Sunshine, July and Daily Tangents #30 Volcano
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| Mount Vesuvius |
Hello and welcome to the start of the penultimate Sunshine, July and Daily Tangents post.
This very beautiful photograph, that is at the start of this blog post, is one I took from the very top of Mount Vesuvius. I mentioned before in this post that I went on a trip to Italy with the school when I was 15 years of age. We walked up to the top of the volcano and were able to see the huge hollow dip in the centre. As we got to this point I remember turning to my friend who worriedly pointed out the smoke rising slowly out. We were quickly reassured that this was nothing to worry about; just heat from the inside. The active volcano was overdue to erupt but absolutely nothing to worry about.
This trip is up there with New York as the best place I've ever visited. On the contrary to New York, my trip to Italy was where I took a leap with my anxiety- the fact I was able to go was utterly amazing and I am so thankful for 15-year-old me because of how much Italy means to me now. It's not just a beautiful place but somewhere special to me that's full of so much meaning and goodness.
Today I'd love to share what I learnt on this trip. However, I will say that it was quite some time ago so the facts may have altered slightly with age.
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| The view from the top of Vesuvius |
The first thing that catches your eye in Italy Is the giant volcano that is Mount Vesuvius. Once upon a time this volcano erupted and caused devestation all over Italy. Vesuvius used to be in the shape of a pointed mountain. The people of Italy thought that it was, in fact, a mountain- they couldn't understand why smoke was billowing out from it. During the eruption, the top section exploded which left a curved top.
Driving up to the volcano, you are able to see the trail from where the lava slithered down the outside of Vesuvius.
On the day of the eruption, all the animals fled as far away as they could. They could sense that something was wrong, however, not all of them could escape. Below is a dog that was excavated from the ruins of Pompeii. For a long time, Pompeii was hidden under ash and rock after the disaster. This was until it was excavated in later years and found to be almost exactly what it was pre-eruption. It's as if Pompeii was frozen in time except for some damage caused. Skeletons of humans and animals were found and formed into plaster casts which is how we are able to see the shape they were in once they had passed.
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| Pompeii- right before it rained super heavy |
The poisonous gases were what got to the people of Pompeii before the volcano. Back then there were no phones and little way of communication so everyone went by bad feeling, the sight of troubled neighbours and the terrifying sight of the rumbling Volcano. The people of Herculaneum waited at the boat sheds to be rescued. Unfortunately, the evacuation boats failed to collect them. These families are resting in the position they were before they passed away...
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| Herculaneum |
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| Mosaic found on the floor in a Herculaneum building |
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| Graffiti in Pompeii |
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| Herculaneum |
I found this trip so insightful and I truly soaked up what I was seeing and hearing. Even now after these years, I'm still intrigued to find out more. There was something new and beautiful to learn at every corner...
...these stones can be found in the streets of Pompeii where the sewage used to run. the locals used them to step from one side of the street to the other. If you look closely you can see the dents on the ground from the carts that would drive through the sewage. This one maybe not so beautiful to learn but I found it cool!
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| Hands down the best pizza I've ever had! |
I encourage you greatly to visit Naples, Italy and become immersed in history. It's the only place I can think of where you can physically walk through a place frozen in time.
As ever, thank you for reading day 30 of my blog project. I will see you tomorrow for the (day late but belated is, in this case, a good thing) final instalment of Sunshine, July and Daily Tangents: Typewriter
Love,
Buddy xx
Yesterdays Post: #29 Little
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