"Open my Heart and you will see, Graved inside of it, "Italy"."---Robert Browning
Day 3 (continued)
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Pompeii |
Growing up you hear so much about Pompeii, we weren't sure what to expect. How much was myth, or movie magic, and how much was fact? We've all seen photos of the plaster cast bodies found among the ruins. What else was there to see? We're use to seeing recreations of historic sites in the United States with very little original construction remaining, especially on the West Coast, so to us Pompeii was a marvel. After more than 2,000 years it still stands much as it did prior to August 24th, 79 AD. The homes, temples, government buildings, and marketplaces, were all laid out in a neat grid pattern. Our guide took us into the bathhouses and brothels. We saw the homes of the wealthy and the working class. We stood in the large open plaza as our guide tried to recreate the scene as it once might have been. The misfortune of the citizens of Pompeii is now the great fortune of modern day historians and visitors. It was well worth the long drive.
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Did you know?
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Did you know? Pliny the Elder, a Roman author and naturalist, was witness to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and died during an attempt to rescue a friend and her family. He was something of a philosopher credited with the following well known bits of wisdom:
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In Hindsight: I wish we had a map of the entire Pompeii excavation site and a little more time to explore on our own. I'm sure we missed a few important sights.
Getting Lost in Rome
We returned from Pompeii tired and hungry and decided to take a quick stroll to get a snack. All we planned to do was go around the block and right back to the hotel but we took one wrong turn too many and found ourselves in very unfamiliar territory. And since we weren't planning on going too far we didn't bother taking a map with us.
*** Suddenly all around us we saw people dressed to the nines, wine glass in hand, strolling the narrow streets that had been closed off to traffic. There were bands playing in the streets, all the stores were open and busy, and everyone was having a wonderful time. The women all looked like fashion models and there were photographers everywhere. Block after block of people, music, and food. Running on fumes we found a hotel and asked the very nice manager for help. He gave us a map and drew us a route that would take us back to our hotel. When we asked what was going on, he told us that it was Fashion Week and all the stores were staying open late and all the Italian designers were there with their runway models showing off the latest in fashion. Lessons Learned:
In Hindsight: It wouldn't be an adventure if everything went as planned. If getting lost on our first day in Rome was any indication, our Italian adventure had just gotten off to a great start. I just wish we hadn't been in such a hurry to get back to our hotel and had taken the time to sit, relax, and enjoy the spectacle.
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