We had a great trip to Naples and Pompeii yesterday. We had a guided tour around the central city of Naples and saw the most important buildings and public squares. It was interesting because they have used the lava and volcanic rock to build a lot of their buildings with some marble in between.
Pompeii was just fascinating. Again it was great to have a guided tour as we saw the most significant parts without getting lost! Finn was fascinated by the dead bodies in the positions they died in trying to protect themselves from the ash and stones from the eruption. Finn also remembered a lot of information from when we visited the Pompeii exhibition at Te Papa a couple of years ago (cos he went to that twice - once with me and once for Kiri's birthday).
Houses go a long way up the volcano and it is easy to see why Pompeii was totally destroyed. Apparantly 22000 people used to live there. They used lead pipes to get water into their city. Some people died of lead poisoning. The eruption took them by surprise but about 20000 people got away from Pompeii down the coast, so they think around 2000 lives were lost.
The layout of their houses is interesting and definitely done to make the most of the weather here. The layout of the city was also on a very logical grid of streets.
It was a long day for us and we slept in this morning. Right now we are at the laundromat doing our washing and using the very handy internet point while we wash and dry! What a good idea.
Megan - Finn says his highlight is the gelato and the Colosseum. I like so many things myself, it's hard to single some out. I love the food, the fountains, and ancient Rome. My favourite buildings are the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I also loved visiting Vatican City.
Mum - it's such a bustling city and we are certainly seeing a lot of it.
Thanks to all of you who are checking out our blog. It's really cool for us to read your comments.
Love Deb & Finn
Wow Deb & Finn that sure was a full day in Pompeii and Naples. I had not realised that there they used volanic rock and lava when they rebuilt.
ReplyDeleteThe historical images that are easier to imagine when you have all the early evidence preserved. walking around these sites is a powerful way to absorb and enjoy the history of the area.
Really thrilled that you are ticking things off your dream lists.
Love you both. Mum
Hi Deb and Finn, pleased you let yourselves sleep in this morning, I think it was a well deserved extra rest. Seems strange having the Internet in a laundromat, but what a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI wonder, did the people of Pompeii know that they were building on the side of a volcano? (says me who built my house next to a volcano!) Is there anything on the tour that you were able to touch that changed as a result of the eruption... I'm thinking along the lines of how fossils change from living things to rock. Being up close, and being able to see the size of the area that was totally devistated must make you think.
One of my other wondering's is; how good has the English of the tour guides been? Have you been able to understand them clearly, or do they have quite strong accents?
Lots of love xoxo
Hiya
ReplyDeleteWe caught up on your posts in Taupo on the weekend. We had gone to catch up with Vicky and the kids but they got tummy bugs so was just a quick hi and bye.
Sounds like you are having a super time and seeing so much, you'll need a holiday when you get back to recover. I'm jealous about the temperature.
Love and hugs
Em