Day 4 - Pompeii, Ancient ruins

We decided to have a relaxed morning to start with today and went for a wander around modern Pompeii, ending up with the boys running rings around a square while we sat and watched them.  It was nice to chill out for a bit and not feel the need to be somewhere by any particular time.

After a nice coffee by a street vendor, where we saw some massive lemons (yes, I said lemons), we decided to head on into the ancient ruins. For some reason, entry was free today and we got a map and an audio guide from  a stall outside, so we had all we needed to find our way around.

We spent a while looking around to get a feel for the place and managed to find the garden of fugitives, which has casts of thirteen bodies that were engulfed by the ash of Vesuvius.  Apparently, it was a place where they would have gone to drink wine and eat, but for the mix of adults and children I guess it was their last meal.

Body casts in the garden of fugitives

As you're walking round the ancient ruins, it's impossible to ignore the shape of Vesuvius looming over the city.  Each time you look out you're reminded that it caused the end of the city but also ensured its preservation.

Vesuvius looms over Pompeii

It was a really hot day and the paths were really dusty - the boys kept kicking up dust as they walked - and I guess it must have had 2000 year-old ash and pumice mixed in with it from the explosion.  By the end of the day, we were covered in it.

We spent hours going round the site.  I think Lucy and the boys got a bit fed up towards the end, but I was enjoying myself looking round.  As we headed towards the forum, with some of the more interesting sections, the other three had enough and eventually headed back to the hotel while I finished the tour alone.  When I eventually handed back the audio guide to the woman at the stall I think she was relieved to see I'd brought it back- she must have thought I'd done a runner!

A set of columns in one of the temples

All in all a really interesting day.  The boys did say they enjoyed it, but it probably went on a bit too long for them.  Tomorrow, it'll be a couple of shorter trips to Herculaneum and Vesuvius, so hopefully everyone will be kept happy.

Luke's joke of the day:
Why couldn't the teddy bear eat any cake?

Because it was stuffed!