The Colosseum, Rome, Italy Feb. 7, 2017

The Colosseum, 

Rome, Italy  

Feb. 7, 2017

We had a great time combing over the whole Colosseum and slowly getting higher and higher as the sun rose.  We arrived early and spent hours looking around.

They built up a mock replica of how the stage must have been set up--and the way they brought things/people/animals from the under-stage.

You can see on the right side of the Colosseum all the renovated walls.  They've done a nice job reconstructing the Colosseum.

The crows in Italy are two-toned, black and gray.  They are very handsome!

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The Forum, Rome, Italy Feb. 7, 2017

The Forum, 

Rome, Italy 

Feb. 7, 2017

After we left the Colosseum we ate our picnic lunch and then headed over to the Forum!  It was the best weather of the trip and we spent the whole day outside.  These pruned trees became my favorite trees in Italy.

Dd and Dh enjoyed having a nice day in Italy as much as I did.  Our first few days in Rome were not great, and the Colosseum and Forum made up for that!

Dd and I love to find the timeless treasures of nature that we can find anywhere - anytime.  These pretty daisy weeds might have bloomed in The Forum in it's heyday.

Even though it was February 7th, the off-season, the place still had masses of tourists.

I found this empty snail shell and made Dd take a picture of it for me.  We enjoyed looking at the trees, grass, weeds, the herb gardens and critters all in the Forum.

We got to go inside some of the buildings, and some had some reconstruction or renovation done.  The building interiors were just as fascinating as the exteriors.

They had plaques throughout the Forum that told the story of whatever it was beside.  They did a good job sharing what everything was and the story behind it.  Most pictures/walls were explained.

We started off on the ground and then as we went through one building it took us up higher and higher, and found the view at the top was really amazing.

I *love* moss, and ivy...so cool to find these two things meshed together.

I wore two security purses around my waist and looked a little odd, but it was neat to see this one building with many Fleur de Lis' throughout it.

From our height, we had a good view of Rome.

Blurry photo, but I just caught a glimpse of this European Robin and wanted to share.

We saw these pretty green parrot-like birds throughout Rome.

We saw two cats while in Rome.  One was a black cat, that wasn't doing well (at all), and then at the Forum we saw this cute cat.  He moved to a fenced in area, and then sat down and looked back at us, from safety.  He was a bit 'fluffy' and apparently hasn't missed many meals!

I know I've said it before but these evergreen trees were beautiful.  I went around at the Forum and collected a few pinecones to compare.  The Forum had a wide variety of things growing there.

The line of trees on the left are olive trees, and there was a huge evergreen tree on the right.

Spending so much time at the Forum let the sun spotlight different things as the day went on.  This late afternoon picture really made a bold contrast of the Colosseum.

After the Forum, we got on the yellow tour bus and managed to get a picture of the oldest bridge in Rome.  This bridge has 12-14 sculptures of angels on it---supposedly to protect travelers.

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