Greetings to everyone from the birthplace of pizza. We have seen so much over the last couple days, I don�t really know where to start. Lots of good food, too. Of course, our time at the Central Hotel pretty much stayed the same.
The rain was pouring down yesterday morning. By 9 am, the skies were still dark, and thunder and lightning heralded a day indoors for travelers. We were downhearted � our main reason for going to Sorrento was to visit Pompeii, so not to be able to go to the ruins would have nullified the whole reason for even leaving Rome.
But by 10:30, the sun was trying to break through. Colleen and I decided to make a go of it, so we hiked the mile to the train station and started off for Pompeii. As we rode the train, the skies opened up, rain pouring from the heavens. We had gone too far to turn back, so we got off the train at Pompeii and entered the site. We wouldn�t be sorry. The rain pretty much let up soon after we started our visit, and by 2 the sun was blazing brightly in the sky.
Pompeii was a thriving Roman trading town until Mt. Vesuvius blew its top in 79 AD. The people were caught generally unawares, many were buried alive by the mud and ash, and the city was almost perfectly preserved. Walking through its many streets (the whole site covers 164 acres, only 40% of which has been excavated), we really got a feel for the layout of the city. Streets are intact, buildings are mostly intact, and frescoes still adorn the walls of many buildings. Pompeii is the most vivacious of any ruins I have ever seen. We spent the greater part of the afternoon looking around, leaving only minutes before closing time.
Last night we went out for a nice dinner in Sorrento, completely walked it off trying to get back to our hotel, and spent a mostly restless night on the rock-hard mattress.
Our hotel in Naples is much nicer: across the street from the train station, quiet, and very nice. Too bad we only have one night here. Tomorrow we leave for a little rest and relaxation. OK, many of you may be wondering why we need this relaxation time on our almost perpetual vacation. Well, the reality is that touring sights all the time, getting used to new cities every three or four days, never having other people around that speak English, and having to track down restaurants all the time gets pretty tiring. We did a month in the British Isles before taking a little break in Virginia. Now we have just about finished a second month, so we are taking another break.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Cyprus. This tiny island off the coast of Turkey is supposed to be warm and relaxing this time of year. We have booked a week at a five-star resort near the beach, so we hope to let all our cares drift away for a while. Then we should be ready to get started on the touring path once more. The week promises to be spectacular.
We�ll see.
Paul and Colleen
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