Pompeii and Vesuvius

Pompeii and Vesuvius Aug 8 Pompeii Picked up at 10:15 outside our door. After pickup from our hotel took a 30-minute drive to Pompeii, an ancient Roman city that was entirely destroyed by the sudden eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD. The largest archaeological site in Europe, today Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When you arrive our guide picked up our pre-ordered tickets and lead us on a 2-hour walking tour of the fascinating grounds. Witnessed the destruction first-hand as we visited Pompeii’s most famous sites, including the Forum, the Thermal Baths, Vetti's House and the Lupanare brothel, giving us a glimpse into daily life during the Pax Romana. Today you can see shapes of objects — even bodies — that were buried beneath the volcanic ash and pumice. I had no idea how large Pompeii had been or that the whole thing was covered with 6 meters of ash and extended the land base well into the sea. Neither did I know that the city was buried from 79 AD until 1749. Nobody knew it was there After the tour, enjoyed a pizza lunch with our group followed by some free time to browse the shops. That pizza was one whole pizza per person! Then boarded the coach and drove 40 minutes to legendary Mt Vesuvius. The road was switch backs straight up to 1000 meters. Our driver honked his horn all the way up to alert drivers coming down, some very tight corners where our bus took both sides of the road. Embarked on a moderate hike up the volcano with our guide. When we reached the summit at 3,900 feet (1,200 meters), rewarded with panoramic views of the picturesque Bay of Naples from east to west. Peered down into the crater and saw plumes of steam issuing from the sleeping, but still active, volcano! There is a rest point where you can choose if you do not wish to climb all the way to the top, but the hike is worth the effort. Absolutely break taking views from the top to Capri and Sicily. Blessed with a cloud cover for the hike up the mountain. Our300 steps up to Corniglia was just a warm up for this climb! After Mt Vesuvius hike, relaxed on the drive back to Naples in the early evening. Another incredible day where Viator came through with flying colours with pick up and drop off right at our door! They are so easy to book on line, just choose your date, give your credit card number and print your voucher. The prices to get into each place were: Pompeii 13 EU; Vesuvius 10 EU and the pizza lunch 10EU but it was all included in our tour fare along with Fast Track entrance to both places. When we left home three weeks ago, I had a whole packet of vouchers, accommodation confirmations, Eurail pass, plane tickets and a personal info pack. It feels like a very light packet now, only a few reservations left as we spend the rest of three weeks with Shannon, Caroline, Kaiya, Kim, Beau and Cole, first in Rome for three days then Aix-en-Provence, Beg Meil,and Paris so photos and journal entries will be at a minimum, busy, busy with family and friends. Ciao.

Naples

our Air B and B

at the entrance to Pompeii

The amphitheatre

heading up to Vesuvius

at the summit

tight corners for our bus

breakfast included

bed in the brothel

looking out to the Bay of Naples