Not too far away from Rome (distance-wise, not traffic-wise)
is Ostia Antica. It was a big deal of a
port in the 2nd century with about 50,000 residents. We visited the ruins as a group and it was
very interesting…very old…and very hot.
Once again, I think the people that created these old cities
were much more coordinated than I am because the steps and roads were very
uneven. I’m assuming that some of that was due to being a couple thousand years
old but I know I have a HUGE appreciation for the standardization of steps and
handrails these days. Woohoo! Go modern steps and handrails!
Some of the highlights of the tour were the amphitheater,
the ruins of a townhouse, and a bathroom.
While the amphitheater made me thinks of all the
performances that might have taken place there, and the townhouse made it
possible to imagine what daily life might have been like, it was the bathroom
that really stuck with me.
The bathrooms were the big gathering place and where people
conducted business while doing…their business.
Basically there was a rectangular room with a bench around three sides
of it and numerous holes for the people to use. I mean, seriously, what?!?! What if the last meal didn’t quite agree with
you when you went to use the facilities?
What if you had IBS? What if you
were suffering from a severe gas problem that day? So many questions… But really, would you seriously get invited
over for dinner that night if they heard some of the intestinal issues you may
be having? Or, perhaps all the issues
that I’m concerned about weren’t problems back then. Or, or, perhaps there were private toilets
where you dealt with real visit to the bathroom and then you went to the public
toilets later just for show (you know, like in the comedies where people eat
food before going on a date so they don’t look like they’re eating too much.) I guess it is just one more thing to add to
possible “scary bathroom dreams” that we all sometimes have. What?
You mean that isn’t something that everyone has nightmares about??? Uh, me neither.
At least you know that Ostia Antica made an impression on
me, right? ;)
Random observations…
-It’s been easy to figure out what to have for dinner since
I have only found Italian restaurants around.
At least it makes it easy to prepare my taste buds for what they will be
experiencing.
-Tour buses have a difficult time in the narrow streets of
Rome. The cars/trucks don’t particular
care for waiting for the bus to load/unload.
Our bus eventually had us meet it on a wider nearby street.
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