Roman Ruins | Ray and Shelley's Retirement Adventures

We went to the city of Cadiz Spain which is in the south of Spain. Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in western Europe. The Spanish navy has been stationed in Cadiz since the 18th century.

We decided to walk through the old section of Cadiz exploring the narrow streets and admiring the historic buildings.

img_20161018_142835714_hdr — Narrow streets in old quarter of Cadiz Spain

img_20161018_143225150_hdr — Typical historic building of Cadiz

We came to a large central plaza where people were enjoying the day at the cafes and pubs.

img_20161018_143521947 — Main Plaza in old quarter of Cadiz Spain

We walked through the plaza enjoying the hustle and bustle of people. We came to the Cathedral in the plaza which was quite nice.

img_20161018_145950760_hdr — Cathedral in Cadiz Spain

We walked along the streets until we came across the ruins of a Roman Theater which was partially excavated. It is believed that the theater was built in the 1st century BC and one of the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It could hold more than 20,000 people and was mentioned in Roman writings.

img_20161018_151334536 — Roman Theater wall from 1st century BC in Cadiz

img_20161018_152100073_hdr — Roman Theater remains in Cadiz Spain

img_20161018_152440827 — Roman Theater the view of the seating area

We went into the Roman Theater and explored the site. It was truly amazing to see the ruins knowing that they were built in the first century BC. We were able to enter underground and see parts of the Theater from below.

img_20161018_152539516 — Archway to below grade of the theater

img_20161018_152638313_hdr — inside the underground passageways of the theater

Inside the passageways, we could see the walls which were pitted and worn over the years.

img_20161018_152211314 — The walls of the underground passageways

After exploring the underground passageways, we went into the museum section of the Theater.

img_20161018_152109553 — Shelley in the museum section of the Roman Theater

We read about the history of the theater as well as to the discovery of the ruins after being excavated in 1980.

Afterward, we headed to the walkway along the edge of the city. The views along the walkway were beautiful. We could see the entire coastal area of Cadiz.

img_20161018_150500669 — Walkway along the coast of Cadiz Spain

We stopped to admire the views and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

img_20161018_150422178 — Louise and Bard on the coast of Cadiz Spain

img_20161018_150428035 — Shelley at the coast of Cadiz Spain

We walked along the waterfront for a while then headed to the park before heading back home. The park area was nicely groomed and was a relaxing walk.

There were statues and nice shaded areas to sit and relax.

img_20161018_154352051_hdr — Blaz De Lezo Statue in the park in Cadiz

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

We were able to tour the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, in Italy. The city of Pompeii was destroyed, along with other communities by the major eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The eruption was so sudden and severe that it covered the city in 4 to 6 meters of ash in a very short period of time. Pompeii was preserved under the ash until it was excavated some 1,600 years later.

The excavation of Pompeii revealed an extremely preserved and detailed insight into the history of the time. It is the best preserved and complete roman ruins in the world and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We arrived at around 10 a.m. and the heat was already extreme at over 30 degrees celsius. We started the walking tour of the site with our first stop in the common square area which was used for the gladiators to practice in.

IMG_20160719_094652841 — Square where gladiators practiced in Pompeii

We then walked through the streets looking at the remains of the houses in Pompeii. Most of the houses we saw had a similar design. In the front of the houses, there was an area for a small storefront or market. The rear of the house was the living space.

IMG_20160719_100912923 — Streets of Pompeii

The cobblestone was well-worn and you could see the grooves made by the wheels of the oxen-drawn carts in the streets.

IMG_20160719_100500983 — The groves in the cobblestone over years of wear by the use of oxen-drawn carts.

We went into several houses and looked at the layout. The Roman city is so well-preserved that in certain areas of the buildings we could still see the original paint on the walls.

IMG_20160719_103018524 — room with original paint on the walls

It was spectacular to see a complete Roman city preserved and excavated in such great detail. We walked several of the streets in Pompeii looking at the different remains of buildings.

We entered a Roman bathhouse and the guide explained how the process worked. The bathhouse was an area where people would meet and socialize. It was considered a social event and people would gather for saunas, baths, and messages. The design of the bathhouse is ingenious. It used steam that flowed under different floor areas heating baths to different temperatures.

IMG_20160719_104444083 — The floor framework in stone where the floorboards would be supported and steam would travel underneath.

IMG_20160719_104418101 — One of the baths in the bathhouse elevated above the steam channels.

IMG_20160719_104312533 — Area in Bathhouse where personal belongings would be stored. Similar to a locker

We walked along a street called “Alley of the Skeletons” one of the main streets of Pompeii . At the end of this street, there was a display containing a cast of a body from Pompeii.

IMG_20160719_105513071 — Cast of body from excavation in Pompeii

The display is not a body but a cast of a body. During the excavation process, it was discovered that there were hollow spaces in the ash. They poured plaster into the hollow area and it formed a cast of the body.

IMG_20160719_105529429 — Cast of body in Pompeii

We walked freely around the streets of Pompeii looking at the different buildings and streets. It was enjoyable but very hot and there was basically no shade throughout the entire three-hour tour of the Roman ruins. It was worth every bit of sweat to see the site. It is hard to put into words the amazing ruins and how well-preserved they were. Below are some of the pictures we took in Pompeii.

“Arrivederci e hanno un grande giorno”