Christmas Day catch up - Naples

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Here we are again!!!

Forgot to mention when in Rome - the Pope was not available - yet again, to perform the ceremony for us... missed out again....

The day after Rome we did a full day - Naples, the old city of Pompei and went along the Amalfi Coast to Amalfi - beautiful scenery but won't do that again on the high, winding roads with barely enough room for 2 way vehicles... some had to back up so the bus could get through and the parking on the side of the road we would never ever even contemplate in a fit!!! Think I had nightmares all night after that! Why anyone would want to live in any of those areas beats me. The road was built for donkeys and oxen driven carts only not big buses. Heaps of little cars had dents all over them and can understand why! On one occasion going around a hairpin bend and we were on the outside, a small delivery truck came around the corner at speed and caused a few anxious moments with our driver, not to mention the passengers!!

The old Pompei city was quite fascinating and how they used to live was quite amazing - and the very lazy life they led!!! Well some of them and not sure about the slaves they had - would've been so much worse for them. They had over 25,000 people living there way back then - bakeries - using what we now call Pizza ovens, grocery shops and theatres, even had prostitutes there at the time - they did their deeds on concrete type beds in tiny rooms and the menu - you can see in the photos - John was fascinated with that - the Lupanare, and he is pictured coming out of there .... with a blonde.... !! Some of the other pictures show the menus at the Lupanare (brothel) John tells me it was his first time in one....... more like the first time he was caught on film coming out of one.

It is really amazing how things were done over 2,000 years ago and how it formed the basis - still, of what we do now - no not the prostitution... or suppose that is part of it too, but thinking more of how things were built back then and the technology we have and still do similar things...

Amalfi is a little seaside village and it was gorgeous and loved the shopping part there - up little alley ways and here and there and the Italian clothes were beautiful and so reasonable too - wish I'd brought less with me so I could fill up a complete suitcase with all the stuff I would love to buy.... one lady on the cruise has 3 suitcases with her to start with!!

Gosh must be nearly time for a siesta.

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