Colosseum, Roman Forum & Pantheon!

Our second day in Rome, we went to the Colosseum. Luckily, we got there early and so the lines were about nothing. :D

This picture shows how the levy system worked with lifting the gladiators and their opponents into the arena. Romans were smart people.

Ohmygosh. I really do have gorilla arms. O.o

And this baby is their copy/mock of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Smaller, but still pretty cool! Again, I'm amazed by the skill of their architects and stone carvers. I would have ruined the stone given to me with little wedges and hammers.
Next, the Roman Forum! Which translates to...Roman ruins, yay!

Nah, it ain't an ancient football field. They had chariot races. This was a bigwig's garden/courtyard.

A secret tunnel...probably one of the ones they talked about in the Colosseum, which were used by gladiators to get there in secret so they were hazed by the crowd outside.

It was refreshing, let me tell you. If they have nude beaches all over Europe, why can't I bathe in a garden in public? ;D

And I REALLY need to go. ;)

I had to, cause my camera had the setting, and they were perfect. :D They smelled amazing, by the way. Can't stand the smell of red ones though. 

Guess what?! Another one! And this was even smaller.

On streets such as these, I had the pleasure of being appreciated by the Italian men. ;D They whistled and called out to me (yes, only me Fathia. We both know they prefer blondes. ;) I even had a gentleman pass me and simply say, "You are beaUtiful." And went on his way. So...I LIKE Italy! <3

Pantheon! It wasn't terribly crowded either. It might be that I've been in NYC a lot, and my perception is a little biased, but...it was nice.

Obelisks. A popular structure in Italy. Honestly, they were in nearly every plaza, or in front of every "major" building/architectural wonder. They put the cross above the pagan (Egyptian hieroglyphics) writings to symbolize that God is above pagan religion.

 Yeah, I though to break up the monotonous line of photos by staggering them once in a while. You're welcome!

Maybe it was the day before, or today, can't remember, but we ate dinner at a restaurant. (Wow, I know. Novelty!) However, the food was good, while our server looked like he was waiting to kill somebody. We told the cashier/owner that, and he (being funny) said that the guy was probably disappointed he didn't ask Fathia out on a date. We all laughed, and he called his three servers over, and told them to smile for us. They did, and he introduced them to us. Our guy was Serious, another Gay, the other Stupid (who was the only one that was already smiling.) Stupid, on our way out, stuck his elbow for me to take, which made us laugh as we left.


The last day we were there, we went to a Crossfit box in Rome. The welcome was fabulous!!!
This is when Fathia went alone, I was taking a nap back in the hotel room. It was then that she and the others there tried to set me up with some guys. xD Once "blonde" "pale" "blue-eyed" and "Hawaii" came from her mouth, they promised to bring in a fella. >< XD

Now, this was our last time at the box, where I was able to come. However, my guy didn't come because he was too shy, and wasn't confident talking to a foreign girl. And I bet Fathia said that I was scary. Right, Fathia? ;)

This is my first attempt at climbing a knot-less rope. First, not so good. Second and third time, I got it down. But the office, as seen below, can only be reached if you climb the rope. Isn't that awesome?! Protection against unfit theives. xD

Left to right: Francesco, Me, Fathia, Simonetta, Luca, Luciano, Edoardo, and the guy. Can't remember his name for the life of me.

The shirt Fathia is wearing is the box's T-shirt. The back is pretty cool, but we didn't take a picture of it. >< However, I will say that since I bought it, lots of people have given positive feedback. I even made a friend at the airport over it! ;)

Me and the nameless guy. Seriously, I've got nothing on his name. XD

 Shaka!

Cooldown!

Afterwards, Luciano showed us around the Prince's gardens next to the box, whom they named it after: Villa Albani. They were beautiful grounds!

 Awesome car! We drove in this thing with Simonetta, three people! Even better, she fit six before, and can make five lanes out of two! It was so much fun, while Fathia disagrees. xD

Luca and me.

"Music sheets" because they crackle/make music when you eat them. :)

The remains of our other appetizer, salmon in olive oil, vinegar, spices and cherry tomatoes. Delish!

Fathia's dish, crayfish, and a pasta dish with clams in it. 

Mine is halibut with potatoes. Ohmygoodness yumminess!

Fathia's dessert, cream with thin paper-like crackers, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. 

Mine is the famous...panna cotta! With chocolate sauce on it. YUM. Funny thing, Luca, across from me, had ordered a melon gelato and everyone finished dessert before me...cause I had to savor mine. ;) However, I told Fathia afterwards that I noticed him eying my spoon each time I took a bite. Fathia and I pondered whtether or not it was the food he was looking at. ;)

Left to right, back to front: Fathia, Francesco, me, Luca and Simonetta.

A last picture of a couple Rome Crossfit buddies.

And this is us in the airport as we depart from Italy. We were the first in line, so we decided to chill. I was hunger and tired, so the craziness is excused.