XXXII. Pompeji

Captain’s Log: Tuesday, 15 August

Distance: The whole ancient ruin city of Pompeji

As I mentioned already yesterday, I joined the two British guys at their trip down to the Vesuvius and to Pompeji. The train connection quite awful, and after waiting long times and changing train in Naples, we eventually got to Ercolano, from where a bus would go up almost to the top of Vesuvius. Climbing the whole vulcano up would have taken way too much time, so we decided to take the bus instead. And I have climbed already a vulcano back in New Zealand, I do not need to do it again. 

From the car park at the top we still had to walk about half an hour, 40 minutes up to the crater. Alone the view we had from the top was worth the trip.

The city was so small down there, and the border between the sea and the sky was almost not noticable.

And of course the crater was impressive as well.

Eventually we had to get back to the bus again, which brought us back to the train station. And as incredible the vulcano had been, it stood in no comparison to what I have seen in Pompeji. Maybe that was because I have seen and been up to vulcanos already, and I have never seen something similar to Pompeji, or I was really more fascinated by these old ruins than by the vulcano. Anyway, this city… I was just astonished. Not only that everything was preserved that well, but we were able to walk around freely in the ruins, except for some areas which we were not allowed to go, but we could touch the ancient stones, and walk on the roads they walked on over two thousand years ago… That was so crazy and incredible.

Most of the ruins had no second floor anymore, but in some of them there had been still stairs going up. And in some buildings there were till paintings, like, with all their colours! One of yhe British guys said, the vulcano destroyed and sort of saved the whole city, and it looked like it. I mean, come on, they even found well preserved bread or dried fruits or jewellery, knifes, even things made out of glass. I could have walked around there on these old roads, walking into the buildings for days and I would not get enough from it.

Even the floor in some buildings was so well preserved that we were still able to see all the little mosaic kind of stones. 

And the thermae! I was able to see how everything was, the pools, the saunas, everything! I could go on raving about it a lot more, but I think, you get the idea already. I know already that I need to go down there again at some point.

Exhausted and with hurting feet we finally got back to Pozzuoli and to our camping ground. I have to admit, every time I go up the hill and come closer to the entrance, I hope that there will be no firefighter truck in front of it. But, everything is fine, and tomorrow I might go to the island Ischia.