Dear Family and Friends,
The day after visiting Pompeii, we took a short drive to the base of Mount Vesuvius where we were able to take a thirty-minute hike up to the crater. Walking up the mountain that we have seen in so many documentaries was a little surreal. Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel, on the other hand, were excited to see how many different colored volcanic rocks they could find during the hike.
When we finally arrived at the top, we were able to enlist a guide at a small rest stop to give us a brief explanation of the crater. He gave us a good description of the 1944 erruption, which resulted in a lava flow that destroyed a couple of villages.
Despite somewhat cloudy conditions, we were able to get a good view of Naples, Pompeii, and Herculanium. Given the steam that rises from the sides of the craters, which can often be seen from the valley below, it was amazing to us that so many people chose to live on or near the volcano. As our guide explained, although the volcano has errupted fairly recently, it is due for a major event at any time.
Arrivederci,
Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel
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