Italy Day 10

I slowly rolled out of bed this morning. It seems to be getting harder and harder to get going in the mornings. I met and chatted with a couple of my roommates and found out one of them was also planning on going to Pompeii today, so we decided to go together. On the way to the train station we stopped at a pastry shop that Kate knew about. It is now both our favorite spots. You can get a huge croissant, muffin and some other chocolate filled pastry for only £2! We were now set for breakfast and lunch.

Pompeii was amazing. It was founded around the 7th century B.C. and was home to about 20,000 people. On the morning of August 24th, A.D. 79, Versuvius, which is a nearby volcano, erupted, causing devastating effects to the city. Pompeii lied directly in its path and was totally consumed by stones and ash. The excavation started around 1748. Now Pompeii is a poignant ghost town, suspended in time. While we wandered the stone streets I noticed the grooves worn in the paving, assuming by heavy carts and such back in the day, and many people enjoyed hopping across and taking pictures of the stepping stones across the paths, designed to keep feet dry when it rained. We wandered through old homes which still had frescos on the wall that were full of such detail. I think my favorite was Casa del Fauno. It was a 2nd century B.C. house, which has the best statue I have seen yet on this trip. It is of a faun, frozen in a stance that reminded me of the music video of Staying Alive. We also saw many casts of humans and dogs, frozen in the position that they died. It was heartbreaking. One was crouched in a ball, praying, another had their hands up, trying to protect themself from the inevitable, and one even, looked like they were asleep and didnt notice a thing. The dog definitely got us the most. It was curled up on its back, and reminded me of Seranno while she is sleeping in her awkward position. Kate and I just kept saying that we couldnt believe everything we saw was over 2000 years old. It was all amazing and I would definitely recommend it.

After we had seen about as much as we could, we found our way back to the train and headed back to Sorrento. We relaxed over a bottle of wine in the hotels lounge, catching up on people back home and talking about our lives. She is well from Tasmania, and is well-traveled. She has been on the road for almost a year, traveling by herself. It was admirable and I definitely got some good tips from her!

Finally it was late enough for us to go have dinner and she took me to an amazing pizza place she had found the night before. We both ended up getting pasta, but it was still amazing! Best pasta I have had yet. After finishing with some Tiramisu, we headed back to the hostel. Kate was tired, so she went off to relax in bed.

I ended up going back out on the town with another girl from my dorm, which I never got her name, but we just call her the Girl from England. She was nice, but a little odd. We wandered the streets, again. I am definitely getting to know this town well. We stopped in an Irish bar for a drink, and then went to find something for her to eat. I eventually wore down with her company, and was exhausted from the day, so I politely said goodnight and went back to the hostel. I went down to the lounge for a little while to read my book, but it wasnt long before my eyelids started getting heavy and I had to make my way to bed.

 

 

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