Vesuvius and Pompeii

Last Thursday, we left early for our weekend trip to Sorrento. By early, I mean we left before the sun have begun to rise, but seeing the sunrise over the mountains was worth every deprived minute of sleep.
After a three hour bus ride, we winded around the curvy one-way path (hardly a road) to the trail head of the summit of Mount Vesuvius. Already in the clouds (literally), we began our hike up the trail of volcanic ash and pumice rock. Once to the top, I felt like I was sitting on the wing of an airplane while it was in flight. It was so cold, and the wet air clug to our hair so much that you could see the actual drops of water. It felt like we were moving because the cloud was blowing around us, between us, and towards us so fast. At the top, there are view points inside of the crater where the eruption blew.
It really just looked like a massive valley, but everything was the same grayish black color. We took a quick look and headed straight down.... If the weather had been better, we could have seen the city of Pompeii and the sea from the top, but no such luck that day.
We ate lunch in Pompeii, where the pizza is known for having a thicker crust.. but still not half as thick as the pizza we enjoy in America. We visited the ancient ruins of Pompeii, the city that had been completely covered with ash and rock from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the early Roman years.
It was so sad to see the figures of the people who were suffocated by the ash and frozen in time by the volcanic debris. Only 2/3 of the ancient city is uncovered.
There was even a dog we could see that had been tied up and writhed to be free while he was suffocating. Seeing this was the first time any of the ancient ruins evoked any emotion since it all seems so old and dead anyway. It is amazing to see something so old be so well preserved.. especially this city that was frozen in time. Our guide told us that they are in no hurry to excavate the other third of the city becuase of how well the ash has preserved the ruins.
Over here most people roll their own cigarettes. It seems everyone here smokes, inside and outside. Our guide, who had a fabulous sense of humor, rolled atleast four on our hour long guide.