Naples

On Tuesday the 13^th we visited Naples.  All the information we had either read or been told warned us in the strongest terms that this is the pickpocket capital of Europe.  Well we had a few hours to kill in the morning so off we went under our own steam.  We had an idea about what we wanted to see and those sights were all close to the port in easy walking distance.

Joan was overcome with emotion when she saw the vastness of the architecture around the Royal Palace and the Galleria Umberto ~ what will she be like when she sees Rome?  We wondered the streets for about 3 .5 hours, Joan got us slightly lost, but we made our way back eventually.

Having made it back to the ship without any problems we had a quick lunch and then it was off to see the Herculaneum.  

The Herculaneum was a small seaport that was destroyed in the same Vesuvius eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD.  The last excavations were  only uncovered in the early 1980’s and is said to be more intact than Pompeii.  Many of the inhabitants of the time tried to escape the eruption by heading to the sea and sheltering in tunnels, but to no avail.  Their bones are still in their original positions and can be seen by visitors.

It was extremely hot with no shade or seating and Joan struggled for a while but made it through.