Colossal

First day of class today. It was like no other first day of class I’ve ever had. We went out early to get some fresh bread to make sandwiches for lunch, then met out front of the UWRC at 9:30.

From there we ventured out toward the Forum. Prof. Schultz purchased us all entry tickets and we entered the site. The forum is incredibly densely packed with ancient ruins spanning a variety of ages, architectures, and purposes. Although most of the original marble in the Forum has been stripped for other building purposes, extensive excavation and reconstruction has revealed the remains of a large number of the original buildings present. It is easy to imagine the Forum as a tightly-packed, bustling place of constant, varied activity. Like the Roman streets, the Forum's layout appears to be a pseudo-grid. That is, the different buildings are parallel and symmetric with their immediate neighbors, but the long history of construction seems to have disturbed perfect orthogonal foundations.

It is unfortunate that we do not have more time to explore the Forum, as there really is a lot to see there. But having to leave the Forum to see the Coliseum isn't exactly a disappointment. Plus, Prof. Scultz somehow pulled some strings to get us to the front of the line.

The Coliseum truly is an amazing feat of architecture. The structure is the prototype of all stadiums ever built. Its size and scale are breathtaking, and the convergence of times, architectures, and peoples that it represents is incredible. The stairs of the Coliseum are very steep, and it is quite crowded (as one would expect). There are a number of men outside the Coliseum dressed gladiators, charging one Euro for pictures. Quite the tourist attraction.



That evening, I made some gnocchi with seared garlic, bits of fresh mozzerella, basil, and olive oil. It was quite delicious. I'd venture to say I enjoyed it more than the gnocchi I'd ordered at the restaurant earlier.

David and Daniel then made a full dinner consisting of pan fried chicken with onions and pepper, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. Everything was very good, and way cheaper than eating out.

P.S. Apologies for the late post. I'll try to post each evening from here out.