Six months on the road, and we're still alive and kicking! 
Still exhausted from exploring Rome, we dragged the poor kids out of bed even earlier the following day, to catch a 6 am train for a day trip to Pompeii! But on the bright side, we discovered a discount family ticket for about 75 euros round trip, much less than our guide book had led us to expect. We also became very well acquainted with the sophisticated ticketing machines that are found at every station here, and allow you to research trips anywhere in the country, select from alternative routes and times, compare prices, choose seats, and even warn you if you have tight connection times! Of course, we had to walk past all the shiny red Eurostar trains to find our battered, graffiti-covered, “Regionale”, and accept a journey three times as long, but the cost saving made us very happy. And after a nap on the train and a cappuccino, everyone was feeling much more lively!
The journey involved a three hour ride to Naples, followed by 40 minutes on a very slow and noisy local train to our destination. Sadly, we don't have time to explore Italy's beautiful southern coastline this trip, so we had to make do with a few glimpses of the Bay of Naples and the island of Capri from the window.
The ruins at Pompeii are unusual in that the whole town was buried in ash and mud from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. This abrupt event preserved the majority of the buildings and their contents in extraordinary condition, capturing a snapshot of life in the homes, shops, temples, arenas and theaters across the town. This gives us today incredible insight into the details of ordinary Roman life 2,000 years ago.
Many of the citizens of Pompeii had left before the eruption, following a devastating earthquake a few years before. But sadly, a large number did lose their lives, and were buried with the city under the ash. Amazingly, by pouring plaster into the cavities left by their bodies, archaeologists have been able to recreate likenesses of the victims, several of which are on display.
Particularly fascinating for us were the paved streets lined with shop fronts, large stones used as pedestrian crosswalks with chariot ruts between them, the bathhouse almost perfectly preserved under its concrete roof, family homes with floor mosaics, wall frescoes, courtyards and gardens, and a fast food restaurant with marble counter tops, where money was even found in the till. We also saw the earliest known “beware of the dog” warning in the entryway of one home: a mosaic with the words “Cave Canem”.
Two caveats if you also take your pre-teen kids to Pompeii: the Romans enjoyed putting raunchy artwork on their bedroom walls (and we do mean raunchy) and some of the plaster casts of the victims can be very disturbing. But all in all a highly recommended experience – although Beckie and Luke have started muttering something about “if I ever see another UNESCO World Heritage Site...”
