We and our travel companions took a tour of Pompeii (see the photo above) this morning and it more than lived up to my expectations. One cannot help but be struck by the level of Roman society and the everyday things that were present – running water, heated baths, their equivalent to fast food stores, bakeries, amazing construction capabilities and so many other things that disappeared from Western Europe during the Middle Ages as the strangle hold of Christianity controlled knowledge and so much that had been known was lost. In the Eastern Empire, such knowledge continued for another thousand years until it fell to Islam which in time seemed to track Christianity in wiping out so much ancient knowledge.
Would the world have been a better place without these two religions? One cannot help but wonder at times. And what is really frightening is the fact that the Christianists and their allies in the far right in America seems Hell bent on taking knowledge backwards in time rather admit that many of their beliefs are based on myths and man-made stories – not “the Word of God” - that do not hold up when confronted with scientific knowledge or often even accurate history. One can only hope that their efforts fail.
Later today we will walk around some of the old section of Naples before leaving port tonight to start the voyage back to Barcelona. After being very busy each day seeing as many sights as possible, a day at sea with no deadlines will be very welcome in some ways. Once we hit Barcelona on Saturday it will be more sightseeing and experiencing as much as possible in the time allotted. The photo below is Mount Vesuvius as seen from our ship in Naples harbor.
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