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Before this, the oldest place I'd ever been was Barkerville

By Tineke Ziemer

September 6^th, 2014

It’s almost impossible to comprehend a place that is thousands of years old. Ostia Antica dates back to the 3rd and 4th centuries BC! Standing in the ruins of this once incredible port city, I was overcome with emotion and enchantment. I could help myself, I had to explore. Leaving Laura behind, I took off through cobwebbed corridors, underground tunnels, ivy-lined hidden gardens and a maze of passages, corridors and overgrown rooms. If there was a place as close to heaven as I can imagine, I discovered it today. I spent hours exploring and in my imagination, I was the first one uncovering these amazing places. Every time I found another hidden doorway, my heart would pound with excitement. At every tunnel and staircase, I felt like I was the first one to enter. And it was easy to imagine because the place was mostly deserted. In two hours I only saw one other person in the huge part of the city I was exploring. Most of the tourists preferred to stay on the beaten path. I came home scraped up, with burs stuck to my skirt and with a glow on my cheeks - going off the beaten path was well worth it! I only got to see about 1/4 of the place… which means I most definitely will be returning one day.