Sleepless in Rome

On the Palatine Hill.

Why do I have to be in these photos??

Gardens on the Palatine

Sleep issues continue to plague Stewart - he didn't get to sleep til 6:00 am this morning, and then I dragged him out of bed at 8:30.  So he was dragging his feet as we walked through the archaeological site of the Palatine Hill, right beside the Colosseum.  The site is immense, and I know we didn't see it all, but the parts we did see were quite amazing.  Took a ton of photos, of which I will only post a few here.  The Colosseum was next, and having purchased our ticket at the Palatine, we were able to skip right in.  Crowds again, everywhere.  Stewart was not impressed at the lack of available cold drink stands!  Inside the Colosseum, however, was a running tap that many people filled their water bottles at, so we did the same.  We didn't feel it was necessary to walk the whole circuit of the Colosseum - climbing those steep stairs to the upper level gave us enough of a feel of the place!  We tried to imagine the place when it was new, but it is hard!

Colosseum in the sunlight

After a rest in the hotel, we went out to find some lunch and then walked to the Spanish Steps and beyond that to Piazza del Popolo.  I was repeatedly accosted by a rose sales person trying to give me one of his roses.  He didn't seem to understand no.  Stewart has also remarked on how strange he finds it that waiters come out into the street to try to get customers.  We have had to decline a few of those.

Walking, we experienced the flavour of Roman traffic - you just go out into a cross walk and let the cars go around you.  It can be somewhat harrowing.  In one of our taxi rides yesterday, the driver slowed down at a red light, and then just barreled through.  It was the most rolling of taxi driver stops I have ever seen.