My heart raced when we got to the metro station. It took 6 stops to get to Termini, our first stop. Then we got off that metro and got on another metro. When we got on this metro, they were closing the metro because the metro drivers went on strike. Luckily, we just made it to the Colosseum.
When we got out of the metro station we looked for our tour guide. We found her holding an orange flag. We first went to ruins of Ancient Rome from 353 BC. Lots of it was worn away from flooding.
After Ancient Rome we headed to the Colosseum. We had a different tour guide for the Colosseum. First, we went to the center where the gladiators fought. Did you know what the sand is used for in the Colosseum? I did not know, but now I know that the sand is used on the arena floor for grip because of the blood from the animals that died in earlier fights.
Second, we went underground where they kept the animals. I did not know that the animals were lifted up by a manual lift (elevator). I also did not know that water always runs under the Colosseum. I also learned that most of the gladiators did not live under the Colosseum but most of the animals did..
Third, we went to the very top of the Colosseum. It was very beautiful. I learned that the poor people would get the higher seating because the staircase was steeper than the others. I did not know that that more than one group of gladiators fought at once. They had up to 20 fights happening at one time.
After we went down and we had to find our way back to our apartment. Because of the strike we could not take the metro or the buses so we walked the 5 kms. While we were walking we saw a place to eat lunch so we stopped, grabbed some lunch and a drink and walked all the way home.
Written By Nathan