Tag: Viking Cruise

Pompeii and Pizza

I never intended to travel the world until Viking Cruises made it easy. All of the details are arranged by travel experts who do everything and allow you to enjoy your vacation. When my husband and I discovered Viking’s Journey to Antiquities cruise we signed up because Herb wanted to see “old things.” One excursion on the cruise featured a tour of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried by volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted August 24, 79 A.D.

Ever since I was a child, the ruins of Pompeii intrigued me. At age ten I dreamed of becoming an archeologist and finding artifacts which would connect people of today with ancient civilizations. Visiting Pompeii with our Italian tour guide was like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe I was actually walking where the citizens of Pompeii lived and worked. The volcanic ash which buried the city acted like a protective layer preserving buildings, artifacts, and even organic materials like bread.

The photo above shows a marketplace with vendor booths on each side. The elevated sidewalks kept shoppers’ feet out of the sewer which ran down the middle of the street. The builders included stepping stones so people could cross the sewer. I marveled at the ingenuity of the Romans, but had to watch my step to keep my balance.

Our guide told us these pots were part of a fast food stand. This was the “thermopolia” where hot food was sold at lunchtime. In the Roman world it was customary to eat a meal outside the house. (And I thought fast food originated with McDonald’s. Wrong!)

Here we have a bakery where grain was ground using large millstones made of lava stone pulled by animals. After the flour was collected, the dough was mixed then baked in the brick oven. Archeologists have discovered 36 bakeries in Pompeii. Only two-thirds of the city has been excavated and work is currently ongoing.

Our excursion to Pompeii included lunch at a restaurant in Naples, the birthplace of pizza. The roots of pizza date back to the ancient Greeks who topped their flatbreads with olive oil and herbs. When tomatoes were brought to Europe from America some people thought they were poisonous, but over time the vegetable became essential to Italian dishes. In 1889 Neapolitan Rafael Esposito created a special pizza in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy. The pizza, topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil represented the colors of the Italian flag.

I was able to view the preparation of our margherita pizza by the chef.

Look! Is that a brick oven like those in the bakeries of Pompeii? Maybe there isn’t anything new under the sun.

As they say in Italian, “mangie e gusta.”

My Northern Lights Experience

Brrr! Even though I dressed in the warmest layers I own, I still shivered as I stepped out of the bus into the cold air. I wondered, “How am I going to survive this night?” My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as I trudged across the packed snow to join the group of stargazers carrying iphones.

What was a Floridian like me doing miles above the Arctic Circle in Maze, Norway? I was searching for the Northern Lights, of course.

Here is how the evening unfolded….

About fifteen minutes after my arrival, a gasp went up from the small crowd. “Look!” A guy pointed toward the western sky, where a faint mist appeared.

Someone cried out, “It’s beginning!”

A few minutes later the mist rose higher and began to vibrate. Unlike a cloud, the mist began to glow and shimmer. That’s when I realized I was actually looking at lights.

I continued to hold up my iphone 12 and snap photos. The camera captured the colors I couldn’t see with my naked eye. It seemed magical!

The dancing lights changed into a new shape which reminded me of a paper airplane. The plane soon changed into a luminous green flying V. Wow!

I blinked and the flying V transformed into a singular light which streamed down, down, down to the earth below.

Everyone cheered! What could be better? Some of us had traveled thousands of miles to see this. We endured numerous regulations put in place by our governments due to Covid. We stood outside in fourteen degree temperatures. We felt like this light show was our reward. Indeed, it was worth it all!

Was I looking at a vapor? A light? What are the Northern Lights?

  • The Northern Lights are caused by activity on the surface of the sun.
  • Solar storms give out clouds of electrically charged particles.
  • The particles are drawn toward the north and south poles where the earth’s magnetic field is stronger.
  • Upon entry to earth’s atmosphere the particles heat up and begin to glow.
  • The unique drapery like folds of the particles are caused by lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Forget the legends and stories of the ancients… science can explain everything, including the various colors. Different gases give off different colors when they are heated.

  • Green is due to oxygen in the atmosphere.
  • Purple, blue, or pink, are due to nitrogen.
  • Red is due to very high altitude oxygen and is only present when the particles are very energetic.

I hope my scientific explanation hasn’t destroyed any ideas you might have about the mysterious Northern Lights. In my opinion, the phenomenon is still more art than science.

In nearby Alta, a church reflects the beauty of the Aurora. Known as the Cathedral of Northern Lights, the building is a landmark, and serves as a local parish.

Winters are long and dark in this part of the world, and the long bright windows lift the spirits of the community.

The interior of the church inspires worshippers to look up toward the heavens.

A bronze figure represents Christ’s sacrifice for mankind’s redemption.

Dear Reader, if you have not experienced the Northern Lights, add them to your bucket list. You will not be disappointed. In closing, I want to thank Herb Burton for coming up with the idea to book a trip to Norway in January. Viking Cruises offers a wonderful tour. What are you waiting for?