One of the statues that make up Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, at Piazza Navona, Rome.
Yesterday, here in Rome, we were scheduled for a private tour of the Colosseum and the Forum. We took a cab there from the hotel, and mistakenly had the driver drop us off on the wrong side, the opposite side from where we were supposed to meet our guide, Salomè, within a few minutes.
The travel agent had given me Salomè's phone number, so I texted to let her know we were on the other side of the Colosseum but would be with her as quickly as we could. And I received a rather snippy response back, saying, "Who gave you this number? I'm not taking tours today?" Ooops. The travel agent accidentally gave me the phone number for the wrong guide. I did not want to get the agent in trouble, so I just apologized and told the unknown tour guide that I couldn't remember where I got the phone number.
But we finally made it to Salomè, who turned out to be real treasure trove of historical details about the Colosseum and other ancient Roman sites. I'd thought I was pretty well versed in that history, but she told me some facts I did not know. Fascinating!
After that, we were on our own for the rest of the day. We walked around to the various iconic sites, ate gelato, and enjoyed the ambience of Rome.
The Arch of Constantine, which was, unfortunately, on the WRONG side of the Colosseum.
The Colosseum.
Jon Morgan was still pretty jet-lagged, and the crowds were off-putting, so we decided not to go inside the Pantheon this time. But the exterior is certainly impressive, too! I hope I can take him back sometime so he can see inside.
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