Praise the lord for this day! It was amazing! It was spectacular! It was educational! I LOVED today! And I'm still a little bit in shock. I can't believe I actually went there and did that.
My day started early, at least for this trip so far. But it was SO worth it. After all, the first stop of the day was an active dig site at Pompeii!! They found what they think is the first kiln of Pompeii! For all the pottery there, there haven't been any kilns found, until recently. So I got to go and see that, and see them work some, which was really cool and exciting. I even got to help just a little! I found two pieces of a thin world pottery drinking urn that fit together! The lady that was actually working on that urn told me I did a good job and everything! It was fun and made me feel all special inside! Lol.
After that, Celestino and Alberto, the two applied petrologists that were showing me around today, brought me on a walking tour of Pompeii, at least the most impressive places. It was so cool, and I was definitely in shock that I was actually there and seeing Pompeii! It was fantastic! I learned a lot there, including where the zebra stripes of crosswalks come from! In ancient times, crosswalks were built above the road, so that people didn't have to walk in water or whatever else was there. They were built low enough though, so that carts could go over them. They were essentially stepping stones across the road!
After the walking tour, we went back to the excavation site for a free lunch of sandwiches, which were super good. By the way, "real" mozzarella is nothing like our mozzarella cheese. Well, they taste very similar. But real mozzarella comes as little balls of gushy-ish cheese in water in a plastic bag. I was nervous about trying it, because I have never seen cheese come like that, but it was really good! As was, of course, the provolone cheese!
After lunch, Celestino took out a geological map of Vesuvius to show me and explain some of the geology of Vesuvius to me. It was a really interesting lesson! Apparently, Vesuvius has a true eruption pattern. It begins with a plinian or subplinian eruption. A plinian eruption is the kind of eruption that occurred in 79AD and buried Pompeii. Subplinian eruptions are just a little less explosive than plinian eruptions. After that first big eruption, Vesuvius enters a period of less explosive activity with an open vent, meaning you can actually see lava or magma in the volcano for that full period. At the end of the cycle, the volcano enters a period of fumerole activity with a closed vent. Currently, Vesuvius is in the closed vent stage. So...
When I went to Vesuvius today, I saw it steam! It was soo cool! Seeing the cone itself thrilled me to no end! But, then to see fumeroles within Vesuvius?! It was insane! The hike up to the cone was a bit rough for me though. It was all uphill, with no level respites to give us just a second to breath! But it was all worth it! After going around the north side of the cone, we returned to the base...taking our time in order to take samples! I found two fist sized rocks, both of which are scoriacious, or holey rocks, therefore lightweight. I also found a bunch of cobbles of scoria with little crystals in them, and a bunch of just plain crystals! It was really exciting for me! I know I'm a nerd and a dork, but I LOVED just looking at the loose rocks on the walk to and from the cone and just looking at the crystals within them! I can't help it! After we got back to the base of Vesuvius, we returned home.
Since then, I've been working on uploading pictures and typing this, which has taken a surprisingly large amount of energy for me to do. So now, it's 10:30 pm here, and I'm about to crash. I have more to tell about today still, but no energy with which to do it! So, for now, this is it.
Buonanotte!
Erin, This is Sue from your mom's bible study. I have just "caught up" on the last few posts. When you read them all at once it is like watching a movie on fast forward. In a matter of a few minutes of my time, I have watched you go from unsure to I can do this! Watch me do this! Man this is unbelievable! You make me smile on your bravery, wonder and awe. To think that you are standing on the streets of Pompeii is amazing! Your post and pictures are so fun to read and see. Know that we are praying for you and your great adventures! Remember you are never alone, God is with you wherever you are.
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