Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...

But it was toured by the Pages in less than 24 hours!

When we found out we were moving to France, top on my "Must Visit" list was Rome.  Isn't it on everyone's?  You read about it in the the history books and you see it in movies like Gladiator (well, for me, part of movies like Gladiator.. you all know I can't stay awake for an entire film).  It is a bazillion years old and the likes of Paul, Leonardo di Vinci and Michelangelo have walked it's streets.  Freddie and I were very excited about this opportunity but with only one day in Rome on our cruise we had to plan our day carefully.

Since it was going to be a long day full of train rides and sight seeing, we decided to take advantage of Camp Carnival and keep the children on the ship for a day of play.  Freddie and I took the train into Rome and visited the Vatican City and went inside the Sistine Chapel where we saw the gorgeous ceiling frescoes, depicting scenes from the Bible, painted by Michelangelo.  It was difficult to wrap your mind around how old everything was and the intricacy and difficulty of painting the biblical scenes on a ceiling.  I found the history of the paintings to be fascinating, as well.  You can read more about it on wikipedia if you follow the link earlier in the paragraph.

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We went out to lunch and had some delicious authentic Italian pasta and then caught a cab to the Colosseum.  It was surreal to see this famous and ancient landmark come into our view.  To it's right we saw the Arch of Constantine and the ruins of the Roman Forum.  Simply magnificent.

 The Roman Forum

 The Colosseum

 The Arch of Constantine