Friday 31 May 2013

PALATINE HILLS & THE ROMAN FORUM

Haisshhh...x abis2 lagik citer nih... Banyk cerita2 yg tertangguh, nampak gayanya citer yg dalam2 negara tu terpaksalah ditunda..memang x sempat. I don't know how others catch up with their stories. Kasik tips sket? Alhamdulillah, misi ke Tanah Haram telah pon selamat dilalui. Nothing extraordinary happened, and I was so glad, relieve and happy at the same time. I wish i can be there again in the near future, Insyaallah!  Today, in a blink of an eye, i need to change all my itinerary for Seoul as the kiddos merengek2 nak ngikut plak.... Booked flight, changed hostels (as Namsans are fulled, no more occupancy for 4 pax), etc..etc.. Tomorrow I need to renew Farah's passport as it has expired for quite some times.

Alrite, back to business! Lepas ke Colosseum,kami ke Palatine Hills dan Roman Forum plak. Palatin Hills n The Roman Forum are 2 separate places but very near to each other. They r very historical, just like the Colosseum but i guess they are not as glam and famous. Perhaps, the Colosseum has taken all the limelight from them. Masok ke tmpat2 ni pon free bile dah belik tiket colloseum tu.. Nampk sangt kurang glamornya...ha..ha..Even dalam wikitravel pon x da info pasal mika..alahai, sedihnya mak!

I, myself really do not know the existence of these 2 places before i made my research on Rome. Anyway, here's some info on Palatine Hill and Roman Forum taken from Wiki:

The Palatine Hill (Latin: Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.


Besar kawasannya (captured from kejauhan)
Outside the area. Ingatkan dekat Istanbul aja ada batu2 gigi
jarang ni, rupanya kat sini pon ada...
Antara runtuhan...
Atas: Stadium of Domitian's Palace . Bawah kiri: Massive retaining walls
View of the Colosseum from Palatine Hills. 
X taulah rumah sapa...
Meanwhile, The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano) is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.   It was for centuries the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archeological excavations attracting numerous sightseers (taken from wiki).

Kawasan Forum

The Roman Forum
Waktu ni dah 5.30 pm. Panggilan nk tutup kedai pon dah berkumandang berkali2 dari pukul 5.00 tadik.
X sempat nak habis pusing Roman Forum coz kat Palatine Hills tadik pon tercungap2 gak panjat turun bukit..Hu..hu..

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Ya Allah, izinkan aku mengunjungi Rumah Mu!




" Dan sempurnakanlah ibadah haji dan umrah kerana Allah." (Al-Baqarah : 196)

By the time everyone reads this post, I am already on my way to the Holy Land. This journey is very different from all the journeys that I've ventured into. This is a journey of a lifetime! Hope everything will go as planned. See u all in 2 weeks time. Bye!


Friday 10 May 2013

Roman Colosseum

TINGGALAN YG MEMBAWA SERIBU KENANGAN
It's been a while since I last posted my latest post... Journey to Rome tempoh hari pon dah dekat 5 bulan berlalu tp cerita-ceritinya x  habis2 lagik.... x apalah, i'm holding to the the principal of slow n steady, wins the race...he..he.. So, my next journey was to the Colosseum... To the Coloseo we go! Colosseum is one of  my dream places to visit when I was a kid! Apa yg kita nampak dalam TV or in photos are exactly the same as you experience it live! But the feeling...of course, very different! What did i feel? A mixture of disbelief and amazement.. I couldn't believe i was standing right inside the most historical building on Earth, amaze because the building is still standing strong despite some of the ruins here n there...

Some info about the Roman Colosseum from http://romancolosseum.org/
 The Roman Colosseum is the most famous monument to have survived from the classical world. It was built nearly two thousand years ago for the purpose of hosting violent gladiator games. Thousands of men and animals fought for their lives in the sandy arena. A few gladiators and warriors found glory there. Some even found fame and riches but many more died an anonymous death, providing entertainment for eager Roman spectators.
The powerful associations and images evoked by the Roman Colosseum express both the majesty and might of the Roman empire. It dominates the space it occupies, towering above the surrounding Roman streets and buildings. It is a symbol of the imperial might and architectural ingenuity of the Roman empire that dominated the ancient Mediterranean world for centuries. The story of the amphitheater and its gladiator games from their origins through the zenith of their development and into the decline and eventual fall provides a unique insight into the evolution and fall of the Roman empire itself.

HOW TO BUY TICKETS:
 You can either purchase the tickets online or at the main entrance itself. The price for online tickets is slightly more expensive than the normal tickets. EU citizenship pays 7.50 euro per ticket. Normal price is 12 euro.  The ticket also consists the entrance to the Forum and Palatin Hill which situated just a walking distance from the Colosseum (valid for 2 days).

You can hire a guide once you are there (additional charge) or rent an audio guide (also additional charge).


OPERATION HOURS:

Opening hours (ticket office closes one hour before closing time):
from 8:30 am to one hour before sunset (Good Friday 8:30 am - 2 pm, June 2 1:30 pm - 7:15 pm):
8:30 am - 4:30 pm from January 2 to February 15
8:30 am - 5 pm from February 16 to March 15
8:30 am - 5:30 pm from March 16 to last Saturday of March
8:30 am - 7:15 pm from last Sunday of March to August 31
8:30 am - 7 pm from September 1 to September 30
8:30 am - 6:30 pm from October 1 to last Sunday of October
8:30 am - 4:30 pm from the last Sunday of October to December 31
Closed January 1, December 25

HOW TO GET THERE:
I went there with the help of the HOHO Bus but if u decide to use the public transport:
  • "B" line Metro station Colosseo
  • "A" line Metro station Manzoni, then two stops of tram no. 3 going southwards
  • Bus lines 60, 75, 85, 87, 271, 571, 175, 186, 810, 850, C3, 
  • and the electric minibus 117,
  • Tramway line no 3.

DURATION OF VISIT:
Varied depending on individuals. I can spend the whole day there, trust me!

LET'S CHECK OUT THE 'OUTSIDE' OF THE MONUMENT...

Ada 2-3 kiosk jual makanan dan jugak souvenir kat kaki2 lima nak ke Colosseum. Kat sini jugaklah ramainya
mat2 Bangla bersidai jual souvenir dan pashmina secara haram... Bila polis datang, mereka lari... after a few minutes,
mereka dtg balik...mcm langau...

On the way to the main entrance

Colosseum  dari celah2 pokok. I could see some workers were doing construction work
to preserve the area from collapsing.  



Carriage ni bnyk bersidai2 kat luar

Entrance to the ticket counter. There's another ticket
counter near Palatin Hill which is less crowded but since it was
winter, the q here was short, so x perlu ke Palatine's side.

Q was short and fast. Counter pon ada banyak

Got my ticket!


NOW, LET'S GO INSIDE...

Ada exhibition

Pecahan batu


Kat sinilah kot gladiator berlawan kot...

Amazing! I couldn't imagine how people could stay inside this building

Batu-batan

One of the rooms/cellars. Kecik dan gelap

Penunggu setia di Colosseum 

From the other side

Some info to share

Plenty of people captured their photos here...So, kami pon tumpangla
sekaki. Muka blur ya, yg penting scenery...


Gladiator sesat...

TO BE CONTINUED: PALATIN HILL & THE FORUM

OVERNIGHT AT THE BERBER DESERT CAMP

Selepas lunch, kami teruskan lagi perjalanan yang panjang sampai lah petang.  Look at the view.. Magnificent!  We crossed the High Atlas Mou...

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