We trudged down the sidewalk with the hot sun beating down on our heads. Then turning a corner I got the jolt of my life. Suddenly there it was a couple of blocks away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Towering over the scene like a mighty sentinel, the Colosseum rose up into the sky. We were ants standing next to it. Dozens of arches, perfectly proportioned, circled around the structure like soldiers lined up for inspection. I hadn’t expected it to be this big. As we walked closer and our group became immersed in its shadow, I was struck by the enormity of it all.
I really don’t remember a lot of what was said during the tour by our guide. I was spellbound. This wasn’t just a building. It was a giant work of art. I just couldn’t get my head around the fact that this enormous edifice was built two-thousand years ago without the modern building technology of today.
We spent about an hour walking in and around the Colosseum, touching the cold limestone, staring up at the perfectly rounded walls, looking at the expanse of the interior.
As we left the area and walked back to the bus to get ready to go to our hotel, I mentioned to our guide how remarkable it was that such an amazing structure was built two-thousand years ago.
“Oh, this is nothing” She said, motioning to the Colosseum.
“Huh?”
“Yes, this is no big deal.”
“What?”
“You should see the pyramids in Egypt.” She said nonchalantly.
“They would blow your mind. And they were built two-thousand years before this thing.”
Whoa!
When we got home, guess what we started doing.
That’s right.
A tour of Egypt could be in our future.
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