Pompeii - Preserved for Posterity

Just a lot of old ruins.  Right?  Yep.  That's exactly what we have spent the better part of two days observing.  But they really are amazing!  Just imagine being in the middle of the town square, pictured here, and looking up at Mount Vesuvius as the top exploded, sending fire and ash to cover your entire city and others for miles around.  Then, imagine us, being able to walk those very same streets 2000 years later.  We are really going back in time to plod through their homes and shops and places of recreation.  I'm glad I live now and not then, but catching a glimpse of their lives is a rare privilege.

A drink of water in the midst of our journey through Pompeii.

Observing the lockers and sauna at the gym.

The Arena where gladiators fought.  After seeing the movie "Pompeii" in 3D, I could totally imagine the scene.

We also made an interesting side visit to a nearby town called Herculaneum.  While not nearly as famous as Pompeii, it too, was destroyed by the same volcano.  However, for some reason the buildings, walls, and columns were not totally crushed by the falling debris.  Take note, Architects. The construction of apartments three stories tall survived in tact.  I hope our new home will be that secure.  I tried to imagine people walking through our home 2000 years in the future.  What would they find interesting?

This picture of Herculaneum looks like a scale model, but it is really life size buildings constructed over 2000 years ago.  Archaeologists removed the dirt to discover a whole city underground.

 Finally, we journeyed to the National Museum to see art and furnishings found in these two locations. It all makes you feel like you relate to those people, although our lives are very different.  These two works of art reminded us of people back home. One of the finer homes in Pompeii had this intricate mosaic of a young boy watching street musicians as they played the tamborine, cymbals, and the flute. . . . . And, did Sarah McClarty ever live in Pompeii?  This 2000 year old glass bowl, resembling her work now, survived the volcano.  I guess that answers my question about what they would find interesting.  I have a Sarah McClarty original.  It may be in a museum some day.