Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius

The courtyard in Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.
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It was another early day.  The drive to Pompeii was 3 hours.  On our ay we stopped at an espresso bar.  Chris walked me through enjoying my first Italian espresso.  It was strong and thick.  The place we stopped was in Monte Cristo, which was Rosa's hometown.

At Pompeii, we visited the ruins with the help of our tour guide, Antonio.  We saw the theatre, a house for the artists, the gymnasium, baths, the main square, and the brothel.  Pompeii is located near the sea, so many seamen saught out the brothel.  The men were guided by phallic symbols carved into the stones in the street.  The symbols were pointed towards the brothel.  Some of the group got it, the rest were just confused.  We took many pictures in the main courtyard with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

Res Life survives Mt. Vesuvius.
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After we visited the ruins, Antonio took us to a factory that carved sea shells and made jewelry from lava rock.  I bought two pairs of earrings, one with lava and red coral and one with lava and turquoise.  I will be keeping one pair and giving the other as a gift.

We were given a few minutes in the market place to purchase trinkets, etc.  Considering the importance of the brothel, they had phallic symbols with wings made of bronze and marble.  I really wanted to buy one, but couldn't bring myself to it.  Maggie and I also tasted Limoncello at a stand.  We tried it straight up and then a creamy version.  I bought a bottle of the regular while Maggie got the cream Limoncello.  The lemons that it's made from are the size of rugby balls.

Chris and Darryl checking the wine.
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We were given three options for the afternoon, Mt. Vesuvius, the Madolphi coast and Sorento, or going back to Rome.  The cost was 12 Euros for Mt. Vesuvius and Sorento, while Rome was free.  The students were divided almost in half and this was an all or nothing activity.  We ended up with a ballot vote for Mt. Vesuvius.  While the coast would have been beautiful, I can say that I climbed Mt. Vesuvius.

Lunch was at pizzeria that was family -owned in Pompeii.  They served us seaweed dough balls, then 4 pieces of pizza.  The first was traditional with red sauce and cheese, the second was white with ham, the third was margherita with greens on top, and the last was homestyle with red sauce, herbs, and a little parmesan cheese.  They served oranges from the family's tree for dessert.  They were delicious.  I took an extra one for the next day.  They also sold limoncello in decorated bottles and many students purchased those.

That is Antonio giving us a lecture of some sort at Pompeii. (He loves New York City.)
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At Mt. Vesuvius, we climbed up a very steep trail that was made of little pieces of lava rock.  It was like walking uphill in the sand.  I was proud of KB who made it all the way to the top.  Also Jess E. went up while being deathly afraid of heights.  When we were at the top we were at an elevation of 1200km.  We could see into the crater of the volcano.

At the store at the bottom of the mountain, I had my first Fanta.  (Wanna Fanta, Dontcha Wanta? Just sing it, it's fun.)  After we came down from Mt. Vesuvius our shoes were coved in lava dust.  At the bus, Enzo used some air pump to blast the dust our of our shoes.  It was awesome.  Other people were walking to their busses and they were curious and then envious.  We told Enzo that he should charge and make some extra money.

One of the phallic symbols pointing towards the brothel.
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We drove straight into Rome for dinner.  We ate at Elephant Blanc.  We were served bread, pasta with pesto, and then a  plate with prime rib, green beans, and potatoes.  Darryl, Chris, Maggie, Marc, and I shared a bottle of Frascati, a white wine from the region.  You'll see the picture of Darryl and Chris checking the tanins.  They didn't use those words, but that's what they are doing.

When we were just about done with dinner, Amanda C. ran to the bathroom.  Everyone said she looked as white as a ghost, though I did not see her run out.  I went to see what happened.  She had asked for more water.  She took a sip and her throat burned.  Someone else at the table smelled it and thought it was bleach.

Enzo is the man. He cleaned our shoes after Vesuvius.
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Rosa thought it was best to take her to the hospital. Everyone left the restaurant to go back to the hotel, while Rosa, Amanda, Jeremy, and I went to the hospital.  Supposedly this was the same hospital that the Pope used.

At the hospital, the staff heard that she swallowed bleach and they thought she had attempted suicide.  This made her a priority.  Once they found out how little she ingested, she was bumped back to the waiting room.  We waited for her to be seen until Midnight.  Rosa called a cab.  While we were waiting for the cab, Amanda's name was called.  The doctor checked her and told her to take some medicine that would protect her stomach and esophagus lining.  We stopped at a 24-hour pharmacy on the way back to the hotel.  Pharmacies are marked with a green cross in Italy.

In all, Amanda paid 10 Euros for the cab from the restaurant to the hospital, 14 Euros for the medicine, and 45 Euros for the cab ride back to the hotel.  We were staying near the Ciampino airport.  Amanda had purchased all-inclusive insurance and we are hoping that will cover the costs.  I did not get to bed until 2am.