Day 1

Getting to Rome:by Andrew Chilcote, Double Bass - BM 2011
Flying to Italy was my first experience flying outside the country with my bass. After hassling us at the airport, the ticket agents had our 3 cellos and 2 basses taken to security, where they were all searched. After arriving in Italy we waited an extra 50 minutes after everyone had gotten their luggage until we finally found out all instruments had made it fine and we were reunited with them.

After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, a group of us headed for what I considered to be the symbol of Rome, the Colliseum. Just thinking of all the events that had taken place, the emperor's and hundreds of thousands of people it could hold emboldens the place. Seeing the pit where all the action occured made feel as though I was at a football game. Just imagine a Fenway Park with 3 times the seating capacity, all the excitement, and a full day of events, and you have the ancient Colliseum.