We get our gladitor on

Since we had a day up our sleeve before we depart for Singapore we decided "why don't we go back and see the Colosseum". We decided to catch the first courtesy bus from the camp to get to the train (which was so packed it wasn't funny) so we could beat the crowds. We walked along to the Colosseum to find there was no line at all. It definitely pays to get to the Vatican and Colosseum early if you ever come to Rome. We got to the front in under two minutes and booked 4 spots in the earliest english guided tour.




Well it definitely wasn't the best tour ever, it was actually fairly crap, the speakers our tour guide was talking into got heaps of static and she was speaking too quietly to be heard. But if you could hear her, she explained the seating arrangements in the amphitheater. How the Senate sat down in the bottom seats for the best view, the commoners sat in the next seats up (this area was really crowded) and up the very top were the slaves and women because they were the least important.




Our tour guide then told us about the most famous types of gladiators and the type of games played. The animals could be in three different sort of duels, animal against animal, unarmed and naked prisoner against animal and hunters vs animals but never gladiator vs animal. There were heaps of animals put in the duels from lions, rhinos, crocodiles and even giraffes. Luke was mortified when he heard about the giraffes. The animals in cages were hoisted up from under the stadium using winches. They also hoisted up 'sets' for the games in the same way



This is where the animals were kept they have made a reconstruction of the battle ground above it.

The types of gladiator were all fairly mean. They were all heavily protected except for one that wore just a kilt. The common weapon was a sword but the unprotected gladiator used a net and trident. We were fascinated when we were told that battles weren't always to death when they were defeated they could plead for mercy from the crowd.


The reconstructed part was where the battles were held

The last thing she took us to see was where you could see the ruins of where the colosseum got it's name. The roman emperor Nero built a colossal statue of himself. When he died the features were changed and it was moved to outside the amphitheater because Nero was a very hated emperor. This is why it's called the colosseum because it had this colossal statue outside.



An entrance to the seats.

Well this will be the last blog from Europe as we are leaving tomorrow. Oh don't cry because we still have a few more blogs from our adventures in Singapore, you can still continue with being jealous again.

Jake

Location:Rome

Roaming' in Rome

I know we have written about the traffic before, but after all it has been a big part of our life 'on the road' for the last three and a half months. We have been amused, confused and at times have had our nerves frayed by our traffic experiences.

Since arriving in Rome, Pablo was taken to the nearest auto lavaggio for a wash, vacuum and general spruce up and has since been parked forlornly in the car park while we have used the more sensible alternative - Public Transport. So this post has a more pedestrian perspective.

Of course there must be traffic rules in Italy. The policeman in the photo below is clearly enforcing some of them.





However we quickly learnt not to stand on the side of the road at pedestrian crossings waiting for the traffic to stop for you. You will be waiting all day. Traffic will stop at pedestrian crossings - but only if you make it! To do this you must bravely and assertively step from the curb in front of the oncoming traffic which will then dutifully stop, or in the case of motorbikes swerve - but only one by one if you are directly in their path. I suggest you don't take on a bus the first time you try this.

I am bravely demonstrating the technique below.




Parking techniques have also been a continual source of bemusement during our journey. But the citizens of Rome have also taken the art of parking to the next level. It sees any free space is fair game - pedestrian crossings, corners, even traffic islands. Trust me, despite looking like they should be on the move, all of the cars below were driverless, and not a parking ticket in sight.







Gayle

Location:Rome, Italy

Who let the dogs out?

During our trip we were amazed at how many people brought their dogs camping with them ( approx €5 per night seems to be the going rate). Over the course of our holiday we have discovered that in Europe dogs can go nearly everywhere were people even in hotels.

Here are a few pictures of dogs in strange places...




Man's best friend attending the Last Post at the Menin Gates.



Dog cruising the canals of Venice



Drinking coffee at cafes



Catching the Metro



Buying groceries at the shops




Surf life saving dogs in Sorrento










Lego dogs and real dogs at Legoland... no they couldn't go on the rides!


On the Bus





Checking out the view in Santorini in its personal pouch (we've also seen them in baby bike carriers)

And for the cat lovers...


Mustache cat





On ancient ruins




A feeding box at Santorini for the town animals

Some other places we've seen dogs are the London underground, on the ferry to Greece, in heaps of restaurants, bars, in handbags and even overall pockets.

Whenever we see a dog/animal in a funny place we always think there'd be no way you could get away with that in Australia.

Jake

Location:Europe

Our Holy day in the Vatican

Today we caught the bus/train into Rome and walked to the Vatican. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign state in the world covering 0.44km2. We walked into St.Peters square expecting the Pope to come out and address everyone on his balcony at 11am. We sat there and had morning tea as Mum read about the things to see in the Vatican. Mum then found that the Pope doesn't come out to his balcony but addressed via big TV screens in the square. Oh!








We got in line to see St. Peters Basilica (not basilisk). Don't believe the people outside telling you it's a 1.5 hour wait, the line was long but took about about ten minutes when we got there. You have to go through a security check and then a dress code check. The scarf sellers made a killing out of those who had not read about covering their shoulders and knees.
Mum and Dad decided to take a guided tour around the Basilica and Sistine Chapel. The tour was good and even though we aren't the world's biggest Catholics/Christians we payed attention. There are three bodies of Popes in the Basilica, two are covered in bronze and one in wax. You also had the option to go into the grotto and look at the other bodies. We decided to give this a miss.




In the centre of the Basilica is a bronze pulpit that only the Pope can stand on and use. The bronze came first from the dome of the Basilica but it still wasn't enough so the Pope at that time decided to take all the bronze from the ancient roman ruins. From this drives the saying what the barbarians didn't take, Barberini did.




We weren't very proud when we found out that an Australian mad man came in and defaced the only statue that Michelangelo signed. It is now restored and behind bullet proof glass.




We got to the end of the tour to find that it didn't go into the Sistine Chapel. So we walked to the Vatican museum where the original paintings from the Basilica are held and weaved and turned as fast as we could through the masses of people to get to the Sistine Chapel. We finally got there to be blown away by the amazingness of the chapel. The whole roof is covered in amazing paintings which took Michelangelo over 4 years to complete. We picked out the well known "Creation of Adam" and Dad felt very knowledgeable when he recognized the "Desperate Housewives" painting.
All in all it was a good day. We saw the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel and we all came out unsigned.
Jake

Location:The Vatican

When in Rome

Today we took the courtesy bus and train into Rome to have a look around. The first thing we saw was the Spanish steps. Interestingly, The Spanish steps were made with French money, lead to a French church and they are in Italy. It was named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. The fountain at the bottom is a sinking ship, it was made by Pietro Bernini. See if you can find Dad, Mum and I in a game of "Where's the Wests".




We then made our way to the Trevi fountain, which was absolutely packed, and squeezed our way to the bottom. The legend is if you through a coin into the fountain it will reassure your return to Rome. Did you know that €3000 on average is thrown into the fountain a day.







Our next stop was the Colosseum. It was built in the times of Emperor Nero. It contained a statue of Nero but once he died the features were changed to be a statue of a God. We didn't go inside because the line was massive (1and 1/2 hours) so we did a loop and kept going.




Next we made our way to the Circus Maximus and read the information boards and had a look at the ruins. The Circus Maximus was a race course for chariots. The races usually consisted of seven laps. Although there are not very many physical remains of the structure left the area that it covered was huge.




Our last stop of the day was visiting the Pantheon but we have no idea what it was used for as we didn't go inside the it because it was packed like the Colosseum.




We had some lunch, went home and went for a swim. Tomorrow we are visiting the Vatican.

Jake.

"Where's the Wests" answers.

Location:Rome

Two quiet days

The last two days have been very quiet but enjoyable.
In Split we packed up our tents for the last time. Although we had to be off our pitch by midday the campground staff were happy for us to hang around and use the facilities until it was time to leave to catch the ferry. We spent the afternoon on the adjacent beach enjoying our last Adriatic Sea swim. That night we caught the ferry back to Italy. I was so disappointed when they didn't have the breaded fish on the ferry.
When we woke up the next day in Italy we drove from Ancona to our campsite near Rome. Mum and Dad had decided to get us a Bungalow so we could start cleaning camping gear and packing bags.
Jake
Paint Ball P.S......(from Gayle)
Don't believe Jake when he says paint ball shots only hurt for a little while. Ok, so the impact of the first shot (to my eye) was cushioned by the face mask. The next hit, a glancing blow just above my ankle, also didn't hurt either. However this hit, just above my well padded hip, was very ouchy. I decided that repeatedly returning to the arena to get shot at required either a special level of bravery or stupidity. I think it is the latter!

Location:Split and Rome

Do ya' give?

Today we drove to Trogir to play paintball. As we drove through Trogir the traffic going the other way was stacked and it made it hard to take a photo of the harbor but we got one.




When we got there we were earlier then the organizer so we plodded around and got changed into running/sports gear. When the organizer arrived he got the guns ready. Luke and I were watching him test the guns on some near by rocks and it certainly didn't look soft. We suited up and split into teams for the first game, Mum and Dad VS Luke and I.



Before we started we made two rules:
1. Don't aim for unprotected areas and
2. If you can fire at somebody at point blank, give them a chance to surrender.




Luke and I eliminated Mum and Dad so it was all for one. I yelped when Luke hit me in the leg as I was running from a barrier. I can tell you that it definitely doesn't tickle when you get shot.




The other highlights of our two hours were when Luke and I had eliminated Mum and Dad in a skirmish. Luke had got into a tree hut and couldn't get a shot on target when I came up behind him and hid behind a tree. While Luke was shooting at the tree like there was no tomorrow I quickly turned and took a shot which hit Luke on the leg... !Yes!



The second, and my personal favorite, was when Dad, Luke and I were in a skirmish and Dad had Luke at point blank. Dad called "Do ya' give?" and Luke heard "Are ya' hit?" Luke replied "I don't think so?" so Dad let Luke have it with two pellets straight in the back. Luke instantly yelped and screamed "Why did you do that!". Ahhh... good times , good times.



In war there are always casualties. Ours weren't as bad but they look fairly good don't they. Mum had a bruise on her lower back, Luke had three on his back and one on his leg, Dad had one on his shoulder and I had one on my arm.



Paint ball is definitely one of the most fun things you can do and once you've been hit the pain only stays for a few seconds then you're ready to go again.



Jake

Location:Trogir