Rome Trip: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008

The trip to Rome was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be. Although I had already visited Rome, there were several new things that I got to see on this trip.

The first new thing that I got to see was the Circus Maximus. I had only driven by this ruin before; but this time, I had the chance to walk around it. All that is left of the Circus Maximus is some small ruins and a few hills where the seating used to be. Now it is used as a great spot for a morning jog for many Romans.

Circus Maximus (Palatine Hill in the background of the top image)

I got to visit another new place today: the Baths of Caracalla. Originally, I did not think that this landmark would be that exciting. However, after I walked into the ruins, I changed my mind. The baths were far larger than I had imagined. The entryway appeared to be at least 100 ft. high, even without the arches that once spanned the columns. Olympic-sized swimming pools would have easily fit into many of the rooms. In Roman times, this must have seemed like the largest YMCA in the world.

The entrance to the Baths of Caracalla

This was definitely one of my most eventful nights in Rome. After a late lunch, we visited the great temple of Rome, the Pantheon, dedicated to all gods of the ancient Roman religion. From here, Jordan, Justin, and myself left to walk by the Piazza Navona, only to discover a large Christmas festival (complete with carnival games and a carousel). From here we walked on to the Tiber River where we witnessed a rescue attempt for a boat that had gotten stuck under Saint Angelo's Bridge (we later watched this on a CNN World News broadcast).

The boat stuck between Saint Angelo's Bridge and the immensely flooded Tiber River.

After we got by the commotion of the rescue attempt, we walked on to Saint Peter's Square only to find more commontion. Tonight was the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Vatican. I believe the tree was 33 meters tall (about 110 ft.) from what I saw on the news later. The tree was placed next to the obelisk, and was only a few dozen feet shorter. We stayed in the sqare for a few minutes to listen to some of the music and to try to understand what was going on (since none of us spoke Italian). We then left to meet back at the hotel to get some dinner and sleep.