I had heard about and read about the Vesuvius eruption, of course, but when actually there was in shock. It was as though the tragedy had just happened. I was creeped out for weeks. I expected an interesting historic experience. What I got was a horrifying human experience. Time vanished. Humanity transcends all barriers.
A few months back I was reading most of the Vesuvius books I have around here, and Herculaneum (which is mostly not open to tourists, or to much of anyone else either) right on the slopes of the mountain had a gymnasium. The day of the eruption, the sports equipment was set out and ready for use in some kind of organized games which were, uh, interrupted. Also in Herculaneum were found quite a number of wooden artifacts, some carbonized from the heat, including doors which still swing fine on their hinges.