So here is the wrap up of our European trip.

 Pictured here are shots from the colliseum. I thought this place was absolutely amazing. Allison was not as excited since she said it reminded her of the Orioles stadium back in Baltimore. I tried to emphasize that it should feel familiar, but that of all the stadiums she will ever be in, that this was the first. Seats were made out of marble for the upper class and wooden seats for the lower class. Everyone was invited to the Roman forum from rich to poor. The hidden caverns were covered with a wooden floor(you can see a part of how it looked). This way the staff could set up the arena from underneath and not be seen. They often popped up animals or sets from hidden trap doors on the unsuspecting gladiators. Only gladiators fought in the arena. No christians were actually killed in the colliseum. The emperor would sit in the spot where a cross was erected. The roof was covered with cloth to keep out the sun and rain. Exotic animals were housed in caves surrounding the colliseum and used in fight scenes like elephants, lions, giraffes and hippos. The steps were killer to climb to the upper floors, but they could fill and empty the place in just a few minutes because of it's amazing design. It was originally covered in marble with a statue in every archway and brass bolts holding onto the marble slabs. As Rome declined, pieces of the colliseum were used to build the vatican. Watch Russell Crowe's movie The Gladiator. I had Allison watch it to get a taste of life in the colliseum. Across from the colliseum was the Roman Forum(downtown). This is where everything happened-from the market to temples to meeting places for the Roman Senate. Now it is mostly toppled marble columns, but a few buildings remain standing. And we saw the place where Julius Caesar was cremated. The arch outside the colliseum was built by Emperor Constantine at the time of the fall of Rome and the rise of Christianity. The second arch in the Roman Forum marks the overthrow of the jews. Our girls were posing in front of that archway where you enter and exit the forum. They even have the original stone road still intact(very hard to walk on).  We spent a lot of time walking in Rome. We visited the Trevi Fountain. Allison is posing with her coins. 1 coin means you want to return to Italy, 2 coins is looking for love and 3 Coins in the Fountain means you hope for marriage and romance. I had Allison watch the old movie 3 Coins in a Fountain. She liked it. We stopped by the Pantheon. It was a temple for the Gods, but now is a church. Raphael is buried there. The dome is the same design as the capitol in DC. However, the Romans could not figure out how to close off the dome as it would collapse, so they left it open. Instead, the floor is sloped and made of marble to let the rainwater flow out of the building. We also spent time shopping for paintings in the square before dinner in a local cafe. They made each of us our own pizza's in the oven. We ate inside as it costs more to eat outside on the street. We also did not notice very many cell phones or laptops in Italy. And no Starbucks. On the way home, I managed to buy a Starbucks mug in Paris, and 4 mugs in Belgium from 4 different cities! But no Italian Starbucks! I still need to go back to Belgium and visit the cities where I got my mugs. And get more chocolate-that was a big hit. Thank goodness for Duty Free stores in the airport. And so ends our European trip. It was a long flight home, and a long drive, but an incredible trip.

Next blog I will fill you in on our GS trip to Michigan!