Vesuvius

The photo isn't all that picturesque.  The industrial port of Naples isn't gorgeous.  But in the background you can see Vesuvius.  Up until the eruption of 79 AD, this was one mountain peak not two.  With your imagination draw an inverted V between the two peaks and you'll have a rough idea of the mountain the Romans saw.

On our first excursion day we had the choice of going into Naples, driving along the Amalfi coast, visiting Capri and other such activities.  The "strenuous" excursion was a climb of Vesuvius followed by a visit to Pompeii. With two active children and bodies that aren't letting us down (yet) we opted to climb Vesuvius.

The day was cool so the climbing was pleasant.  The bus took us over halfway up, our feet took us the rest of the way.  Our guide told us of the two eruptions - 79 and 1944.  He described the changes to the volcano and how it affected the cities below. We peered into the crater and looked out over the population below.

If/when Vesuvius (which is still considered active) erupts again, many people will need to move quickly to safety lest they become the newest Pompeii.

Chair-lift

Viaden castle sits high on a steep hillside.  There are a few options for how to get to the castle.
1.  Drive up and park in a nearby parking lot
2.  Walk up a steep and winding road
3.  Take the chair-lift and then walk through the wooded hillside to the castle.

You can see from the photos which option we selected.  That is Kyle and Kyra at the bottom of the photo to the right.

The chair-lift was a pleasant way to enjoy the morning and views of Viaden and the castle.













The chair-lift took us to the hill top next to the castle.  This meant that we enjoyed a short hike down and back up to the castle hill top.

Along the way Allen complained that his legs and feet hurt from his cross-country training.  However, he was the one who ignored the gently sloping path in favor of the steeper paths that were more direct.

After our castle tour (tomorrow's blog will be the castle) we climbed back down and up to the chair-lift and rode it back down into the valley.  Overall I'd say it was far more enjoyable than driving or walking the entire distance.