In looking forward to our journey to Rome, the one souvenir I was really hoping to get was a Colosseum keychain from the actual Colosseum itself. How cool would it be to have a Colosseum keychain from the Colosseum!
The day arrived when we would tour the Colosseum. I was beyond excited! This was the one thing I had been most excited about visiting!
Though I must confess a small worry was nagging at the corners of my mind.
The day before, when we had toured the Vatican Museum with our most excellent tour guide Franco, it was not lost on me that we breezed right past the Gift Shop on our way out to exit the grounds.
Bummer! I would really have enjoyed looking through there. I bet they would have had postcards or reproductions of the artwork in the Sistine Chapel. (since absolutely no photography is allowed in the Sistine Chapel!) But it’s ok. I didn’t really need any souvenirs from the Sistine Chapel anyway.
But today was a new day! We arrived at the Colosseum bright and early at 9am.
This is beyond exciting!
We made it through the metal scanners and security checkpoint. I couldn’t get over how much it was just like the Seahawks football stadium! It was just like our modern stadiums of today!
Franco led us up the stairs to the second level. Today Franco was wearing a bright red shirt so we could spot him easily. These were the tallest steps I have ever climbed! Climbing up the steps to the Colosseum seating felt just like climbing the steps to the seating of the Seahawks stadium!
I could totally imagine the excitement of the crowds! … the vendors lining the mezzanine selling all kinds of tasty goodness … the announcer amping the crowd up! There had to have been music in the stadium in ancient times. There just had to have been. Any major NFL or NBA stadium wouldn’t be what it is today without the music.
Franco led us out into the stadium. It totally felt just like a stadium of today!
Franco indicated a viewing platform … informing us that we would have to fight like a gladiator to get up next to the rail in order to get our selfies. So, we each dutifully “fought like a gladiator” to get up next to the rail to get our selfies.
Franco led us on around the side of the Colosseum through the masses of people! Can you spot Franco in his bright red shirt, with our group sign (2A) over his shoulder?
Franco led us to the complete opposite end of the Colosseum where we could take a photo back in the other direction.
All that open area in the center isn’t supposed to be seen. That’s where the floor of the Colosseum used to be. Underneath the floor is where they kept all the lions and fierce animals which the gladiators battled. A trap door from underneath opened up in the Colosseum’s floor to allow the animals to enter from beneath.
From here Franco led us back down the super tall steps … through the chaos of the crowds in the first-level breezeway … around a corner … and down a side passage, where he let us know he was taking us to the Emperor’s Box. He informed us we could get some great selfies from the Emperor’s Box.
Along the way, each arched passage we passed had a set of stairs going up to the seating up above. That’s cool.
Oh my goodness!! There’s the gift shop!!
It totally caught me by surprise!
As we cruised past the gift shop Oh how I wanted to pop in and see if they had any Colosseum key chains!
The gift shop was right here!!
Not too far beyond the gift shop we reached the Emperor’s Box. Franco told us we could have 10 minutes to enjoy the view and take photos.
Now was my chance! 10 minutes is enough time to abandon my tour group and run back to the gift shop to get a Colosseum key chain!
I looked at hubby. Hubby looked at me. Should we really do this?? Yes, we should!
We both turned and bolted past the couple of remaining people in our tour group. We had gone about 5 or 6 paces when I stopped short. Franco is a really really good tour guide! Franco will know we are missing! Franco is always keeping an eye on our little group of 15, making sure we are all there and that none of us have gotten lost.
Chances are it won’t be a full 10-minute pause at the Emperor’s Box anyway. Then Franco will know for sure we are missing and become concerned about where we are. It would be absolutely embarrassing to have to admit to Franco, in front of our whole tour group, that we abandoned our tour guide and our tour group to go moseying around in a gift shop for a keychain. Totally embarrassing!
So, hubby and I turned and rejoined our little group of 15 in the Emperor’s Box.
We got our most excellent photos of the ground-floor view of the Colosseum.
And I tried really hard not to be disappointed.
Upon finishing at the Emperor’s Box, we proceeded to the exit. Out through the turnstiles. Forever leaving the Colosseum gift shop behind.
Bummer. I guess I didn’t really need a Colosseum keychain from the actual Colosseum after all.
The thing is, if I had been brave enough to ask Franco, I’m sure he would have spared the few minutes to let me run in and grab a keychain. I just didn’t have the courage to speak up and ask.
A few blog posts ago I wrote about how following our tour guide is a lot like following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our life.
Just like Franco was a most excellent tour guide, leading the way for us and instructing us through the earpiece in our ear … so also the Holy Spirit speaks into our life (through our conscience and through the Bible). The Holy Spirit guides us as we go through life, giving us wisdom for decisions and helping us know which paths to take.
But sometimes in life there are things which we want to do. Like I wanted to go to the Colosseum gift shop to get a Colosseum keychain.
Sometimes in life we abandon our “tour guide” … we abandon the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit. We bolt off in another direction to check out something else which seems way more interesting to us.
We dabble in things we should not be dabbling in. We wander into areas we should not be wandering into.
The Bible speaks of this. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 it says: “Do not quench the Spirit. … Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
Also … “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” – 1 Timothy 6:10
Don’t abandon your “tour guide”!
Don’t wander off away from the Holy Spirit.
