What the person giving directions said didn't sound like a long walk, but it was truly long; it took a full twenty minutes to see the outline of the Colosseum in the distance.
The magnificent building, illuminated by the sun, exuded an ancient and solemn aura, as if narrating the glory and vicissitudes of thousands of years ago. It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (Picture in comments)
They officially arrived at the Colosseum at eleven in the morning. Coincidentally, they arrived during a maintenance period, but as tourists, buying tickets to visit was not affected in any way.
"Everyone, stay close! This place is quite big, don't wander off and get separated from the group," Zhang Han, who was walking at the very front, turned around and instructed.
Everyone nodded, following closely behind him. They orderly arrived at the ticket queue, which stretched endlessly, leaving people a bit overwhelmed. So many people were visiting even during maintenance; there would be even more during normal times.
"Does anyone want water?" Liu Tao, like a mother at home, cared about everyone's physical condition. They had been walking for so long; surely, they were a bit thirsty.
"I want some," Li Feier quickly raised her hand and replied.
Once they saw someone else drinking water, their bodies unconsciously reacted, wanting to drink too, and it evolved into a scene of six people sharing one bottle of water. This was to save more money for other things.
The only one not participating was Xu Qing. She had been feeling unwell recently and couldn't drink cold water; she needed hot water, which was why she didn't join the harmonious group.
After rehydrating, Yi Xing looked at the surrounding stone pillars and couldn't help but sigh. In an era without cranes, it was hard to imagine how such a feat was accomplished purely by human labor.
He then lowered his head and opened the brochure in his hand. Everyone entering the Colosseum had one of these. He began reading the introduction written on it. There was no other way; besides him, only Zheng Peipei could translate the specific meaning well.
It was impossible to ask the team's elder sister to take on such a tedious and demanding task. Yi Xing cleared his throat and began reading in a not-too-loud voice. He didn't have to worry about disturbing others because everyone around them was foreign and couldn't understand their conversation.
"The ancient Roman Colosseum is approximately 20,000 square meters, about one-tenth the size of the Bird's Nest, and as tall as a modern 19-story building. Its interior construction used a large amount of marble and volcanic rock, while the exterior walls were made of sturdy limestone."
"Due to the erosion of long years, some of the walls have started to peel and become mottled, which is why it undergoes regular maintenance and repairs."
After his introduction, the Hua Shao Group had a general understanding of the Colosseum. This also conveniently helped the production team, as they wouldn't need to find someone later to provide information about the attraction; Yi Xing's original words would suffice.
An hour of waiting in line finally passed, and the seven people at last entered the Colosseum. However, the brochures they held contained no information about the interior, such as its historical origins or the stories behind the pillars. There was nothing.
They still needed to rent an audio guide to fully enjoy their visit, but an audio guide cost 5 euros each. Bound by financial constraints, Zhang Han only rented one for himself, to relay the information from the guide.
In short, by the time they were ready to leave the Colosseum, everyone's smile, except for Zhang Han's, was a bit stiff. Hearing information relayed by someone else was not as comfortable as listening to the guide personally, especially since key information could be missed during the relay.
He also noticed the somewhat low atmosphere within the team and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry. Due to limited funds, we could only rent one audio guide. How about we find some nice spots to take a group photo?"
At the mention of taking photos, the older sisters immediately became interested, looking around for suitable places to take souvenir pictures. The unpleasant atmosphere within the team instantly disappeared. In fact, everyone understood Zhang Han's decision and had no intention of blaming him; they immediately took the opportunity to move on.
The happy photo-taking time quickly passed. The group took countless pictures and left the Colosseum satisfied, ready to head to the next attraction. After some negotiation, they finally didn't have to walk anymore and boarded a sightseeing bus, which they could ride as many times as they wished today.
The bus safely delivered everyone to their destination—the Vatican. The next attraction to visit was St. Peter's Basilica, and the time had silently arrived at one in the afternoon.
The breakfast they had eaten in the morning had long since been digested. Walking down the street with hungry stomachs, Zhang Han passed an ice cream shop, stopped, and swallowed his saliva as he gazed at the various flavors of ice cream in the display window.
"Brother Han, let's go, stop looking," Yi Xing urged from behind, telling the guide to hurry up.
"Don't you want to try one? I heard the ice cream here is the best. Sisters, does anyone want ice cream?"
"Let's go, Han. After riding that bus, we don't have much money left. We need to save it for dinner tonight," Zhang Kaili also advised.
"There's still so much time until evening. How about we eat one to tide us over?"
Perhaps feeling there was some truth to what Zhang Han said, Zheng Peipei decided to buy two ice creams to taste. Then, a scene unfolded on the street.
Six people, each holding a spoon, gathered around two ice creams and began eating. Xu Qing, who couldn't eat due to her physical condition, took on the task of taking photos, using the camera Liu Tao brought to record these beautiful moments one by one.
But this atmosphere didn't last long; it was soon shattered by the crowd queuing at St. Peter's Basilica, which was much larger than the queue at the Colosseum, stretching endlessly in both directions.
Wherever there's a queue for tickets, there's bound to be a scalper. One person proactively approached them and asked, "Do you want to visit the Basilica?"
"Do you have any connections?" Chief Diplomat Yi Xing began conversing with the person.
"Tickets are 7.5 euros per person, and you've seen the long queue. Mine are only 15 euros per person, and they come with an audio guide to explain the situation inside."
"Let us discuss it first."
He didn't give an immediate answer. After sharing the information with everyone, they decided on a show of hands. The majority wanted to save money, so he expressed their refusal to the person and stood at the very end of the queue.
Aside from a brief rest during breakfast, they had been walking continuously. Even Yi Xing, at his age, was starting to feel his stamina giving out, let alone the other older sisters, who were already discussing buying a foot spa bucket to soak their feet when they returned.