On the Second Day, Brandon Rested... and saw the Colosseum.

Very early in the morning Rome sprang to life. Cars seemed to be stalling, hammer clanking noises began, and soon, the murmurs of a crowd formed... it was market day right outside our apartment building. This was no ordinary market, definitely not one you would see in the United States. This thing stretched blocks and blocks, jammed pack full of sellers with items ranging from ethernet cords to antique furniture, from confederate flags to fancy hats. In comparison, I remember being amazed at the market in Charleston, South Carolina, which consisted of a 3 or 4 large buildings, about two blocks in length. This market was easily three or four times the size, 100 times the diversity. Naturally, we all had to visit.

After our time at the market, Joe, David, and I decided that enough time had passed and that we needed to see the Colosseum. And so, being the epic adventurers that we are, took off in a direction with the goal of finding the Colosseum. On the way, we stumbled upon the Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, and the Arch of Constantine. We soon realized that Rome was a city where there was so much history, simply walking meant you could run into literally thousands of years of history. You can set a destination to see something, but the things you pass along the way are just as interesting, if not more because you didn't expect them. I can't wait to see what we pass when we go to the Spanish Steps.

In any matter, the Colosseum did not disappoint. It is absolutely massive, much larger that what you would imagine in the pictures, at least for me. Seeing the craftsmanship... eh, that word doesn't do these masterpieces justice, is overwhelming. How did they create these buildings? And how have they lasted this long? We plan on going back in order to do a more thorough exploration, because it began to rain soon after we arrived.

As soon as the rain began, tens of entrepreneurs came out from the crevices ready to sell helpless travelers umbrellas. Joe and I refused, but David was smart and bought one for 4 euros, accidentally haggling the seller down from 5 euros.  I wonder if we could have gotten one for less.

After we returned a little before 5pm, I ate a little, and began resting. My internal clock is all messed up and all of this walking is exhausting, but definitely worth it. At 7:30 my professor gathered the troops for a little information meeting about what's going on. Not much happened except Professor Craig was beaming with excitement, rocking back and forth already enjoying Rome all too much.

After we returned, I retired for the night and decided to focus on my blog (which I sort of failed at doing). David came in a little after and we bagan talking more about our majors and monkey balloon tower defense, and who knows what else. We stayed up until a little after 1am playing that monkey game, which was excellent. Another good, productive, yet a bit more restful day.