History/Fun Facts
Pompeii
- Mount Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times (last- 1944)
- In AD 79 it erupted killing 2000 people and burying the city in ash
- Pliny the Younger saw the whole thing go down
- Was originally a destination for wealthy, prominent Romans
- The first excavators in 1748 found city mostly intact
- Later archaeologists found preserved fruit and bread
- Experts believe another Vesuvius eruption is eminent
Marais District, Paris
- Said to have a similar feel as West Village in Manhattan
- Crooked "medieval" cobblestone streets and alleys
- Has more pre-Revolutionary buildings than any other area in Paris
- Name means "swamp" and used to be one
- Nucleus of Jewish Life
- Art galleries, trendy boutiques, and funky cafés and bars off the tourist track