Off to See the Pope... 545am wake up – we forgot what that felt like! Pol booked a before opening hours tour of the Vatican – only to realise that in order to get there for 730am, we had to be up at 545! We decided to ride to the Vatican with only a paper map as Ros thought it was easy…however she didn’t realise some of the roads were only one way! After a few detours, we got there in the end. We both needed a coffee to get us going. The streets of Rome are so quiet at this time. Some pics from our tour: (This is one a painted section of roof – which is painted to have a 3D effect but is actually painted flush against the ceiling!) (3D painting) (These are rings that various popes wore throughout history) (This is our tour guide – the one with one hand in the air – she was a classic Italian – Loud and strong willed!) (Ros – SPFing her nose after it was permanently bright red for days!) (A view of Rome) (This is us in front of a door that is opened every 25 years by the Pope at the time for religious purposes) (This is where the Pope addresses the masses once a week – in this square) (Check out the official guards! – Hoards of people were taking photos of them) VERY long queue to get into the Vatican – the camera couldn’t take a pic of the long queue! We were both glad to pay for early entry to the Vatican (before the crowds were officially allowed in)...when we finished our tour it was hard to get through the crowd... bumper to bumper. hot and sweaty!! The Vatican must be making a fortune...it is its own country in the middle of Rome! The Vatican churches are very well looked after - the experience was awe inspiring- the amount of intricate work on and in the buildings, statues, paintings, tapestries etc. So much history! one can spend weeks in here and still not truly see and understand every piece of work. (Finished the tour – found our motorbike – Pol’s shoes sufficiently dried as they didn’t dry overnight. Shortly after this pic was taken – a waitress came up to us and said that people kept looking at these shoes on the motorbike and asking her what they were etc - we parked in front of a café) (on our way back to the hotel to pick our luggage up as we stored it there in order to visit the Vatican – a lot of one way streets, cars and motorbikes!) (When in Rome….we decided to park on the street as the Taxis do while Ros got changed out of her jeans – which were mandatory to Visit the Vatican – while Pol got the bike ready to go with traffic driving around her!) Autogrill – we are becoming their best patrons! Ros – hungry and wanting Pol to take the pic and get it over with! Quick lunch and fuel stop on our way to Pompei. We have become accustomed to Toll Roads. Check out the dog – in AutoGrill – a busy cafeteria! You never know what you’ll find in an Autogrill car park – this little scoot looks like it’s on a long road trip!! Accommodation in Pompei – Check out where the aircon is located….in the bathroom!!! The next day – time to visit the ruins We decided to visit Naples Underground City first. This is the traffic heading toward Naples from Pompei…we witnessed a lot of scooter riders texting or on the phone while weaving in and out of traffic! We noticed the housing in these areas were fairly run down Naples – Chaos and tramlines! The chaos that ensued….The GPS lead us up this road…. The GPS told us to take a left turn here…it was clearly a market area for pedestrians and was very narrow, however Ros saw a scoot coming through and so we decided to go..... The ultimate training in Ros’s riding skills. By the end of the market – her glasses had fogged up and her face was dripping in sweat! 2 Rows of parked cars on the street! Underground Naples: ...Then....we stumbled across a wine store with a restaurant…it was a great experience! – (Antonio - the owner!) Biscotti dunking in muscato which was shown to us by the owner, Antonio – who has owned this place for 14years. He was such a nice and generous person – very welcoming, great service. We really enjoyed ourselves. He gave us a parting gift – 2 bottles of Limoncello! Thank you Antonio! View from our accommodation Pompei – (Cast of a dog – most animals were tied up at the time and died in these kind of postures) (Most humans died in this posture – it is thought this is due to the toxic gas that was present before lava flowed down) (This is a child – around 2 to 3 years old) Old bakery Ros – great tour guide. Check out the mosaic – it has been well preserved. (Ancient washing house) (These streets were designed with a big camber to run sewage down – where people walked!) (Tour over – time for an icy cold lemon drink!) That night Pol stayed in bed due to heat stroke and Ros did her best to be a great carer during this time... assisting Pol with her vomiting, gave wet towels for the forehead, provided entertainment on laptop, free massages. But she snuck downstairs for a quick bite to eat in the hotel... 7 euros for pasta!