Lost on the streets of Rome!

OMG! What an exciting adventure trying to make my way to my early morning tour at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

I woke up early, 5:30 a.m. to make it downstairs by 6:00 am for the hotel's free buffet breakfast of fruit, pastries, vienna sausage, extremely loose scrambled eggs, coffee and orange drink (yes drink not juice).  My tour started promptly at 8:00 a.m. and I had a 30 minute commute. So I quickly scoffed down my breakfast and I made my way down Via Tommaso Salvini to catch the 360 Muse bus to the Colosseum.  

Well, being new to Rome and unfamiliar with the language proved to be a frightening and exciting experience for me that morning.  I inadvertently de-bused at the wrong stop and I was lost.  With travel map in hand I quickly tried to navigate my way on foot. 

It was early morning and businesses where just getting started for the day.  There was a calmness and eeriness that met me as I turned down deserted side street after side street, running through the narrow back alleys as the clock ticked away closer and closer to 8:00 am.  By 7:50 I was still wandering aimlessly through Rome with no Colosseum in sight. 

After ten minutes of solitude I happened upon two Italian workers unloading groceries through the back doors of hotels and restaurants.  I approached to young men unloading fruits and vegetables out of a plain white van.  I began speaking English, slowly of course because in my mind if you speak a language slowly anyone can understand it (right?).  "Excuse me, do you know which way to the Colosseum is?" "The Col-o-sse-um".  I enunciated slowly.

The young italian men looked at me glazed over and confused, not understanding a word I said.  I repeated again but to no avail. They shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders dismissing my attempt to make them understand my language and attempted to comforted me with a single universal apologetic word, "NO".   

It was now 8:00 and I was no more closer to the Colosseum than I was ten minutes ago.

I decided to give up on trying to communicate with the workers and continue making my way through the streets with nothing but hope on my side.  I turned down one narrow street and miraculously came out on a street jammed packed with people.  There were guides holding colored flags for their groups to follow and as I broke through their lines I looked up and there it was in all its ancient splendor, about 500 yards ahead on top of a steep hill.  By now it was 8:15 and I feared I had missed my tour group which was scheduled to leave promptly at 8:00 from the top of that hill.

I immediately began a track runners sprint up the hill, my thighs crying out for relief after each step.  When I reached the top of the hill it was my surprise to see a group standing there.  "Estefani?" the tour guide asked.  I knodded out of breath and apologized to everyone for my tardiness.

And oh what a tour it was, the Colosseum is a grand arena with intricacies that explain the heart and soul of combat, socialism and architecture dating back to A.D. 80.  I was overwhelmed as I looked down on the fighting grounds where gladiators, lions and hundreds of thousands of fans packed over and over again for a sporting event that ended in death.  

I am glad I didn't give up and kept pushing to make my way.  It was truly a day that I will never forget.