New Heights

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Friday was a magical day!

The first magical thing was that Kimmy had slept for over 12 hours and woke up her a little groggy but was soon her usual cheerful energetic self. The next magic trick was that we got onto our 9am tran to Naples at 8:59. Just as we sighed into our seats, we felt the forward motion began. Phew!

The tran rde was very nice - beautiful vews of the mountains, and very comfy seats. t was a high speed train ... only 1 hour 10 minutes to Naples. Not even long enough for us to fnsh our scrabble game.

The only snafu of the day was when we arrived n Naples. The hotel is, as advertised, very close to the train station, but we walked right past it,then all the way around (not very pleasant) Piazza Garibaldi before finding it. There is a tiny sign tucked into a corner, not visible from the street. The door is a metal grate, surrounded by shady sellers of likely stolen goods, and a large mangy stray dog was sleeping to the side. Signs led us to an elevator barely big enough for Kimberly and me and the luggage... and it cost 10 cents to operate! You had to close the doors yourself, and could see each floor as t went by. The elevator only goes to the 7th floor but L'Attco (aptly) is on the 8th floor. We struggled up that last flight with our luggage and were buzzed, with low expectations, into ... a very nice hotel!

The proprietor is a very nice older gentleman who was soooo helpful with info about planning the rest of our day. He gave us our room even though it was only 10:30 - I had only expected to be able to drop off the luggage. The room is spacious for Europe, a queen sized bed, a sink, a mini fridge, and a very comfy chair (from which I am typing.) We have a private bath ... which is down the hallway. And our window perfectly frames Mt Vesuvius!

We had a quick snack, rearranged our backpacks, and headed back to the train station. A regional train called Circumvesuviano leaves every 30 minutes heading towards Sorrento. We rode this for 20 minutes then got off at Ercolano. There is a public bus, but we instead took the Vesuvius Express which got us in a group on a taxi shuttle which is a bit faster and a smoother ride on the windy roads. We met a family of four from the UK, had fun talking with them. They have 10 and 14 year old boys, and had just been to Pompeii the day before.

The ride to the base of the Vesuvius hike was amazing. Gorgeous vistas of the Gulf of Naples with Capri visible in the distance. Roads so winding and narrow that the driver had to honk while rounding every bend. The beginning of the ride was very urban, which gave way to a rural area, and eventually mostly vegetation. Then suddenly a batch of hotels perched on the mountain side! Then truly nothing but wilderness, until we reached a very crowded parking lot. The taxi driver got us our tickets, we hit the loos, then hit the trail. A grandfatherly man at the bottom sits at a sign that says “Tips for sticks”. We got ourselves some walking sticks then headed up. We started in the sun but could see that the peak was in the clouds, and at several points we had the odd sensation of a cloud rushing towards and around us at an almost alarming pace. Like an oncoming army of water droplets. Without warning, the air would suddenly clear, allowing a breathtaking view of the gulf. Before you could get your camera out the moment was gone, so we stopped trying for the photo and just enjoyed the moment.

As we hiked Kimmy picked up a few lava rocks. Normally I wouldn't collect items from a National park, but there seems to be an unending supply of lava here! After about 25 minutes we reached the crater. At first it looked as if a bit of cloud had settled into the crater, but it was rising, and steady ... steam! Vesuvius is still active, although it has not erupted since 1944. After a few pictures we resumed the hike. From here it got steeper and the terrain was more uneven. Still easy but a bit more like mountain climbing. After another 15 minutes we reached the end of the trail. It was very windy, with blue sky between streaming clouds. There is a gorgeous view when the clouds break. Kimberly was very excited that she gets to say she hiked Mount Vesuvius! We walked back down to the snack bar near the crater. We did not have much time but ate half of our lunch at a picnic table. We thought that was a very cool place to be able to say we had lunch, but we ate the other half in an even cooler place.

We got back down to the parking lot with 10 minutes to spare for the taxi shuttle back to the station. This time I sat in front next to the driver. I have been lamenting the fact that Kimmy and I did not learn Italian like we had intended. Sitting next to the driver (who did not speak much English at all) I really wished I could try out some Italian. Not least of all because an American speaking amusingly poor Italian may have kept him from chatting on his cellphone while hurtling down the narrow windy mountain roads. He did point out lava flows, at a surprisingly low elevation, from the 1944 eruption.

We made it (safely!) to the station at 4:55, just in time for the 4:58 train. We rode with the UK family (they are staying near Sorrento), and sat with the two boys, Kimberly had fun chatting with them. We got off at the Pompeii stop; the archaeological site is only 100 meters away. We were through the gates by 4:30 and they do not close until 7:30. It was a great time of day to go; it was not at all crowded.

Kimberly did not want to get the audioguides, and really did not even want to follow the map. She just wanted to explore! We were still hungry. Kimberly found the perfect picnic spot, the best so far this week! We ate at an actual Pompeiian marble table, with Vesuvius looking down at us, framed by the columns of Apollo's temple.

There are so many artifacts here and so many excavated dwellings (and most of the really valuable stuff has been moved to the museum in Naples) ... as a result, they allow you an amazing amount of physical contact with history. They only ask that you respect all the barricades (and there are surprisingly few of them.)

We saw a few of the fabled Pompeii stray dogs. They are all well cared for, and have collars and rabies tags. But they are still looking for forever homes if you are interested!

The streets are all made of large cobblestones, and are about a foot lower than the sidewalks. There are very large flat-topped rocks, also about 12 inches tall, in threes, across the road at intersections. I explained to Kimberly that this was how you would cross the street, to keep your sandal-clad feet out of the ickiness (possibly including sewage) of the street. The cart wheels would go between the rocks. Once I explained this, she was obsessive about not stepping “in the sewer”, whatever it took.

I learned that tidbit in a book I read on the plane ride, called 62 AD Pompeii, about a woman who traveled back in time to Pompeii. I am so glad I read it - it lends meaning to so much of what I am seeing.

We passed through a city center area, where there were amazingly small “apartments” and the Pompeii version of McD's - counters with holes in them, where bowls of food would be displayed for purchase.

We went through an area of large houses, many of which we were allowed to walk through, which included the foyer with the marble feet-washing fountain/bath area, the peristyle with extant columns and restored gardens, mosaics on the floor (these were protected by barricades, and frescoes on the walls (protected by plexiglass).

These went on an on, it is a huge place. It was amazing to be allowed to explore at will, and we hardly saw any other people. Kimberly treated it like a gigantic playground. We found a staircase to nowhere (none of the upper stories survived) and a very large oven that she was tempted to climb into but I think that was a bit too creepy. (We later saw an almost identical oven at a pizzeria in Venice!)

We got all the way to the amphitheater, which is very far from the entrance - the boys had told us to be sure to see that but when I initially looked at the map I did not think there was any way we would make it that far! As we approached it, Kimmy said “Look! It is a mini Colosseum! But whole!” And that is exactly what it looks like! They have fully restored it, and plan to hold music events there. We went inside for a bit. By now it was 7pm, and as much as we enjoyed Pompeii, really did not want to get locked in! We headed back to the entrance, got there at 7:26 ... one of the last few to leave. We caught a 7:40 train back to Naples, and Kimmy slept the whole 40 minute train ride!

We dropped off our stuff at the room, and asked for directions to a good place for pizza. He gave directions to the “best pizza in the world” and the 2nd best as well. I wasn't sure why he gave two, until we rounded the corner and saw the giant crowd waiting at the first place. We went to the 2nd, also crowded but they said only a 10 minute wait. We had fun watching them make the pizza. Kimberly did eat one piece but did not really like it. It was fresh buffalo mozzarella, and the cheese kept sliding off - that did not work for her. But I thought it delicious and ate way too much.

By now it was 10:00 and we were exhausted. We walked back to the room, and both fell right to sleep!

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