We had an excursion to Pompeii and Vesuvius today. A shuttle picked us up at 7:25 at the hotel and took us to Amalfi where we got on to a tour bus with a guide.
I salut all the drivers of the Amalfi Coast (if you have driven here, I salute you too), but especially the big bus and tour bus drivers. Pauline and I were able to sit in front, right behind the driver and I cannot tell you how often I "applied the breaks" or that we thought we had hit something or someone. It really is an experience in itself!
The photo does not do the driving justice, but I may post a video later.
The Pompeii visit was interesting and enlightening. We did not realize the size of the city and the extent of the excavation. Here was a city of 15 000 buried under 8 to 12 metres of ash, not lava, but volcanic ash.
The theatre where tragedies were performed ( and used to teach the citizens how to live - honestly or the gods would punish you).
The waiting area for the theatre in the shade.
The maze of streets and buildings where it would be easy to get lost. Here you see the original stone of the streets which were paved by the Romans. The streets were also used for drainage of rainwater and excrement (both animal and human). You can see in the distance stones crossing the street, this allowed people to avoid getting a sandal full of poo when it rained and still allow carts to pass on the street. Roman carts had a specific width which later on became the width of our modern day train track. Talk about being stuck in the rut!
The all essential brothel!
Don't speak the language? Point to the frescoe on the wall indicating position of choice.
The off to the baths (makes sense), which were a number of rooms. This one included in floor heating!
Apollo's temple, there also temples for other gods, where people brought their sacrifices.
There was a great deal more, and we really only touched the surface in our two hour visit!
Then it was off to see Vesuvius, one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes. There all sorts of instruments tracking its activity. Scientists from around the world come to study Vesuvius.
We did not realize how close Naples was to the volcano. In case of an eruption there is no way of knowing which way the lava would flow or the ash. There is an evacuation plan for 700 000 people in the area.
You can see Naples in the background!
There was pretty good walk to see the crater, so it continues to be a physical vacation.
Another great day!
The ride home was just as exciting as the ride there. Pauline got some great footage!
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