hellbent hikers homers home

WOW !!! Amazing,incredible,unbelievable doesn,t describe this day! No words can do it justice. We drove down to Naples to see the ruins of Pompeii, an ancient civilization that was completly destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and on the way we get lost and end up in  Herculaneum,another town that was destroyed by the volcanic mountain.We found the road that leads to the top of Vesuvius from here. A small road winding through little villages all the way to the top.  Never in a 100 years would we have found this road if we were looking for it!.but by chance we are driving up the side of an active volcano. Close to the summit we had to park and walk the rest of the way. Peering over the edge of the crater you can see some small puffs of smoke and steam along with feeling some heat eminating from the depths. Angie bought a bracelet made from Vesuvius lava. Looks great. Awesome souvenir from the summit of the volcanic cone!  It was a hike up but once at the top worth every step! Beautiful view of Naples and Capri. We asked a guide at the top if we could see Pompeii and he directed our eyes to the exact spot on the valley floor.  This helped a lot when it came time to drive to the buried city. Getting to Pompeii was easy and our home for the night,Camping Pompeii, was directly across the street from the ancient city.After another high 5 we set up and were on our way to discover the wonders that Pompeii had to offer. It didn't disappoint. A true wonder of the world! Even though this was my second visit I couldn't remember but a few things.  This time ancient ruins seem to interest me more than they did when I was 17. The narrow streets with chariot tracks imbedded in the stone,ancient bakeries and pottery left in the exact position when the city was buried alive.The erie feeling that you get while entering the homes of citizens of this fateful city just added to the true magnitude of this disaster. You could get a sense of how the people lived before this catastrophy anhilated its residence.Even plaster moulds were made of some of the citizens.  After about 4 hours we were "Pompeiied out" but came away with a sense of their civilization.  After strolling the streets of the modern village we decide to walk across the roadway to our campsite and have a bite to eat.Cup of soup,bread and a little wine ends this exciting day.  autostrade cost 15 euro from Rome to Naples and took two and half hours. chaio for today,can't wait for morning!