I made it to Napoli! It was late when I got into town, so I went to bed early and tried to sleep.
23 July 2015
I am on my way to Pompeii. Very exciting stuff.
The train stops and hundreds of people pour out. Each one marching in line to their destinations. Suit cases bump over the pavement. Once the procession of marchers leaving the station is gone, the platform is quiet for a minute or two before the line of boarders start to trickle in.
Graffiti on the train ride to Pompeii.
Map of Pompeii
http://users.ipa.net/~tanker/pompeii.htm
For my adventure through Pompeii, I listened to some of Rick Steves podcasts.
Women's Bath House
Like many of the places I visited in Pompeii, I stumbled upon the woman's bath house. I followed after a tour group.
Map of the Forum
Mount Vesuvius is behind the Temple of Jupiter.
Forum of Pompeii
I spent a long time in the Forum, mainly because I knew where I was.
The Forum is the Mecca for tour groups; the place gets swamped every few minutes with groups of of large size to huge size.
Columns in the Basilica
During the time that this basilica was constructed, a basilica was not a church, it was a meeting hall.
Macellum
The Macellum is right on the Forum, but there was hardly anyone in there. The courtyard was also roped off, so you could only walk in a little ways.
The Macellum is an indoor market. The frescos are in the stalls.
Bath House
The bath house was another congested site near the Forum, but it was still cool.
"Fast Food Joint"
I cannot find the name of this joint, so "Fast Food Joint" is going to have to work.
Now the story behind this joint, most people in Pompeii did not have kitchens in their houses; they went out to eat. The jars in the counter held the food to keep it warm.
I am using "Fast Food Joint" because I listened to a pod cast by Rick Steves. If you have not heard of him, Google him. He has wonderful podcasts that discuss and walk you through much of Europe.
House of the Tragic Poet
Archaeologists and historians find the House of the Tragic Poet interesting because of all of the frescos in the house.
House of the Faun
The statue in the center of the impulvium is a dancing faun, which is a spirit from an untamed woodland. The most famous mosaic in the House of the Faun is the Alexander Mosaic.
Amphitheater
The two staircases of the ampitheatre (pictured in the first and second pictures) show the people of Pompeii were conscious about crowd control and efficiency. The staircases approach the same doorway from different directions, allowing for spectators to be able to file into the ampitheatre in an organized manner. The two staircases could also serve as a faster exit from the ampitheatre than just one staircase.