollies.' The rain was a signal for swarthy men to appear, laden with these items for sale to the unprepared, no doubt at exorbitant prices!

While sheltering from the downpour, we caught sight of someone who looked vaguely familiar, but the guy with her didn't look anything like Rob... The resemblance was even better than this photo suggests, and it was hard not to stare!

We dutifully trekked around the mouldering remains of this ancient, cruel culture, ascending the Palatine Hill, before jumping puddles on our way down to the Colosseum. As we approached it, the skies "literally" opened, and the rain bucketted down. As the wind rose, the water blew in from the side, drenching our legs and getting under our ponchos. When we finally gained entry to the building, we stopped to regroup, wring out socks, etc. before undertaking an exploration of this remarkable structure, in the company of hundreds of others. The following photo was taken as we were leaving,  the rain gone, and sun shining.

We had the benefit of an audio commentary by one Rick Steves, and listened to it as we waited for the storm to pass (as it eventually did with much donner und some blitzen). Then we could explore the interior, indulging in some 'selfies' as we did.

Originally, the passages you can see were covered in boards, and a layer of sand (arena is Latin for sand), and this provided the basis for various vile blood sports to delight the emperor, and the crowds (50,000-80,000) who came to gawp and cheer.

It was mid-afternoon before we departed and bought some fruit for lunch (ripped off by a street stall seller). Then after some shopping, we boarded our #44 bus back to the BnB. Giorgia provided another delicious, Italian-style 4-course meal, and we spent the rest of the evening reorganising and packing our cases for the Big Trip Home tomorrow night. There is a strike of transport workers tomorrow, so even if we wanted to do something else in Rome, it would mean travelling by taxi. As it is, we'll be walking - cases in tow - to the Villa Bonelli railway station to catch a train to the airport, as the Trenitalia railway is not affected by the strike (we hope).

Despite a couple of highlights (Sistine Chapel, Colosseum), we were pretty underwhelmed by Rome. It is dirty, there are graffiti everywhere, and many of the denizens are loud and unpleasant. The bus system barely works on weekends, and compared to other European cities, they are uncomfortable and poorly equipped. In sum, if you are thinking of visiting Rome, unless you have a very good reason, don't bother. It's better visited in books or on the web. 

Even though we've not been overly excited about Rome, our whole experience over this last 6 weeks has been truly wonderful and we have already reflected on the fact that our greatest pleasure has come from being with friends and family. We have seen amazing and wonderful things made by the hand of God that have caused us to give him much praise, but the joy and fellowship he has afforded us as we've met with his people in far off places has been the icing on the cake! Perhaps our time in Balestrand was the most emotional visit and we will always remember the kindness of those who remembered Grandma.