Early morning was enthralling here - at abot 5am I was awoken by
flashes of light and thundering booms - a fantastic storm had rolled
into the bay. I sat on my balcony and watched it for a while, then
went back to bed again for a bit before my 7:50am pick-up for Pompeii.
I'm so glad I booked a tour for Pompeii! The tour guide was extremely
funny, had great insights, and flirted with me shamelessly (too old
for me). And the excavation site is truly amazing, especially to this
girl who once wanted to be an archaeologist and finds ancient cultures
fascinating.
Photos will follow this, but here's a few highlights:
- The site itself is immense, at over 160 acres and still counting
- Only 65% has been unearthed so far, and it started back in the
1700s
- The plaster casts of people who were buried in ash are shocking,
captured in their last moments, aware of their fate
- Pompeiians were big on penises (no pun intended), often adorning
their home with statues of men "highly endowed", and women even wore
penis "charms" around their neck. However, it was because in their
time, penises represented fertility, fecundity, and wealth - hope and
expectation of good, as opposed to a purely 'sexual' symbol.
HOWEVER, these folks were not without their purely carnal side :). We
toured the one brothel/whorehouse that Pompeii had, and on the walls,
you can still see the painted frescoes exhibiting various sexual acts.
A "sex menu" if you will. You would simply enter, point to what you
wanted, and then get busy on the stone beds that were provided. Stone
- doesn't make any noise :). It was probably covered in something else
to soften it - but hello, underneath it's still stone! Ouch!
Had fantastic pizza here in Sorrento - exactly what I was in the mood
for. Supposed to rain again tomorrow here, so think I will take the
opportunity to just sit and read, sleep, watch the rain and the
harbour, etc.
Hope everyone is well!
Love, Lisa
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