The Day from hell for the Professors...

 So, we start off from the hotel and turn left onto Via Cavour and head to the Colosseum and forum.  We’re doing real Rome today and we get to the Colosseum to buy the Rome pass that gets us into a lot of sights for cheaper, has two free, and free bus passes.  The tourist center wasn’t open until 9:30, so we went to the Colosseum to get it there since it opened at 9 and they didn’t have the passes.  John took the students around the arena and to the arch of 

Constantine while Rachel and I went back to the tourist office.  Waited for it to open and then the corporate credit card from Ferris did not work.  So, we go to a Tobacco shop and it doesn’t work there either.  Go to a pay 

 phone to call the US to ask about the card and the man says that he was not aware that the card was in Italy.  So, it’s time to improvise and I have to handle it to John and Rachel, they did well.  They moved up the free sights that we were going to see anyway like Trajan’s Market, the Wedding Cake (Victorio Emmanuel monument) and the several churches, the Pantheon to this day and decided to figure out the credit card that evening when everything opened in the US. 

I have to admit that I found a lot more things that were interesting about the wedding cake than before because I was particularly looking at the statues and their symbolism.  Also, there was a demonstration going on that came past us singing and chanting so that they closed the monument and one student and I got stuck outside with marchers coming past us.  They were protesting the

 current contract of teachers, police, and workers with the city of Rome and it was interesting to watch another demonstration of another issue.  Kids from Big Rapids have never been exposed to demonstrations and have only seen ones from California or occupy Wall Street on the TV.