Books with author Boyd Carole

Decision and opinions seem to differ greatly on which to see first, Pompeii or Herculaneum. My suggestion is-- both, if you can. If it isn't possible to see both in one day (4 hours at Pompeii, and 2-3 hours at Herculaneum) put one or the other on your bucket list for another time! If your interests lie mostly in architecture, Pompeii is a great first choice. If your interest falls more toward Art and Design, Herculaneum would be a wise choice. At both, you will be immersed in history, the culture, architecture, art and design. This is one excursion that I hope no one misses. Unearthed and exposed, The Lost Cities are life lessons. It is enlightening to see how our lives evolved from those of the Romans of 2,000 years ago -- how they worked-- how they played. And how we took their ideas into this millennium and embellished them with every creature comfort possible. The excavating and preservation are remarkable. You’ll see bakeries with great millstones that ground the grain, and a kneading apparatus; the potter's workshop with two ovens; the dye houses with large lead kettles and bottles containing colors; a tannery with vats and tools of bronze and iron. There are inns and wine shops and snack bars and/or taverns with utensils for heating food and drink and great stone jars set in the counter for storing and serving from them. They had public baths for socializing, bathing and exercising at their palaestra, (gymnasium). And an open air amphitheater where they sat on stone seats.They lived in dwellings with a blank wall to the street, while air and sunlight poured in from a central court or a back garden. Opening off the great room, or atrium, tiny cubicle bedrooms with very tiny beds! Kitchens with raised hearths provided heat for the house as well as for cooking. A water system brought rain water from a hole in the roof into a catch pool where it was dispersed for the bath and consumption. Today we have our “fast food” places and can get most any product along with wine, food and drink all from one large super-store if we choose. We go to the gym or our state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center to work out, socialize and shower or bathe in the spa. So did thy, in their way! They gave us, priceless and amazing things that will preserve their value forever - art and architecture! We are fortunate to see some of this on our visit. The art treasures unearthed here will amaze you: statues in marble and bronze, paintings, fountains and statuary, wall paintings, frescos and mosaic floors decorated the homes of the wealthy. I promise you, you will come away from Pompeii and Herculaneum more learned, and thankful for these poor people that were buried alive and still “lived” to show us how privileged we are today.Please enjoy the text and photos in the next 150 pages of the lost civilization.