Old vs. New

It's amazing to drive 1/2 an hour from our apartment and be delivered into the ancient world of Pompeii. We had a fabulous day exploring Pompeii, walking the ancient cobblestone streets, viewing temples dedicated to different Gods worshipped 2thousand years ago, drifting through the Forums imagining how the residents would go there to do their shopping amongst the market stalls and engage in various civic, religious and political activities, taking in the amazing residences covered in frescoes and mosaics, and enjoying the many gardens scattered throughout the city. The most moving part was viewing the plaster casts of the bodies that had been made when archaeologists poured plaster into cavities that were left when the remains of Pompeii citizens who died when Vesuvius erupted had disintegrated into the earth, leaving air cavities that could be filled to make exact casts of how the people were when they were suddenly overcome by the forces of the volcano. I found the plaster cast of the pregnant woman laying on her belly, and the casts of what looked like a couple and their children to be some of the saddest ones to look at. There was even a cast of an unfortunate dog, curled up in an awkward position, obviously suffering from the heat or ash of the volcano.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera this day. I had been to Pompeii before and had thought I'd be dropping my parents off for a day in Pompeii themselves, but last minute, I decided to join them, and was glad I did. Being 'stroller-less' since Josh was watching Evan, gave us the opportunity to explore a lot more of Pompeii's uneven, un-stroller-friendly streets, so it was a whole new tour this second time around. When we initially got there, I also thought it was cool to be having coffee in an Autogrill restaurant that they built right on the ancient grounds. So..here we were walking out of the Forum, dating from 79 AD, to round the corner to be in a modern cafe where we could order our cappuccinos, americanos and pastries--such a juxtaposition between the ancient and modern worlds.

We explored Pompeii for about 3+ hours then got our well-earned gelatos on the way out before heading home to relax. What a great day!