Somewhere in the night my temperature spikes, I get a delirious fever and feel down right awful.
When the alarm goes off I take as much panadol and ibuprofen as I can and hope it's just a quick bug. We are off to catch the train to Naples and see a different part of the country - Campania.
I do remember part of the train. I had set aside some of that time to work with the kids on their home work. (Oh yay, math first thing in the morning.) But by the time we reach our van tour/transfer the pain killers are already wearing off and I am thankful that the van is organised and ready to go. I curl up into a ball and remain so.
From the Naples train station we make a stop at Herculaneum to see the Roman seaside town that was covered by a pyroclastic flow from the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Covered in 20 meters of mud and ash it remained perfectly preserved for 1600 years! This is where the rich people from Pompeii would have had their beach homes. It may not be as big as Pompeii, but the fresco's are very well preserved and the two story wooden houses give you the feel of walking down an ancient Roman street.
After Randy and the kids have had enough (I moved my foetal position from the van to a bench) our driver, Tony, suggested that we go up on Mt. Vesuvius for lunch. He took us to a little boutique vineyard that makes all their own food. The owner met us and took everyone (sans moi) around to see the grapes and feel the soil and admire the view from this lovely spot. I don't eat, but the food looks amazing. Fresh bruschetta, spaghetti with home grown tomatoes. And wine tasting. Randy says it is fantastic. Somehow food can really impart the feeling of the land that cannot be shared any other way. Taste is a wonderful sense.
Pompeii, the grand highlight of this area. (At least in the kids fascinated minds.) What must it have been like all those years ago when the ash and smoke started falling down the mountain and covering the city. There was warning of course and many Romans would have left days before, but many thousands died that day. Pompeii does something to the imagination. Maybe because the city is still fairly intact, and you can see the shadow of Mount Vesuvius always present, it is easy to put yourself in the shoes of the people and what they went through on that day.
And what a find for the interested archaeologist. It is a perfectly preserved Roman town, frozen for all eternity during the time of the Pax Romana. The small details that aren't written about in the Roman histories and aren't usually found in archaeological digs were preserved. In Herculaneum some 300 bodies were found, preserved by the mud, where Romans usually cremated their bodies. In Pompeii the people were literally encased in ash and the space where their bodies lay were perfectly preserved. The archaeologist who uncovered them made plastic casts of the people which still lay where they died on August 24, 79 AD.....
I transferred to another sunny bench and again Randy and the kids went in without me. They hired a guide who was excellent. The girls came back to find me and couldn't stop talking about how they were able to grind grain on the ancient mills. And they walked through the forum and sold olive oil. They were in a real Roman bathhouse with real Roman tiles. He really engaged their little imaginations.They were Romans for the day. Perfect.
Lucky for me I have been here before so when they describe their experiences I can imagine exactly what they saw.
And so we end our day in the town of Sorrento, on the other side of the lovely Bay of Naples from where we left our train this morning.
The next days are a bit of a blur. I know that I am sick. I know that the wonderful people who run the Palazzo Montefusco (our b&b) take me to the hospital in Sorrento and I get antibiotics and other stuff. The owners wife makes me chicken soup. Randy keeps the kids busy and happy. They all check on me, give me love and show me their special purchases and tell me about their discovery of gelato and crepes. I feel all their love and I'm sure it helped me get better - eventually.
After three days I emerge on wobbly legs and take my first walk around the old town. Our b&b is an ancient building 1,000 years old right in the heart of the walk-only downtown. The streets are cobblestone and everywhere there is lemoncello and fresh fruit. Italy may be in an economic crisis, but the focus is still on having a good life. Liam shows off the lemon that is the size of Juliet's head. The old man who sells them laughs. These are the moments that make us humans happy.
I am happy to be out of my sick bed, but still not up for much. I am glad to be able to enjoy the kids and my amazing husband and this beautiful town.
Tomorrow is Friday and it's our last day for making a visit to the Montessori School that I have been in touch with in Naples.....
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| Wall frescos in Herculanium |
I do remember part of the train. I had set aside some of that time to work with the kids on their home work. (Oh yay, math first thing in the morning.) But by the time we reach our van tour/transfer the pain killers are already wearing off and I am thankful that the van is organised and ready to go. I curl up into a ball and remain so.
 |
| Four cute Romans in Herculanium |
After Randy and the kids have had enough (I moved my foetal position from the van to a bench) our driver, Tony, suggested that we go up on Mt. Vesuvius for lunch. He took us to a little boutique vineyard that makes all their own food. The owner met us and took everyone (sans moi) around to see the grapes and feel the soil and admire the view from this lovely spot. I don't eat, but the food looks amazing. Fresh bruschetta, spaghetti with home grown tomatoes. And wine tasting. Randy says it is fantastic. Somehow food can really impart the feeling of the land that cannot be shared any other way. Taste is a wonderful sense.
 |
| Learning about the forum in Pompeii |
 |
| Clara makes bread in a perfectly preserved Roman oven |
And what a find for the interested archaeologist. It is a perfectly preserved Roman town, frozen for all eternity during the time of the Pax Romana. The small details that aren't written about in the Roman histories and aren't usually found in archaeological digs were preserved. In Herculaneum some 300 bodies were found, preserved by the mud, where Romans usually cremated their bodies. In Pompeii the people were literally encased in ash and the space where their bodies lay were perfectly preserved. The archaeologist who uncovered them made plastic casts of the people which still lay where they died on August 24, 79 AD.....
I transferred to another sunny bench and again Randy and the kids went in without me. They hired a guide who was excellent. The girls came back to find me and couldn't stop talking about how they were able to grind grain on the ancient mills. And they walked through the forum and sold olive oil. They were in a real Roman bathhouse with real Roman tiles. He really engaged their little imaginations.They were Romans for the day. Perfect.
Lucky for me I have been here before so when they describe their experiences I can imagine exactly what they saw.
And so we end our day in the town of Sorrento, on the other side of the lovely Bay of Naples from where we left our train this morning.
The next days are a bit of a blur. I know that I am sick. I know that the wonderful people who run the Palazzo Montefusco (our b&b) take me to the hospital in Sorrento and I get antibiotics and other stuff. The owners wife makes me chicken soup. Randy keeps the kids busy and happy. They all check on me, give me love and show me their special purchases and tell me about their discovery of gelato and crepes. I feel all their love and I'm sure it helped me get better - eventually.
After three days I emerge on wobbly legs and take my first walk around the old town. Our b&b is an ancient building 1,000 years old right in the heart of the walk-only downtown. The streets are cobblestone and everywhere there is lemoncello and fresh fruit. Italy may be in an economic crisis, but the focus is still on having a good life. Liam shows off the lemon that is the size of Juliet's head. The old man who sells them laughs. These are the moments that make us humans happy.
I am happy to be out of my sick bed, but still not up for much. I am glad to be able to enjoy the kids and my amazing husband and this beautiful town.
Tomorrow is Friday and it's our last day for making a visit to the Montessori School that I have been in touch with in Naples.....
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