Pompeii - beautiful, extrodinary - yet terrifying

Well here i am on the 12th. yesturday we got up really early and hopped on a train to head to Naples to get to Pompeii - exciting! :o) Once in Naples (home of the Mafia do i remind you) we didn't really step to much outside the train station as we had heard it was a bit rough - and we were really dying for something to eat as we missed breakfast and were looking forward to seeing Pompeii. However in this place you can tell the rich are rich and the poor are poor. It took quite a bit to figure out where the hell to go in this trainstation to get to pompeii as different things said different stuff and was getting a run around - ended up underground line for anyone interested (down esculators). While standing at the station a girl no older than 5 was busking with a violin for money and another boy the same age a few minutes later came by. I look at them and just think about how different my child hood was compared to them. So much responsibility is placed upon their shoulders at such a young age.

pompeii 1

Finally in Pompeii after 45 minutes packed in a train with death heat! haha. Twas a hot day in southern Italy. Well... Pompeii was AWESOME! Not what i expected at all though. It looked alot like normal ruins (as thats how they've restored it to), however they were so much still intact, and the area was SOOOO huge! It literally took all day wondering around. Unfortunatly we didn't get there early enough to take ride up to the very volcano which destroyed the city, but i promise i'll be back and do the trek up to the Volcano one day. Pompeii is bigger than Adelaide (my home city back in Australia), however the public is only allowed in 1/3 of it as the 2nd third is currently being uncovered by scientists, and the 3rd 3rd of it is still completely covered up still and its unknown what is yet to be found - interesting i thought. Its a magical feeling just wondering around this destroyed city which has so much to offer as everything here was built B.C. and then destroyed 80 AD when the volcano erupted - and there's just so much of it! Seeing the casts of someone crouched up in a terrified being covered in magma gave me a wierd feeling. I wouldnt want to imagine the fear they would of gone through moments before being engulfed in lava then here i am 2 milleniums later looking at them, still in their terrified last moment. Through the city you could see ancient shops, local public baths, temples "courts" as we call them in moden days. We walked around with Audioguides - but the guy on it was speaking so slowly it was annoying haha! Very interesting information though. I get some really good pictures here.

pompeii 2

Standing amoungst this once thriving village staring across all the ruin's with the backdrop of the clouds slowly floating passed the huge volcano which spelled certain doom was emotional. Pompeii - definatly one of the more touching experience since i've been travelling.

pompeii 3

pompeii 4

pompeii and volcano 2

pompeii court house

pompeii house

pompeii person

pompeii resident

pompeii ruins with clint (me)

pompeii ruins with volcano

pompeii town centre

pompeii wood oven

zbalcony out window of hostel