More of Rome!

After lunch in a cafe across the street from the church, we walked to the Pantheon. It was first built in 27 B.C. and completely rebuilt in A.D. 120. It greatly influenced architecture, including the U.S. Capitol building. But, by this time it just seemed like more beautiful stonework in a cold, dark empty space. Ellen found the water fountain outside the Pantheon much more interesting.

Next stop - the Coliseum. It is a ghostly shell and a reminder of how violent people can be. It is also quite a feat of engineering. We had a great time climbing to the upper levels and had a snack while enjoying the view. Somehow the kids found new energy when we let them buy two "squishy toys" (a balloon filled with flour and water - which we learned when Will's exploded at the Vatican museum the next day.) They haggled with the guy and got a pretty good deal!

I think Will and Ellen have some dream of conquering the Romans. Or maybe they dream they are the Roman conquerers. (Also, you may notice that Ellen takes Berit everywhere with her. Berit the polar bear is now brown!)

Tired yet? Not us! After seeing the Coliseum we went to Palatine Hill. This place is huge. It was a royal palace. For us it was a nice place to stroll and let the kids be loud and run around. There were oranges on the orange trees, so Kevin knocked one down with a rock, much to the delight of a group of high schoolers who had been trying to get one for half an hour. Will says the most interesting thing that happened on our trip was that we almost got locked in at Palatine Hill. It's true. We wound up walking down a long path to the other side of the hill and by the time we got there the gates were locked. A very nice lady who worked there got her keys and let us out! Whew! After we got sprung, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner near our hotel (cheap and yummy!)

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