We awoke this morning at 7:00, having had a fairly decent amount of sleep. Having nowhere we needed to be urgently, we slowly got ready and went down to breakfast around an hour later. Breakfast was a continental style buffet, so naturally we took this as a challenge to eat as much as we possibly could without feeling so uncomfortably full we could barely move. Aside from feeling this was a good opportunity to get our moneys' worth, this would ensure that we were full enough to see us though until lunch time.

After breakfast, we decided to take another walk down the road to find the Colosseum, this time in the daylight. We took the same route as last night, taking in the forum beforehand. Here we got chased by a Centurion with a feather boa on his helmet, insisting that we take a photo of him pretending to slit Aimee's throat or some other such gladiatorial gesture. Eventually we got rid of him and carried on to view the remainder of the ruins and take some photos. Next we climbed the steps of the central museum to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Whether viewing them from afar or standing right there beneath the statues, at the top of the staircase it was virtually impossible to take in the sheer scale of the building. It really is something that has to be seen to understand how magnificent the ancient Roman inspired architecture is. As we looked out onto the streets, we heard chanting and saw smoke pouring from the street just in front of the gates to the staircase. A very nervous looking guard closed the gate as a protest took place beneath us. Eventually they either retreated or were dissipated, I'm not quite sure which as we stayed where we were until we were sure nobody was going to be shot!

As we approached the Colosseum it became increasingly difficult to avoid the various uniformed (and totally unconvincing) soldiers and gladiators, however we persevered and went to sit next to the arch of Constantine, while we decided how best to view the Colosseum itself. We went for the cheapest option, which was entry for two and a single audio guide, which gave a few interesting facts about the history, architecture, politics and culture of the Colosseum, however it would have been just as fascinating without any guide whatsoever. Certainly, we were glad not to have paid for a guided tour (despite missing out on some of the exclusive access granted to some of them), opting instead to go round at our own pace. The building is perhaps not as huge as it's name would suggest, especially when compared to modern day stadia, but putting the building into it's historical context reveals how enormous it would have been at the time. Partial restoration also showed how the arena would originally have looked. We left the Colosseum, to engage in a far more pressing commitment, that of ice cream. Another item ticked off our list. Chocolate for Aimee and Strawberry for me, the ice creams were both delicious, however the chocolate was definitely the nicer of the two.

After this, we returned to the hotel for a rest, the weather necessitated at least momentary relief from the hot Roman sun. After this, we made our way to the Trevi fountain via the back streets, allowing us a brief insight into modern Rome. On our way, we happened across the Quirinal hill. As we took some photos, we were approached by guards and asked to move along, there was a function being held inside and our presence at the palace was apparently undesirable. We moved on and found the Trevi fountain, which is big and fountainous. And wet. Once again street traders somewhat interfered with an otherwise enjoyable experience, asking if they could take our photo, or if they could help us take a picture on our camera, or if we wanted to borrow a tripod. 'No, we have a camera,' 'No, we've taken a photo,' 'No, we have a tripod.' It slowly dawned on us that if avoiding eye-contact didn't work, simply ignoring them was the only option. Despite these annoyances, our visit to the fountain was a fantastic experience, there was a romantic almost ethereal quality to the whole area, people here were clearly enjoying the whole experience, especially the one couple we saw who thought to bring sandwiches and beer. We continued on in the other direction, through the streets, past the one building which clarified that we were definitely in the same world, in the same time period that we had left at home - McDonalds.

We stopped momentarily to watch a street artist produce a beautiful painting, using only spray paint and a number of stencils and improvised brushes. Having seen such an artist in Stockholm several years ago and bought the piece I saw him produce (which now adorns our bedroom wall) we were keen to purchase a new addition to our collection, which we hope to do before our honeymoon ends. Eventually coming back to the seemingly omnipresent central museum, we made our way back towards the hotel on our usual route, stopping off at Ristorante L'Esquilino, where the staff clearly embraced the tourism industry, our waiter spoke at least three languages to some extent. An appetiser of chick peas, tomatoes and aubergine in a vinaigrette was provided on the house, which turned out to be delicious. For our starters we again had a Bruschetta mix, then Aimee had Penne al arrabiatta for her main, I had Gnocchi al Pesto (or something along those lines). We couldn't fault the service in this restaurant, I would definitely go back again just for the freebies! The only thing that put a slight dampener on the meal was the fact that we were subjected to two hours of Whitney Houston live piped through the sound system, however, we persevered and left otherwise satisfied. We returned to the hotel and started to plan what we would do the following day. Then we slept.