Day 2

After breakfast at our Roman hotel, we put our things on the bus and traveled to Pompeii.  Here are a few shots from the bus as we first saw the Italian countryside up close.  Their mountains seem to engulf you from all sides, no matter where you are in Italy.  It almost becomes a sense of security at times, but obviously don't get too cheeky with volcanoes in Pompeii, am I right?!

Our first stop in Pompeii was to tour a cameo shop at the gates to get into the ruins.  We were not allowed to take photos inside, but it was interesting to learn how the jewelry and cameos were all handmade by master craftsmen.  Here is a link to the Cellini Gallery, http://cellinigallery.com/#

Inside, I bought a very tiny, delicate owl bracelet while there, but I am STILL angry at myself for settling on the price I paid.  You definitely live and learn when it comes to making any purchases in Italy...

Next, it was time for lunch.  We were famished and ate at a restaurant near the gates.  By this time we were used to waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.  I didn't catch the name of the restaurant, but here is a pic of the Margherita pizza they offered as part of their lunch deal.  After all the Margherita pizzas I consumed over there, I hope I don't have to eat one for a very long time. 

Here are the first views of the ruins at Pompeii.  I haven't touched up any of these photos, so they may be a little out of focus and not very flashy, but you will definitely get the jest of the realness of this site.  As soon as you start walking towards the entrance, you can feel a change in the energy around you.  It truly was a fascinating place. 

This is the first main area we came to when meeting our first local tour guide.  She was FANTASTIC and I could have listened to her talk all day.  She was a wealth of information and never left us with questions about our surroundings.  She was by far the best guide we had on our trip, in my opinion.  She said that gladiators used to practice in this area. 

This ampitheater was mostly rebuilt to show the original shape and sound acoustics of the space. 

The roads in Pompeii were no joke.  You really have to pay attention to where you are walking.  The stones are huge and there were ruts everywhere sliced in the road for chariots.  

Here is a shot of our first tour guide and some of the ruins she was discussing.  She really taught us very specific information.  She kept referring to Pompeii as "my region." 

At certain crossing points on the roads, there were very large stepping stones to help you get across the road easily.  Here is a pic of how large they were.  (Can we talk about her shoes though?  This was the style of almost ALL the Italian women I talked to.  I love love love them and regret not buying a pair, but even though they were handmade, they were way out of my price range. SO CUTE though!)

Here we are inside one of the typical houses in Pompeii.  This is a pic of the reservoir where the household collected rainwater.  You will also see some of the great original frescos that still exist here.

This is a photo of the garden that most houses had in the central area of their houses. 

More walking down different streets

We entered into a Roman sauna.  Inside were some of the bodies of Pompeii.  Obviously, they were not found whole like this, because of the heat of the ash that covered them, but because the bodies left such perfect cavities in the ash, people were able to inject a syringe of plaster into the area.  These were some examples of these people.  The looks on their faces was both haunting and heartbreaking.

Inside the sauna, this is where the fire was located that heated the water.  

I won't post many photos from the brothel we visited, but my oh my was it interesting.  The ladies "specialty" was painted above the door of her room.  Here is a pic of the "room."  

Water fountains like this were available throughout the city to refresh your water bottle or just to cool off for a second.  The sculptures are original. 

Here is a pic of a good portion of our group.  We didn't really all know each other very well at this point, but we were all having a great time.  

As we entered the main square in Pompeii. 

There was a museum of artifacts found on site.  Here are some examples of what we saw. 

Just your average art teacher hamming it up in one of the oldest ruins on Earth, no big whoop.

We were fairly convinced that this is definitely the first lego block

Bryan Stack (the organizer and leader of our Pinson Valley tour group) and I.  I am very thankful to him for asking me to help out with the tour.  I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, but not only for my own personal love of history and art, but to portray what I learn to my art students. So thanks, Stack!

These guys helped make the trip a blast!

Just a little selfie, you know...

A freaky panorama.  Check out Derek's face.  It is VERY "The Ring," isn't it???

A view of the outer walls of the city from our walk to the exit 

Upon exiting, I did buy several new treasures from a local vendor.  I don't have pics, but my favorite was the owl ring whose eyes were made from lava taken from Vesuvius.  Here is a pic of the monster Vesuvius, himself...

As we left Pompeii, we made our way to Sorrento.  We traveled amongst some of the most beautiful mountains I'd ever seen, through long tunnels, and finally came out to this view from our hotel.  Sorrento will be the focus of my next entry...