Anyhow, we finally got clearance for our excursion, and headed out to Vesuvius and Pompeii on bus #27 with a portly little guide who bore a very cheerful and shiny face. Stopped for the obligatory factory tour, cameos this time, and though some of the work was really beautiful, we came out empty handed and not too terribly distraught about this fact. Our bus next headed up a steep and zig-zagging course towards the summit of Mt Vesuvius (something rather reminiscent of the ascent to Machu Picchu, but less perilous as far as falling off of cliffs, and much longer in regards to number of turnings.) We thankfully reached the drop off point just before the motion sickness became less paralyzing and more action-based, and I would have been glad to get the fresh air of the mountain into my lungs as I stepped out of the bus had I not been nearly run over by a station wagon careening through the crowded street. My only consolation is that I would have thrown up on his tires as he rolled over me, but I don't suppose that would have slowed him down much...
Things did not look up a whole lot as we staggered onto the first part of the path leading to the crater: we were met at the first turning by the sight of some calamitous and catastrophic accident. A middle aged woman was strewn across the path with a very broken leg and a shoe overflowing with blood. She was being attended by park medical employees, and considering how calm she was, I am guessing she was in shock, but regardless, the whole thing was a bit ominous, not to say unnerving.
As we continued up the path (which also zig-zagged up the face of the mountain) we soon realized why that poor woman was probably lying in the state that she was in: the paths were, predictably, steep, but they were also covered in a very fine gravel, punctuated here and there by a surprise, ankle turning piece of large volcanic rock. Basically, it was like walking about two miles uphill on a sand dune, with the added possibility of permanent lameness. Good times. It was tiring, definitely, but physically, it wasn't all that demanding (although my throat would beg to differ as it protested quite clearly most of the way up) and we made it up surely, if a bit slowly.
The crater was amazing to see, as was the view of Naples and the harbor from its rim. I think though, that the idea that we had climbed Mt Vesuvius was the main goal for us, one that we can add to having been inside the Great Pyramids, sailed on the Nile, hiked Macchu Picchu, slept in the rainforest, and snorkeled in the Galapagos. It's great to see things when you travel, but memories are better when you DO something. (And yes, I realize I didn't personally sail the boat on the Nile, and sleeping in the rainforest isn't exactly DOING something, but you take my point...)
Anyhow, the boys walked around the crater while I attempted to pull some air into my rather irritated throat, but I did manage to bring home a few pieces of volcanic rock from the crater before we all came down; I thought Audrey definitely needed one since she couldn't be here...
The walk down, though quicker, was a bit more treacherous: once you got a bit of momentum, it was a rather difficult to slow down. Unless, of course, you happened upon one of the large volcanic rocks, which would bring things to a halt more quickly than you'd like and probably rather more painfully as well. So, all in all, it is rather surprising that the three of us came down relatively unscathed, although our shoes have taken quite a beating and are now relegated to plastic bags beneath the beds.
Once back on the bus, I again fought down the rising nausea brought on by the twisting roads, but this was somewhat abated by the distraction of our guide belting out a few traditional Italian folk songs in a surprisingly lovely baritone. The performance only lasted a few minutes, however, and I was soon plunged back into the despair of motion sickness until we arrived at our next destination: Pompeii.
As much as I had been looking forward to exploring this holy shrine of archeological wonders, it was all I could do to tumble out of our vehicle and stumble into a cafe where I might possibly recover while the boys waited in line to buy a quick lunch. I continued to lament my condition throughout the duration of their meal, and once greatly offended Dr. Talbott by purloining his napkin to staunch a running nose (he gave tongue regarding his distinct displeasure until it was firmly established that there were approximately 3000 napkins in a pile immediately behind him and equanimity was soon restored.) Thankfully, equanimity was also soon restored to my beleaguered GI system as well, and I was able to quickly devour a tomato and mozzarella sandwich (which was quite good) before we started our trek through the ruins.
As to these ruins: I must say that Pompeii is well deserved of a place among the aforementioned list of "Great Places Visited." The site itself was much larger than I expected (in fact the word "vast" comes to mind) and far more of the city is intact than I could have EVER imagined possible. One area (an ancient fish market) still contained entire walls covered in frescoes, colours still bright after 2000 years... I was far more interested in the detailing of these than I was in the casts of the two unfortunate people who had apparently perished within the area. Other areas contained beautiful medallions with carved creatures, snakes, and birds, and the bath houses were ornately detailed in every possible nook and corner.
We spent approximately two hours touring the ruins (and getting reasonably sunburned) before we had to re-board the dreaded bus for the return trip to the ship (which was, thankfully, less nausea inducing than the outward bound journey.)
Getting back, we took showers, relaxed, and watched Kung Fu Panda, which is now our new favorite movie of all time.
Dinner, our last with Carlos and Paul in the dining room, was great, and we talked and laughed with our neighbors from Holland a good deal. Turns out that the mother is a psychotherapist, and the father works in an archeological museum. Dan, of course, said something offensive about Holland's military, and frankly, I am surprised that no one has yet beaten him soundly. Was also reminded at dinner of the laughing fit that we had a few days ago in relation to the possibility of Dan and Chris vs. Somali Pirates. Can't even begin to replicate this conversation in writing as it relies a great deal upon facial expression and wild gesticulation, but for those who witnessed the event, we will never be the same...
After dinner, repaired to our stateroom to continue my chronicling of our journeys, and to try not to immediately sink into unconsciousness. Boys went upstairs to see Chris's Ukranian girlfriend (Oxana). No idea when they came back. Fell asleep watching King Fu Panda. Again.
Trail up Vesuviius
Crater of Vesuviius
Temple of Apollo, Pompeii
Bath house ceilings, Pompeii
I actually feel a bit bad about taking this pic, but as a piece of archeology it is pretty astounding
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