Rome

yesterday we went to see the Roman Forum. we tried to get out early so that it wasn't too hot but by the time we arrived it was over 40 degrees. we got tickets and wandered around the ruins of it with a really boring audio guide.
i did learn that the area used to be a swamp and only became usable when King Tarquinius Priscus used very modern reclamation(drainage) techniques to dry out the land so they could build the buildings that make up the Forum. the romans thought it was the centre of the world.
There were lots of exhibitions and small museums around the Forum grounds that had carvings and statues that had been found in the buildings. most of them had their noses chopped off because the romans believed that when you died you could inhabit your statue if you still had your nose because you could still breathe.
when we left we went and had lunch at a place where they sprayed you with water mist as you ate. it was quite refreshing because it cooled me down a lot. then we went and saw a famous fountain in Piazza Navona created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, called The Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Today we have just stayed in our apartment because it is so hot. later on we might be going to a swimming pool(they are surprisingly hard to find in Rome) but apart from that we are staying inside with the air conditioning.
Oh, and Celton wanted me to mention him in my blog so there i mentioned him.