Thursday, March 24, 2011

Roma!

Rome is impossible to sum up. The city seems limitless, and it will swallow you in its tiny, winding streets. There are charming eateries with patio seating every few feet... or meters... and some incredibly famous landmark between them. This was an empire that knew how to act like one.


Enjoy -


The Pantheon is massive. The walls are 25 feet thick (7.5 meters) and the dome is as tall as the diameter of the inner circle (142 ft). I got dizzy looking up at the rotunda (opening in the dome).






Click for full size...

 Click for full size...







The Colosseum is something of a looking glass into the past, as you can see how it all operated, and something about the legend surrounding it makes you feel like you can smell the dirt under the feet of the gladiators when you walk inside. Absolutely breathtaking.








I'm clearly too cool for school and cannot smile...




And now onto the most impressive complex of our entire trip (in my opinion) St. Peter's Basilica. You may have seen it in Angels & Demons if you haven't seen it in person...

This is a building that absolutely muddles the connection between eyes and brain. When you walk inside you know that you are looking at the inside of the building that you just waited half an hour to get into, but there is absolutely no way that it can be as large as it appears. I can only imagine the feeling that one would have standing near the altar (under which lies St. Peter's Tomb) while the building is vacant.

The space is so large that it seems to swallow the visitor. I feel a flutter in my chest just thinking about it. This is a building that I would make a trip to see again. Beyond imagining.
























This is easily my favorite thing in the entirety of Rome. The Papal Seal/Crest sculpted onto the columns in St. Peter's. So intricate and beautiful. It exudes power and influence.








There was a large, white guestbook kind of thing in the Roman train station. A bunch of people had signed it. I thought I'd leave our mark...




Thanks for checking in! We're home in less than a week (which seems kind of surreal at this point) and it will be nice to know our way around and not worry about speaking the language... This trip has absolutely changed me. My life is on a different course than it was three months ago. I'm excited to see where the journey leads me.

Love you all!

-D

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