Rome - Day 1, Afternoon

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Originally uploaded by pdbreen.

With map in hand, I explored a number of the Piazza's, walked by or through a number of the ruins, walked by the colleseum and entered the Panthenon. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but the walk and the sights were a bit of a let down. I probably should have done a bit of reading on Rome's history to get a bit more out of my exploration.
I continued to explore, ending up at the Trevi fountain where I hear someone call out my name. I turn and see David & Jennifer! Kind of random occurrence to be in the middle of a large, foreign city and cross paths with someone you know. As they opted to do the "land only" portion of the tour, they were staying in a different hotel than the rest of the group. We chatted briefly and made plans to meet in the morning in the line for the Vatican museums.
On to the Spanish steps where I enjoy an overpriced beer while watching the crowds go by (and up and down the steps). I had a light dinner tonight at a wine bar and decided to head back to the ruins after the sunset as they were supposed to be dramatically lit making Rome at night very different from Rome during the day.
I found the colleseum to be pretty much the only thing that was worth seeing at night - it seemed like the lights were either not on at the other ruins or the guide books overstated how wonderful the walk would be.
Time for bed.