There's a boat that leaves from Napoli...

After a few days in Rome, I was ready to move on and had one final day to spend in the area.

This is what I love about Europe. Extra day? No problem, jump on a train and go somewhere else. 

I looked on the map and Naples instantly stuck out. 

Why? Well, here is my lameness shining through: it's a city that is featured in one of my favorite musicals. (#geek).

After reading up, I realized that Pompeii is only another 45 minutes from Napoli, so I decided to spend a majority of the day there. 

I left Rome in the morning and took the almost three hour ride to Napoli. There are a number of different trains that run, some faster and more expensive. I chose the cheapest...and consequently slowest route possible. It was fine though. 

After arriving in Napoli, I headed for their version of the subway that would take me and the hundreds of other tourists to Pompeii. 

Only problem, the trains were having major delays and cancellations. The first train I tried to take never came. So we waited. And waited. After an hour and a half or so, right before I was about to give up, one came! 

Wahoo. It was so crowded, but thankfully I ended up getting a seat for most of the journey. 

When we finally go to the Pompeii site, and the massive exited at this tiny station, you could see the ruins of the city from afar. 

 

I remember briefly learning about Pompeii in school and one time while I was in NYC, there was an exhibit in Times Square that I went to, but other than that, not much knowledge. This place is so neat for a few reasons, one being that it's super creepy if you think about it. Archaeologists were able to create casts of bodies that have been found and the details are insane. You can see facial expressions at the exact moment that the person passed.

I spent a few hours walking around the ruins. They are not that well marked, but you can't really get lost. I tried to stick with the audio tour, but quickly got turned around and just had to start making up history myself. That is one thing I would have changed----gone on a group tour, just to know exactly what I was looking at...and to hear some of the many (I'm sure) stories of the town and its people.