Pompeii Found

Life crept back in fast. Here it is almost 2 months since we got back from Italy and I'm just now getting a chance to add Pompeii and Naples, the last two cities on our magnificent trip - let alone Andre Bocelli! Don't worry, I found the time... and here is Pompeii.

On Thursday, Oct 23rd, we packed up from Sorrento and got back on the bus for just about our last trip with Mauritzio. Arriving at the entrance to Pompeii - the city made famous by its centuries long preservation in the ash of Mt. Vesuvius - we were a little early for our appointment with our tour guide, so first a little late morning pick-me-up... .

Donato got this wine from the lady who runs the public toilets (I think he actually called it Toilet Wine). It was... interesting, as was the restroom itself. Another public toilet experience to remember. We were all very curious as to the circumstances that caused this particular sign.

Well of course it is!!

We also had time to get to know some of the locals selling interesting trinkets. These guys posed for Ted (no comments please)! A little Caribinari Cheesecake...

Then we met our guide Gaetano... looks good, no? Gaetano did a fantastic job guiding us through the streets of Pompeii - turning ruins into homes, fast food joints, and brothels. He helped us see the city through the eyes of the people who lived there before Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. This is the forum with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the distance.

The theory is that these columns were still being repaired from an earlier quake in 62 AD.

I loved it... The pack...

The line up...

Running the gauntlet...

Special commentary from Tom!

This is a fresco depicting fertility-imagery, really! Get your mind out of the gutter...

Ah the famous Brothel... advertising is everything. We saw much more of this the next day in the Naples museum.

Can you believe all this was hidden under ash and pumice - lost for nearly 1700 years? It was only accidentally rediscovered by an architect who was digging a new course for the river Sarno. But it took more than 150 years before a serious effort was started to unearth both Pompeii and Herculaneum, its sister city. The place is huge! Only about two-thirds of the city has been excavated but what we saw was impressive.

Roman baths anyone?

Ok, so after the tour we were tired and dusty (and now we understood the sign in the public restroom!!). Luckily, there was a lovely store selling ice-cold Limoncello. (They also sold Murano glass so I was very happy.) Ted picked up a bottle for the gang...very refreshing!

So at this point we had to say goodbye to our good friend Mauritzio, our bus driver. For Ted and I, it was especially sad as he had been our driver the whole trip - through both tours.

We miss him! Mauritzio...our brother!

And our home away from home...his bus...

Ok, very good day. We found Pompeii. Very cool. On to Naples!!

Chow for now!

Carolina and Boneless Rabbit!

Going Down Just Leads to Going Back Up!

On Wednesday, after our glorious hike up and down Vesuvius it was off to Sorrento. Here we landed in our first true pit of a hotel - the lovely Hotel Desireè. I guess after all the great hotels we were due. Look at this lovely view... isn't Sorrento picturesque? Note the view is down. Our hotel was up on the side of the hill (mountain) just outside of town, an "easy" 15 minute walk all down hill to the town. I was getting a little tired plus with the pit-hotel I wasn't really appreciating the view too much. Going down...remember, you have to go back up to crawl into the pit hotel. So we headed off for a little orientation walk around town... Which just led to more places to go down... But we kept kept trucking... this is Susan, me, and Jen cruising behind the group. That evening we all met for a last drink with our driver Mauritzio at an actual English Pub, then dinner at a restaurant all the way down at the bottom of the hill/mountain at the pier. It was good, I'm sure, but at that point I was so tired I didn't take any pictures. Plus whatever happiness I felt at the great food and wine was plundered by the trek back up the hill/mountain to our pit-hotel. Help! Luckily, Thursday was a free day so we made plans for dolcè far nientè...the sweetness of doing nothing... starting with sleeping in, leisurely breakfast, and some blogging which I did from the nicest spot in the pit-hotel, on the roof-top patio. The Italians do love their patios (thank the Gods).

Pretty good view from the patio...

But of course, being a roof-top patio you have to climb the twisty stairs to get to it. Recognize the shirt?

Ted and I did one lap around the town. Found an awesome internet cafe/bar where I hung out for awhile. Ted got picnic supplies and we had a nice time by the water's edge eating and drinking. Then we applied ourselves to some serious gelato eating. I mean there's nothing like gelato to rejuvenate you.

Just after finishing the gelato, we ran into Tom, Susan, and Mr. Lion who were headed to the same gelato shop we just left. There was nothing to do but join them (of course) so we all went back to the shop and dug into a trough of gelato... can you believe it? We have no self respect

at all!

Ok, feeling better.

Chow,

Carolina!

No Repeat of 79 AD

We made it up Vesuvius and back down with no eruptions. Feeling luckier than Pompeii!! Yesterday we hiked up our 2nd volcano in 3 weeks. How many people can say that? The weather was a little iffy - cloud cover - but there were some gases venting so you never know. I mean this volcano has erupted A LOT in the last 100 years but nothing since 1944, so it's probably due. The picture above was taken at the top near the big crater. We were up in the clouds. The big crater - well, one side of it! Did I say it was a climb up? I earned my gelato that day, I can tell you! I think I'll just roll back down hill. He ran ahead - what a show off. Carroll and Ken, the photographers of the group. A pensive Ted...showing off Roro's ankles of course. Hike up a volcano, have a party at the top. Ted brought the wine! A happy Jen! Nancy and Chuck, enjoying the view. Gail, showing off a new look. I'm roughing it, can you tell? Heading down... Ok. Nap time. Off to Sorento next. Chow! Carolina