life is learning

Just when I thought I was starting to get a handle on things that were history and the concept of "old," I was exposed to a whole new kind of "old." Last week, my friend from home, Chelsea, made the jump over the pond to visit me during my Easter break. She, along with my usual travel buddy, Megan, and I made the trek to Rome for the weekend.

I am struggling to put the words in place to describe all I learned and realized in the four days we spent in Italy. I have to admit that while I was familiar with Rome, I didn't really know what to expect at all. While I am aware of the basic plot line of the movie Gladiator, I've never actually seen in, and while I am in no way criticizing the education I received from the Waterloo public school system, I also feel I have never learned more about history (including the history of America) than I have this year. I would almost even venture to say that I learned more this last weekend about history than I learned during the entirety of my middle school years.

I grew up with my mom always saying in my ear, "Life is learning." We were the family that may miss a day of school here or there for traveling or the "take your daughter to work days," things like that. When I was younger, Mom's anecdote, "Life is learning," was an excuse to cut class. I am a true believer now. Anymore, every day I step out of my doorstep is a new experience. I feel like if our brains grew in proportion to the knowledge we were exposed to, mine would have blown up to the size of a hot-air balloon this year. Anyway... don't worry, I won't bore you with all of my educational enlightenment, just a few highlights.

<-- Our first stop was the Colosseum. I had no idea that this Roman engineering genius (the invention of cement) had been built in just eight years-- completed in 80 AD. Yes, 8-0. Chelsea, Megan and I opted for a guided tour of the Colosseum and barely made the start time our first morning in Rome due to struggling initially to navigate Rome's public transportation system. We came running up 20 seconds before the tour was going to start, hustling to get our radio sets and headphones plugged in, and were immediately hit with the date of the massive structure next to us my knees got a bit trembly. To be honest, I just can't believe its still there. Testimony to Roman enginuity. So the cool thing about this particular picture I included for you, is that in the last 2000 years the actual stage, made of wood, is no longer there-- so you can see down into the intricate passages where the people who would have been facilitating the Gladiatorial contests were able to lead the exotic animals or contesting Gladiators, whatever the occasion called for, in and around to any number of trap doors on the arena floor, in order to enhance the element of surprise. The current Colosseum staff has also kindly built part of what the wood floor was like so your brain only has to some of the imagination work to figure out how it would have looked.

<-- Right next to the Colosseum is Constantine's Arch. It was built in 315 AD to commemorate the victory Constantine had over Maxentious. While the arch itself is interesting, because Constantine had the builders use not only new art on it, but also re-use art from older monuments, and because it outlines the battle and how God helped Constantine defeat Maxentious, it was also interesting to me because of its significance. After this victory, Constantine reversed the persecution of Christians in Rome. I have grown up hearing about religious persecution and reading about it in my Bible, but the history and reality of it became real to me at that moment. Standing between the arch that signified the relief that Christians in Rome had to have felt, and the Colosseum, where many of them were fed to lions for their beliefs, I was awestruck. (This same day we also visited Palatine Hill, walked through the ancient Forum, people watched while tossing wish coins into the Trevi Fountain, visited Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon, and strolled through the markets of the Piazza Navonna... but if I told you all I saw, learned or noticed, we would honestly would be here for a week)

<-- One less historical thing about Rome that I appreciated was the abundance of water. The Romans are known for their beautiful piazzas and stunning fountains. But I learned that they also serve a purpose. Because it gets so hot in Rome, the city has always made sure that the water is clean enough to drink. While I wouldn't suggest picking up a cup from the bottom where its been sitting or been littered with dirty coins, it wasn't unusual to see people drinking from the faucets. So this is me drinking from the fountain in the Piazza de Spagna, right in front of the Spanish Steps. In addition to the fountains, they also had water faucets for people to fill their water bottles on every block. What great ideas those Romans had! Day two began with a visit to another country... Vatican City. Only 110 acres and with a mere population of 800, it is the smallest country in the world. Despite its small size, it packs a serious punch. Inside the Vatican walls are the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, and the pope's residence.

<-- The queue was a mile long it seemed. Luckily, we'd pre-booked a tour and had queue-jump priveleges. Everyone we'd spoken to had said doing a tour of the Vatican Museums was the only way to go. The place is too huge and there are too many things to see a person would get lost on their own. Our guide even said that if a person were to spend just one minute at each peice of work, it would take something like 15 years to see it all. All the ninja turtles were accounted for: Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael... you know what I mean. It is legal to take pictures in the Vatican Museums by the way. Of the hundred plus photos I took, I am sharing this, one wall in one of Raphael's four rooms of painting, because I really liked it. Its called the School of Athens, in the room called the Stanza della Segnatura. Each wall depicts a branch of knowledge, and this particular one is philosophy. One reason I really liked it was because they say that each of the great Greek philosophers can be seen in the painting, like Plato and Aristotle (and from the number of people you can see in the photo, many more).

I did get to go in the Sistine Chapel, however, it is illegal to take pictures so I have nothing to show you, but I will tell you that it was much more impressive than a photo could ever do it justice anyway. Michaelangelo was a genius.

<-- Our last stop in the Vatican was at St. Peter's Basilica. The one people see today is actually the second St. Peter's. Pope Julius II made the decision in 1505 to demolish the first and rebuild a bigger and better one. Obviously a controversial decision, but either way it was done and the one that is there today is huge and beautiful. Built right over the top of St. Peter's tomb, it is cleverly known as "the church on the Rock," with reference to Peter's biblical reputation as the "rock" for whom God would build his church on. As you can see in the picture, it is not a humbly designed place. The altar in front is a mere 5 stories high, the architectural design of the place made so that the paintings and monuments got larger the higher up on the wall they are, to keep the perspective from being too daunting.

<-- Chelsea, Megan and I chilling out on the Spanish Steps. This photo is taken immediately after I consumed the best gelato I have ever had in my entire life. Unfortunately, there is no photo of the actual gelato due to the fact that I was so captivated by its flavor I didn't want to put it down. I am looking pretty happy post-gelato, though, aren't I?