Pompeii, Italy
08/14/23 - Pompeii Ruins
The city was buried by the lava and ashes of the Mt. Vesuvius volcano in the year 79 AD. Many people say the ruins are a bad or negative place to visit because thousands of people lost their lives in the eruption and were buried under in this historical city.
The central plaza of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.
Walking all the streets of Pompeii is like walking through the past. There, challenging the passage of time, are impressive buildings such as the amphitheater, the large gymnasium, the baths, the kitchens, temple of Isis or that of Apollo rise up. There are also taverns, bakeries, laundries, and the city's brothel, with its stone beds and erotic scenes painted frescos on the walls.
One of many frescoes that survived 19 to 25 feet of hot ash and burning gases.
There are also several examples of skeletal remains and plaster casts of people frozen in time. Thousands did escape the eruption and had fled North, however, an estimated sixteen thousand were killed. The casts were made by injecting plaster in the hollow forms left by the bodies as the fell. Skeletal remains showed trauma from earthquakes, as well as, hot gases.
An incredible journey to go back in time.
08/15/23 - Mount Vesuvios
Into the heart of Vesuvius, this Italian volcano which destroyed the city of Pompeii and Herculaneum is reachable by car and then a strenuous hike.
Up over a thousand meters above sea level.
As I climbed the hiking trail and look down into the volcano's crater, I had an incredible sense of the power of the natural world. It feels like you are in planet Mars just by seeing all those lava rocks that surrounds the whole crater.
Per my brother in-law who is an geologist - a very thick lava derived from melting of North Africa tectonic plate it pushed under the European Plate was produced below Pompeii. Explosive eruptions result when volcanic lava, sulfuric, and other gases trapped are finally released leaving behind destruction and a volcanic caldera.
Mt. Vesuvius caldera as seen from the rim of the crater.
Mother Earth is full of beautiful places with gorgeous landscapes and stunning architecture (endless). Each day, each hour creates, improves, adorns the sculpture of our existence. By seeing these historical places, I remember that creating memories is very important.