The Colosseum & Roman Forum

Today was a four-hour tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum -- again, absolutely worth every penny for the proper tour. We got to see the underground and climb to the third floor of the Colosseum, which only tours get to do. The history of the Colosseum astonishes me. To think about 50,000 people sitting in that stadium watching animals and people fight one another. After the Colosseum, we walked through the Roman Empire. Our guide was an archeologist and so he jam-packed us with history. It was a really hot afternoon and a lot to process. Ryder shared that he checked out at times because it was to a bit too much. But it was super cool that our guide was part of the archeology crew that dug up one portion of the Roman Forum. In 20 days, he's headed to Crete for an excavation over there. After our tour was done, we visited the Pantheon and then headed into the Jewish District for lunch. We purchased a couple pieces of art from a little street vendor and then walked back to the Colosseum to catch a train back home. Another day full of walking. Another incredible day of sites and history in Rome.