June 18

This morning we started very early, meeting at 640 am at a metro station to go to the airport. We flew from Paris to Rome and began sightseeing by bus right away. After taking our luggage to our hotel, up to the fifth floor by stairs, we went on a walking tour of Rome. We saw so many things, such amazing things, but it really was the walk that never ended. The most famous things we toured were the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. The Colosseum was so much bigger and more complete than I expected. We could walk all around in the bottom level of it and go up steps to see it from the midlevel inside. I especially liked seeing the cages where the were kept. Our tour guide, Roberto, was very adorable. I have been really impressed with all of the various guides we have had on the trip. They are so knowledgeable and passionate about what they are teaching us. After the Colosseum, we continued to walk. We saw a lot of things from afar, such as the temple of Venus, and we saw the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps up close. The Trevi Fountain is built onto the back of a building, and I am pretty sure Roberto said it was a natural spring. How someone carved stone aroud a natural spring and made the water come up in at least 4 or 5 different places, I will never understand. I was way too tired to walk up the Spanish steps, and we were away from Roberto at that point so I did not learn all about their significance. Peter led us back to the hotel on the metro. Metros in Europe are so convenient, I wish we had them at home.