Friday 11th September - Pantheon We headed down some pedestrian only areas and came around the corner to see the exterior of the Pantheon. We saw a programme on this building not long before leaving NZ. The Pantheon has been the model of perfection for 18 centuries. It is known for its perfect symmetry. The diameter of the dome is equal to the buildings height. It is the most preserved building in the whole of Ancient Rome and is the enduring symbol of ar...

Friday 11th September _- Lunch and after The traffic was chaotic and we saw more buses in half an hour than there are in Dunedin. We saw a space at a restaurant out on the street and sat next to a couple from Queensland who had just arrived in Rome that morning. Was nice chatting to the couple who were also going on a 22 day cruise from Rome to Istanbul? The view from our seats was of Victor Emmanuel II Monument and was a nice way to spend a leisurely hou...

Friday 11th September - Colosseum The bus rounded a corner and there was the Colosseum. Imagine this, 60,000 Romans cheering and screaming at a battle to the death. Only about 2% of all gladiators survived the bloody battles. The Colosseum, stone brick and concrete structure has been standing on this spot since 70AD, constructed by order of Emperor Vespasian. Out in front of the Colosseum is the Arco di Constantino and off to one side is the Arco di Tito....

Friday 11th September - Rome Hop on Bus We went down and had a funny breakfast of croissant and coffee and orange juice. We had decided to get a Hop on Hop off Bus today as last time in Rome we didn't get to see that much. We haven't seen an Information Centre and really had no idea where the buses went from. Jannie took a brochure from a hawker yesterday and we saw that the nearest bus stop to our B&B was at Railway Station Termini. We started walki...

Thursday 10th September - Trevi We had a pizza and a Moretti beer and then headed for the Metro station to go from Vittorio Emanuell station to Barbarino station. The trouble with the Rome Metro is that there are only 2 lines and neither seems to go where all of the sights are. We got off the train and up the very long escalator to the street and here was a fountain, rather nice and water flowing everywhere but I didn't think that it was the Trevi. We ask...