the land of Julius Caesar, the seat of the Roman Empire, rich with history, religious significance, sprinkled with fountains, ruins, piazzas (squares), infested with tourists and peppered with dishonest beings.

i loved letting my mind run in the colosseum, gladiators battling wild animals (including giraffes?!?), other gladiators, and themselves....blood, gore, the unruly crowds yelling, the arrival of the Emperor...
the columns, busts, carvings, statues everywhere hinting of the majesty of the Roman Empire in its glorious past.
But like any other empire, its glory can only twinkle in the midst of ruins, forgotten stories and tourist-infested sites. Of course, for an empire to be painted everlastingly gold, it can only be of the true king above. This message was really clear when we were strolling amidst all the ruins.
I loved the Vatican City, the home of the Pope, and where the masses gather for their holy pilgrimage. the St Peter's Basilica, grandest of all Churches, was amazing.
Queuing for 3 hours to enter the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel was no joke though. I think my impatient self has finally mellowed thanks to travelling.
Thanks to the flurry of the tourists, the pace at which we brisked through all the great carvings, paintings were too fast to really admire anything. oops. except for the ornate ceilings of the rooms like the Gallery of maps...so gorgeous. Also, it was reminscent of happenings in the Da Vinci Code.
Rome Rome lovely Rome with its brown buildings, numerous fountains has its share of crooks. The night we arrived, we witnessed an elderly lady getting mugged. We went pretty much hysterical too, when the crook ran in our direction and we ran too.
The following day near the train station, 4 little girls asked innocently for directions with a map though they looked italian. And one of them started to unzip my bag, probably hoping to fish out a wallet thick with notes. thank God, I flicked her hand away and ran off, the whole bunch wanted to chase after us and were even giggling, to our horror. Sigh, what has the people become?
Rome's glorious past seems to be a catalyst for the evil in the city. drunkeness, pickpocketing, robbery, unjustified begging. it's kinda sad looking at the peripherals surrounding the greatness of Rome. Just where the Pope resides hoping to grant salvation to the people, the masses seem to be languishing in immorality.