Flowers from the ashes

By Irene Drew

One day I was looking at my garden and thinking how wonderful it is that plants and flowers can make their way through grass and weeds. It reminded me of a little garden I saw in Pompeii.

A long time ago, when I was young and my husband was alive we used to go abroad for holidays. We were staying at Sorrento and took a day trip to Pompeii.

What an experience!

We went onto a crater that had already erupted and sent its lava pouring all over the city. It was very hot on our feet. The place I was standing seemed to be bubbling, so I moved away. The place where I had been standing suddenly spurted and disappeared into the crater. I mentioned it to the guide and said it happens all the time, but you always get a warning.

We walked along the streets and saw many strange things. A man who had been lying down was caught with one elbow on the ground and was set in lava. A dog beside him was also set in lava.

We came across a Roman soldier’s house, part of the floor had been cleared and revealed a beautiful pattern. Tiles of red, blue and yellow colours and shapes.

Then we found the bath house with hot water pipes under the floor. Pictures on the wall of beautiful naked women. Then into the latrine; no privacy here. A long wooden bench with four round holes in it and that was that. Outside the house was little patch of garden that had been cleared. Amazingly, plants were still growing and even flowers blooming after being covered in lava for hundreds of years. Looking back at the lovely buildings still standing but empty of people, I still find it very sad.