Pompeii

I have to say that going to Pompeii is definitely one of, if not THE, coolest thing I have ever done. It was amazing!!!

(View of the city from the entrance)

First of all, the place is HUGE! It is hard to believe that the whole thing was covered in volcanic ash from the erruption of Mt. Vesuvis (which is not as close to Pompeii as you might think). Here is this city that is 2053 years old, but more or less perfectly intact in some parts.

Walking down ancient Roman roads, going into what used to be peoples' houses and seeing the fresco paintings still on the walls, the mosaic tiles still intact on the floors. It was really neat.

(The streets of Pompeii. Can you guess what the large stones were for?)

(A temple)

(Fresco paintings in a cafe)

We wandered over to the theatre, which is like a mini colosseum, and went inside. It was incredible! Since it is still 100% intact, you can appreciate the acoustic properties of the place. It was amazing how your voice carried across the theatre. You could hear people talking normally from one side to the other. We relaxed on the grass for about an hour, just enjoying the sun and the surroundings. How often do you get to sit inside of a building that is over 2000 years old and still standing???

(I will have to put pictures up later. It seems Blogger is refusing to place them on the post after they have been uploaded. Grrr)

We also got to see some of the citizens of Pompeii, or rather plaster casts made from the impressions their bodies left in the ash that covered them. Now that was pretty freaky. There was a little toddler face down with his hands over his face, people reaching out to others, faces in agony, mouths open in silent screams, a man crouching down with his hands over his face to shield himself from the noxious air.

Overall, it was definitely worth the train ride down to Naples.