Saturday, May 28, 2011

Rest Day In Pompeii May 28






I was glad of a rest day today. It felt good not having to rush around and pack up the tent and get out on the road. However the campground is so jam packed that I was awakened early by the other early risers. I mistakenly thought I could catch a hot shower by getting up early but everyone else had the same thought, so it was luke warm at best

After breakfast I walked up to the ruins on Pompeii. The main entrance is less than a block from our campsite. I rented the audio guide so that I would know what I was looking at and that was a really good move as the audio guide was packed with info on all of the buildings. The actual site is some 67 Ha of which 12 Ha are open to the public. They have been excavating the site since 1715 when the then king of Italy ordered a dig. However that was more of a treasure hunt than a archaeological dig. At any rate the people knew that Mount Vesuvius was rumbling and there had been a series of earth quakes which wrecked havoc on the city years before the quake. I walked around the ruins for over 4.5 hours and had not seen it all however the sun was really beating down and it was time to go.

After I got out of the ruins I went for a pizza and a walk which was very interesting as we only get to see the neighbourhoods by bike and walking is so different.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Cassino. It is 155 kms and the longest day of the tour. So I better get a good nights sleep.

Terry

3 comments:

Jurg said...

Terry
I love your blog entries and the pics a lot. Thanks!
Whenever you have a rest day and post the material, I also have to take a rest day to follow up!
193 km instead of 133, are you now close to the top of the ranking of those with the most detours ;-)
Weather forecast Naples –Rom till Thursday: sunny sunny sunny !
I knew you would enjoy it down there in Italy. It’s quite an adventure.
Take care and keep the rubber side down !
Jurg

Ken C. said...

Terry, I like the tent city picture. Quite a difference from the school-yard camping on the US trip. And the next day is only 155 km if there are no detours!!

Enjoy the ride. Thanks for the blog and pics.

Jurg said...

re Lynne's comment
earlier she recommended drinking more wine. Did you make any progress on this by now?
Or do you stick to Miller's light?
Is it as bad (!) as on the Istanbul tour?
Hope you did not run into a non-alcoholic group ;-)
Some fun must be allowed, I am sure.
Hope you don't fill the wine in your water bootle. This is NOT stylish in Italy !
JB