Rome: "We put the Holy in Holy Merciful Crap!"

Well here we are in Rome. Our hostel looks like a cathedral inspired villa, it is almost totally empty, we can hear, see, and smell the ocean without leaving the parking lot, and we are full of the best pizza in the world and gelato. Life is good.

Oh yeah, and we saw priceless works of art and the foundations of possibly the greatest civilization in the history of mankind. (and they still make amazing pizza, by the way)

Well, yesterday we went to the Colosseum. To say it was unreal is an understatement. Of course there were the moments when we had to nerd it up and examine the style of columns and the endless barrel vaulting that made the concourse, but luckily we kinda zoomed out and realized "holy crap, we're in the colosseum!".
As you stand were the seats were, you can almost hear the roar of the crowd. You can now see the maze of underground tunnels where the tigers, lions, bears, and other dangerous angry animals were starved for weeks then set loose on christians and gladiators. You can see the elevators where the animals, soldiers, and even landscaping magically appeared out of no where. It is a massive structure, in every sense of the word. It is tall, heavy, imposing, and possibly one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I could write about this for hours, but honestly the best way to understand it is to go. You can't really get a grasp for the size and engineering that went into the building. It is creeping up on two thousand years old, holds as many people as rice eccles at full capacity, could be filled for naval battles, and is built out of rocks.

After that, we trekked to the Roman Forum. ( the romans were smart dudes, the trek consisted of sitting in the shade for ten minutes, then walking across the street)
The forum was a great experience. To be able to walk the grounds and know what happened there was a rush. We walked where emperors have walked, where the senate debated, and where conquering leaders had victory parades. Needless to say, it was pretty cool.

Today, we went to the Vatican. The Vatican has a large museum.
Wait, let me rephrase that.
The Vatican's museum is a monstrosity that is outdone only by the Louvre, but not for lack of trying. Where most museums have a specality or one thing they have a lot of, the Vatican goes for a shot gun effect. They have a lot of a lot of things. The Etruscian and Roman collections were incredible. I have never seen so many original marbles in such good shape in one place. Usually bits are reconstructed so that you don't stare at fragmented torsos all day, but there was very little of that. Most of what was put out to see was in very good shape and original.
*side note for other art nerds that might be reading this: we saw laocoon. he is amazing.

Of course, the best part of the Vatican museum was the Sistine Chapel. Pictures don't do it justice. The colors, the anatomy, the play of light, the positioning of figures, the scale, and the otherworldly effect it has when it all comes together is hard to describe. There is just a feeling of magnitude when you see it. A person could be utterly ignorant of all the importance of the work Michelangelo did to art, and still be wowed by it.

After that, we strolled over to St. Peter's to see what all the hubub was about. The only way that I can describe the inside of the basillica is enormous. That building is bigger than big. It is beyond cavernous. Google a picture of the inside, admire how everyone looks like ants infront of any of the pillars, paintings, or statues, then accept the fact that pictures are futile in trying to convey the gigantic-ness of the building. I've seen a few cathedrals in my day (thanks to Cheryl), but this was the cathedral to end all cathedrals. Everything about it is just on a different scale from anything I have ever seen. The height, the light, the stretch of the nave, it is all in its own little universe of amazing church stuff. The play of the light reflecting from the golden roof (and walls, and everything else..) off of the red marble, to the white marble, and then to the statues (which are rather large, also) will take your breath away. I had to make an effort to admire the art and proportional beauty and avoid being awed by how big it was.

So, now you are all caught up on our galavanting about in Rome. Add in your own witty comments about lots of pizza and the mystery of why only flabby old women take advantage of the topless beach policy, and it is as if you came too. Although honestly, if I had been fully aware of the abuse of the whole beach thing, I might have had second thoughts. But only maybe.