If you go to Rome and Athens, you will probably be sick/bored/tired of "ancient ruins"... eventually the giant columns, arches and dusty roads all start to look the same. But Pompeii is unlike any other ruins I've ever seen. Due to the entire city being buried in volcanic ash, things were SO preserved. We could even still see lines in the cobble stone streets from their chariots. It was such a cool experience, almost like transporting back in time.
When we were talking to some new friends at our hostel (Otello Hostel in the Pompei city center), one kid said he spent 8 hours at Pompeii. (We thought he was crazy!) But after exploring, I can easily see how you could spend ALL day here. We ended up spending 5 hours and thought it had only been 2 or 3. We were SO fascinated with everything...
The forum shops known as their "fast food":
The giant amphitheater:
A house with a brick oven (crazy to think that someone actually lived and cooked here all the way back in 79 AD!)
The bath house (Husband's favorite... it was extremely well-preserved!)
The brothels with rock beds, rock pillows, and preserved sexual artwork (slightly disturbing... I'll let you Google that if you're interested):
While exploring, we listened to Rick Steve's audio guide (saved us 15 Euros)... it made exploring so much more enjoyable! I would definitely recommend it. We learned about different areas and navigated through all the highlights, vs. just wandering aimlessly. I think without the audio guide I would have been bored after an hour or so.
It was unbelievable to see how advanced and intelligent the Romans were at that time. They positioned cat-eye marble in the sidewalks to reflect the moon so they could see and navigate their way around the city at night. They had pipes with running water! It's crazy to think that even in the 1800's, people still didn't have running water even though the technology had already been invented and implemented thousands of years earlier.
But I think the most fascinating part of all was... the bodies! They make everything seem so real. These were the people who lived and died here in Pompeii.
We went to the Garden of Fugitives where they have 15 bodies on display in a glass case. You can even see the facial expressions of the people. There was a dad reaching out to a child and mother, watching them die. So lifelike and tragic, especially when you see the look on his face.
The archaeologists also found skeletons who were holding jewels and gold. They were assumed to be peasants who went back to the city to loot for money and riches. Lesson learned: when a natural disaster is about to strike, evacuate and only take what's most important!
So again, even if you think you are sick of ruins... go to Pompeii!
And if you spend 5+ days in Italy, you might also get sick of pizza and pasta. I never thought this would happen to me, because Italian food is my favorite... but it did! A big greasy McDonald's hamburger was the perfect cure. hah, I am so American.
Next up was a train ride back to Rome, and an airplane ride to a new country!
When we were talking to some new friends at our hostel (Otello Hostel in the Pompei city center), one kid said he spent 8 hours at Pompeii. (We thought he was crazy!) But after exploring, I can easily see how you could spend ALL day here. We ended up spending 5 hours and thought it had only been 2 or 3. We were SO fascinated with everything...
The forum shops known as their "fast food":
The giant amphitheater:
A house with a brick oven (crazy to think that someone actually lived and cooked here all the way back in 79 AD!)
The bath house (Husband's favorite... it was extremely well-preserved!)
The brothels with rock beds, rock pillows, and preserved sexual artwork (slightly disturbing... I'll let you Google that if you're interested):
While exploring, we listened to Rick Steve's audio guide (saved us 15 Euros)... it made exploring so much more enjoyable! I would definitely recommend it. We learned about different areas and navigated through all the highlights, vs. just wandering aimlessly. I think without the audio guide I would have been bored after an hour or so.
It was unbelievable to see how advanced and intelligent the Romans were at that time. They positioned cat-eye marble in the sidewalks to reflect the moon so they could see and navigate their way around the city at night. They had pipes with running water! It's crazy to think that even in the 1800's, people still didn't have running water even though the technology had already been invented and implemented thousands of years earlier.
But I think the most fascinating part of all was... the bodies! They make everything seem so real. These were the people who lived and died here in Pompeii.
We went to the Garden of Fugitives where they have 15 bodies on display in a glass case. You can even see the facial expressions of the people. There was a dad reaching out to a child and mother, watching them die. So lifelike and tragic, especially when you see the look on his face.
The archaeologists also found skeletons who were holding jewels and gold. They were assumed to be peasants who went back to the city to loot for money and riches. Lesson learned: when a natural disaster is about to strike, evacuate and only take what's most important!
So again, even if you think you are sick of ruins... go to Pompeii!
And if you spend 5+ days in Italy, you might also get sick of pizza and pasta. I never thought this would happen to me, because Italian food is my favorite... but it did! A big greasy McDonald's hamburger was the perfect cure. hah, I am so American.
Next up was a train ride back to Rome, and an airplane ride to a new country!
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