Egrets, I've had a few...(musings and some pics)

[globaleagle]

Speaking of hat....

Looking down into the roman Forum.

Colosseum (built over Nero's big outdoor pool) in the background.

Similar view..

Up on Palatine Hill, Inside Augustus' mansion (prob one of many)..some very well preserved wall decorations:

 

[Uk eagle]

Well, my bodyguards were still there, protecting their most valuable asset (the guy that pays their bills).

lol, even I can't buy that.

Truth is (more boring) but there is a tour you can go on where you have a guide and the 'key masters' in your presence.

er...I'll try again. It's called something like the Vatican key masters tour and for two hours (6am to ..well 8am..lol) you walk through the Vatican museums with the people responsible for opening the 2700 (yes 2,700!!!!!) locked doors and windows every day.

Plus...you get to unlock one door personally!
Plus Plus...one lucky bugger gets to unlock the Sistine chapel! (It wasn't me).

Numbers are limited to 20 people so I wasn't alone, I just waited until the others moved on.

It's still 'not allowed' to take pics in there but the guide doesn't care and you just have to get them in before the guard starts work and begins to yell at everyone...lol. Poor guy, every day he starts work annoyed and shaking his head.

It's an amazing tour, you're walking through the galleries in the dark...then they fling the lights on and reveal all their glory.

It was brilliant (both with and without lights..ha)

I wonder how long the apprenticeship is to learn what key opens what lock?
It looks amazing but I'm surprised it hasn't been painted over in the past by someone thinking it looks a bit busy. It wouldn't be allowed in our house, the Mrs would have told me to get the white paint out and cover it up

 

[globaleagle]

Herculaneum is an interesting place. Small but wealthier than nearby Pompeii, both were covered in volcanic ash but Herculaneum copped about 20 metres, while Pompeii landed with 4 metres.

This explains why Pompeii was "re-discovered" earlier and was easier to excavate.

Though both places are filled with stories, the 300 or so skeletons found down near the 'boat houses' is interesting and tragic to read.

There are many cool mosaics, charred and carbonised timbers, houses, shops, and other art around the place.

Anyway... you all have the internet...

IN the background there was discovered 300 or so skeletons of people sheltering from the volcano, waiting to be rescued. (If you zoom in, you can see some skeletons).

You can forget that in its day...no bricks were seen. Everything was covered and brightly painted.
You can see the 'brick' columns and how they were decorated.

Wall art in a place where townspeople gathered. (If memory serves) it was kind of a temple to Augustus. You can see charred timbers as well. In the room next to the one shown - they found the keeper/boss/chaplain...dude that looks after the place, still in his bed.

Some exquisite and well preserved mosaics and wall art.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Incredible. Been to Pompeii but no this place.
In the 3rd pic, is that timber beams atop the columns? Surely not original!

 

[Woodsie]

Rusty crowe and his bodyguard Sam Burgess are in Rome making a movie .. the Pope's exorcist

Say hello for me ...

 

[globaleagle]

Incredible. Been to Pompeii but no this place.
In the 3rd pic, is that timber beams atop the columns? Surely not original!

Not original, correct!

You can see the charred stump of some roof beams in the 4th pic.

 

[globaleagle]

Rusty crowe and his bodyguard Sam Burgess are in Rome making a movie .. the Pope's exorcist

View attachment 22541


Say hello for me ...

Have done so already. (This is why I'm here. Demon #3 - vomitorius)

Isn't it interesting that Burgess is on Crowe's payroll for a body guard position.

Must be nice to be able to pay for post career b/s jobs so that they'll play for unders helping out with that 'pesky cap' situation.

#scam.

though good on anyone wanting to be Crowe's bodyguard. lol

 

[globaleagle]

@SeaEagleRock8

Here be a couple of pics with charred timbers.

The lattice door one, note in the pic, the door on the left is carbonised wood, while the one on the right is a replica.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Wow... so that wood was changed by the heat from the volcano and still exists 2000 years later?
Wood doesn't usually last that long!

 

[Woodsie]

Have done so already. (This is why I'm here. Demon #3 - vomitorius)

Isn't it interesting that Burgess is on Crowe's payroll for a body guard position.

Must be nice to be able to pay for post career b/s jobs so that they'll play for unders helping out with that 'pesky cap' situation.

#scam.

though good on anyone wanting to be Crowe's bodyguard. lol

The Tele described Sam's position as friend, cum driver, cum bodyguard in the article ...

Now I don't know whether that spelling was accidental, naive or suggestive ... but WTF ?

Edit ... @globaleagle I am disappointed that this piece of journalistic expression has not elicited a response from you

 

[manly al]

Wow... so that wood was changed by the heat from the volcano and still exists 2000 years later?
Wood doesn't usually last that long!

Usually depends on climatic conditions and exposure to general weather but 2 , 00 years would seem pretty exceptional . . Maybe the extreme heat has given the wood some extra resilience and protection

 

[manly al]

Wow... so that wood was changed by the heat from the volcano and still exists 2000 years later?
Wood doesn't usually last that long!

Still some hardwood timber on the property here from an old homestead and other buildings , have to be well over one hundred old and some of it exposed to the weather for some time now . Was apparently treated with arsenic originally and still in pristine condition now , same with posts . Not too sure about other areas but was quite common in that era to treat or try to preserve timber with arsenic coating . Some people use the arsenic treated timber in this district [ not from here ] for camp fires and claim there are no ill effects but i would certainly have my doubts or be a bit concerned .

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Usually depends on climatic conditions and exposure to general weather but 2 , 00 years would seem pretty exceptional . . Maybe the extreme heat has given the wood some extra resilience and protection

As GE describes it, 'carbonised'. Meaning burnt? Reduced to carbon I suppose. Maybe similar to organic material being fossilised somehow. Apparently the oldest fossils we know of are bones of some old fish (old meaning about 400 million years old!)

 

[manly al]

yeah most likely something like that , was going to mention something like petrified but hardly the right term

 

[globaleagle]

It (wood) was also buried under 20+ metres of crapola, so that may have helped in the process.

Keep in mind in one of the above pics, they have built new wood next to the black carbonised burnt stuff.

I'm not talking about 'wood' anymore.

 

[globaleagle]

Here's something oval and made of stone ya goofballs!

 

[Captain Moondog]

Incredible. Been to Pompeii but no this place.
In the 3rd pic, is that timber beams atop the columns? Surely not original!

I was in Pompeii in 1969, some guy sold me some coins that had been dug out of the ruins. I was 13 and pretty stupid...

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

"Wood, Jerry. Wood."

 

[Uk eagle]

Here's something oval and made of stone ya goofballs!

I never knew they played cricket that long ago.

 

[globaleagle]

Brother-hood of the travelling hat

No hat, but just like the Sistine chapel, I wanted to show you all how much of a big deal I am in Italy, and got the Roman Forum closed off so I could wander around it in peace.

And it is peaceful without 10,000 tourists.

Tower of pizza Pisa.

Boy oh boy there were a lot of people doing the old 'I'm holding it up' pic.

I wanted one of me holding up the chapel next to it but mrs ge over-ruled me.
For 20 euro you can walk to the top of the tower. T'was fun.