17th May 2000
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Pompei,
Italy
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Wednesday 17th May 2000
Over breakfast in the hotel dining room, Ches once again suggests I need to do something about my smelly feet/shoes. After a little while, when she sees a cat under another table, she relents a little, and allows that perhaps it is an animal kind of smell. A little while later the cat appears from under the tables, climbs into a pot plant, and pees. I'm innocent!
Pompei. What to say! It is vast. We bought the Big Guide Book, with map, and for the first time we knew where to go, where we were, and what we were looking at. We made reasonable progress from 11.00 when we arrived, till around 3.30 when we became extremely footsore, and unfortunately only had time to see about half by the time we left at 5.30. We did see all the major sights, including the House of Mysteries, the brothel and the Amphitheatre. As I look back through the directory it occurs to me that I can't single out any one sight, other than perhaps the House of Mysteries and the Amphitheatre. Everything was interesting, and had we known how vast it is, we would have been there at 9.00, and have already read the directory so we would have known where to go immediately. Yes, you do need to carry a water bottle with you. It's hot and open to the sun most of the time. We did discover some of the old water taps were working, but that was only in some sections. These are the big rectangular water troughs, mainly at intersections. They have a spring loaded tap attached. In many sections, the original lead water pipes are exposed on the footpaths (that's why Caesar held Britain, for its lead from Cornwall). Amazed by the huge stepping stones at most intersections, to allow pedestrians to cross what were dirty roads, often running with water. The axels of the wagons and chariots were high enough to pass over the stepping stones, and the gaps between them wide enough to allow the horses through. And of course the permanently worn track through the stone paving, worn by the iron banded wheels. What more to say. You need to read and re-read the directory to bring it all back.
Caught the train home again. Same Aussie couple as the other day, same story about "four hours flying from Sydney to Darwin etc etc etc". Then again, I'm becoming repetitious in telling everyone about driving through Napoli. Well, I was for a week. Now I will be repetitious in telling people about driving along the Amalfi coast. Next week it will be something else!!!
We were extremely weary when we returned to our hotel, to pack in readiness for our Thursday run along the Amalfi coast down to Paestum, and back again to Positano. Picnic dinner again on our verandah.
