trees and carvings. not 'tree carvings' @Pompeii

I loved the view in the photo below... a cool tree at the end of this road, behind ruins and in front of the mountains:

Then... same tree from a different location!

As we liked to say about many things in Vietnam, "Same same, but different."

The following carvings are from the same area, as we were on our way to see the amphitheater:

Pompeii's street signs

Many of the main street intersections in Pompeii had visual signs giving directions for what was down each road.

Pompeii's mosaics [heart!]

I love love love the mosaic floors throughout Pompeii. The colors, designs, and beauty are still gorgeous today.

The first photo below shows the word 'HAVE' on the ground outside the front of a home. This was an impressive private home called The House of Faun. The mosaic 'HAVE' refers to meeting and parting in Latin... I really like that at the door of the home.

And flooring designs, which I would love to have in my own home someday!!

Pompeii's dogs

I read a sign on our way into Pompeii, warning visitors of the dogs within Pompeii.

Sure enough, we saw doggies around all day. I loved it! For the most part, the dogs were calm and kept to themselves... soaking up the day's sunshine.

My brother, Sean, read about the Italian government supporting these stray dogs... putting chips in them to be able to track them and trying to make sure that they have enough food and are safe. I really like that idea and the care shown for these animals. I found an article from NY Times about Pompeii's dogs... back from 2010, but interesting nonetheless. Click here to read this article.

These dogs were some of the more energetic that we saw during the day.

(...Even allowing visitors to pet them.)

The House of the Tragic Poet - doorway mosaic dog:

more from Pompeii

POMPEII LIVES!

A home:

The view of the mountains (and Mount Vesuvius) in the background was magnificent!

Pompeii's stepping stones

I was shocked at some of the ideas that were put into place within Pompeii... that long ago! (...such as heated flooring in the public baths!)

They would flood the streets each day to wash away the trash and debris... because of this, they built stepping stones for people to still be able to walk across the street. Not only that... but they made sure that the height and spacing of the stepping stones worked for carriages to still pass by.

The one-way streets had just one stepping stone, while the two-lane roads needed three.

POMPEII !!!

Our day trip to Pompeii was a definite favorite of mine during my travels over the Winter holiday break. Dad and Sean really wanted to go here and Mom planned it perfectly - as it was just a train ride away from Sorrento. We spent over 4 hours walking around these amazing ruins... and only saw a small piece of all that there is.

(We were lucky with a beautiful day too! -- Check out that blue sky and sunshine!)