Pompeii

We drove from the coast towards Naples so we could see the ruins of Pompeii.  We had endured clouds all along our coastal drive to Amalfi, but just a hop, skip and jump away in Pompeii the skies were clear blue and lovely.

We made our way past some very pushy tourist stands in order to reach the entrance to Pompeii, but once inside the only trouble we had was keeping out of the middle of various school groups.

Our first stop was inside the arena.  Here Ted spent some time getting his bearings from the map that came with our entry tickets.

While a guide would have been hugely informative, we had learned a little from a Rick Steves Audio Europe app we have on our iphones and ipods, and from that we were able to identify what he described as the "fast food stands" of Roman times.

Would you like fries with that?

We also enjoyed walking across the raised sidewalks we learned about from Rick Steves.   They likely kept people's feet from getting dirty in the sewage and filth that would run through the streets, yet still allowed wagons to pass through.

From the modern day restrooms was a great view of Pompeii from above, as well as the infamous volcano that destroyed the town.

Handstands Around the World--Pompeii

We walked around and took in the amphitheater:

temples and markets

and some main and side streets

Finally we headed back out (throught more pushy tourist stands) and drove back into Sorrento for dinner.