A Big View of a Small World Part 1

July 31, 2013

The Milkman’s Son

By Tracy C. Baker

A Big View of a Small World #156

Part 1 - Ancient Cultures in a Modern World

6 weeks, 6 People, 4 Jets, 3 Continents, 8 Countries, 1 Cruise ship, 1 9-seater Van and The Milkman’s Son.  That is what it took to complete our epic journey in May, June, and July this year. 

We have been planning this Mediterranean Medley for many, many years now.  And, finally, this was the year.  We began with a flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt in the largest planes in the skies…the Airbus a380.  This double-decker behemoth can seat 525 people…most of whom were jammed in the economy class section!  It was NOT a pleasant experience and not what I have come to expect from Lufthansa.  Ah, well, at least (unlike United) the booze is still free.

We landed in Frankfurt and transferred to a smaller jet for the next leg of our flight to Athens.  Wonderful ancient Athens…where some of the street name signs run the entire length of the street!

“Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance.”  Epicurus

(Good ol’ Epicurus.  While he may not be as well known as other Greek philosophers - other than giving us the term Epicurean - he was a pretty wise man)

And what we “enjoy” is travel – experiencing an area’s current culture as well as its past history.  After a hearty breakfast (served with the help of our delightful hostess Eya) at the Marriott Ledra, we took the shuttle downtown and met up with our Athens Walking Tours guide Kostas in the Syntagma metro station.

The construction of this and other Metro tunnels in the 1990s and early 2000s (before the 2004 Summer Olympics) uncovered a treasure trove of ancient Greek and even Etruscan art.  Much of which is on display in the Syntagma station is funerary art, including coffins and artifacts buried with the dead; fascinating, especially the urn-shaped coffins.

Then it was onto the Greek Parliament to watch the Changing of the Guard.  Not quite the pomp and circumstance of Buckingham Palace, but a wonderful sight to behold.  As funny as the Greek Guard uniforms look, most of what looks decorative actually had a purpose.  Hand to hand fighting was often the case in the rocky and craggy Greek mountains and what looks like pom-poms and tassels where once lethal weapons used in hand to hand combat.  It was also here that Kostas picked up his fellow guide, a stray dog that stayed with us all through the morning.

After the Guards changed…all three of them…we headed off through what were once the Royal (now known as the National) Gardens to the site of the 1^st Modern Olympics, the Zappeion Exhibition and Congress Hall.  It was here that the Modern Olympics were born and it was used as a fencing hall during the 1896 Summer Olympics.  The planning for the 2004 Olympic Games also took place here.

It was a short jaunt from there to visit the site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.  This massive temple site was begun in the Sixth Century BCE but wasn’t completed until the Roman Emperor Hadrian funded it in the 2^nd Century AD.  You will find a self-congratulatory arch in his honor nearby.

The pièce de résistance of our walk was next; the Acropolis.  There is evidence that the Acropolis had been in continuous use since the Bronze Age with various temples and fortresses built there.  However, Pericles began a massive rebuilding of the entire Acropolis during the golden age of Athens between 460-430 BCE.  These are the ruins on the Acropolis we see today.

The Romans rebuilt and restored many of the buildings and, during the following thousand years, it was variously used as a church and fortress.  During the late 17^th century the Venetians attacked Athens in an attempt to wrest control from the Ottoman Turks and it was a Venetian cannon ball that hit gun powder stored in the Parthenon and the entire Acropolis was nearly destroyed.

Restoration, or really a state of “arrested” ruin, has been underway on the Acropolis since the mid-1970s.  Columns have been painstakingly repaired using new marble and limestone.  Repair work done by early archeologists has been dismantled (especially as most of it was plain wrong) and, as it nears completion, the Parthenon and other buildings are beginning to regain some of their former glory.

As one who plies his trade on the wicked stage when he can, two of my favorite parts of the Acropolis are the Greek Theatre of Dionysus (also known as Dionissas), the Greek God of Wine and Drama.  This theater hosted plays from Aristophanes, Euripides, Sophocles etc, the great playwrights of the time (many of whose plays are still produced worldwide).  This is where the structure of modern drama and comedy was created – the birthplace of Modern theater.

The second theater, known as the Herodium, was build nearly 350 years later, and was used extensively during the Roman period.  It is still used for concerts today.

As they said in Rome (and in the Carriage House Theater a couple thousand years later) Non est mercatum similis theatralis!

We finished our tour with a trip to the New Acropolis Museum where many of the artifacts that weren’t carried off by British, German and French archeologists of the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries are on display.  This museum replaced the original which sat just southeast of the Parthenon.  It was built on the site of a settlement (still being excavated) and contains find from the archaic period from around 700 BCE until the early Christian period of 300 AD.  Parts of the Parthenon Frieze are aligned along the walls a gallery that is the exact size of the Parthenon.  It was wonderful to see the real Parthenon, the collection of artifacts that related to it and to compare all of that in my mind’s eye to the replica of the Parthenon in Nashville built for an early 20^th Century World’s Fair.  Amazing!  The saddest part is the missing parts!  Most of these reside in the British Museum after Lord Elgin carried them off to “study” as he told the fledging Greek Government in the 1800s. The white plaster casts that replace them on the walls and in the gallery make it clear that Greece would like them back…something I am in agreement with.

We then had a wonderful Greek meal before most of the group headed back.  Winnie and I are not ones to let daylight slip by, though, and we carried on with a walk through the ancient Agora marketplace before returning to our hotel.

The hotel provided a stunning view of the Acropolis at night, beautifully lit up.

Day 2 – The Oracle (not Larry Ellison; Delphi!)

We met our driver and guide, Stavos, after breakfast for our day trip to Delphi, famous home of the Oracle.  Along the way, Stavos told us all about what is going on in Greece today.  As with the US homeowners, the International Bankers have plundered many countries around the world by lending them money they knew they could never pay back.  Those loans are now due and these countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal etc have no way of paying them back – never did; never will.  And, as with the US, the Citizens are the ones paying the price. 

“Insane!” bellowed Stavos when we asked how things are going.  “My mother’s pension has been cut in half!” 

It is sad and sadder still to see this brilliant young man struggling to make ends meet driving limousines and tour vans.  Many, in fact most of these countries depend now on tourism as their only “product.”

Stavos, however, was an excellent guide and he took us first to a small lake with an island in the middle.  This island once held a fortress and palace dating back to 2,000 BCE.  Some of the ruins are still there, but it is the back story of an ancient king living here that brings it all to life.

We then drove on to a small ancient sight – Orchomenos in Beotia to see some mound graves dating from 1600 BCE and a theatre from the 4^th Century BCE. This area was ruled by ancient Thebes and then Sparta long before the Romans.

We arrived next at Delphi, site of the famous Oracle.  The Oracles where women, tended to by high priests.  They were given a hallucinatory drug that would cause them to go into a “trance.”  They would then answer your question (after you had paid the proper tribute, of course).  Of course, many of the answers were very obtuse, leaving them open to the perceptions and interpretations of the receiver.  Everyone from Kings to Generals and common farmers came to ask questions of the Oracle and the treasuries of many a kingdom or City/State where stored here.

We toured the Temple of Apollo, who, it is said, established Ancient Greece here by defeating the Pythion (or Python) a dragon who guarded the navel of the earth.  The stadium at the top of the site hosted the Pythion Games, one of the four top games in ancient Greece that were used as a model for the Modern Olympics.  Of course, with all this activity, shops and vendors also flooded the area.  Your time with the Oracle was not by reservation.  You could be stuck there, waiting for weeks or even months.  Thus the need for ancient Burger Kings and Motel 6s!

The Museum is small but wonderful.  All those riches make for a remarkable collection.  Statuary of bronze and marble from the Pre-Hellenistic period until the Roman times…the Bronze Charioteer is a highlight.  If you are coming to Athens, a day trip to Delphi and its Museum is well worth it.

On the way back to Athens, Stavos brought us to a MEAT, MEAT AND MORE MEAT! Lunch that had so much food we couldn’t even begin to eat it all.  Very good, though!

The next day we packed ourselves up and prepared for our trip to the Pacific Princess and the start of our cruise.  As the driver, Kyriakos drove up we were surprised to find a TV crew coming along with him.  Seems they wanted to interview a group of tourists about their visit to Athens and Kyria asked if we would mind.  Of course, the Actor in me screamed “Yes!” but I politely asked the rest of the group with my puppy dog eyes whether it would be okay with them.

A camera person joined us in the van and we drove back to the National Gardens for the interview.  What fun!  When we were finished Kyria drove us on to the port.  When we went to pay him, he waved us off!  “Free” he said.  Wasn’t that special!

On the Love Boat (II)

We boarded the Pacific Princess (not the original Love Boat, but its later sibling) on May 27^th ready for our 12-day adventure. The Pacific is one of two Princess small ships (the Ocean is the other.)  These ships hold only around 700 passengers (ours had less than 600 onboard) and are throwbacks to the early days of modern cruising.  While it was nice not to have a crush of passengers and it was easy to navigate the different areas, it can also be frustrating.  On the small ships, the crew doubles or even triples in varying positions.  Services like the International Café, the Pizza Bar etc. are rolled into other functions, have much shorter hours, or are just plain non-existent.

We settled into our Balcony room and then did what everyone on a cruise does…EAT!  After sating our appetite we went upstairs to the Pool Bar for the Cruise Critic group Meet &Greet.  This is our third cruise where we have connected with a wonderful group of folks on Cruise Critic and we have always started with a Meet and Greet drink or two…and, once again, we met up with a wonderful group of fellow cruisers.

Once the ship sailed away, it was time to (of course) EAT.  We all made our way to the dining room and enjoyed a nice 4-course meal.  Then it was time for the Welcome show in the theater.  After a long day we hit the sack, preparing for our 1^st stop, Patmos.

Patmos – Home of the Book of Revelation

Our first stop was the small Greek Island of Patmos.  The Greek Orthodox Church established a Monastery here in the 11 Century AD.  Known as the Monastery of St John the Theologian, it has been in continuous use since its establishment, despite raids and attacks through the centuries.

This monastery is built on the site of the cave where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation.

(There has been a brouhaha over which “John” actually wrote this last book of the Bible; John of Patmos, John the Apostle or someone else entirely.  Having read the Book of Revelation, I can tell you the man was a stoner.  It is so incongruent with the rest of the New Testament I often wonder why the Church condoned its inclusion in the Bible.  However, one must look at the times in which it was written.  The persecution of the early Christian Church from Rome was growing and the “End of Days” must have seemed imminent.

Anyway, the six of us along found a couple cabs to take us to the top of the “Acropolis” (Yes, it was once another Acropolis – they are all over Greece since it means high citadel or fortress) to the Monastery.  It is now listed as a World Heritage Site and the Museum area was quite interesting.  We then went back to our cabs and rode over to the infamous Cave where John lived and supposedly wrote the Book of Revelations.

We then walked through the village near the port; quite a pretty little jumble of buildings and alleys spilling down to the Aegean Sea.

We boarded the ship in time for lunch (of course!) and then had a lazy afternoon before dinner.

Santorini (Or Not)

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got of Santorini.  The winds were so strong upon our arrival we could not tender into the port.  We had heard so many wonderful things about Santorini from friends who had gone before we were looking forward to it.  BooHoo!

So, an unexpected Sea Day…futzed around most of it.  I played Trivia with my crack team and we won another Princess knickknack.  I also won a bottle of Champagne playing a Ring Toss game.  We read, ate, read, drank, napped, ate some more, then watched a show.  A typical sea day…

Kusadasi and the Ancient Port City of Ephesus

Kusadasi, Turkey was our next port.  Our tour included the ancient port city of Ephesus.  This rolling City dates far back to Pre-Hellenistic times.  A port city, the inhabitants would move as silting from the river basin would preclude the harbor being moved further and further toward the sea.  The area was also racked by earthquakes, but it was such an important harbor, especially during the Greek era, they would rebuild again and again.

This was Asia (Minor) after all, the gateway to the Orient and the trade routes that brought precious goods to Europe and North Africa.  Alexander the Great knew this City well; so did the great Kings, Emperors and Philosophers of Greece and Rome.  St. Paul (epistle to the Ephesians) and St, John lived here for a time.  It is said that John brought Mary to live out her life here.  One of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Temple of Artemis stood here (most of its ruins now reside in the British Museum).

Later, Ephesus was ruled by Constantine, then the Ottomans, until it was completely abandoned (the harbor had silted completely) in the 1400s.

Forgive the history lesson, but all of this is by way of saying that the ruins and archeological sites of Ephesus are perhaps one of the most complete in the entire area.  It is estimated that nearly 75% of the area contains significant archeological ruins and relics that are still buried beneath the ground.  The huge site tourists walk through represents less than a quarter of what was built over the millennia of the three major cities called “Ephesus.”

Our guide, Nejdet, was excellent.  He really knew both his history and the archeology of the site…and he knew how to walk through the site from top to bottom instead of bottom up as many tours did. (It was quite warm that day and we were thankful for walking downhill instead of up!)

One of the highlights of the tour was the Terrace Houses.  These were homes of the wealthier residents of Ephesus and were known to be occupied into the mid-1400s.  The dig was a treasure trove of beautiful mosaics, statuary, and murals.  However, imagine a jigsaw puzzle containing 1000s of pieces all which look nearly identical.  This has been the task of the restorers.

Near the end of the tour stands the Theater.  It seats 25,000 (always a good indication of the population of a Greek or Roman City) and, as with many Greek and Roman era theaters still has wonderful acoustics (and thus is still in use).  Our Cruise Critic friend Kay sang Amazing Grace onstage – fantastic!

After a little souvenir shopping, we headed off for lunch to Melitour Owner Meli’s farm.  What a fabulous experience; excellent local foods (many right off the farm) freshly cooked and served to us on a beautiful terrace.  After we finished eating, we toured the traditional (mixed with modern) kitchen, built partly sunken into a small hillside.

Our next stop was the Basilica of St. John the Apostle in the “modern” Turkish City of Seljuk.  It is believed that St. John spent the last years of his life here and was buried on this hill.  300 years later, a small chapel was built over the supposed grave.  Then during the reign of Emperor Justinian (6^th Century AD), the Basilica was built and became one of the holiest sites in all of Christendom.  It was used until a second church was built elsewhere a couple hundred years later.  From the Basilica site you can see the Ottoman Fortress above and the 14^th Century Isa Bey Mosque below.  In the near distance, the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, stand, stripped of most of its glory and marble. (You can find some of it in the walls of the Mosque, the Fortress and the Basilica).

Our final stop was a Turkish Rug factory.  However, unlike many of these near the Tourist sites, this one was a government-run operation, teaching locals how to design, dye yarns, weave and finish all the rugs by hand; essentially keeping an ancient art alive.

The backstage tour finished, we received our traditional tea or coffees (or wine/beer if you chose) and the show began.  Rugs of all sizes, designs and colors came one after the other, over and over until the entire floor was covered a foot high with rugs.  It was so tempting to buy one, but what we do with it?   They were truly works of art though.

Sadly, our Turkish tour was coming to an end.  We parted ways with Nejdet and our driver back in Kusadasi, boarding our ship for a wonderful sunset sail-away.

Israel – Two Days in The Holy Land

After another sea day (the highlight was the Captain’s Circle Party), we landed in Haifa for our first day in Israel.  We met up with our Guided Tours Israel host, American ex-pat Jerry.  Jerry had traveled here about 12years ago, fell in love with a local girl, went home and sold everything he owned and came back to marry her.  Two children and many moons later, Jerry and family have settled just outside Jerusalem.  Once again we couldn’t have asked for a better guide…a better tour bus with properly working air conditioning maybe, but Jerry was great.

Our first stop was in the city of Haifa at the Baha’i Church gardens on Mt. Carmel. This Unesco World Heritage site is quite impressive and just plain gorgeous.  This is the World Center for the Baha’i faith, a religion based on a blending of the best of all religions and nature with unifying tenants.

The terraced gardens are amazing and very hard to capture on film, especially from our vantage point.  (That’s a fancy way of saying my pictures didn’t turn out so good)  Here is shot from the Internet of an aerial view.

We moved on from Haifa to Nazareth where we toured the Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation.  It is on the site of a Byzantine and Crusader church and incorporates the cave in which Mary was living. This church was established by the Catholic faith on what they believe to be the site of the Angel Gabriel’s message to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

We also toured the church that sits on the sight of Joseph’s Carpentry shop.  Both of these Christian Holy sites originated during the Byzantine era and were constructed by Constantine I’s wife.

The day was heating up and we very much enjoyed our next stop, Yardenit, the official Baptism site on the River Jordan.  Thousands of Christian Pilgrims come here every year to be baptized in these waters.  I dutifully dipped my feet in the water – not for baptismal purposes, but to cool those aching tootsies.

Then on to stops in Tabgha (where Jesus performed the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes), St. Peter’s house and church and the Church of the Beatitudes, and Capernum on the Sea of Galilee.  Our wonderful traditional lunch at a restaurant on the Sea of Galilee was delicious.  We finished the day with a stop at Canna, site of the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine. 

We returned to the ship in time for a swim, a shower and a delicious Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner.

On our second day we were docked in Ashdod near Jerusalem.  Little did we know a wonderful surprise awaited us when we met up with our tour – Jerry was once again our guide!  He had told us he wasn’t sure he would be as the company had many different tours through Jerusalem that day.  Lucky us!  Another bit of luck was a new bus with fully functioning air conditioning…a necessity as the heat was a little worse the second day.

On our ride into Jerusalem, Jerry told us a bit of what it was like for him adjusting from American to Jewish culture.  For instance, he used to stand politely in line as most Americans would, but the locals would constantly cut in front of him.  When he did say something, they would just look at him or dismiss him with a wave.  The Jews think most Americans are wusses.  In fact they have a name for us – Luff luffs!  

From their POV they created Israel as a statement to the world…”we will never be pushed around again!”  We would see this as rude and pushy – they see it as their “right”

It took Jerry a while to get used to it (at first he went too far and pissed people off) but finally he found the right balance of respect and pushiness that worked.

Our first stop was the Mount of Olives for an overview of Old and Modern Jerusalem below.  We then drove past the gates of Oscar Schindler’s grave to the Church of All Nations.  This church was built in the early 1900s through donations from nations all over the world.  It is an open alter design used by all Christian denominations.  Coat of arm mosaics of each donating country decorate the walls.  The church was built next to the site of the garden of Gethsemane – where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before he was betrayed by Judas.

The standout is the church face mosaic.  It is really beautiful.

From here we went to the old walled City where many sites holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam reside.  It is separated into three quarters (leaving the place one quarter short of a dollar).   We started in the Christian Quarter and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (also known as the Church of the Resurrection.)  This church sits on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried (the Sepulcher.)  1^st built by Emperor Constantine on the site of Emperor Hadrian’s Temple of Aphrodite.  It is home to the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.  Anglican and Protestant Christians have only temporary presence in the church and the battles between the faiths is well known.  The Orthodox were the first to allowed to build a church here after the area was settled by Muslims and the church was destroyed despite the Muslim ruler’s protection.  Later Roman Catholic crusaders claimed the church as their own when they captured Jerusalem from Saladin, who then recaptured it from the Crusaders, who then lost it to Emperor Frederick during the Third Crusade and on and on and on ‘til the present day.  (Brawls between various sects take place regularly as one takes offense at the actions of another).

It is a mishmash of design and building styles having been built and rebuilt again and again over the centuries. Several Stations of the Cross are present inside the church while the rest reside along the Via Delarosa, the lane where Jesus is said to have been made to carry the cross.

As we made our way through the Church, climbing up and down to take in each sacred site, it was amazing to see the many different clerics with their differing styles of dress wandering through the church discussing, even arguing the theology of each other’s sects.  And the languages...it was truly a Tower of Babel!

The last five Stations of the Cross (including Station 10 which is the Church itself said to be built on the Calvary Hill) and we took in all of them.  Then our tour went down the Via Delarosa through the Muslim quarter stopping at several other stations.

The Muslim Quarter is a fun and funky walk through both history and modern times.  The narrow lane with the buildings and shops closing in from both sides provide a glimmer of the ancient city with merchants hawking stones, spices, strong tea and tchotchkes to the tourists and locals passing through; just as they must have during the times of the pilgrimages from the time of the churches founding.

Our last stop was the Jewish Quarter and its imposing Wailing Wall (also called the Western Wall or Kotel).  This wall is said to have surrounded the courtyard of the Temple Mount for the Second Temple which was built between 19 and 7 BCE.  The history of the Wailing Wall is long and, frankly, bloody.  With three major religions vying for control over the millennia this area has been a bone of contention and catastrophe for centuries (Since 4 AD).  Jews, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, Muslims, Crusaders, Jews, Muslims, and, finally, the Jews after the 6-Day War of 1967 have held this City. 

In the background of the Wall is the Dome of the Rock Mosque, one of the most religiously and politically contested sites in all of the Holy Land.  And as it is claimed by Jews, Muslims and even Christians as a Holy site it will be contested for millennia to come.

Our tour of the Old City ended with a few photos at the Wailing Wall - men and women must pray at separate sections separated by curtained fencing.  Everyone must wear head coverings, a change from me doffing my chapeau in the Christian churches. 

As you have probably guessed, I am not particularly a religious person…especially one pigeon-holed into a certain sect.  I consider myself more of a Deist, as were many of our Founding Fathers and others of the Enlightenment era. Still, any port in a storm, and I left my prayer in a chink in the wall asking for peace and respect for all regardless of belief. 

(This isn’t one of those wishes or prayers I wasn’t supposed to share was it?)

Back on the bus we headed east to the Dead Sea.  This salt lake in the middle of the desert forms part of the border between Jordan and Israel.  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant nearby (great Falafels!) and then bobbed like corks in the Dead Sea.  The water is soooo salty you couldn’t sink if you wanted to.  Following the lead of the natives, I rubbed the mud all over my body and afterwards I must say I felt as smooth as a baby’s bottom…then the salt started to dry.  An extra long shower and intense drying off took care of the salt before I turned into a Virginia Ham.

Our two-day tour of Israel over, we made our way back to the ship.  Jerry and Guided Tours Israel were perfect guides and we had a wonderful time. But it was time to push on to an even older land, Egypt.

Egypt – Land of the Pharaohs and Lost Hopes

Egypt, that ancient land that was once one of the cradles of civilization, has seen much glory and destruction throughout its history.  Today, they are in another upheaval and no one seems to know what to do.

We have wanted to go to Egypt for many years.  In fact, our cruise on the Baltic last year was in place of this very cruise as riots, strikes and other troubles seemed to crop up monthly.  This year, we said “no more waiting.”  We would take our chances and hope for the best, while expecting the worse…which, luckily never came.

While we were supposed to land in Port Said, a last minute change to Alexandria (safety concerns they said) cut into our two day trip by half a day.  Haney of Alex City Travel met our Cruise Critic group, ready to take us on our wonderful journey.  He had kept track of our ship and knew of the change, and made changes to the itinerary accordingly…sadly, we lost out on seeing Memphis and the Step Pyramids as a result.

Our four-hour drive into Cairo went surprisingly fast as Haney kept us riveted with the history of Egypt (he is a certified Egyptologist) both old and new.  It was fascinating to hear the contrast between what little we have heard of the political upheavals and how the Egyptians themselves perceive it all.  It is, inevitably, a poor country, with most of the power and money at the top of the heap.  One thing that is culturally different is that the power really lies with the Military.  Something President Morsi never seemed to grasp. 

Once in Cairo, we stopped for a late lunch at a wonderful garden oasis of a restaurant for a great meal (included).  Sated, we drove on to the Nile where we boarded Feluccas, small traditional sailboats.  Sailing on the Nile at Sunset was so relaxing.  Our boatman was an old man who comes up from Lake Nasser every tourist season to provide rides on the Nile. 

He took a look at my wife, Manuela, and Loretta and said to me “1,000 camels for the women!” 

Playing his game I said “Not enough!”

“No, no”, he said, “You pay me a 1,000 camels to take them from you!”

What a hoot.  He was very nice and we tipped him well, knowing he wasn’t getting many tourists these days.

Afterwards it was off to the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids…a surprise as they told us on the ship that they had cancelled them due to the lack of tourists.  We were so glad it wasn’t true.  What a sight to behold with the Sphinx and Pyramids bathed in beautiful lights as their story is told by the Sphinx.

As we drove back through Cairo towards dinner, it was sad to see the utter destruction the riots had wrought and the loss of infrastructure maintenance under the Morsi Presidency.  Despite the military coup against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, you must understand that the majority of Egyptians never liked him.  They are “Arabs” to the native Egyptians and, after having a secular (even if despotic) government for 100s of years, they were not ready to be ruled by religious zealots.  Too bad the secular candidates can’t seem to get together.

Dinner was a wonderful and afterwards, we stopped for a Papyrus demonstration and to pick up our cartouche order.  We had ours made to celebrate our 30^th anniversary.  Winnie did her souvenir shopping and then it was off to the Mena house for a good night’s rest.

 The Mena House, also known as the Mena Palace, was built by the Egyptian King in the mid-1800s.  It has been a hotel for decades and is absolutely gorgeous.  The new wings spread out across the former palace gardens and it was pretty luxurious.  The great treat, though, was the view of the Pyramids.  Despite uncontrolled growth all around Giza, the Pyramids still shine bright over the Mena House…and when we came and sat for breakfast, we had a commanding view of them.  A wonderful breakfast (fresh honey dripping off the comb into a bowl for your muffins!) and a Pyramid view ain’t bad at all.

However, now it was time to see the real McCoy and we boarded our busses for the Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Giza Necropolis (the entire collection of Pyramids) is dominated by the Great Pyramid of Giza.  It is the largest and oldest of the pyramids here.  It is also the largest and oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still largely intact.  For 3800 years it was the largest structure on earth.  In other words; it’s BIG!

Built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty ruler Khufu (or Cheops in Greek), it is nearly 800 feet wide at the base and 450+ feet high (it was closer to 500 feet originally).  It stands next to two other pyramids from later.  Several smaller pyramids surround these larger ones.

Of course, the Great Sphinx is also there.  Built much earlier, this monolithic statue has been changed and adjusted through the dynasties.  It has been buried in sand off and on for millennia and, no, its nose was not shot off by troops of Napoleon.  More than likely erosion and water damage caused it to fall sometime in the middle ages.

Visiting these sites and touching something so ancient is amazing.  However, riding a camel out into the desert for a wide angle view was even better.  Haney brought us to the Bedouin camp and the camels he had reserved were waiting for us.  After a short lesson, we were called in pairs to board our ships of the desert.  Winnie took Haney’s lesson about holding onto the saddle horns seriously.  Except for our picture taken by our guide, I don’t think she let go, hanging on for dear life every step of the way.  Of course, my camel wanted to lead the way and hers was having none of that which did make for a bumpy ride occasionally.

After a wonderful morning enjoying the Sphinx and Pyramids, we re-boarded our bus for the short ride to the Cairo museum.  On the way there, Haney’s efficient advance scouts found out that many of the museum’s workers were on strike against pay cuts.  They knew that our cruise ship was in port and were determined to hurt the management by denying them the rare lucrative day.  Haney, knowing this, took us around to the side and when asked if we were a group from the ship, he said “Ship?  No, Canadians!”, and off we went into the museum, the only group of ship’s passengers to see it that day.

The Cairo Museum holds quite a bit of the finds from Pyramids and temple sites in Egypt.  Much more, though, was taken away by early archeologists and treasure hunters from Europe.  One of the greatest finds on exhibit here is from the tomb of Tutankhamen.  The Gold Mask, many statues, urns and the many layered coffin of Tut were on display.  Sadly, much is also not on display.  During the riots and overthrow of Mubarak, thieves broke into the museum and stole many priceless artifacts.  Haney said that most of these have NOT been recovered.  This has led to increased museum security and also to a rotation of priceless exhibits on display.

After our visit, we headed back to Alexandria and our last stop, The New Alexandria Library.  On the way, Haney stopped and picked up box lunches for us.  Egyptians must think we are huge eaters as each box contained three sandwiches, chips, snacks, apples, drinks etc.  Thank goodness we were assured the bus attendants would be happy to take the leftovers home.

  The New Alexandria Library was built nearly on the site of the ancient library.  A UNSESCO site and project, money for the site came from all over the world.  It was inaugurated in 2002…and is absolutely gorgeous!  I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful this combination library, antique repository and museum truly is.  The architecture and layout is so open and airy.  The library portion is modern to the extreme, an unusual site when contrasted with the failing infrastructure surrounding it.  We were shown a machine that can digitally duplicate and then print a book, binding and all in less than an hour.  Scholars from around the world can order a duplicate of an ancient book and receive their copy in less than a week…and at a reasonable price!  Amazing!

As we went through the library portions, a section dedicated to Sadat, the leader who was murder by extremists after he made peace with Israel.  Sadat is s revered here as FDR is in the US.  Despite his start as a military dictator, he was slowly moving he country toward many democratic freedoms…some say that is why he was murdered (rather than his peace accord with Israel) as it threatened many powerful oligarchs.

Our drive back to the ship took us through the older parts of Alexandria and Haney pointed out many sites, including where the lighthouse was (now a fortress).  We beat even the ship tours back and, after a rest, we had a wonderful dinner (Italian Night!) with veal scaloppini and fresh made Limoncello liquor

Sea Day la Deux

The next two days we sailed north toward Sorrento Italy.  We passed the time eating, shopping, playing trivia (won three more!  Should have been four but the stupid trivia book that the crew uses to put these together had the wrong answer!), going to port lectures and Captain’s Circle parties, seeing the shows and, of course, eating!  A great Lobster tail dinner was followed by a wonderful lunch with our Cruise Critic friends the next day.

Winnie and I chose to celebrate our anniversary of our 1^st date early and the ship obliged with a sign and card.  We watched the ship pass through the straight between the Italian boot and Sicily.  At the Chefs dinner that evening, we had an anniversary toast and enjoyed our meal.  Of course we got our special Princess cake for dessert.

After enjoying the show that evening we hied ourselves off to bed.  The next day was our final stop, Sorrento.

Sorrento, Capri, and The Blue Grotto

While much of the ship, including our friends ran off on tours of the Amalfi coast and Pompeii, Winnie and I headed off for Carpi and a tour of the Blue Grotto (we had been to Pompeii in 1990).  The Blue Grotto is a natural sea cave which was enlarged and used as a bath and spa by Roman Hoi Polloi.  Roman statues resided here for centuries until they were removed by archeologists in the 1800s. 

The Grotto has been a tourist destination since the 1800s when Grand Tour visitors would come to Capri to see the beautiful glowing blue waters of the Grotto.  Even then local Fishermen would take guests through the small opening by rowboat.

Our journey started off with a tender to Sorrento, then we transferred to a Ferry to Capri, then we boarded a smaller motor boat to the Grotto.  Following Rick Steves advice, we were one of the first ones out.  In fact, we were towing some of the rowboats used to enter the Grotto behind us!

Once the row boat loads up with four or five folks you are instructed to “followa mya leada exacamente!  No stand, no stand!”  The grouchy rower yelled “Laya Down!” and we glided into the Grotto.  It is certainly beautiful, even though the expensive visit is way too short.  I didn’t get very good pictures, either as I couldn’t get my camera adjusted correctly.  Was it worth it?  Of course!

Once back on land, we hopped a packed local bus (three cruise ships in port today!) and headed up the steep hill to Anacapri, the town that sits above the City of Capri.  The Island of Capri is now a place for the rich.  The Island’s inhabitants have been pushed out by rising real estate prices.  Smaller yachts line the harbors, while the larger ones sit out in the bay.

We loved Anacapri.  It felt like the small town I am sure Capri once was.  Our first stop was the Church of St. Michael, built in the Neapolitan style of the early 1700s.  It is a wonderful church nearly covered by ceramic tiles forming biblical depictions.

We then walked the streets up to the Villa San Michele, an early 20th Century Villa built on the grounds of Roman Emperor Tiberius’ villa by a Swedish doctor.  It hosted many of the celebrities at that time and housed a collection of relics from Egyptian, Greek and roman times.  The main thrill here is the view from the Phoenician steps (1^st built by Greek colonists to connect the lower town of Capri with Anacapri.).

Afterwards, we caught the ferry back to Sorrento and wandered the upper town enjoying the wonderfully sunny day before heading back to the ship.

The final dinner that night included the traditional Baked Alaska and March of the Waiters.  We went to see the show that evening and then to bed.  Capri is a wonderful stop and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was hard to believe, but our third cruise in a year was coming to a close.  We don’t always look to cruising for our vacations, but occasionally they are truly the way to go.  This cruise exposed to new countries, cultures and even new continents that we have dreamed of seeing for many a year.  While small-ship cruising isn’t every ones cup of tea, there are advantages.  We probably got to know more of our fellow passengers and the crew on this ship than on any of our previous cruises.

A Mediterranean cruise, as with our Baltic cruise, is a wonderful introduction to countries you may never even have thought of seeing.  However, like all cruises, it simply whets the appetite for much, much more!

As we disembarked in Rome, a new adventure was just beginning.  Stay tuned for part two!

Fini (for now…)

Tracy