Since the last post to the blog was on Wednesday, I guess it is up to me to cover our field trip to Pompeii at the end of last week.
Our journey on Thursday began at 6:30 am at the bus stop down the street from the Palace. With everyone feeling their absolute best, we ventured down to Mt. Vesuvius for a morning hike to the crater. It’s not the easiest of tasks when everyone is sleep deprived, but we all made it and can now say we have hiked to the top of an active volcano!
It was then on to Pompeii to tour the ruins of the city buried by the volcano we had just stood atop. The entire trip was very eerie. The most harrowing thing about our time there were the casts of the bodies that were preserved in the volcanic rock. Being able to see the bodies frozen in time in the same places where we were standing made the impact of the experience that much more touching. Seeing Vesuvius lurking over the Forum only added to that.
Changing gears from the melancholy parts of the visit, I think my favorite facts that our guide shared with the group were the two concerts that have taken place in Pompeii, Pink Floyd and Frank Sinatra.
Aside from the modern events that have happened at the site, the most amazing thing to me were the roads. The stepping stones to cross the streets during rains, and the small white stones dispersed throughout the large black ones on the roads for reflectors were astounding. The Romans really were way ahead of their time and it is mind blowing to see in person on all of these trips.
Our day on Vesuvius and in Pompeii was just the latest field trip that I consider our best trip yet. But, as mentioned in previous blog posts, that title is never held for long.
Eric Callaghan

Mount Vesuvius looking ominous over the ruins of the Pompeii forum.