...that would be a portmanteau; that is, the combination of two words (falafel and colosseum) to create one awesome word. Why would I create such an amazing word? Well I'll tell you very shortly. Right about now. After class on Monday, my friend Marisa and I decided to walk home instead of take the tram as we usually do. Right as we were about to cross the Tiber river, Marisa had the lovely suggestion of going on a quest. This quest was to find the infamous Jewish quarter, known for its...well, Jews. It didn't take us very long, as it was about 5 minutes away from where we started. A giant menorah in front of an even larger synagogue was the dead giveaway. We asked a kind looking elderly man outside the temple where the actual Jewish quarter was (and subsequent cuisine) and he pointed us in the right direction. I replied with a simple B'vakasha (Thank you in hebrew) and he replied in kind. As we walked along the street the contains the bulk of commerce in the area, we saw familiar hebrew letters and foods...as you guessed from the title of this post Falafel was one of them. Like a magnet I was pulled into the store, unable to help myself from buying a falafel sandwich. It was as fresh and delicious as I had hoped it would be. We also stopped into a kosher deli that had amazing looking meat that was overpriced...same as home. But again I was drawn by otherworldy forces and bought a tub of hummus. We left the quarter shortly after, but I'm very positive it is not the last time I cross its path.
Tuesday I woke up at 730am (pretty harsh on a college kid) to go to my lovely Layers of Rome class. Today's lesson took place first in the Forum Romana, and halfway through took us to the, drumroll please...COLOSSEUM (the backend of my favorite new word). We got a little lost on our way to the meeting point, but after a stern warning via phone that we'd be left behind, we sprinted around the perimeter of the Forum and found our group. We discussed the history of the forum as the bustling civic center of ancient Roman life. Banks (as they knew them), temples, courthouses, and markets of trade adorned this plaza which stretched the span of two arches, the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Severus. It was not very big considering how many people (the entirety of Rome) had to fit inside it at given times. It was decorated with the ruins of numerous ancient temple and monuments, including the House of the Vestil Virgins (where modern nunneries are based off of) and the Basilica Julia, named for Julius Caesar and used for various public events. There are holes carved in the stone there as an ancient game when Roman citizens would grow tired of the lengthy public addresses given there. The goal was to throw a pebble into the carved cups. I lost.
We then moved on to the epic Colosseum. The Colosseum we found out is just a nickname given to it due to the colossal statue of Emperor Nero that once stood before it. Its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater. As you may or may not know, the Colosseum is not totally intact anymore. This is because it was dismantled by idiots who didn't know I was coming to see it hundreds and hundreds of years later so they could build other stupid stuff. As we climbed higher and higher I began to truly appreciate the amazing events that had taken place thousands of years before. Besides gladiator battles, there were bullfights and circus events held there as well and during the inaugural performances over a two month span, nine thousand animals died. Learning more and more about the terrible atrocities that went on here, I couldn't help but want to watch Gladiator really really bad. Our professor let us go early to explore the rest of the Colosseum on our own. We circumvented the whole arena, on all levels. I stood in the same spot on the main floor that an immeasurable number of lives were taken. I have to admit this feeling was quite unexpected, and thus even more powerful. After spending some time taking pictures and getting lost, we left the Colosseum area. As with the Jewish quarter, I don't think this will be my last trip there, although I may find myself in the quarter a tad more frequently.
Tuesday I woke up at 730am (pretty harsh on a college kid) to go to my lovely Layers of Rome class. Today's lesson took place first in the Forum Romana, and halfway through took us to the, drumroll please...COLOSSEUM (the backend of my favorite new word). We got a little lost on our way to the meeting point, but after a stern warning via phone that we'd be left behind, we sprinted around the perimeter of the Forum and found our group. We discussed the history of the forum as the bustling civic center of ancient Roman life. Banks (as they knew them), temples, courthouses, and markets of trade adorned this plaza which stretched the span of two arches, the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Severus. It was not very big considering how many people (the entirety of Rome) had to fit inside it at given times. It was decorated with the ruins of numerous ancient temple and monuments, including the House of the Vestil Virgins (where modern nunneries are based off of) and the Basilica Julia, named for Julius Caesar and used for various public events. There are holes carved in the stone there as an ancient game when Roman citizens would grow tired of the lengthy public addresses given there. The goal was to throw a pebble into the carved cups. I lost.
Dear Danny,
ReplyDeleteis it possible to get a top view picture of "holes carved in the stone" to proof an idea what it is and how does it work.
Where it is located- in the Basilica Julia?
Best regards, Imants