epic.

Our trip in Rome started off with an epic line to get into Vatican City. By "epic line" I mean it was long enough for me to have read an epic (Homer, Odyssey, whatever) 3 and half hours. And we only got there fifteen minutes after it opened!

Once we got in it was an overdose of ancient Rome. Statue after statue. I'm convinced everyone in that time must have been a sculptor. With the exception of a few farmers and the royal family. Even though each statue itself dropped a little on the epic scale surrounded by a hundred similar ones, the sheer amount of them that there were made up the epicness.



We saw the Sistine Chapel, which, I have to be honest was a little overhyped. We were crowded into a room with five hundred other people, necks craned all the way back, listening to the guards yelling (ironically) for everyone to be quiet. The famous central image with the fingers of the creator and created almost touching gets lost in the overwhelming amount of other panels and detailed painting that cover the ceiling and walls. There's so much it's hard to focus on anything. Obviously it is epic the amount of work Michaelangelo put into his fresco, though.

The other part of Vatican City we saw was St. Peter's Basilica. We climbed hundreds of stairs and looked down into the enormous church. It was way high. Then we climbed even higher for a view over the city.


Next we wandered some of Rome's plazas, by the bridge, and over to the Pantheon.


Next stop: the Trevi Fountain. This massive structure is definitely at its most incredible lit up at night.


The tradition is to put your back to the fountain and throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder and make a wish. I don't know what more you would need to wish for than standing in front of such an epic site glowing at night.

Our second day started with the Spanish Steps. We went early at the perfect time before the tourist swarm. Score!

Next we went over to the Roman ruins/Roman Forum. This gated park is where Rome shows off its most ancient and epic stuff (as if you can't find enough of it just walking down the street).

Some Roman version of Kobe used to ball here.




They weren't concerned with construction deadlines; they were just going to move on to build the next thing afterward anyway. Conquer, build, build more, conquer more. That's how you become an epic empire. There was so much. And everything was so tall... I can't even begin to imagine what this looked like when it was all complete and standing.


The Colessium was a $10 joint ticket with the ruins. Although we found out the movie took creative liberty with the epicness of the bloody battles, it was interesting to see how elaborate of an underground technology system the arena had. Pulley elevators replenished the ring with the next fighter or next animal for fast-paced entertainment.



As a break from the epicness we went to the quaint Jewish ghetto area.


Hidden around a corner was the restaurant that had been recommended to us. A handwritten menu in Italian and not knowing what I ordered? Now that's legit.

Everywhere you looked in Rome there was something thousands of years old. Something gigantic. (Look how small Don looks!)



Something epic.

But, that being said, my favorite parts of Rome were not epic; they were simple: sitting eating a slice of 1.50 euro pizza in front of the Trevi Fountain or at 10:30 a.m. on the Spain Steps with someone you care about.