Day 8 - Pompeii

Saturday, May 11th

Today was a rest day, so no Ride Map, and no Ride Profile. Instead, a group of us spent the morning wandering around the nearby ruins of Pompeii, the afternoon relaxing and cleaning stuff, and the evening in Sorrento - about 30km south on the coast. As the day progressed, it was clear that just about all of the other Bike Adventurers were doing much the as us.

There was one exception though - Tony D decided that cleaning all day was a better option since he's seen Pompeii just a few years ago. However, he did manage to surprise us by turning up at a coffee shop we found just outside the ruins. This was also notable by being the worst and most expensive coffee of the trip so far.

Pompeii is much more extensive than I expected, and the rest presents more of the large Roman city that it was, than ash and lava covered bodies than I expected. In fact, we didn't see any of that and wondered whether we'd missed a museum, or an "important" part of the place.

Although it was a lovely Saturday morning and there were many tourists visiting the site, it's so expansive that they didn't overwhelm. With Vesuvius as a backdrop there were plenty of opportunities for photographs,

I also didn't expect to find amphitheatres, some of which appeared to still be used for modern day performances and events.

Some of the tourists couldn't resist getting up on stage, fortunately not for a karaoke performance though.

There are also a number of quiet areas that looked like cloistered gardens:

And I just loved the Mediterranean Pines that have been planted and maintained in some of the outer parts of the site. These are just next to the main arena where tournaments, games and perhaps the occasional gladiator fight would have taken place.

But the vast majority of the site consists of streets lined by houses, shops and workshops, just like any other town in modern day Italy. But all the time Vesuvius is there in the background, not nearly as menacing while we were there as it has been in the past.

After quite a nice lunch in a nearby restaurant we caught a local train to Sorrento which takes about 40 minutes away. Sorrento is clearly a rich place which uses its magnificent location to attract tourists and wealthy Italians alike. Just off the main street it's possible to wander into one of many expensive hotels to get the best views of the coast, the mountain backdrop, and Naples and Vesuvius in the distance.

And what better to do than have a beer, a glass of the local white wine, and some nibbles?! Some other Bike Adventurers, the tandem riders Stewart and Chery (in the background), thought the same thing. They also brought their Kindles to catch up on some reading.

As the sun set and the temperature dropped a little, the Tonys started to think about their next adventure - a discussion about boats and boating started.

 

Back in town we discovered a vibrant main square, lots of nice shops, and very nice alleyways lined with interesting restaurants.

Who needs a view when the food and wine is good, the atmosphere authentic, good company and only tomorrow's climb to the Almalfi coast to worry about?!