Italy and Greece: Day 6

Another day in the books! We are currently on our night ferry right now making our way to Patras, Greece. Let me recap the day for you!

We had a reasonable wake up time today, 7 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. departure. The breakfast was located in the same place we had dinner at last night, so we made our way down and enjoyed breads, jams, some cheese, coffee and juice. Remember how I said that the hotel was conveniently located near the port but not near the city center? Well we had to make that hike again up the hill and all of the stairs. That's one way to get your blood pumping in the morning! After reaching the city center, we found our bus, loaded on, and we're on our way to Pompeii, a quick ride from Sorrento.

The drive along the coast was beautiful! There were great views of the mainland, the Mediterranean and all of the little islands along the way. We arrived in Pompeii and were immediately given an hour of free time to shop and peruse the city. There were fifty or so stalls set up with souvenirs, jewelry, and a bunch of other touristy things. The trick was to bargain for all of your purchases. For example, one guy ask for 75 Euro for a ring, but he ended up taking 25. What a steal! After some free time and a lemon icee or two, it was time for our tour through the ancient city.

Pompeii was founded in 600 BC and was a bustling Roman town. They had amphitheaters, shops, workout areas and even a spa! There was a problem though; Pompeii was right next to Vesuvius, a very active volcano. On August 24th 79 AD, Vesuvius had a massive eruption. The citizens didn't really know what a volcano was or what kind of damage it could cause, so they didn't sleep. The entire city and its twenty thousand inhabitants were soon covered with 40 feet of volcanic ash. Most people died instantly from asphyxiation. This city was forgotten until the late 1600's. Once the excavations started, archaeologists realized what a gem they had found. The city had been preserved perfectly. They were still menus hanging on the walls for the restaurants, there were still skeletons of people huddled in corners. This was a true snapshot into the life of the Romans. Archaeologists were able to answer many questions about ancient life and correct many mistakes about what they thought life was like.

Our tour guide took us through the different areas of town showing us first the gladiator training arena and locker rooms. The average Roman man was only 5 feet tall! We saw the theater, the gymnasium and the spas where people went to relax. We walked up and down the main shopping area and saw the street worn down in certain areas from the horse and chariots traveling. We even saw the body of a citizen in the same exact position it was before they died. It was very surreal being in the city, walking the streets that they walked and seeing everything in such good condition.

We left the tou and grabbed some lunch (pizza and pasta on the menu again) before loading the bus and heading out. The drive to Bari, the port we were leaving from, was 3 hours away. The drive was easy and we were on the east coast of Italy in no time. We left the bus and said goodbye to our wonderful driver and loaded onto the ferry that would take us to Greece. It's a 15-hour ride, so we are set up in cabins to sleep. We're almost there right now, so I'll leave you with some pictures! Enjoy :)