Jeff & Ruth's Travels: Days 26-27

Sunday, June 9, we went to Church and rested so there wasn't much to write about. The ward had a large contingent of English-speakers, so they provided a translator for Sacrament Service and had a special Sunday School class. We met a missionary from Poway and one from Spangdahlem who knows the Pages.

Every Night We Get Serenaded by this Accordian at the Restaurant Below our Window

Monday, June 10, 2013

Today we took the train to Pompeii and Naples.
Pompeii was buried by a volcano (Mount Vesuvius) in 79 AD and lay undisturbed until the 1700's. Now it has mostly been excavated, bringing to light a snapshot of Roman civilization from 2000 years ago. We paid our admission and wandered through the streets and houses. The roofs are gone but walls are still there, some still decorated with mosaics and frescoes. They had a large arena, two good-sized amphitheaters, a temple, forum, basilica, bordello, restaurants, taverns, bakeries, baths, and some lavish homes. About 20,000 people lived there.

The Temple of Jupiter in Pompeii

Behind the Counter in a Fast Food Restaurant in Pompeii

A Bed in a Bordello in Pompeii

The Amphitheatre in Pompeii

A Typical Street in Pompeii

Then the volcano struck killing thousands who did not flee in time. Most died of the heat and some were buried in ash in such a way that they created voids after decomposing. Plaster was later injected into the voids creating human shapes showing their position at death. We saw some of those.

Plaster Cast of a Person Buried in Ash

After exploring many of the streets and sights of the vast ruined city, we took the train to Naples to visit the Naples National Museum of Archaeology to see the artifacts and art which have been taken from Pompeii and put on display. Some are pretty impressive for their age.