Up a Volcano
Mar. 8th, 2023 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crystalcazzieIt's snowing! The buses weren't running this morning so I couldn't get to work, which I feel really guilty about even though I know I shouldn't. Hopefully they were all right without me.
I've been very bad about posting my Italy photos, so I'll try and get some of those done now. Hopefully I'll finish them all before I forget too much about the trip!
Part 2: Mt Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Naples
This was the day when I walked up a volcano. To be fair, the starting point was pretty high up already so I didn't do the whole thing, but I still walked quite a way, which was an achievement!
Nice view.
On a misty morning.
We made it!
Looking down towards Naples.
Into the crater.
You kinda don't realise how high up you are until you realise you're above some of the clouds.
I hope that's not the precursor to another eruption...
I'm pretty sure Pompeii and our hotel are in this direction, but I couldn't pick them out.
More views.
Proof that I made it!
Me and views!
I took this while coming back down to show that it's a pretty steep walk!
~*~
The next morning:
Pretty flowers. And a volcano that I climbed the day before.
One of the cats that was often hanging around outside the hotel. It was obviously seeing us off as we got the coach to...
Herculaneum.
Similar to Pompeii but covered by volcanic mud instead of ash.
Apparently a lot of skeletons were discovered in these little rooms. I suppose it makes sense; you're trying to flee the eruption so you go down to the river and, when there aren't enough boats to take everyone, you shelter in the alcoves. It was on the opposite side to the volcano so maybe they thought they'd be protected from whatever it was that was heading towards their town. (Apparently the eruption of Vesuvius was the first to be widely recorded so the people living there would have had no idea what was happening or even what a volcano was!)
The skeletons currently there are reproductions, not original. A fact that was very disappointing to some of our group!
The streets of Herculaneum. With Janis (who I spent a lot of time with) and Jane our rep.
Some interesting decoration.
This was underground in what would have been a swimming pool.
Apparently the one on the left is the original, which is pretty cool!
This is in the museum of things found in the houses.
I really like the little pig.
And the rings were very pretty. I hoped they would sell replicas in the gift shop, but they didn't.
Following on from Herculaneum, we then headed to the city of Naples.
I took this from the moving coach. We didn't actually get to stop and see it.
What we did do was go to the Naples Museum:
Hi!
I love all the Cave Canem mosaics, even if this one is a replica cos the real one was on loan elsewhere.
"Eat it. Eat the twig."
Of course, no museum would be complete without a penis room.
Well, not just penises but they were definitely in the majority.
I think someone said this was once considered one of the most scandalous pieces of artwork ever created. I'm pretty sure there's a lot worse out there!
We are no longer in the penis room. Now in the room of statues with creepy eyes.
Piggy!
"Just one more thing... I'm totally not drunk by the way..."
Nice ceiling.
Map of Pompeii, which was made before they excavated the ampitheatre.
More up to date map of Pompeii.
"Just chillin' with my horn of plenty."
Vespasian is judging you.
Look, he's had a hard day. He needs a rest, all right?
That evening we went out to a street food event with local restaurants.
It took a while for them to open the gates!
I was looking forward to this and to trying all the different food, but to be honest I really didn't enjoy it. It was crowded and noisy and my Italian isn't great, so overall it was just very stressful. That was a shame.
But it did mean we were out in the evening, and I do like cities in the evenings:
One thing that I was disappointed by with this trip was how often we ate dinner at the hotel. I suppose it was easier, but I would have loved to have gone out more. We were in Italy! So much amazing food out there to be had! And maybe had a drink somewhere that wasn't the hotel rooftop. Nice as that was, I'm sure there were so many other places that would have been fun to experience.
I've been very bad about posting my Italy photos, so I'll try and get some of those done now. Hopefully I'll finish them all before I forget too much about the trip!
Part 2: Mt Vesuvius, Herculaneum and Naples
This was the day when I walked up a volcano. To be fair, the starting point was pretty high up already so I didn't do the whole thing, but I still walked quite a way, which was an achievement!
Nice view.
On a misty morning.
We made it!
Looking down towards Naples.
Into the crater.
You kinda don't realise how high up you are until you realise you're above some of the clouds.
I hope that's not the precursor to another eruption...
I'm pretty sure Pompeii and our hotel are in this direction, but I couldn't pick them out.
More views.
Proof that I made it!
Me and views!
I took this while coming back down to show that it's a pretty steep walk!
~*~
The next morning:
Pretty flowers. And a volcano that I climbed the day before.
One of the cats that was often hanging around outside the hotel. It was obviously seeing us off as we got the coach to...
Herculaneum.
Similar to Pompeii but covered by volcanic mud instead of ash.
Apparently a lot of skeletons were discovered in these little rooms. I suppose it makes sense; you're trying to flee the eruption so you go down to the river and, when there aren't enough boats to take everyone, you shelter in the alcoves. It was on the opposite side to the volcano so maybe they thought they'd be protected from whatever it was that was heading towards their town. (Apparently the eruption of Vesuvius was the first to be widely recorded so the people living there would have had no idea what was happening or even what a volcano was!)
The skeletons currently there are reproductions, not original. A fact that was very disappointing to some of our group!
The streets of Herculaneum. With Janis (who I spent a lot of time with) and Jane our rep.
Some interesting decoration.
This was underground in what would have been a swimming pool.
Apparently the one on the left is the original, which is pretty cool!
This is in the museum of things found in the houses.
I really like the little pig.
And the rings were very pretty. I hoped they would sell replicas in the gift shop, but they didn't.
Following on from Herculaneum, we then headed to the city of Naples.
I took this from the moving coach. We didn't actually get to stop and see it.
What we did do was go to the Naples Museum:
Hi!
I love all the Cave Canem mosaics, even if this one is a replica cos the real one was on loan elsewhere.
"Eat it. Eat the twig."
Of course, no museum would be complete without a penis room.
Well, not just penises but they were definitely in the majority.
I think someone said this was once considered one of the most scandalous pieces of artwork ever created. I'm pretty sure there's a lot worse out there!
We are no longer in the penis room. Now in the room of statues with creepy eyes.
Piggy!
"Just one more thing... I'm totally not drunk by the way..."
Nice ceiling.
Map of Pompeii, which was made before they excavated the ampitheatre.
More up to date map of Pompeii.
"Just chillin' with my horn of plenty."
Vespasian is judging you.
Look, he's had a hard day. He needs a rest, all right?
That evening we went out to a street food event with local restaurants.
It took a while for them to open the gates!
I was looking forward to this and to trying all the different food, but to be honest I really didn't enjoy it. It was crowded and noisy and my Italian isn't great, so overall it was just very stressful. That was a shame.
But it did mean we were out in the evening, and I do like cities in the evenings:
One thing that I was disappointed by with this trip was how often we ate dinner at the hotel. I suppose it was easier, but I would have loved to have gone out more. We were in Italy! So much amazing food out there to be had! And maybe had a drink somewhere that wasn't the hotel rooftop. Nice as that was, I'm sure there were so many other places that would have been fun to experience.
