Globus tour, June 16 - South and West to Pompeii

As usual, I was up early and talked through the empty town. I saw a cat and an old woman well dressed, going somewhere down a lane. I like this town - much that is up and much that is down, elevation-wide. Saw four nuns descending a long long stair that connected one street with another. The only other place I know that is remotely like this is Edinburgh, where long stairs connect the High Street with places lower down.

A stone staircase in Assissi.

A long drive to Naples was broken by a lunch stop at the AutoGrill. That chain was on all the autostrada that we drove. It has "self service" section and a bar that serves drinks, pizza, sandwiches, all on order. The self service is more like a US cafeteria line, and much faster and easier than the other. I now know that the pasta is usually good, regardless of the kind of sauce: seafood with little octopi and calamari or bolognese sause or red sauce with tuna ("tonne", I think).

This was the day our Globus driver left the autostrada because of construction and we rode on a beautiful old road with many hairpin turns, across the mountains.  We bypassed Naples in heavy traffic to Pompeii and met Alfonso, our guide for the next hour and a half.

Pompeii, grey and grim.

Pompeii is a very gray place, barely restored after 2 millenia. The most beautiful frescoes, statues,and mosaics had all been removed in the 18th and 19th centuries to the palace of the king in Naples - - where apparently they are still. However, a few remnants remain, and I have a few photos.

tiny dining room fresco

a sweet mosaic

Two things struck me here.  There was a large number of sleeping dogs. And a quite large open storage area full of large ceramic pieces: wine jugs, and bowls, and pieces of sculpture.

dozing dog protects his water bottle

2000-year-old storage

Beyond the exit were many souvenir sellers. I looked and looked but could not find a reproduction of the little dancing faun I'd seen in a garden pool. All I bought was one granita, a sort of semi-frozen fruit juice (blackberrty). It was very good, very cold, very refreshing.

Why isn't the dancing faun reproduced for sale?

In late afternoon we boarded a huge ferry, along with many many cars and trucks and our Globus bus.

Not a building - a ferry boat.

Once again Nicolas warned us with lowered expectations, Contrary to his description our cabin was an outside one with a small porthole. It was small, clean, modern, tidy, on the 8th deck - - counting up and not down. Down one deck to the self service dining room - some caprese, some eggplant parmesan, and some white wine.

We left the port of Naples in the glow of twilight, heading for Palermo.

The afterglow of sunset over Naples