Author: Weaver-Swartz

We spent the day thinking about the ancient past, aqueducts, and volcanoes. Pompeii really is remarkable. I’m not sure all of the historic detail was as mesmerizing for the kids as it was for some of the adults, but everyone showed lots of stamina.

We walked for over six hours, exploring rich homes, baths, theaters. We ate our picnic lunch near an enormous athletic field, and refilled our water bottles from the same stations used by the ancients.

Then we hit the gelateria again on the walk home and played some Dutch Blitz—admittedly, not the most Italian thing to do, but we did have an excellent spaghetti dinner.

Travel is complicated. Cell phones don’t work like we’re used to. Traffic patterns are unfamiliar. Food has different names. Public transit schedules are confusing—and written in unfamiliar languages. After traveling in Asia, it’s at least a relief to be able to recognize at least some words in Italian. Between the Latin roots the kids have learned and the tiny bit of Spanish I somehow kept in my brain after not using it for a couple of decades, we’ve had some interesting conversations.

But so far the travel hassle has paid off. We’re spending a few days being tourists near Sorrento. We have an AirBnB with a great view, it’s own lemon tree, and a pizza place just down the street.

We’re recovering from the journey at a monastery with a lovely view of Venice. Sleeping in real beds feels amazing. Today we wandered the city, and we ate pizza, lasagna and gelato.

Up next: more train travel, better pictures, and (eventually) real beds.