Herculaneum

Afternoon in Herculaneum.
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Today, we went to Herculaneum. We had to pack up our bags and check out of the room prior to taking the Circumvisuviana, a train that runs a loop between Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento and Vesuvius. Arriving in Herculaneum, it is just a short walk down main street to the entrance of the scavi (excavation site). While the entrance fee is a bit steep (11 Euro), the site is well worth the visit. A free map and narrative of specific points made the visit especially interesting. Mosaics and some frescoes are still in situ; most have been moved to the Museo del’Archeologie in Naples.

Departing Naples by ferry.
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After a picnic lunch, we explored the site some more before heading back to the hotel. Although we had checked out of our room, we were welcome to leave our luggage there all day and to make use of the lobby and tv room (watched a bit of European football.) We took a cab down to the port and boarded our ferry at 7:00. Our cabin had four berths and a WC, which unfortunately leaked, so we moved to another cabin. We then went out on the deck for debarkation --- Naples may be seedy, but its port at dusk is a thing of beauty.

After we showered, we went down to the Antelope Lounge for beverages and some music (and elderly man on a piano whose mother was his best fan, right at his side!) We turned out the lights early in anticipation of a 6:00 a.m. arrival in Palermo.