Here is what we have booked for ourselves today.... Another strenuous trip. We have learned when the write up says strenuous, it usually is.
Embark on a 6.5-hour adventure of epic proportions! Lace up your comfortable shoes and hike to the summit of Mt. Vesuvius for incredible views of the volcano's crater and the Bay of Naples. Your motorcoach drops you off at the 3,000-foot level of Mt. Vesuvius, where you'll hike to the volcano's crater. The steep gravel path to the crater is approximately 550 yards long. You'll feel the energy of this active volcano as you walk across hardened lava, where crevices still exude fumes and heat. Continue on to Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and explore the grounds on this guided tour of the excavated city. Your knowledgeable guide will point out the remarkably preserved remains that hint at daily Roman life-their customs, buildings, and cuisine, and how they entertained, decorated, and lived. You'll have an opportunity to stop at a cameo factory where artisans intricately carve seashells and coral into keepsake jewelry on your return to port.
Here's our version. The broom plants, yellow, and valerian, purple plants are lovely.
The bus ride to get up to Mount Vesuvius was about 45 minutes. The road to get up there was generously wide for one lane of traffic but they had traffic going both directions and somehow they made it work. Now we can say we climbed a volcano. For Paul, it's the 2nd time he's done Vesuvius. The climb to get up to the top was 8,300 steps, 3.5 miles, and the equivalent of 75 flights of stairs.
We met back at the bus for our trip to Pompeii and lunch. Our timing was perfect. We got back to the bus 5 minutes before the time she said to meet, after we got all the rocks or of our shoes. Paul thought it was easier to climb this time because he's in better shape than he was when he climbed it last time. We saw two lizards (Nancy O, take note...)
and a millipede,
besides the little bugs that fly around. The top of the crater was shrouded in fog so we could not see the sea or Pompeii due to the clouds, but we could see into the crater.
No sulfur smell, and only a single, steam vent doing a little something. This is must less active than Paul's first time here.
We stopped at a little cameo shop and got to watch them making the little art things. They were really set up. They have like five men and women's bathrooms. Their pieces we really expensive, all hand carved cameos.
They had earrings, necklaces, broaches, and nativity scenes.
Even shells that had all the shell material removed and just the mother of pearl left.
Next we went to Pompeii and had a gelato and a piece of pizza. We were led around Pompeii and got to see some beautiful houses.
A lot is in rubble. I think it would be nice if a couple of them were restored to what they believe they look like at the time of the eruption. That would help me get an idea of how life worked here. Then it was back to the bus and back to the ship.
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