I Walked in the Footsteps of Ancient Political Greatness.

I believe I have finally adjusted to the 7 hour time change. Last night consisted of a wonderful 7.5 hours of sleep. The previous night was interrupted by a two hour session of italian MtV. It was a little rough. But last night was glorious. The beds, unfortunately, are not like the cloud of a mattress I have at home, but when you're exhausted from a day of trecking around Roma, any warm place to lay down can be considered a bed.

This morning began a little earlier; we weren't sure how long it would take to get to the meeting spot so we anticipated an extra 15 minutes. We met the class around 9 at the Campidoglio atop of the Capitoline Hill: one of the 7 hills in Rome. It still houses the Roman senate. The complex was designed by Michelangelo and butts up to the "wedding cake," or the Vincent Emmanuel momument, and the ancient Imperial Forum. From there, the group ventured to the Imperial Forum. It was indescribable to see the colossal remains of temples and basilicas. What was even more impressive, was the combining of the ancient remains and "modern" construction. From the middle of remains of an ancient temple, rose a medieval church with a baroque facade. A little wild and rather shocking to see the combination of three (maybe even four) architectural periods.

As I bore with you with innate architectural details, here was something rather amusing that my friends and I spotted in the forum. First, let me remind you that the roads taken throughout the forum are either cobblestone (if they have been replaced within the modern era) or huge stone pavers that were unbelievably uneven even in tennis shoes. While taking a break and enjoying the sunshine, I noticed these two girls struggling to make it down the pathway. One of them was wearing a pair of heels that wrapped around her ankle; the other, a pair of stilleto boots. They looked absolutely ridiculous. I was ready for an ankle to give way. One looked like a duck out of water trying to walk across gravel, if you can visualize such a thing. The things you'll see in Rome.

From here, we continued out walking tour to the Paletine Hill. This hill's name is taken from Palazzo, or palace. Atop this hill sits the "home" (this truly downplays the size of the complex) of Constantine, grotto, and garden of the Farnese family. At this point, I will admit, I began to focus elsewhere and people watched. It felt a little bit like Disney World in that many of the remains you couldn't touch, you were constantly surrounded by foreign languages, and you had to watch out for idiots with strollers.

Since it's Saturday night, I believe me and the girls are getting a group together and going to eat somewhere and then maybe grabbing a drink or two out and about. I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening; tomorrow we even get to sleep in.

Pictures soon to come.