Day 30-> when in Rome

This was the day. The theme of today was quintessential Rome.

First stop, The coliseum. We emerged from the metro station and there it was. Wow. It is huge. We made our way to the entrance with our jaws still on the ground awaiting the inside.

There we were, inside the massive, landmark that is more roman than any other landmark. The vastness I can't emphasize here. Imagining the spectaculars, bloodshed, thumbs up, thumbs down, etc. That all happened here. We wandered through the structure like lost children in a wonderland of history. The visit, that we were planning on lasting an hour or so lasted over 2.

After a quick lunch and resting our feet, we were off to the forum. The forum was the heart of Rome during ancient times. Here was the birthplace of laws, legal system, the layout of the modern church (a basicilla here was later used as a church, giving the name basicilla to all churches that followed. This also was the home to Caesar. Yes the Caesar. The location of beware the ides of march, the place where his body was cremated. It all happened HERE. I was having a history gasam. Every direction I turned there was something else. Afterward, we headed up to palatine hill. The birthplace of the name palace because of the lavish houses that used to top the hill. The site now is being excavated, and has been for over one hundred years. The lives of those who lived here were extravagant with rooms covered in frescos, mosaics, statues, and indoor pools. This was the beverly hills of ancient Rome.

After a quick rest up at the hostel, we were headed out for the night. Our goal, the Spanish steps. These steps are a hangout for locals, tourists, and school groups. There was a group of German students playing guitar and singing a variety of songs, mostly American. We bought a couple of cheep beers from a seller and enjoyed the moment. I was having another awe moment where it hit me what I was doing. I them, the group starts singing "don't worry, be happy" after the song is over, a drunk man comes up to the girls next to me singing "hakuna matta". There it was again, don't worry, no problems. Just what I needed to hear after some major stress during the afternoon while planning stuff for later this month and stressing over my future.

After savoring the moment a bit more, we decided to head back to the hostel, walking instead of taking the metro. We took time every so often to just sit and take in the city, it strikes a note in your heart that is undescribable. It is the I'm meant to be here, this is it kind of feeling.

Hakuna Matta

-Until

Matt