Day 154: Roman ruins, graffiti and pickpocket

The flight from Lyon to Rome was eventful. We boarded the plane on time, but were forced to stay inside the plane for two and half hours due to heavy fog in Rome. When we started our decent for Rome, the fog was still very thick. We were not sure how the pilot managed to find the runway. Several people (including us) applauded to the pilot after the plane touched down safely.

The temparature was about the same as in Lyon, i.e. cold. The public transportation was busy, especially the metro. Speaking of the metro, line B was something we tried to avoid when we could. I still remember our reaction when the metro pulled in. It was jammed packed inside the train and on the platform – almost felt like Bangalore station in India. Graffiti artists made sure that every part of the exterior surface was graced by their artistic talent. As we fought our way into the metro, there was annoucement of pickpocketing from the PA system. God, it was not an experience we wished to repeat.

The Colosseum was nothing like the movie Gladiators. Those guys at Hollywood sure did an amazing job. It was smaller than I imagined (due to the movie), but it was still good to walk around the arena and imagine what it must be like back in the old days. BTW, it was the execution of exotic animals at the arena, not the two-men-enter-one-man-leave duels as portrayed in the movie. Outside the Colosseum, there were people dressed in roman costumes shouting 'Maximus' – they charge for taking photos with them.


The St. Peter's Basilica by the Vatican city was spectacular. We were surprised by the scale and size of the interior. It was so grand. The sculptures and the paintings were equally impressive. When we were about to leave, about a dozen Swiss guards came marching down through the main entrance (normally closed). Security was tightened. People started waiting at the line-up to see if the Pope was going to show up. After 20 minutes, it was some politicians dressed in tuxedos walking accompanied by an old cardinal. :(

the infamous Swiss Guards

inside of St. Peter Basilica

Do you remember our blog entry on St. Thomas church in Chennai? There were only three churches built on top of Jesus' apostles. One in Chennai, India. One in Spain. And the last one is St. Peter's. Compared to St. Peter's tomb, the tomb of St. Thomas was more "budget". See the photos below for yourself.

St. Peter's tomb - it's underneath the gigantic black stone sculpture

St. Thomas tomb in Chennai