RAI took us on an excursion to Pompeii tonight, followed by dinner inside the ruins of Pompeii – apparently the first time the trustees had allowed anyone to do that. Pompeii was very interested and remarkably well preserved in parts, but nearly everyone in the group got dehydrated. When we entered the gates of Pompeii nobody told us there was nowhere to buy drinks inside. Most people just assumed that, as is the case with most big tourist attractions, there would be food and drinks vendors inside the grounds.  However, in three hours we saw nothing except one tap, over what looked like a horse drinking trough. Nobody was too sure whether that water was fit to drink, but it was such a hot day with many people getting badly dehydrated, that some drank from the tap anyway.

One of the interesting parts of Pompeii was the street of brothels where there were pictures painted over doors of each room showing various sexual positions. The guide explained that each prostitute (of which there were apparently many in those days) specialized in a certain position or technique, so clients visiting the brothel were able to select what they wanted to do by pointing to the appropriate picture.