Garden of Death: Where?Wednesday

Pompeii is an amazing sight -- so vast, with so many interesting things hidden within the excavated city.

One of the most poignant sights is the "Garden of the Fugitives." Here you can see plaster casts of some of the victims of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. Experts say that the ash from the eruption fell so fast that some people were killed almost in their tracks, with barely enough time to try to cover their face to protect themselves. When excavating the site, workers found air pockets in the shape of humans, formed by the decomposition of the bodies after being covered in ash. These pockets were filled to make the casts, which show in amazing detail the agony of the last seconds of their lives.

Away again...

I am completely out of photos from our area (at least seasonal ones), so for a couple more days we'll feature vacation shots from our trip to the Amalfi coast of Italy.

This is the main harbor of the island of Capri. A beautiful place, the island is mainly in "recharge" mode during the off-season -- most of the shops, hotels and restaurants are closed for remodeling and restocking during this time of year. So, it was a bit sleepy, but the bright side of visiting now is that you don't have to fight hordes of sun-seeking tourists to wander around the island.

Netherlands? Nee!

You might have guessed that this photo wasn't taken in The Netherlands. What gave it away? The greek ruin, the mountain, or the weather? Anyway, this isn't Greece either. The ruins of Pæstum lie off the Italian coast south of Salerno. There are three temples still (partially) standing, and a nice museum showcasing some of the archaeological finds from the area. Being somewhat off the beaten track, the site (although much smaller and less complete) is practically deserted compared to nearby Pompeii.

It's estimated that Greeks colonized this area, known to them as Poseidonia, sometime around the 7th century BC. The structure in this photo is currently considered to be the temple of Apollo (previously attributed to Poseidon then Hera). The date estimate is 450 BC, nearly 2500 years old. Truly amazing, especially on a beautiful winter day.