Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 01:42:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Nothing much at all.

Wow i'm glad i checked my email today! Yesterday's report generated the most
number of responses through the night...

The name of the place last night was "Ristorante Zeus" on Via Nazionale just a
stone's throw from my hotel. I did not like it. Note to self: Do not follow
people's recommendations for restaurants because everybody's tastes are
different.

It's raining again today :-( ... which is why I'm here--seems like this is the
default place i go to every time it rains.

Today's itinerary is Coloseum (the part i did not see yesterday = the inside),
rest of Foro Romano, then maybe Piazza Navona again in the daytime, then Piazza
Popolo for the fireworks tonight. If there are fireworks tonight in the rain.
If it's still raining. Lot of crowds and possibly pickpockets to deal with
tonight... not looking forward to that.

Tomorrow Pantheon and another stop in St Peters Square... if the line is not
too long (doubt it) then the inside of the St Peters Basilica. Otherwise, that
can be saved for my next trip to Roma...

Day after tomorrow off to Firenze and Pisa....

I bought a book yesterday which shows the ancient ruins of the city as they
look today, and every picture also has an overlay page which shows how the same
things looked when they were built. It's an excellent book -- shows a very good
picture of life in Roman empire. or at least all the monuments in Rome at the
height of the empire. There was also a CD inside the book and I was browsing
through that last night on my laptop.. fell asleep watching that and woke up at
4 AM to see the laptop still on.... good thing I had plugged it in. Anyway,
I've been awake since then.

Hmmm, maybe i'll go back to hotel in the afternoon for a siesta if its still
raining.

wow, they're playing english songs on the radio here...

again happy new year everyone... ciao!

Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 11:35:22 -0800 (PST)
Subject: A very long day (and it's not over yet...)

The rain has stopped and the latest forecast calls for no rain for the next 4
days in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Pisa!!! YES!

Ok... today has been one of the longest days of this trip. And of course, it's
not over yet... 4 more hours to midnight.

I started out late, after sending that email in the morning. Thankfully, I took
the metro instead of walking to the colosseum. There would be a lot more
walking later. There was a very long line to buy the ticket, but as soon as I
stood in the line a lady came up to the end of the line and said "There's an
english guided tour leaving right now... if anyone's interested in joining
it... 15 Euros please."

So I joined the tour, and got in the colosseum immediately. Must have spent the
next 2-3 hours there. The tour was great -- learned a lot of things about the
gladiator games, like there used to be fights between giraffes and crocodiles
and also between elephants and bulls, in addition to the gladiator fights.
After the tour I roamed around the stadium on my own, taking several pictures.
When I left the colliseum it started raining - hard. Got my lunch (panini
sandwhich to go) from a streetside vendor, ate it while walking across the Foro
Romano to the Vittorio Emanuelle II monument/Capitoline museum area for those
of you who know the city. Great views from there of the Roman Forum and
Colosseum in the distance!

Along the way, I also heard someone calling from behind "Shawn, Shawn"... I
didn't realize they were calling me! both people (brother & sister from
atlanta) at my table from the lunch yesterday. Same people i got drunk with..
wow! Couldn't believe I bumped into them again. They had gone to the catacombs
yesterday night and said it was nice, but "kind of spooky because of all the
dead people". I told them about some good picture spots inside the Colosseum,
where they were headed next. (there's a nice spot on the second level where you
can see arch of Constantine through a portal -- long line for pictures over
there!)

Coloseo: With seating for 70,000 people in ancient times... free admission and free wine!