"What are eyeballs made of?"

Previous to today, my only knowledge of Pompeii relied upon Frankie Howerd and his 1970's comedy show loosely based upon Pompeii. As a result, today has been a real revelation and a fantastic day for all of us which gave us all much food for thought.

Being just 100m from the entry to Pompeii meant that we didn't have to rush at all to get in, and so it was, that we ambled in just after lunch having done some school work in the morning. I think Clare and I were just expecting to see acres of land that used to be foundations of buildings and such like. Preconceptions are great, especially when they get blown away by reality. For Jasper and Maya, it was just another place that they had never heard of, but it really ignited an inquisitive part of Jasper's brain in particular. 

For our 22€ family entry, (children are free!) we have had an absolutely fabulous afternoon. Basked in the increasing sun of the day beneath the ever present and looming Vesuvius we began our wander around the Roman town without the aid of the safety net of the ubiquitous audio guide. Our free-styling around Pompeii was great though. I think the amazing thing to say is that the story it tells about the Roman lifestyle is so easy to see and a tangible grip on its history is easy to read. If you are ever studying the Romans, this sorts it all out in one afternoons visit. A stunning network of roads, paths, buildings, frescos, mosaics, ruins, etc gives such a vivid reality to how the Romans lived. Because of it's uniqueness, in a way, it is more impressive than Rome itself. Both Jasper and Maya were asking questions all the way around. 

Some we could answer, some we couldn't and need to research, but as in Rome, the history of such places that we have been to really makes things special and memorable. That includes Pont Du Gard, the Roman theatre at Orange, Segovia, Salamanca, Carnac, Normandy, Orce, Pont D'Avignon, Pisa, Arromanches, etc.

A stunning day that we really needed. A perfect way to round off the day happened at tea time. A beautiful lasagne with Italian fried potatoes made by Clare under van conditions was lovely. The tea time discussions went on as usual discussing all of what we have seen. Then, out of the blue, completely nothing do to with all the fantastic things we have seen, Maya pips up with, "What are eyeballs made of?"

We had no answer to this really. I just loved it though, regardless of what we have been to see and do, our children are still very much children learning about the world, and so the events of Pompeii the best part of 2000 years ago, are just as relevant as "What are eyeballs made of?"

If anyone can properly answer this question, then please email Maya with the answer!

Ed