Gladiator in Training

Well here we go.
Getting a little further down the road to completing this dang blogging about Europe thing.
We're on the third day in Rome.

So...
First we headed to the Colosseum.
Could you believe the metro stop for the Colosseum is Colosseo?
Crazy right?
Seriously though. You walk out of the metro and there it is.
You walk out of the metro and you see this:

You can ignore that person's head at the bottom of the photo.
Anyway.
It seriously is unreal.
You walk into the Colosseum and you see this:

And if you go in the middle of July you almost pass out because it's so hot. 

But then you realize where you are... and you realize how many people have seen this same thing and you do the Lizzie McGuire dance and you can't help but sing "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of" cause really. It is.

And then it really hits you. 

Soooo many people before you have sat in this place and watched the gladiators fight.

And you think you should be a gladiator too.

And as you're thinking about a career in gladiator-ing, looking at where you'll be fighting other gladiators, you might start freaking out.

I'm warning you right now.

If you go to the Colosseum, and I strongly recommend it, you need to stop and really appreciate where you are. 

It's overwhelmingly beautiful and big and you feel so small in comparison. 

You might even come to the conclusion that this place is not only a part of your life, but even more, you are merely a short part of it's life. 

I know that sounds crazy, but stay with me. 

Imagine how many stories this place could tell. 

Imagine all of the people and things that place has seen. 

The idea that this place has outlived many generations before you only points you to conclude that it is going to survive long past your life. Whoa. Heavy.

I don't mean to get super serious on you guys, but honestly it's the most magical realization. EVER.

It will make you want to run and crawl under a rock and hide and never come out at first but after the freak out, after the hyperventilating you will fall in love with it. 

It will absolutely consume you and I promise it's the best. 

Stop and really pay attention to where you are at every place you go in Rome or really anywhere you go. 

APPRECIATE THE WORLD AROUND YOU, DANG IT! 

Plus it helps to go with the best people you know. 

Annnnnnywayyyyy...

After the Colosseum we headed over to the Forums. 

They were so pretty but honestly I couldn't even think straight because I was certain I was melting. 

And then we went to Trajan's column and I saw the cutest old man playing his guitar. 

He was SOO Italian. 

After oo-ing and aw-ing over his music and talking to a very nice British girl who told me that my teeth were perfect and how I was fitting the stereotype of American's, we headed to a church to see Michelangelo's Moses. 

Holy cow was that thing beautiful. 

Just look at him. 

And this doesn't do it justice. 

At. All.

We then headed back to the hotel to take a little nap before we planned on venturing back to the Colosseum to see it all lit up. 

We got some pizza and gelato and were asked "do you want some weeds?" to which I responded "NO."

Apparently all of those years of "Just Say No" had prepared me for this moment. 

I didn't even hesitate. Well done, teachers. Well done. 

And then we got there. 

And the Colosseum is even more breathtaking in the evening. 

It certainly helped that a very handsome Italian man was walking next to me for a while. Mmmhmmm. 

It was a delight. 

Here's a photo.

SHOCKER!

Now. 

Go and appreciate your life. 

Appreciate the world around you. 

XOXO,

Sam