When In Rome ...

Princeton built a football stadium in 1914. 

It was called Palmer Stadium and was made entirely of concrete. Of course, this being 1914, there wasn't a great deal known about concrete. The stadium began to show signs of cracking under the stress of freezing and thawing within 10 years of opening. 

By the early 1990s, there were orange and black nets to catch the falling rocks, and it was clear a replacement was needed. Palmer Stadium came down in March of 1997, ending an 83 year lifespan that was pretty good for a stadium from the early 1900s.

And you can keep that in mind as TigerBlog tells you about Day 2 in Rome with the men's lacrosse team. He'll get back to that shortly.

The morning featured a tour of the Vatican, which wasn't exactly what TigerBlog was expecting. First of all, the outside is unadorned stone walls, really high stone walls, but stone walls nonetheless.  

The inside? It's beyond huge. It's the largest church in the world, and it's not even close. The second largest church would fit completely inside the facility, and it would take you a block and half from the entrance of the Vatican until you reached that other church. 

The team did not get to go to the Sistine Chapel, but the tour of St. Peter's Basilica showed the history and the opulence of the building. It also showed just how many people flock there on a daily basis. Here it was a Monday morning, and there was a two-hour wait to get in (unless you were fortunate to be part of a group that had made arrangements). 

TB can't imagine what it looks like when the Pope emerges. Or what it's like as the faithful wait for that announcement of a new Pope, whether that day will bring black smoke or white smoke from this opening (which is not a chimney):

It was the afternoon, though, that was simply incredible for TigerBlog. 

After the Vatican and then lunch (if you like carbs, this is the place for you), the Princeton bus made a left turn, giving a look into what is left of the Circus Maximus, the home of ancient Chariot Races, made legendary by the movie "Ben Hur." That was amazing enough for TB to see through the windows of the bus. 

It was when the bus then wound around to the right that TB got chills from what he saw. There, emerging around the corner, was the Colosseum. 

At first sight, the building is intimidating, awe-inspiring and really just stunning, as in, you're stunned when you first see it, more than you are when you first see any famous, ancient structure. TB has seen it in pictures, tv shows and movies more times than he can remember, and yet to actually see it in person was next level, or really several next levels. 

Remember Palmer Stadium's lifespan? The Colosseum that the men's lacrosse team explored yesterday was built from 70-80. That's not 1970-80. That's just 70-80, as in almost 2,000 years ago. 

It was built to hold up to 60,000 people. It is still the largest amphitheater on earth. 

Can you imagine standing in a building that old? It's such an imposing figure. It's hard to describe the exact feelings there, though TB can say that Tiger head coach Matt Madalon had the same ones. 

You can almost hear back all those centuries, to when Gladiators fought there, when animals from all over the Empire were brought there to fight slaves. Where executions were held. 

How in the world was it built? How in the world is it still standing? 

And thanks to the tour guides who were in Rome with the Tigers. They made it all even better.   

When TB saw the itinerary for the trip, the first thing he looked for was the Colosseum. It's something he has always thought would be fascinating to see in person. What he experienced he wasn't really ready for, as it turned out. 

There was also a walk through the ruins of the Roman Forum, the longtime center of the city and the place where the Roman Empire Senate would meet. In all it turned out to be a 19,000 step day for TB, but he was still going strong after that, all the way through dinner near the Pantheon. 

Today the team is off to Florence. It was two quick days in Rome — though they were fairly unforgettable. The Colosseum alone makes it so.