Ancient ruins

30 July... today was a trip back in time. We took the kids to Herculaneum (Ercolano) and Pompeii. On our last trip here, Pompeii left such a lasting very impression on both of us, and it has been a place which Shad and I have been wanting to show the kids. We talked to them about what happened here and showed them documentaries and pictures to prepare them for what they would be seeing. But I'm not sure  if they fully understood what it would be like. Poor Mia was just worried that there would be dead people still lying around! 

Walking through the lanes and looking at all the remaining buildings, you just can't help but feel incredibly sad thinking of the people who lived there and how terrifying it must have been for them in that moment when they knew there was no escape.

Ercolano is much smaller but much more well preserved that Pompeii. Here we could still see some of the original mosaics on the floors and walls, some furniture as well as household shrines. 

Panoramic view of Ercolano 

Our little tour guide 

Mesmerised by the frescos on the ceiling 

Pompeii was next. These two monkeys were hot and bothered by the time we finished at Ercolano but thank goodness the weather cooled down a fair bit once we started walking through Pompeii. After seeing Ercolano, Pompeii was so much bigger with all its many streets and buildings. Seeing the houses, shops and baths, we could imagine life as it was back then.

Playing gladiators in the Amphitheatre

Shopkeeper hawking her wares