In a single dreadful day

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March 31 - April 1
Monday March 31
On Monday I left Rome and made my way to Naples. Once in Naples, after finding my hostel, I didn't feel like doing anything as I was really only in Naples to see Pompeii. So I made myself some lunch then went and sat on my balcony and read for the rest of the day. It was wonderful.
Tuesday April 1
On Tuesday, I boarded a train for the ride to Pompeii. The title of this blog comes from a quote by Plato about Atlantis, but I thought of it as I walked through Pompeii's deserted streets and buildings and thought it applied. Before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii had been, a few years previously, hit by an earthquake. They hadn't finished repairing that damage when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The thing I found really amazing about Pompeii was the fact that the paintings and writing on the walls survived. Detailed paintings of the gods or myths or the residents of the houses still decorate the walls of the empty city. The bath house was almost totally intact while just a few streets away the Forum was mostly just ruins. And looming over it all was Vesuvius. It was a very cool experience. And so many things survived - statues and sundials and mosaics. The mosaics were amazing. And to think that whole floors used to be covered that way. The amount of time and work put into just the floor, and then the rest of the building, and it was all destroyed in a single day. Some of the victims were also able to be seen, caught forever in their last poses as the volcanic gases and ash covered the city.

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Photos

The Amphitheater
Like the Colosseum in Rome

Not toilets
These were used to hold wine, not as toilets

The writing on the wall
everything is preserved, even the writing on the walls

Fountain
Not the original. The original is in a museum in Naples

Gladiators
Where the Gladiators trained

The Forum
The center of Pompeii

Hey, mac, wanna buy a sundial?
Yes, a sundial that is still in working order.

Statue
Apollo, I think