The city frozen in time

This morning we drove to Pompeii. Pompeii is a famous city in Italy as it has literally been frozen in time by volcanic ash and pumice stones. Almost 2000 years ago, in the year 79, a volcano erupted 9km from Pompeii and the eruption was so large that ash and pumice stones were lifted 28km into the air and fell onto Pompeii. Many people fled when they saw the volcano erupt and escaped the city but some stayed and were suffocated by the poisonous gases of the volcano. The ash that covered the city preserved and mummified it so many of the remains still stand today.

We were guided through Pompeii by Francesco, a comic local guide who entertained us with his jokes and frequently used expressions such as "Mamma Mia" "Fantastico" and "Omg these Romans were naughty". We were all amazed by how intelligent and inventive the Romans were 2000 years ago with inventions such as reflective lights and pedestrian crossings that we use today.

White marble stones used as reflectors at night

Drinking fountain

Why did Francesco call the Romans naughty? Before the city was destroyed by the volcano, Pompeii had 24 brothels. Only one brother stands today. We walked through the small brothel and saw 5 rooms with stone beds and paintings above the rooms illustrating the positions you could request as a part of the service. There were also penis' sculptured on the pavement and walks along the Pompeii streets and these pointed towards the brothels in the town. We saw two of the the original penis' sculpted into the city. Apparently, it is good luck if you touch them...
We also saw 3 mummified bodies and a dog, see pictures below.

Penis pointing towards brothel

Paintings inside brothel

Bedroom in brothel 

Mummified man 

Mummified dog

Mummified man trying to protect himself from the gases

Mummified child

Overal, Pompeii was a funny and interesting experience. The volcanic eruption was devastating but it has helped us understand Roman history by preserving an entire city.

View of the volcano, it is missing a large part from the explosion and is still active today, meaning it could erupt at any moment