To the Coliseum

From St. Peter in Chains we walked down the hill to the Coliseum and environs and toured what is probably Rome's best known sight. Of course, getting there, as they say, is half the fun, and in an area like this, there is no lack of interesting things to see.

In the 1930s Mussolini had these over-sized reliefs done on

the huge wall outside the Forum, showing the growth of the

Roman empire; evidently trying to inspire his vaunted "eight

million bayonets"

In early Republican times

At this point, everyone, including me, is taking

pix of the couple here, who are clearly into

geo-political cartography

And here is the situation at the end of Republican times...

And here, during Hadrian's reign; let's see, Mussolini invaded

Ethiopia in 1936; sent war planes to help Franco in Spain in
1938; invaded France in 1940; Greece and Albania in

1940; Italians marched all the way across North Africa,
almost to Suez and Alexandria, with Rommel

Finally, I ask them to pose, which they did;

Vicki and I are re-considering our Ex Officio/

Magellan/REI wardrobe style; but probably

these people are not camping...

"Please help! Need ticket back to Cairo!"

"Look, Rufus, if I have told you once, I have told you M times,
it's thrust, parry, thrust"