A Day in Pompeii

I woke up really excited to go to Pompeii. This was another unplanned day we had chosen to use to explore the historical site. I have been reading about Pompeii for years. I love the history-the story is saddening, but the fact that an entire town (multiple towns) was preserved after such a tragedy is unique. I remember when the Natural History Museum in SD had the Pompeii exhibit. I really loved it but I wanted more. I wanted to see the houses and the streets and everything that still stands after thousands of years. 

Our hotel had a free breakfast and with our new lunchbox we were able to pack enough for a Pompeii picnic. We navigated the Circumvesuvia train to Pompeii and checked our backpacks at luggage storage. The weather was hotter than hot so we had sunscreen on, cooling scarf, hats, umbrella for shade and a squirt bottle that Arnel got for 1euro. 

We'd debated on whether or not to do a tour. I heard the audio guide isn't too informative and the tours are pretty strict where I kinda wanted to follow our own plan at our own pace (we tend to need lots of breaks in the heat). So the day before I downloaded Rick Steve's self tour in his book about southern Italy ($4.99 on iTunes). I had the book on my iPhone and I highlighted all the paths and places we'd visit. I highly recommend doing this-we met another guy at Pompeii who was following the Rick Steve's tour and he said he's used them for different places he's traveled and he's always been happy with them. The tour tells you exactly which direction to go, what landmarks to look for and where to turn. Then when you arrive at the destination he gives you details about the location. You can also download an audio version for free with purchase of the book.

We started by going into the marina. The book explains how Pompeii was a bustling city during 79 AD when Vesuvius  blew its top. What I like about this city is that there was no social class seperation. A wealthy person would live next to someone with less money and this was very common. 

The walls are all pretty much intact throughout most of the city. The ceilings however caved in a few hours after the ash started falling on them. The weight of the volcanic ash is what caused them to fall. 

Now the citizens of Pompeii were genius-they would flood the city streets every morning to clean them and in order to keep their sandles dry they built the elevated sidewalks and placed big stones up high to cross the streets. The stones were big enough for chariots to pass over them. If there was only one big elevated stone this meant it was a one way street. Two stones means a two way street and three or more means it was a busy intersection. 

Arnel on a big stone doing his Captain Morgan pose. 

Three stones = busy intersection

Next we explored the forum and market place. I didn't know what amazing builders and architects existed during this era. They made marble looking pillars by layering bricks in such a way that they had grooves. Then they'd cover them with marble dust to represent marble pillars. It genius I tell you. 

The top part is a pillar without the marble dust applied and the bottom has it added. 

The layering brick process. They've been placed at ab angle to make grooves. 

In the marketplace you could see casts of some of the people that stayed behind after the volcano erupted including some of the pots, vases and other goods that were preserved by this natural disaster. 

This cast is of a resident of Pompeii that didn't survive the eruption. She was pregnant at the time of death as is evidenced by her swollen stomach. Also, she is wearing a belt around her waist which was common of most salves of Pompeii. 

Another cast that shows someone crouched down and most thought the person was crying but in fact is praying. 

We toured the baths which were very well preserved. There's a steam room with grooves put into the wall so that the water that builds from condensation doesn't splatter on you-instead it comes down to the ground. They thought of everything. 

These small statues and square holes are still intact and were used as lockers while you took a bath. 

One of the biggest houses in Pompeii had 47 rooms and these amazing mosaics in the ground in different rooms. You can see a variety of colors used to create the picture. 

This photo was found in a home of two bachelors. It's not porography but instead represents the balance between fertility and money and how with a balance of both you can have abundance.

Speaking of pornography...our next stop was the brothel. They had pillows and beds made out of stone. I guess they didn't want customers to get too comfortable and want to stay after their services. On the wall are paintings and some believe it was the menu of services. In one picture you can make out a woman wearing one of the first bras ever seen. 

One of our last stops was the theatre. They had more than one! It was here that it really sunk in that Pompeii was not too different from our towns and cities. They have a variety of religious monuments, a marketplace, brothels (we call them strip clubs), a courthouse and people divided into neighborhoods with areas to meet up and socialize. Two thousand years later and we're still living the same life as the people of Pompeii. I hope we have a better outcome. 

Do you see the giant stones  sitting on? Their called Beaver Teeth. They were used as a barrier to indicate its a no chariot zone. 

We found a quiet street with a little shade and ate our picnic. I loved sitting the quiet surrounded by ruins eating my sandwich. 

This day was another dream come true. It felt so good to see everything I've read and heard about. The city is huge! We only saw a very small amount of what there is to see. Plus there's another town that was preserved from the blast as well nearby. Vesuvius is still an active volcano. There are people who have built their homes up the mountain. Most locals don't think it will ever erupt again. I don't know if I'd be willing to take the risk...