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Today, Sophia and I decided to visit the Colosseum and the ruins which surround the Colosseum. We hopped on the subway once again, but had to transfer to the other subway line (there are only 2 subway lines in Rome) to finally get to the Colosseum.
The exit from the subway is right in front of the Colosseum, so we didn't have to walk far to get to it. We were also able to get our tickets immediately without waiting in line because we had reserved them the day before. So we entered the Colosseum and took our time walking around both the ground level (level 0) and the upper level (level 1). There were also views out to the ruins of the Roman Forum from the upper level. The Colosseum, like St. Peter's Square and Basilica, were massively big and it is amazing to think the construction was basically brick and cement.
We bought a book at the souvenir shop, grabbed some cappuccinos, and walked across the street to see Constantine's arch and the rest of the Roman Forum ruins. There area containing the ruins was enormous and it must have taken us at least 2 hours to see most of it (we definitely didn't see all of it). Most impressive in the ruins was what once was the Circus Maximus and the area of the ruins which contained the actual forums. Not much was left of the numerous building which stood here, but it was still impressive to see the impressions the buildings left.
Once we got to the exit of the complex, it started to rain pretty heavily, so we found temporary shelter in what was once St. Paul's cell, located just outside the exit of the Roman Forum. A flight of stairs takes you down to the musty, damp underground room where now an alter stands in honor of St. Paul. It was a great reminder that this is the Paulin year.
Sophia and I braved the rain to get back to the subway and we came straight back to our hotel room to take it easy for the rest of the night.
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