Pompei Friday

This is the first time I have had access to the internet in the last few days so i will try to update you on everything that has been happening. I am typing on a German keyboard so excuse a few missspelled words if they appear, I am not fully used to the y and z being in different spots.

Friday Sean and I went to Pompei, the city that was completed ruined when Mt Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. It was an interesting experience wandering through dilapidated buildings which one were the homes of prominent merchants thousands of years ago. One of the quotes was by Charles Dickens and it sums up my day and feelings of the experience quite well.

"Stand at the bottom of the great market-place of Pompeii, and look up the silent streets, through the ruined temples of Jupiter and Isis, over the broken houses with their inmost sanctuaries open to the day, away to Mount Vesuvius, bright and snowy in the peaceful distance; and lose all count of time, and heed of other things, in the strange and melancholy sensation of seeing the Destroyed and the Destroyer making this quiet picture in the sun."

One thing that surprised me about Pompei is that it is a modern city: it is not just a place of ruins but a bustling city as well. I was very surprised by that because I just expected to be dropped off in front of ruins! On the walk to the ruins we saw an Amato caffe. That is the last name of my Sicilian uncle so I got a picture for him to put on the wall of his deli in Omaha! I figured it would be a good talking point for him with new and regular customers.

That night we went back to Rome to watch the stations of the cross. The colosseum was all lite up with flood lights and candles as well. There were so many people there that we didnt really get a great spot to see the pope. We did get to see him; however, none of my pictures turned out so you will have to take my word for it. The stations were said in many different languages which added a level of intrique to the experience.