History coming alive

Hello everyone,


After the wonders of Croatia we caught a ferry across to Italy and then boarded a night train to Naples. Naples is a fairly grotty city but a wonderful bouncing off point for Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. We arrived at our hostel - which took FOREVER to find - only to be greeted by a massive door. Fort Knox it is!! It wasn't looking good.


Our hostel was called 'Welcome Inn' (which I thought was fairly ironic when I saw the door) Once we got through the door, though, we got the best welcome ever - fresh pancakes for breakfast and the nicest hostel owners I've come across. Was almost like coming home. I say almost because nothing in this world compares to home and my mum and dad (who are the best in the world, most definitely!)

While in Naples we visited the ancient city of Pompeii, which is absolutely HUGE! We walked around it for nearly 6 hours and did not even cover it all. It was so different to what I had expected - much bigger for a start. It was fantastic wandering around, seeing the ancient houses, shops and theatres. So much history. Of course, seeing the mummified bodies was really interesting but also incredibly sad - the people of Pompeii had no idea that the volcano was coming and were just going about their daily business, without any sense of urgency to escape. An awful tragedy.


The next day we headed out to Amalfi - such a picturesque part of the Italian coast. We enjoyed incredible views and also some time on the beach. I can totally see why it's such a popular tourist destination.


Here are some more pictures,

Love Sarah xxx

Pompeii - some house walls in the background

This photo speaks for itself

The streets of Pompeii - you can still see the tracks in the road from the carriages. The footpaths are raised - because the streets were filled with water, sewarage and rubbish. In the foreground of the photo you can see a stepping stone which is so the pedestrians can cross the street without stepping into the filth. A perfect solution because the wheels of the carts and carriages can pass between them. Those Romans were thinkers!!

The mighty Vesuvius

Brooke, Audrey (two American girls we spent the day with), Mel and I with Veuvius in the background

My feet after walking around all day - there was so much dust! I can now properly understand why washing feet was so significant in the Bible

Italian trains - most are completely covered in grafitti!

Amalfi coast - pretty amazing, hey!

Lots of beach umbrellas - I love the colours!

I really loved the colours!

Living it up in Amalfi - what a life!