After our day of rest in Sorrento we were off to our tour of the buried city of Pompeii. We had a tour guide lead us through the city and explain in great detail the events of 79 AD. It was exciting and eerie to be in the city, to walk the streets in which thousands of people walked over 1900 years ago, to see what they saw, and to see how life was like in 79 AD. Everything in the city is original except for the wooden pieces. See pictures below of our morning touring Pompeii.
An original pillar
An original bust of the god Jupiter
Plaster cast of a boy and original jars behind him
Romans built the roads
What would have been a fast food restaurant in 79 AD
After walking our way through 3 cities, we were in need of a break. We loaded the bus and headed for Sorrento. On the drive we saw Mt. Vesuvius rise before us and stay on the horizon for the next 24 hours. The countryside was beautiful; we saw a few vineyards, farms, and plenty of wind turbines! We arrived in Sorrento in the early afternoon and after checking into the hotel had the afternoon to do what we chose to. Some chose to take a boat to the island of Capri, others went shopping, some hit the beach and everyone was on their own for supper. The scenery was gorgeous! See pictures of our time in Sorrento below.
First full view of Mt. Vesuvius
The countryside
View of the city from our hotel
View of Mt. Vesuvius from our hotel
All beaches are not free here but we found it!
You have to walk down to get to the beaches - Part of the walkway can be seen
To travel from Paris to Rome, which is roughly 900 miles, we traveled by train. The train ride lasted 16 hours; we left Paris at 6 pm and arrived in Rome at 9 am. The train ride was an experience as most of us had never experienced a passenger train not to mention sleeping in one! Once in Rome, we had our welcome dinner consisting of three different types of pizzas and gelato for dessert. The next morning we met our city tour guide, loaded the bus, and headed off for a part riding part walking city tour of Rome. We drove past the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II before reaching the Colosseum and Roman Forum. After touring the Colosseum and Roman Forum, we loaded the bus again and headed to Vatican City.
At the Vatican, our city guide lead us to a shop to purchase souvenirs. After everyone made their purchases we headed into St. Peter's Square in front of St. Peter's Basilica to be blessed by the Pope and have our souvenirs blessed as well. After our blessing, we headed into a shop where our city guide finished our tour with facts about St. Peter's Basilica and objects held within, including Michelangelo's La Pieta.
The rest of the day and all of the next were ours to explore the city; the sights included the Trevi Fountain, Castel St. Angelo, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, St. Peter's chains, Sistine Chapel, or trekking to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. One group rented scooters to travel on to see the city. Another group attended mass in the basilica. At the end of the second day, we had a farewell dinner for those who chose not to stay for the 6 extra days. See pictures of our time in Rome below.
The train that took us to Rome
Our welcome dinner restaurant
Arch of Constantine
Colosseum
Walking on the original Roman road
Inside of the Colosseum
Our Auburn group, with the graduate t-shirts on!
Part of the Roman Forum
A pair of the oldest doors in the world, located in the Roman Forum
Castel St. Angelo
Circus Maximus
The Pope giving his crowd the blessing
Inside St. Peter's Basilica
Again
Michaelangelo's La Pieta
Renting Vespas
And bikes!
At the Trevi Fountain
Throwing coins into the fountain
The Spanish Steps
The Pantheon
Walking to the top of St. Peter's Basilica's cupola
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do… So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain
We have all heard about the bucket list or thought about things we want to do when we retire, have MORE money, have time. What we should be thinking about is the time we have right now, take example from the Greeks, and live for the moment. Time slips by so quickly...I have noticed! High School seems like yesterday but it has already passed the 25 year mark! I don't really want to do all the leg work for trips..the flights, the bookings, I just want someone else to do all the work. But I would really like to go with a group of people I'm comfortable around....Hmmm. Let's see, Auburn people would be great! I haven't been to Australia or New Zealand yet. I have about 9 months I can save a little money. Now what do I need to know before I go? The Auburn Alumni Association has tours! We have a great new Travel Resource Page set up for all that you need to know before you go. And we are planning an April 2011 Australia & New Zealand Adventure. If cruising is not your thing and you would like to go a little more local we even have a Chicago tour. My favorite trip I'm checking out is the Europe's Christmas Markets December 2011. I have a feeling my entire family will be taking that trip! Join us!
To arrive in Paris we took the Eurostar from London to Paris, which took roughly 2.5 hours. Once we arrived in Paris we went on our riding city tour, which took us around the whole city including a stop at a great picture location for the Eiffel Tower and to show us the tunnel in which Princess Diana passed. That evening we had our welcome to Paris dinner at Chartier. After dinner we were excited to have a group tour of the city from the Seine River. The next day and a half we were on our own to explore the city. Each group saw sights on their own and on their own timing. Sights including the Louvre, Hotel des Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Pantheon, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Palace of Versailles.
In Paris an excursion to see a performance at the Molin Rouge was optional for 150 Euros. 9 of us decided to attend and has fun getting dressed up and enjoying a night out in Paris. See pictures below.
Eurostar train
Riding on the Eurostar
Most of the Auburn group
Group dinner
At Chartier
Group on the Seine River cruise
The Louvre
Standing outside of the Louvre
Mona Lisa in person
Venus de Milo
Cathedral de Notre Dame
The French Pantheon
This houses the remains of famous French men and women like
Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, the Curries, Louis Fraille,
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