Rolland With The Punches: Ashes and ruin

Last night we took an overnight ferry to our next destination. There was, of course, a three hour bus ride involved prior to catching said ferry. We were told some sketchy people might be aboard the ferry. At this point nothing shocks me and I practically ignore the warning. We all settled in our tight spaced cabins and napped, read and visited and attempted to rest up in preparation for the next country- Italy.
The captain allowed our group to have a tour of the control room. Having Eirni truly was a wonder! Between the seven (yes, seven) languages she speaks, her endless number of contacts and that charm of hers, there wasn't much we didn't get to take advantage of.

Ferry to Italy!

We were off the ferry at 7:00 a.m. There would be a long day ahead of us riding the bus to Rome from the bottom of the boot. We would stop along the way in Pompeii for a tour of the ancient town left in ruins from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.
Guys! Again, I will emphasize that no matter how descriptive I get in retelling this adventure you will still never honestly know the depths of the beauty and history that lives on. But, as I said, I'll give it my best.
When we arrive in Pompeii, Eirini, the great, has arranged for us to watch a professional cameo carver. (Cameos are a piece of jewelry typically portrayed as the face of a woman carved from ivory.)

We spent an hour or so browsing the gallery for pieces for ourselves and our families. I, of course, refrained and bought the knock off cameo from outside. Euros don't come easy :)
Oh yeah, before I forget, just for random sake- check out the size of these lemons and oranges! Apparently this is a big thing in Pompeii and these lemons make the best, sweetest lemonade I've ever tasted.

After the demonstration and shopping around the town center a bit we met Geno, the love of my life and our tour guide for the day. Ha! I'm kidding about the love of my life part, but he was a great guide. Definitely one of the most fun guides we had throughout our tour experiences. It's hard to capture a bunch of 20-something-year-olds attention in the heat of the summer.


Exterior of the town. View from town center.

The exterior of the city's boundaries line the walk way toward the entrance of the tour. You can see from the picture that the greenest of green bushes and trees, along with magenta colored flowers, line the paths surrounding the ruins and the town. The colors brighten the mood of the place. It's like one big graveyard, as morbid as that sounds.
According to Geno, the city of Pompeii in 79 A.D., when the eruption occurred, left the
city buried and destroyed by the ash and molten lava that exploded from the eruption. This first eruption is the most well-known because it was the most unexpected and damaging. At the time, citizens thought the gods were punishing them (there is a movie coming out soon called Pompeii that may be an accurate depiction to check out.) What remains of the ancient city of Pompeii is actually more than you would think would've been left by such a disaster. In my opinion anyway.

This was the theater at one point in time. As we learned, arts were a very popular form of entertainment in ancient times. The theater was derived during the ancient times after all. The theater is in surprisingly fair shape. It seems most of the damage done from the eruption of 79 is the number of people wiped from the population.

The most heartbreaking scene from Pompeii is without a doubt, the sight of the encased, petrified bodies. According to National Geographic, scientist have found that the flash of extreme heat instantly killed these ancient Romans. According to their research, the people didn't have time to suffocate because the heat was so severe they simply died instantly.
There are several petrified bodies throughout the tour, some encased like the one pictured. Some in the open with the rest of the artifacts.
Some bodies are kneeling, some crouched, others laid out just like this one.
It's heartbreaking to know this happened to thousands of people, yet, it's a little uplifting to know some may have died instantly. After all, none of them ever expected such a disaster and probably lost all of their homes and belongings anyway.

On a less morbid note, throughout the tour we crossed the path of an old brothel. If you look closely enough, a penis can be found carved out on the walls near street signs. The penis points in the direction of the nearest brothel. Disturbing, yet very cleaver.

Although I've already covered the highlights of the tour I'd like to emphasize the weather this day. Obviously it was hot, that's just an understood at this point. The sky was perfect for the day though. Rain was coming and everywhere we stood the sky was cloudy, but not dark, and the sun remained out. Yet, so many miles in the distant, where MT. Vesuvius sits, it was practically pitch dark. The clouds surrounding the mountain were dark gray and it gave the appearance that the sun had not risen in days. The whole time we're walking through our tour I couldn't help but not how fitting the weather was for this tour. In the distance was danger and destruction, but in town people were going about in their daily routines with no cares in the world regarding the sleeping volcano that could erupt at any time bringing its wrath with it.