Since childhood, the fascinating and tragic story of Pompeii has captured our imagination. Maybe it was years of watching PBS and Rick Steves that called to us. It seemed surreal, and we wondered if it was like how they depicted it. Pompeii was a grand Roman city frozen in time; how could we not make it a dream to visit? As a child, it seemed that dream likely would never be realized. Yet there we stood, just as ancient Romans did, in the streets of Pompeii.

The forecast called for torrential rain as if trying to challenge our commitment. The tickets were prepurchased, and we were determined. Nothing was going to deter us from this archeological wonder.