C James Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 I forgot to mention that the Pompeii photos in chapter 17 were taken by me, and my route through Pompeii (including getting confronted by a worker) was the same as in the story. When I took them, I planned to use them in a story, I just had no idea which one. LoL. Sorry if the photos aren't too good; I had to process the heck out of them to get the file size down as far as I could, and the photo quality was bad to begin with; most of these photos started out as almost totally black... The reason? There I was in a photographer's dream location, and what did I do? I stupidly forget to check the settings on my digital camera!!! Duh!! I had the wrong darn setting on the dial, and so not only were they smaller filesize, but the exposure was way low... Only by fiddling with them in photoshop did I manage to salvage anything at all.
Mark Arbour Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 Great photos! I love Pompeii. For me, it's one of those places that can take you back to an era; it's so easy to fill in the blanks. Last time I was there the whore house was closed though...major disappointment. I loved how the rooms had a picture above them, and if that's what you wanted to do, that's the room you went in.
Zeoanne Posted March 24, 2010 Posted March 24, 2010 Again, thanks for the pictures of Pompeii. I didn't get to enjoy that part if Italy and so much wish I could go back and re-trace all the wonderful places I visited as a teenager, now with a different outlook. I love the different structures, architecture and the history of Europe. Guess it's the European side of me (my ancestry) that reminisces. When I went there I didn't take pictures of the cathedrals and castles themselves but instead I photographed the people, the countryside, and bought tons of postcards. They came in 'strips' of like 10 or so. Once my mom showed the pictures to family and friends they were in awe of what they saw. It was an amazing time for me. (The aqueducts were one of the things that really impressed me, they are so beautiful and the sheep herders & their sheep blocking the streets were something I'd never seen before.) By the way, our tour guide was a gay guy that really took a liking with me, I think I was the only one that didn't judge him and we walked into a casino in Monte Carlo arm in arm, like we were a couple and they didn't ask my age. Needless to say, I had fun that night. Thanks for the memories sweetheart!!!
C James Posted March 28, 2010 Author Posted March 28, 2010 Great photos! I love Pompeii. For me, it's one of those places that can take you back to an era; it's so easy to fill in the blanks. Last time I was there the whore house was closed though...major disappointment. I loved how the rooms had a picture above them, and if that's what you wanted to do, that's the room you went in. I missed that one, too. The first time I was in the area, it was raining like crazy and I had a long drive ahead, so I missed Pompeii. The second time, a couple of years ago, I had very limited time... I was on a cruise, with Naples as a port. So, I was only there for a day. I always avoid the tours from the ship when I can, so I walked from the port, through the rough dockside areas (no problem) and to the train station, planning on taking the train to Pompeii. Well, that's where I found out they were having a strike that day. So, muttering nasty things about strikers, I tried to find a cab... but couldn't. (with several ships in, plus a strike, they were quite busy). I couldn't see a car rental place, so my only option was to head back for the ship and get on one of their afternoon tours. When the bus arrived at Pompeii, I had to waste more time sticking with the group until they'd taken us through the admissions gate. As soon as I was inside (at the gladiator school) I took off on my own, wanting to see as much as I could and with just two and a half hours to do it. I saw a heck of a lot more than the tour did, but it wasn't enough. I want to go back and stay nearby, so I can spend a couple of days exploring. (And see Herculaneum too). Another to-do is to climb Vesuvius (climbing active volcanoes is one of my hobbies). Much of Pompeii is closed to the public, so, like Trevor and Joel, you need to sneak into those areas to see them, unfortunately. But, I had no problem doing so, and it was well worth it! Again, thanks for the pictures of Pompeii. I didn't get to enjoy that part if Italy and so much wish I could go back and re-trace all the wonderful places I visited as a teenager, now with a different outlook. I love the different structures, architecture and the history of Europe. Guess it's the European side of me (my ancestry) that reminisces. When I went there I didn't take pictures of the cathedrals and castles themselves but instead I photographed the people, the countryside, and bought tons of postcards. They came in 'strips' of like 10 or so. Once my mom showed the pictures to family and friends they were in awe of what they saw. It was an amazing time for me. (The aqueducts were one of the things that really impressed me, they are so beautiful and the sheep herders & their sheep blocking the streets were something I'd never seen before.) By the way, our tour guide was a gay guy that really took a liking with me, I think I was the only one that didn't judge him and we walked into a casino in Monte Carlo arm in arm, like we were a couple and they didn't ask my age. Needless to say, I had fun that night. Thanks for the memories sweetheart!!! I loved Rome, although it was crowded. I've been a few times, once for several days. I like the hill towns even better; this time last year I spend ten days in the north of Italy, mainly exploring the hill towns. I loved it! I'd done the same in Tuscany a couple of years ago, and I very much want to return to Italy. I find renting a car to be by far the best way to see Italy; it lets me see more of the small towns I love, and it also actually saves money; I find I can stay in better places that are actually a lot cheaper than you'd find in a city. My favorites are Agritourisimos; converted farms. One I stayed at in Tuscany was out in the countryside, and it had a gourmet restaurant, specializing in Tuscan cooking. Best Italian food I've ever had. The price, for a very nice apartment, was a lot less than a low quality hotel in town. It would have been impossible without a car. Actually, I find renting a car to be the best option most everywhere, unless I'm staying in a big city (rare for me; I'm not fond of cities). Europe does have an excellent rail system, but I find a car a better and overall cheaper option. One of my favorite stays was in the Austrian Alps; I spent two weeks there and in the Barvarian alps. I went in December, and the air was crystal clear, which made for awesome views. HAving a car let me stay in a Gastenhaus, a nice one, for less than half the price of a mediocre hotel in town. That area is also my favorite place to snowboard. The aquaducts are amazing... I saw many ruins, and even one that's still in use.
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