Day 4 finds us in Naples, Italy. After leaving the ship and boarding our bus to the Mount Vesuvius area and Pompeii, our first stop was a commercial break( CHA CHING) at a cameo factory.
Left: Craftsperson(PC) working oncameo shown at Right
A look out of the bus window shows
Mount Vesuvius approaching in the distance
So, we began our trek up to the top of Mount Vesuvius .Mrs. Retired Brickman's knees were bothering her that morning(hell getting old, not so funny to her that morning). Part of the way up was about all she could take, so I left her to look at some beautiful scenery, and continued my climb of just over a half mile up.
Sounds easy, right. Well, for a fat, out of shape, retired brickman,it was no easy task. What made it more difficult was the fact that it was extremely cold that day, and kept getting colder as I went higher. Mrs. Retired Brickmans saving grace was the sunshine she was able to find while awaiting my return.
A comforting thought as you look down the mountain is the ambulance parked at the bottom awaiting it's next transport.
I finally reached the top and claimed my prize, the driving force that kept me climbing for 45 long, cold minutes: my picture at the top by the crater. Maybe not worth it to some, but for me, better than a nice glass of red wine(well, maybe not). There will always be another glass of wine, but a chance for my picture atop of Mount Vesuvius, once in a lifetime.
So after a much faster climb down, a hot cup of coffee(and the best find of the whole trip: an $8 long sleeve sweatshirt with NAPOLI on the front and an Italian flag on the sleeve) it was back on the bus to the remains of the city of Pompeii.
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| Outside wall of city |
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| Map of Pompeii |
I have tons of pictures inside Pompeii, so I will just highlight a few.
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| Plaster cast of body found on site |
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| Lupanare,brothel in english |
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| Part of the "menu" at the Lupanare |
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| red arrow point to directional sign used to find /Lupanare(look closely) |
Men from many different countries visited the Lupanare of Pompeii. As such, many different languages were spoken. This may have been one of the first uses of "universal signage"as directional signs(which were also on the steet corners in the sidewalk) and on the "menu" inside the house. No need to learn the different languages, just point to what is wanted.
The next three pictures are from a "rich" man's home
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| front of house |
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| court yard |
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| water cistern used to cool house- located just inside entry |
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| Local theater |
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| panoramic shot of part of the city with Vesuvius in the background center(also Mrs. Retired Brickman in red) |
So, we leave Naples and Italy for a day at sea(mostly spent resting our "dogs",no pictures onboard) crusing toward our next destination, Crete, Greece.
up next: Day 6: Crete(Heraklion), Greece
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