Today I went to Pompeii, it was a long wait...... in 1984 we took the train to Pompeii only to find it was closed. I have a memory of standing outside holding onto a barred gate almost in tears because it was going to be a highlight of our trip. But it was not to be as we were booked on the ferry to Greece the next day and had to travel down to Brindisi to catch it.

So I arrived in Napoli on the 30th and booked into my hotel - Palazzo Alabardieri. Wow, a beautiful hotel - very grand and the most beautiful room. I spent the afternoon there as it was too nice to leave. Went out for dinner and found Umberto's Ristorante almost next door. Beautiful meal, orange and fennel salad and seafood cooked and presented in a paper cone on a plate - little octopus, calamari, prawns & anchovies beautifully cooked - so now about Pompeii!

I was collected from my hotel on time and as I was first on had a Cook's tour of Napoli picking up others. The traffic was crazy as only Napoli traffic can - and sitting up in the big bus I was able to get a ringside seat to the "dance". There are few accidents and some of the manoeuvring and merging seems impossible but it works; two Australian couples got on the bus and one of the women was continually shrieking and swearing at the antics of the cars, that got a bit much. She obviously hadn't spent time in Napoli on the roads but I find it quite fascinating. We got onto the autostrada and arrived at Pompeii and it was a quick process setting us up with audio gear so our guide Maria didn't have to yell. We followed her blue umbrella up into the ruins of Pompeii. The roads are once again as they were back then, large stone cobbles which bear the ruts of many wagons from ancient times. There are raised stones at intervals that allowed Pompeiians to cross and are cleverly designed to allow wagons to pass between them.

We saw many interesting things, the area where the gladiators were billeted and trained, an amphitheatre that once had a roof and was used for plays and shows, a food shop, large villas of former traders and residents, a brothel that still has the inbuilt stone beds in place (built for speed, not for comfortable lingering) the forum and marketplace plus lots of small shops and houses. The restoration work continues and if you were to explore all that has been uncovered you would need over 2 days. It is an incredible place and I will visit again but hopefully on a cooler day. So glad I did this tour.

I was dropped back at my hotel and as I had a couple of hours to spare before catching the train back to Vallo I sat in the large salon at the hotel and dozed off. I did wake in time and caught a taxi to the train station only to miss my train by a whisker. No problem though another was going in 15 minutes so I texted Sonia and arranged a bit later pickup. We had a very happy reunion and Sonia suggested we go to Scario for dinner. This is a beautiful seaside town that is very popular with summer tourists. We walked along the esplanade and sat and had a drink and watched a huge moon rise. We then went back to a pizzeria and all had a pizza for dinner. Delicious, thin and not overloaded with toppings like in Australia. Then a last walk and a few bargains to be had from the vendors, back to the villetta and sleep. A great day from beginning to end.