From Pompeii to St.Peter to Pisa

Wednesday night, dressed up for dinner, we watched the dolphins swimming alongside the ship, welcoming us to the southern tip of Italy. 

We sailed through the night, maneuvering onto the berth in Naples early Thursday morning.

This was the view we had upon opening our curtains when we got up.

After breakfast a taxi that dropped us off 

at the entrance to the ancient ruins of Pompeii . . .

a city destroyed under 10 feet of ashes when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

In a matter of moments, life stopped as it was, 

giving us a glimpse into the times preserved when it was unearthed 17 centuries later.

It is surprising to see the detail of what was important to this long lost civilization -
the wall murals and floor tiles just amazed us.
We walked down one street after another, laid in stone with ruins of theaters,
merchant homes and grand mansions lining each side.

Just before dinner, after the all clear that all were on board again,
we sailed on along the Italian coast, docking in Civitavecchia early Friday morning.

We got on an all day tour bus to several locations around Rome.

Our first stop was to see the church of St. Peter in Chains.

Golden ceilings, frescoes, mosaics and sculptures give light to 

a time in history that defies the imagination.

Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses alone tells the story

of Moses' feelings upon experiencing God's holiness and seeing

the people fall into sin and forget Him so easily.

We continued on to one of Rome's grandest monuments, the Colosseum, 

built in the first century. 

I was surprised to see the layers of walls and arches surrounding the center,

Seventy thousand people filled this place to be entertained in ways 

we do not even want to think about today.

Upon leaving the place we were told that there were actually two more layers of walls

most of which have also been destroyed.

You can see what is meant by that in this photo.

Our tour included a lunch in a restaurant that gave you the feeling of being in an underground cave with arches, a nice ambiance created by chandeliers.

After lunch we headed to St. Peter's Square, 

a busy plaza where the masses receive the weekly blessing of the Pope.

The square is framed by two ornately carved and curved buildings

with statues of saints and martyrs, of old, lined up along the top.

The inside of the Basilica is breathtaking in size and design.
Numerous halls lead to more halls,
every square inch covered in mosaics and sculptures,
with the capacity to hold 60,000 people.

After a long day, it was nice to be rocked to sleep again.
This truly has been one of the most relaxing things about this trip . . .
seeing so many places, without having to pack and move on.

I was going to write about today's trip to Pisa,
but I'm fighting with the internet . . .
so I'll log out of stateroom D627
and tie things up when I'm home.
Tomorrow is my birthday and one final excursion
before we head home.