Flashback Friday | Pompeii
The day we traveled to Pompeii was an interesting day. Paul, a couple of friends and I found an awesome “taxi driver,” who looked a lot like Robert Duvall, that offered us a sweet deal on a tour of Pompeii. Red flag! We hopped in the little green car and set off towards the ruins. On the way, we stopped at a cameo museum to learn about the whole process of creating this antique jewelry. After our mini tour of the museum, we got back into our Pompeii-bound vehicle. Suddenly, our “taxi” pulled off to the side of the road behind another car. Why? Well, because we were pulled over by the police! The policeman asked for his license and registration, and then went back to his cop car to do a check on the driver. It turns out, this was not a real taxi or taxi driver, but a 71-year-old man with five children and nine grandchildren (that love to eat spaghetti and lasagna) looking to make money in his free time. He asked Paul to pretend like he was his uncle and that he was simply showing us all around the city if a “situation” occurred. Well, fortunately no situation occurred, we didn’t have to lie and he was released to continue on the journey.
Upon arriving at our destination, we paused at a glorious fruit stand for a freshly squeezed orange juice. Delicious! We, then, trudged up the hill to the gates of Pompeii and were told that admission was free today!! Oh happy day!
Pompeii was a vibrant, bustling, prosperous city until Vesuvius erupted and buried the land in 79 AD (Do not quote me on this!). It was completely covered in ash until archaeologist began excavating the lost civilization. In a storage room, among the urns and statues, human carcasses lay in their final poses. We journeyed through the uneven terrain and passed through several brick building remnants. It was a very moving experience. There were so many interesting, sad and beautiful things to see. It was quite overwhelming! We spent three hours trekking through the fallen city and only saw half of the entire landscape.
We left the ruins and walked back to our “uncle.” We found him at a little diner at the end of the path chatting with the proprietor. We were all ready to leave, but because of circumstances, we had to stay at the diner and have lunch. Why? Well, because a police car was nearby and he didn’t want to get busted again for taking passengers in his “taxi.” Finally, the officer left, so we jumped back in the car and headed back to the ship.
