Whirlwind Italy--Pompeii Day

So we arrived at the hostel. Ah, yes. It was a bit humorous when we got there. The taxi driver let us out, got our bags, and we paid him. Bing, bam, boom. We opened the door to the building which looked like either and office building or an apartment building, we couldn't tell. Turns out it was both. Anyway, we only had the address of the place but no details about where to go in the building or even what floor. So we're looking around and all of a sudden we hear a honk. I looked out the glass doors and the taxi driver was motioning for us to keep walking straight ahead. Haha!

I found a sign that said the Bella Capri Hotel & Hostel was on the 6th floor. We got in the elevator and rode up. Things improved drastically from there. The desk manager was awesome. He was so helpful throughout our entire stay, but especially that night. He gave us a map of the city and showed us where things were and how to get there from where we were. He even helped us order pizza, which was super cheap and amazingly delicious. There's nothing like a real Neapolitan Margarita Pizza. Mmm mmm good!

We settled in by making our beds in the all girl dorm that we'd reserved. It was just a big bedroom with six beds and a bathroom, but it was clean, safe, and relatively warm. We were happy to just relax. We chatted a bit with some of the people there and decided to hit the hay. We were exhausted from our extra long travels and the little ordeals we'd encountered along the way. So after decided to check out Pompeii the next day and deciding on a time to get up, we crashed.

The next morning did not get started as early as we'd planned, but that turned out to be a big blessing in disguise. We got up around 9 instead of 8 but we felt more rested which was very important since Pompeii turned out to be incredibly massive. We had not predicted that. But I'm jumping ahead. Let me back up.

While we were eating breakfast, we started talking again to two of the guys we'd chatted with the night before. Vince and Edmund were brothers it turns out, and were originally from New Zealand. Though Edmund still lives there since he's in school, Vince now lives and works in England. They were traveling together and stopped in Naples just to go visit Pompeii. It was decided that the four of us would go together.

After walking to the train station, we figured out where to buy tickets for the commuter train that went to the Pompeii stop, found the right platform, took the right train, and got off at the entrance to Pompeii. We bought our tickets and also paid for the little electronic gadgets that act as a self-tour. Those things has so many time wasting sound effects that we started mocking them after about the second recording we listened to. lol Don't misunderstand me, they were very informative but it was just a little cheesy at the same time. :) They really were vey informative and I did enjoy the detail the voice provided.

Before I get to all of the good stuff about Pompeii, I just have to say the two downsides first. I warned you that there were ups and downs on this trip. We didn't realize how big Pompeii was and therefore should've planned another day to really see it all and take everything in. But since our time was limited, we did as much as we could during one day. Also, the maps that they give you when you buy your ticket have places labeled, which help you. However, the places have numbers on the map and on the side are only described by their names. (ie. Temple of Venus, House of so-and-so, Large Theater, Villa of so-and-so, etc.) What the information does not do, however, is tell you what you will see at each of those places. So there was artwork that we missed and sections of town that we missed, and most importantly, the people that Pompeii is known for. Since there was no time for people to flee, they were buried as they were and died doing whatever they were doing. We did see a few of these, but not the ones that are shown in textbooks. You know, the ones that make every kid either fascinated or repulsed. For me, I have been fascinated with it since I first learned about it in second grade.

That being said, we did get to see some absolutely incredible things! When Mt. Vesuvius erupted and wiped out Pompeii in 79 A.D., it wiped out one of the leading and most important cities of the Roman Empire at the time. In fact, Pompeii and it citizens wanted to rival Rome for the most important city in the empire. (See? I really did appreciate the self-tourgide gadget.) Because of this, everything we saw absolutely captivated me. There were many very large homes that had atriums and gardens and fountains and frescoes and mosaics and other interesting features which made it obvious that the people who had lived there were important and quite wealthy.

We saw the bath house and were able to tour the men's side where we learned about each different room and why it was designed the way it was. We saw temples for the different Roman gods--Venus, Apollo, etc. We saw the marketplace area, and the court. We saw the large theater and the small theater, which were both outdoor amphitheaters, complete with backstage areas and under stage areas as well. We saw the arena (aka a colosseum) where actual gladiators competed.

I think that was my favorite part of everything we saw there that day. Go figure, I like the sports related part the best. lol :) But gladiators are so impressive! The fought not just other men until the death, but beasts, too! No one dares to do that today. And not just because PETA would throw a fit, but because it's crazy to fight a ferocious live animal. I got to see the seats where people sat to watch that. I got to walk through the same entrance where the gladiators walked, to the chants, shouts, jeers, and cheers from spectators. I can only imagine the things going through their heads at the time. They must have had pure ice water running through their veins. Or irregularly high levels of adrenaline coursing through their bodies. The pure guts and determination it would have taken just walking into that stadium knowing you could die a terrible painful death with thousands of people looking on, cheering it on. It really honestly gave me chills. Such competitions took place on the very ground under my feet! It was awesome!!!

Right behind this stadium was the athletic area for the rest of the men in the city to use. It had a swimming pool in the middle and was surrounded by grassy areas used for wrestling, archery, and other athletic and military training. The two went hand in hand because one provided a means for a man to do the other. For example, if a man wanted to be in athletics but wasn't the sort people thought to be athletic, he could join the military for his chance to be athletic. And for the man who had athletic ability but wasn't thought to be disciplined enough to join the military, he could use his athletic strength and ability to show his physical toughness for military activities.

Around this area was a colonnade. People could walk around this area (though for us it was roped off) and it was used as an area where people basically trash talked or promoted their favorite gladiators and politicians. They would leave messages about who they liked and why or who they didn't like and why. They way I pictured it, it was a graffiti area for the public to discuss the events of the day. Now we call them "discussion boards" and the internet is full of them. On these walls there were even inscriptions from gladiators about how they were so great and women couldn't refuse them and the fans adored them. But if I were a gladiator (especially if I were a good one), I think my ego would get pretty inflated, too. lol

The one other big downer of the day was that Emily and I both had bad luck with our cameras. Our batteries died and the extras we'd bought the day before didn't work. Can you believe it? They died in the cemetery of all places. Oh, the irony. This devastated me for awhile. I was so upset that I literally fought back tears. I was in Pompeii and saw world history at it's most impressive and would have only a few pictures to show for it. Nothing to show people, nothing to visually explain the amazing sights. This is one of the reasons why it ended up being such a huge blessing that Vince and Edmund were with us--they said we could have their pictures. So they added us to facebook and said that when they post their pictures, we can copy whatever we want. Wow! That was awesome! Plus, it was a blessing because we could travel in a bigger number and had more people to share the experience with and discuss it all with.

The thing that surprised me was that even as we were walking around, Mt. Vesuvius wasn't that visible. In some places it was, but back then, with the city completely built up--multiple stories on building, with roofs and all--it still would've been hidden. Granted that with volcanic eruptions the volcano changes shape. It spews itself over the surrounding earth, burns paths down its side, and some of it sinks into its own crater. So Vesuvius, since it has erupted other times as well, looks much different today that in did way back then. And even though it's smaller, it still makes a big impression when you see it because it stands alone. It is not part of a mountain range. It looms over everything around it as this single solitary imposing presence.

One thing that amazed me was the brilliance of the Roman architects. We think things are so advanced today, but these people built huge stadiums that can seat thousands and are still standing. We replace stadiums after a few decades for safety reasons. But these buildings were built out of stone. A much more sturdy and less destructible material than some we use today. At the same time, stone is material that is slow to build with. They had raised sidewalks along the sides of the streets so that the streets acted like aqueducts to carry the water through the city and to keep the walking areas drier when it rained. To cross these mini street-rivers, they had raised stones to step across. It kind of puts the curb-and-gutter philosophy to shame, huh?

When we'd either felt we had seen all we could or felt we couldn't walk any more, we left to go back to the hostel. We were utterly exhausted after all day walking in the sun. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. For what we were doing, it was perfect weather that day. That, however, would be the only day of ideal weather for the entire trip. lol We got back, ate pizza, watched a movie with those guys and a few others (with our feet up, of course!) and went to bed early.

I can't believe I've been to Pompeii! I read a book about it in second grade (thank you Scholastic book orders!) and have wanted to see it ever since. In all honesty, I hope I will be fortunate enough to go back some day with people who haven't seen it so that I can explore it in more detail, but also to share the experience with a first timer. :) It's just so impressive that it just makes me stop and think how though times were different then, they're very much the same now. People were going about their daily business when that happened. They were working, laughing, talking, crying, arguing, caring for children, learning, shopping, and trying to get by. They had families and friends just the same as we do. They had road systems and entertainment. They had business and court records. They had temples and baths. When it comes down to it, the basics haven't changed much. And we call ourselves "modern."

This visit in itself would have made a fantastic trip. But we had the good fortune to be able to afford a longer stay. So you'll have to wait for the rest of adventure. :) Stay tuned! And excuse the lousy proof-reading all the time. Most days I just spellcheck and that's it. Hee hee! ;)