… was also the day we went to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. Pompeii blew my mind… it is one place I have always wanted to see. We only got 2 hours to explore inside, though and that was just not enough. The entire city is about the size of Frankfort so there was a lot I didn’t get to see. But what I did get to see was impressive. I kind of feel guilty thinking a tragedy is so cool… I can’t imagine the terror of dying that way. But the catastrophe is part of what makes it intriguing. It was appropriate that we climbed Mt. Vesuvius first.
The view from the top of the volcano is amazing. It fascinates me why it is so built up around the base when the volcano is still “active.” I guess it’s like rebuilding after a flood or hurricane…? I was a little let down by Vesuvius, though. 
In my mind I pictured bubbling lava and smoke like a cauldron of water over a stove. Instead, as I stared into the crater I got a view of some grass and flowers and rocks. It caught me off-guard. I paid a lot of attention to the flowers growing on the sides of the volcano. I spent a lot of time that day contemplating life and death and destruction and growth. It fascinated me that something so destructive also gave life to its surroundings. I guess it’s just another example of me expecting something different. Instead of an ugly black mountain, Vesuvius held a lot of beauty. It was still scary, though. Watching smoke wind its way around rocks in the crater unnerved me and I was honestly relieved when we left. I liked visiting Pompeii right after Vesuvius because it put the wrath of the volcano into perspective. The pretty flowers growing on Vesuvius’ slope got pushed to the back of my mind.
This is one of two bodies I got to see. Their location threw me off… they were just on display in a case, placed in a random building. I wanted to see them where they last were, I wanted to see that moment. Is that morbid? Some of the buildings and streets were so well preserved it was freaky. We walked off the beaten path a bit and into a residence where trees were blossoming. I could imagine living there. We also saw a bakery with ovens intact and lots of stray dogs wandering around.
Speaking of life and death I like this juxtapostion… two little girls clambering to see the plaster cast of a body.
