"Adios Barcelona"....."oui oui Paris"......"y'all come on through here Atlanta"......"hello misty Seattle"......
What a day! A full 25 hours from the time we hopped on the bus in Barcelona till we got off the bus at our hotel room in Seattle with a lot of flights and a couple of 'close call' adventures in between.
Our first flight was just 2 hours long from Barcelona to Paris via Air France where they served a very 'interesting' snack. It was a smoked salmon 1/2 sandwich with the crusts cut off along with complimentary wine.
The 'adventure of the day' prize has to go to the airport in Paris where we had only 1 1/2 hours to deplane and get to our next gate. Thankfully wheelchairs had been ordered for mom and Kay and the downside to that is that they're the last ones off the plane but the upside is that there are attendants who know where they're going that the rest of us could follow.....but not everything goes according to plan!
Kay, her attendant, Liz, Ken, Pat, and Joyce had gone on ahead as mom's attendant got tied up at the plane for a few minutes longer. Mom, her attendant, Karen, Lynda, and I followed as soon as he was able. Our flight had landed in Teminal 2B and we needed to get to Terminal 2E but directional signs seemed to be non existent. Once our 1/2 of the group arrived outside to catch the little shuttle that had been ordered to take mom in her chair.....we spotted Ken, Pat, and Joyce standing a short distance away. They said that the attendant who had been with Kay had told them to wait there (as Kay's shuttle could only accomodate Kay, Liz, and Kay's attendant) but our attendant said that there would be no shuttle or bus that would take them to Terminal 2E from that location. Thank heavens our attendant was there and had excellent english so was able to tell them clearly what they needed to do to get to our next gate! The rest of us were able to squish into mom's shuttle and by the time we arrived at 2E; Ken, Pat, and Joyce had just gotten off their bus....what a relief! Had they done what Kay's attendant told them to do (stand there and wait) they'd still be standing there and we would all have missed our flight! As it was....we all made it just in time (thanks again to Mom's attendant who fast tracked all of us through the employees only security line). We were the last to board our Delta flight for that 10 hour leg of the day's journey. The really good news about this flight was that it was not very full so we were able to get a full row of 3 seats for Kay to sit in comfortably and with no fear of anyone bumping her broken arm and we were also able to get another full row of 3 seats for mom to lay down and sleep for most of the trip! That was even better than first class passengers got!!
By the time we arrived in Atlanta Georgia we were all showing signs of wear and not looking forward to the next flight....another Delta flight that was 5 hours long and completely full which meant there wouldn't be any extra room at all :-(
We all survived the ordeal though and were really glad to see all our cases arrive on the belt a short time later. 9 people..... 9 checked bags.....a number of flights and transfers over the past couple of weeks.....and not a bag missing....now that's a happy ending to a wonderful story :-)
Lynda and I left the rest of the group waiting for their shuttle to the Jet Motel as we climbed onto our Rodeway Inn shuttle that just happened to be coming by as we arrived....yes.....we're still suertudas!! The rest of them would be catching another shuttle in the morning to Bellingham where their ride home would be waiting. Lynda and I planned for a day of rest with her catching a 6 a.m. flight back to Mexico and me on a 10:30 plane to Kelowna on Sunday morning.
We've got all of the pictures off the camera (about 1500 of them!), have Flor packed away for the trip home, and plan to spend this free day reminiscing about the amazing time we've had this past 7 weeks and best of all that we're still great friends and open to doing it all again the next time opportunity knocks : -)
Till the next time there is another adventure to blog about.....
L & L
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
January 13, 2011
Last day of our cruise – arriving in Barcelona at 5 a.m. for an 8:30 departure from the ship and a 1 p.m. flight to Paris/Atlanta/Seattle that is sure to leave us all a little jet lagged with the long flights we’ll have to endure! I guess that’s what you get when your flight is included in your trip so we’re not going to complain as the trip has come in on budget – wahoo!! That means we’ll get to go on another one sooner rather than later.
Really the only thing that happened today is that Flor went on a trip without us. Gareth, the Casino Manager on board took her for a little excursion into areas of the ship that mere passengers aren’t able to visit! As a result….Flor has been inside some of the gaming machines, out on the bridge deck, on the main stage in the Stardust Theatre, down in the galley with the crew, and lined up with the captain for a portrait! She had an amazing adventure and we have all the photos to prove it.
My mom and sister, Karen, spent the day in bed and are much better for it. There are so many guests and crew who are sick on the ship now that the hallways are lined with room service trays and the ships hospital has run out of many of their supply of meds. As a result, they had to bring on emergency supplies in Malta and there is another larger emergency shipment coming on board in Barcelona. Lynda and I are glad we’re here to be able to help mom and Karen out a little. We’re also glad that we’re both staying healthy!
We spent as much of the day as possible out on the deck where the air is germ free and even left a couple of suggestions with our friend Gareth that he found interesting and as a result has already passed them through the ships channels (ie: captain and then through to department heads). One was the MBWA philosophy (Management By Walking Around) that intrigued him as it is his natural style and the other was Lynda’s suggestion that the on ship TV channel that teaches passengers about safe hand washing practices include a reference about sneezing and coughing into your sleeve vs hands or worse yet….into the air as many guests on the ship seem to do! Who knows….it may even be implemented by the next cruise that starts in 2 days!! We told Gareth that we were available as cruise consultants now that we’re no longer cruise virgins so if the ship’s budget can handle our rates….we might be available.
Packing up for the next and nearly final leg of our adventure…..next stop where we’ll be able to sleep….Seattle….might have something to blog about from there ….so until next time…..
L & L
Really the only thing that happened today is that Flor went on a trip without us. Gareth, the Casino Manager on board took her for a little excursion into areas of the ship that mere passengers aren’t able to visit! As a result….Flor has been inside some of the gaming machines, out on the bridge deck, on the main stage in the Stardust Theatre, down in the galley with the crew, and lined up with the captain for a portrait! She had an amazing adventure and we have all the photos to prove it.
My mom and sister, Karen, spent the day in bed and are much better for it. There are so many guests and crew who are sick on the ship now that the hallways are lined with room service trays and the ships hospital has run out of many of their supply of meds. As a result, they had to bring on emergency supplies in Malta and there is another larger emergency shipment coming on board in Barcelona. Lynda and I are glad we’re here to be able to help mom and Karen out a little. We’re also glad that we’re both staying healthy!
We spent as much of the day as possible out on the deck where the air is germ free and even left a couple of suggestions with our friend Gareth that he found interesting and as a result has already passed them through the ships channels (ie: captain and then through to department heads). One was the MBWA philosophy (Management By Walking Around) that intrigued him as it is his natural style and the other was Lynda’s suggestion that the on ship TV channel that teaches passengers about safe hand washing practices include a reference about sneezing and coughing into your sleeve vs hands or worse yet….into the air as many guests on the ship seem to do! Who knows….it may even be implemented by the next cruise that starts in 2 days!! We told Gareth that we were available as cruise consultants now that we’re no longer cruise virgins so if the ship’s budget can handle our rates….we might be available.
Packing up for the next and nearly final leg of our adventure…..next stop where we’ll be able to sleep….Seattle….might have something to blog about from there ….so until next time…..
L & L
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
January 12, 2011
It’s odd to think that as we’re returning to the ship from a full day on the beautiful isle of Malta you’re all just starting your day! Yesterday we spent a relaxing day aboard the ship enjoying a little sun and fresh air as we made our way from Alexandria to Malta – an island steeped in history and ripe with character. Right now we’re sitting in the Mixers Martini and Cocktail Bar chatting with Carlos from Peru. Linda is into the martini’s and I think she has found the perfect one for future parties. It is called a French Kiss and is made with vodka, Grand Marnier, Raspberry Liquer, and Pineapple juice. I had a taste and I might have to order that one next after I finish my White Russian (I’ve become quite addicted to them on this cruise!!)
Arriving into the port of Valetta on Malta had been announced as something to see and so we were up on the 14th deck at the front of the ship to see it from the best vantage point we could find. There was a little rain but…we were undaunted and we were glad we’d made the effort. The port really is lovely and with the ship coming into the small bay we had a great view. In fact…..once in the little harbour (well….it probably only looked little to us as our ship is so huge!) the Jade did an about face so it was turned around and pointed seaward ready to disembark later in the day. From our vantage point it looked like that about face took up the entire harbour! It was something to see how a ship so large was able to turn on a dime like that!
Malta was a wonderful final stop on this amazing whirlwind adventure we’re on. We had decided to forgo any organized tours and simply “do” Malta on our own. We began the day with a Hop on Hop off bus that left right from the port area. It was a little chilly (well actually it was downright cold but this gave us a good overview of the island and an opportunity to see much of the surrounding area. From the bus we hopped off at the Valetta City Centre stop and spent the rest of the day wandering amidst the locals getting a sense of the Maltese culture.
Malta has long had the attention of the world….from the days of crusading knights to WWII action, it’s strategic location has afforded it a powerful position. Malta’s geographic location also means that it enjoys a blend of several cultures that show up in it’s cuisine, it’s languages, and it’s history.
I guess the funny story for the day has to be that as we passed by the St John’s Co-Cathedral & Museum….we almost didn’t go in thinking “seen one seen them all” and “what more can there be here than there was in the Sistine Chapel?” But…..decided to err on the side of caution so spent the 6 Euros and bought a ticket. Lynda giggled the whole way through thinking that we had almost missed this amazing highlight. St John’s was magnificent! Not only does it rival the Sistine Chapel (and maybe even trump it) but it also houses the largest collection in the WORLD of 17th century Flemish tapestries that tell the story of Christ from birth to resurrection, the complete and original complement of choral texts that are massive books hand painted in gold and that hold all the original scores for the music and hymns used in the Catholic church today. It also is home to many original works of art, the most famous being “The Beheading of John the Baptist”. St John’s was also filled with Masonic history and memorabilia as well as the original vespers (clothes) worn by the ancient priests, bishops, and heads of the Catholic church. Neither of us had anticipated any of what we would find in St John’s so we were sure glad we didn’t miss the opportunity!
From there we popped into the armories just a little further down Republic Street where there were two red coated guards standing sentry just like you might see at Buckingham Palace. We knew they couldn’t talk to us…..but really wanted a photo with Flor….. so we just took a photo of him with Flor sans consent……hopefully he didn’t mind too much.
Speaking of Flor…..she’s getting a little tired looking but still holding up. Here we are approaching the end of the travels and we’re already talking about whether or not we should keep her somewhere safe for the next time….it just doesn’t seem right that she might not accompany us on our next adventure!
We checked out the silver and gold filigree that Malta is famous for…..tasted some of their local treats (ricotta cheese or pea pies and honey cake), enjoyed just being part of the local crowd on the busy streets, and dodged rain drops when the skies opened up at one point during our visit. We enjoyed seeing all the horse and buggies available for hire and we marveled at how old everything was. We went through tunnels, over bridges, through city gates, around round abouts, survived the maze of a bus station, along skinny little lanes through farmland and back into the city again.
We watched the fountain dance to the music in front of the government building, we saw people from our boat who were on organized tours but who were wishing they were just wandering like us, we browsed a few shops, and marveled at the fact that Malta played such an important role in WWII and that neither of us knew that. We walked up and down the 2 inch steps that are built into the sidewalks on the hills of the city and learned that the steps were built for a reason….to allow the knights to ascend and descend them in their full armour! Here we are walking the same steps and streets as the knights of old!! Malta was like one huge photo opp…..every time you turned a corner there was another gorgeous thing just waiting for you to take another picture.
And to end our day……we caught a local public bus back down to the port for .47 cents…..the deal of the day!
Arriving into the Port of Valetta on Malta was absolutely gorgeous and the leaving was just as lovely. The story goes that whenever a ship is leaving port, they put the lights on the fort to say good-bye, wish a safe voyage and to show the way back…..we waved good bye from the back of the Jade as we sailed out of the port and both Lynda and I agreed that we would come back to Malta to explore it further.
Tomorrow is our last day on the ship and it will be another restful day at Sea which is probably a very good thing for many people. I haven’t mentioned it in previous blogs but….there have been several very sick people on the ship with us. I told you that my aunt broke her shoulder and that is bad enough but she has also developed bronchitis, my mom has a mild case of pneumonia (they’re both on antibiotics now), my sister has a terrible cough and cold, one of my aunt’s friends is just getting over that same cough and cold, and…..yes….it gets even worse……the ship has been hyper vigilant ever since day 2 of our 12 day cruise as there were several cases of severe flu-like symptoms on board. I have to say that I have been extremely impressed with the way that the crew has handled the realities of dealing with so many sick people. Everything is constantly being sanitized….including everyone on the ship! Every room you enter or leave is staffed with required hand sanitizing stations. Crew are constantly cleaning and sterilizing everything from carpets to table tops and railings, bathroom doors have all been propped open so no one has to touch the handle to get out, there are hand washing instructions on the TV, and even the buffet has gone to silver service so no one but crew (who all wear gloves) touch the serving spoons.
Lynda and I have had a great time and it has been a wonderful trip and we’ve both loved the cruise as a floating hotel that moves you from place to place while you sleep but I’m pretty sure there are a few people on board who will be glad to get home.
We have a long trip home.....but will see you soon,
L & L
Arriving into the port of Valetta on Malta had been announced as something to see and so we were up on the 14th deck at the front of the ship to see it from the best vantage point we could find. There was a little rain but…we were undaunted and we were glad we’d made the effort. The port really is lovely and with the ship coming into the small bay we had a great view. In fact…..once in the little harbour (well….it probably only looked little to us as our ship is so huge!) the Jade did an about face so it was turned around and pointed seaward ready to disembark later in the day. From our vantage point it looked like that about face took up the entire harbour! It was something to see how a ship so large was able to turn on a dime like that!
Malta was a wonderful final stop on this amazing whirlwind adventure we’re on. We had decided to forgo any organized tours and simply “do” Malta on our own. We began the day with a Hop on Hop off bus that left right from the port area. It was a little chilly (well actually it was downright cold but this gave us a good overview of the island and an opportunity to see much of the surrounding area. From the bus we hopped off at the Valetta City Centre stop and spent the rest of the day wandering amidst the locals getting a sense of the Maltese culture.
Malta has long had the attention of the world….from the days of crusading knights to WWII action, it’s strategic location has afforded it a powerful position. Malta’s geographic location also means that it enjoys a blend of several cultures that show up in it’s cuisine, it’s languages, and it’s history.
I guess the funny story for the day has to be that as we passed by the St John’s Co-Cathedral & Museum….we almost didn’t go in thinking “seen one seen them all” and “what more can there be here than there was in the Sistine Chapel?” But…..decided to err on the side of caution so spent the 6 Euros and bought a ticket. Lynda giggled the whole way through thinking that we had almost missed this amazing highlight. St John’s was magnificent! Not only does it rival the Sistine Chapel (and maybe even trump it) but it also houses the largest collection in the WORLD of 17th century Flemish tapestries that tell the story of Christ from birth to resurrection, the complete and original complement of choral texts that are massive books hand painted in gold and that hold all the original scores for the music and hymns used in the Catholic church today. It also is home to many original works of art, the most famous being “The Beheading of John the Baptist”. St John’s was also filled with Masonic history and memorabilia as well as the original vespers (clothes) worn by the ancient priests, bishops, and heads of the Catholic church. Neither of us had anticipated any of what we would find in St John’s so we were sure glad we didn’t miss the opportunity!
From there we popped into the armories just a little further down Republic Street where there were two red coated guards standing sentry just like you might see at Buckingham Palace. We knew they couldn’t talk to us…..but really wanted a photo with Flor….. so we just took a photo of him with Flor sans consent……hopefully he didn’t mind too much.
Speaking of Flor…..she’s getting a little tired looking but still holding up. Here we are approaching the end of the travels and we’re already talking about whether or not we should keep her somewhere safe for the next time….it just doesn’t seem right that she might not accompany us on our next adventure!
We checked out the silver and gold filigree that Malta is famous for…..tasted some of their local treats (ricotta cheese or pea pies and honey cake), enjoyed just being part of the local crowd on the busy streets, and dodged rain drops when the skies opened up at one point during our visit. We enjoyed seeing all the horse and buggies available for hire and we marveled at how old everything was. We went through tunnels, over bridges, through city gates, around round abouts, survived the maze of a bus station, along skinny little lanes through farmland and back into the city again.
We watched the fountain dance to the music in front of the government building, we saw people from our boat who were on organized tours but who were wishing they were just wandering like us, we browsed a few shops, and marveled at the fact that Malta played such an important role in WWII and that neither of us knew that. We walked up and down the 2 inch steps that are built into the sidewalks on the hills of the city and learned that the steps were built for a reason….to allow the knights to ascend and descend them in their full armour! Here we are walking the same steps and streets as the knights of old!! Malta was like one huge photo opp…..every time you turned a corner there was another gorgeous thing just waiting for you to take another picture.
And to end our day……we caught a local public bus back down to the port for .47 cents…..the deal of the day!
Arriving into the Port of Valetta on Malta was absolutely gorgeous and the leaving was just as lovely. The story goes that whenever a ship is leaving port, they put the lights on the fort to say good-bye, wish a safe voyage and to show the way back…..we waved good bye from the back of the Jade as we sailed out of the port and both Lynda and I agreed that we would come back to Malta to explore it further.
Tomorrow is our last day on the ship and it will be another restful day at Sea which is probably a very good thing for many people. I haven’t mentioned it in previous blogs but….there have been several very sick people on the ship with us. I told you that my aunt broke her shoulder and that is bad enough but she has also developed bronchitis, my mom has a mild case of pneumonia (they’re both on antibiotics now), my sister has a terrible cough and cold, one of my aunt’s friends is just getting over that same cough and cold, and…..yes….it gets even worse……the ship has been hyper vigilant ever since day 2 of our 12 day cruise as there were several cases of severe flu-like symptoms on board. I have to say that I have been extremely impressed with the way that the crew has handled the realities of dealing with so many sick people. Everything is constantly being sanitized….including everyone on the ship! Every room you enter or leave is staffed with required hand sanitizing stations. Crew are constantly cleaning and sterilizing everything from carpets to table tops and railings, bathroom doors have all been propped open so no one has to touch the handle to get out, there are hand washing instructions on the TV, and even the buffet has gone to silver service so no one but crew (who all wear gloves) touch the serving spoons.
Lynda and I have had a great time and it has been a wonderful trip and we’ve both loved the cruise as a floating hotel that moves you from place to place while you sleep but I’m pretty sure there are a few people on board who will be glad to get home.
We have a long trip home.....but will see you soon,
L & L
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
January 10, 2011
Almost impossible to believe that just yesterday morning we were asleep in our stateroom on the ship!
Since then we’ve been everywhere, done everything, and all we have to say about it is, “WOW!”
As well, somehow all of our clothes continue to shrink!! We’ve gotten so much exercise since we first arrived on the Jade that we were sure we’d have to go shopping for a smaller size but no……fortunately the de-humidifier on the ship has taken care of the problem for us. Not only does it keep the humidity down on the ship but it sucks all the moisture out of the fabric in your clothes so they shrink quite a bit during the time that you’re on board. Buttons on blouses have begun to gape, bras barely hold it ‘all’ in, full briefs have turned into thongs, and jeans have become capris…..it’s like having a whole new wardrobe. It seems that even metal can be affected by the dehumidifier – Lynda even had to have an extra link put in her watch strap today!
We’re both tired tonight! So tired in fact that when Lynda stood up from the dinner table she almost fell back down again. It seems that her muscles went to sleep without her, which can be a real problem when you’re trying to stand on a ship that is underway!
The past week has been kind of like being in a time warp that spans more than 5000 years. We’ve travelled from the present where eatfests take place on ships that look like Hawaii to times long past where gladiators fought for the entertainment of others and where pharaohs oversaw the building of temples that are beyond description. We’ve experienced sights and sounds that seem to have come directly from the movie screen and we’ve made friends with people from around the globe.
To focus in on the past two days will be a tall order as there may not be enough words to describe our experiences in Egypt. But here’s our best attempt……
A 4:30 wake-up call should have been an indication of just how busy we’d be during this shore excursion but we were undaunted and ready for anything yesterday morning. Our guide for the 2 days would be Hoda, an Egyptian who has more information about this country in her little finger than all of the guide books ever printed!
Bus to airport in Alexandria where we boarded an Egyptian Air flight for Luxor. We crossed the Nile as we left the port and drove through an eclectic mix of old and new that was just an appetizer for what was to come. 6 million people live in a 25 mile strip that is the city of Alexandria, named for Alexander the Great. During our bus ride we learned that pretty well everyone in Egypt has more than one job as wages are quite low so regardless of whether you’re a teacher, a government worker, or a labourer….it is likely that you’ll also drive a taxi, have a shop, or work in a restaurant during your “off” hours. On that same topic…..it is very unlikely that the income from that second job will be declared though…..this works in the favour of both the worker and the employer. The employer doesn’t have to pay benefits and the worker doesn’t have to pay taxes on that income because officially…..people only have one job. We also learned that in ancient Egypt everyone lived on the East side of the Nile as the West was reserved for death. In death all the gods cross from East to West as Rah, the god of sun, leads the way by rising in the East and setting in the West. As Hoda told us about what we were passing along the highway to the airport and about what the next 2 days would look like….we could see horses pulling wagons laden with crops, obvious poverty in the housing, women clad in burkas, and men smoking water pipes as they enjoyed a cup of coffee or tea on the corner….and all of this out of the bus windows. That would be the only thing that I could find fault with over the past 2 days….there were so many things that I saw and wanted to take pictures of but taking them out of a bus window as it’s bumping along at fairly high speeds is pretty much impossible. Our time was so packed full that we literally ran from early early morning till well after dark when we simply fell into bed for another 4 or 5 hours just to do it all again!
Flight to Luxor took about 1 ½ hours and was very comfortable. Luxor seems cleaner than Alexandria and maybe it is a little more ‘polished’ in keeping with the meaning of it’s name. The word luxor means ‘palaces’ in Egyptian. Looking out at the passing landscape and city scenes we could see lots of donkeys pulling carts, water buffalo crossing the Nile, horses pulling wagons around the city like taxis on every corner, LOTS of police that were very obviously armed, men sitting in coffee shops with their pipes and glass of tea, women working, and children playing. I saw an entire shop window dedicated just to selling burkas, and in the next block there was another shop dedicated to selling tiny little evening dresses for nights out in the clubs. The vast majority of women here choose to wear the traditional Muslim dress but what they’re wearing under it remains a mystery…..perhaps it is one of those tiny little dresses??? The call to prayer was underway (this sounds 5 times per day) and the sound of it adds to the exotic nature of the place. Most of the buildings are the same colour…..and colour isn’t really a word that fits to describe the homes we’re looking at. The only colour is the laundry that is hanging from the balcony’s to dry. The buildings are all kind of drab…..red/grey brick seems to be the most popular. There are so many satellite dishes on the rooftops…everyone must have TV! Many of the homes are unfinished and Hoda explained that this is because Egyptians don’t really believe in borrowing money from a bank so they put their money into their house and when they run out of money, they stop building until they can get more cash to work with. As well, it is common for a son to continue with the building when the time comes for him to take a wife and need a home of his own. In that case…the mom and dad would live on the lower floor and the son and his new wife would live on the 2nd floor and so on and so on. In addition…..we’ve heard that if a house is unfinished there are no taxes to be paid so there is a definite advantage to living in an unfinished house.
Our first stop would be the Valley of the Kings and unfortunately we weren’t able to take our cameras into the Valley at all. There has been too much damage to the paintings in the tombs from flash photography so the government has taken a very strong stand and imposed a zero tolerance policy for anyone having a camera anywhere in the site. The Valley of the Kings was an amazing surprise for both Lynda and I …… we just kept saying, “wow” over and over again.
I used to think that the pyramids were kind of the ‘be all and end all’ but thanks to Hoda now know that there was a time when the pyramids were the only home to pharaohs in death but once the grave robbers began to take their toll on the wealth that could be found within…..the builders of the tombs came up with a new plan. They recognized that the pyramids were just too obvious in helping the grave robbers to find the location of tombs and their treasures so they decided to not have any markings above ground but rather to create the magnificent hallways and rooms that can be found in the Valley of the Kings beneath the surface and out of sight and hopefully safe from thieves. In addition to the Valley of the Kings there is also a Valley of the Queens, a Valley of Nobles, a Valley of Workers, and so on….everyone and everything received some form of mummification and passage into their afterlife when they died. The Kings & Queens were buried using the most elaborate methods of mummification and had golden statues and masks to accompany them on their journey. The Nobles had a slightly simpler mummification process and their life form faces were painted onto the sarcofagace that their preserved bodies were placed in, the Workers, commoners, and animals had the simplest form of mummification and may not have had any face painted on their ‘coffin’. Even today….science cannot identify all of the chemicals or processes used in ancient mummification but there is evidence (and we saw a lot of it in the past couple of days) that a properly mummified body can last for many thousands of years!!
Each of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings is numbered in the order in which it was discovered and the signage also explains who’s tomb it is and what special features it boasts. The tombs that Lynda and I visited included: KV2 (that means it was the 2nd one found) that was built for Ramses IV, KV6 (the 6th one found) belonging to Ramses IX, and KV20 that was built for Ramses I. Both KV2 and KV6 were relatively easy to access but KV20 was another matter! It went almost straight down into the ground using steep stairs. I’m not sure how many stairs there were but our estimate is that it would be the equivalent of at least 4 or 5 floors so by the time we emerged at the surface again…..I for one was pretty much done for at least a few minutes and until we got to the next one. Ramses I tomb was hot, stuffy, and difficult due to the super steep flights of stairs. For the last 30 or 40 stairs….my right knee pretty well gave up so I put my head down gritted my teeth together and made it the rest of the way with my knee grinding itself to what felt like a pulp. We also visited KV62 (yes….the 62nd one found on the site) that I was really excited to see. It is King Tut’s tomb and I have to say that it was somewhat of a shock. When you look at all of the treasures that have come out of Tut’s tomb….you might think that it would have to be quite large but it pales in comparison to my imaginings. It is a small and fairly simple tomb that appears to have been hastily built (perhaps this is because Tut died so young) but….boy oh boy….was it ever packed to the gunnels with some really amazing treasure! The one really special thing that was in Tut’s tomb though was his mummified body and sarcofagace. There it is for all to see under glass just a couple of feet away in the same place that it has lain for the past 3000 years. It was such a gift to be able to see him right there in his tomb and I was glad that I had purchased the extra ticket to visit KV62. The other additional ticket we purchased was for KV9, the tomb of Ramses VI, and that will always be a highlight of the trip for me. KV9 is in unbelievable condition and the overall size of the space is beyond imagination. The tunnel from the surface is about 10’ wide and about 12’ high. Each “section” (and I don’t know why I call them sections….but that just seems the right word to use) is maybe 20 or 30 feet long and always sloping down and then there is a steeper section that goes deeper into the earth and then there is another long sloping section and then another that is steeper and then another that is long and sloping and then another steeper one and then…..I won’t go on but just say that KV9 was so much like the Sistine Chapel….the deeper you got into it….the stronger the pull to continue the journey. Every inch of KV9 was carved relief work on the walls and ceiling, there were decorative columns and little cut outs into the walls, like shelves, along the entire journey. As I felt myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the tomb I felt emotional….how is it possible that something this beautiful could be buried so deep beneath the surface and how is it possible that this has lasted so many thousands of years and still looks so good? I wonder how many nameless people must have died building this masterpiece, how long it must have taken them, and how many more tombs are still buried beneath the surface of the modern world.
Emerging from the tombs in the Valley of the Kings was shocking! The sun was so bright on the stark landscape that consists of light grey (almost white) rock/gravel that is everywhere. There is not a tree or a plant anywhere….just rocks and dust and people…..so many people! It feels wrong in a way that all of these people should be running around on top of the mazes of tunnels that lead to tombs beneath the ground. Sunglasses are an essential here and we can only imagine how hot it must be during the summer. Here we are in January, the middle of winter, and we’re uncomfortably warm.
An important tidbit of information that you may find interesting is that 25% of all the world’s ancient monuments are located right here in Luxor! Even the statistics here are AMAZING!!!
From Valley of the Kings…we were off to Karnak Temple (Lynda’s favourite) where we were greeted by a row of miniature sphinx’s lining both sides of the walk. For any of you who have been to the Luxor in Vegas…..you’ll have seen the replica of this walk as we were standing at the original site of what they copied to create the illusion of this phenomenal place in Vegas. This temple site is impressive in size alone and as we wandered through it from room to room learning about the meaning of the relief stories that were written all over the walls there was a sense of silence among the noise of the crowds as everyone was conflicted with the same emotions…..a combination of awe, wonder, respect, and curiosity. The temple consists of a series of rooms and passageways and there are an astounding 134 massive columns still standing today. Each column is probably 10-12 feet in diameter and stands at least 30 feet high. We felt like ants walking among them…..the power each of them possessed through sheer size and number alone was impressive but when that was coupled with the fact that they’ve ruled that land for 5,000 years……it was overwhelming and we were all awestruck. Hoda showed us the wall that held the first peace treaty ever in history….it was between Ramses II and the King of another land. Ramses had not been entirely successful in conquering the King so the peace treaty spells out the agreement they came to and the fact that Ramses would take the Kings daughter to be one of his many wives to seal the deal. The relief work (in addition to this peace treaty) at Karnak was evident everywhere and Hoda explained about stories of war, of festivals, of death and of the afterlife. It was as though the characters on the walls came to life to whisper their stories to us as we passed through this ancient wonder.
From Karnak we were back across the Nile again (BTW…the Nile is 1500 miles long and if filled with boats of all sizes) to check into our hotel, the St George’s – a former palace. We had only 15 minutes to drop our bags in our rooms before we were off again. There was enough time though to be reminded that we were in a Muslim country as the call to prayer was on again and this time we could hear it coming from multiple mosques simultaneously……their voices blending together in their individual calls.
Within minutes we were back on the bus and headed to Luxor Temple, another ancient site, that was equally impressive but that we’d be able to see by night under the lights which added an even more magical dimension to the already phenomenal experience. Here the columns were narrower and curved ever so slightly to give the illusion of the shape of a papyrus and to give the impression of something that was both a work of art and a symbol of the belief that the papyrus was a holy plant. The lights also magnified the relief work that covered the walls here as well so there was another opportunity to hear the whispered stories of 5,000 years ago.
After a late night dinner…we fell into our beds in our palatial room overlooking the Nile with lights from the Valley of the Tombs glowing in the distance across the river.
Our 4:30 wake up call, a breakfast box to go, and a cup of Nescafe or tea (yes…they only have instant coffee here) got us to the airport in time to catch our early morning flight to Cairo for the continuation of our Egyptian adventures. It’s interesting to note that we only saw Egyptian Air planes at the international airport….whether this is because we only saw their hangar or because those are the only planes that fly here…..is a question we don’t know the answer to. The Cairo airport is under major construction though so perhaps other flights are there but just not visible to us from our small vantage point.
Cairo is a huge city with a population of 20 million people and plenty of smog! It is the largest city in Africa, known as “the city that never sleeps” and with that comes the insanity you might expect. Traffic is at a standstill much of the time and vehicles of all sizes communicate with one another through their horns and whistles so there is a constant background noise that is unfamiliar to visitors from a place like Summerland. It’s a good thing that they have this method of communication as the lanes that are marked on the road aren’t really used at all…..where there are 4 marked lanes….the vehicles find 6 to use! There is huge disparity in the homes we pass by along our journey….some are veritable palaces and others are barely shacks. There appears to be lots of poverty and garbage fills the ditches that line the roadways. The people are clean and busy with their daily lives as we pass by them on our way to experience the pyramids across the Nile to the West bank and Giza. Driving through Cairo left us with the feeling that we truly were in Egypt….everyone was obviously local and the only visitors to the country were on the bus with us. Before crossing the river, we stopped at the Egyptian Museum where we joined the throngs of visitors to explore this building that is filled to the rafters with archives and treasures from the ancients. A highlight for everyone was the rooms that house King Tut’s treasures…..to think that all of this could have been packed into that tiny burial chamber/tomb with him…..is almost beyond belief. Solid gold masks, locks of his grandmothers hair, shoes, boxes, jewellery, knives, hundreds of statues, seeds (that when planted in modern times actually grew!), buttons and beads, a floral arrangement (that until the tomb was opened had retained all of its leaves and petals but that now is beginning to deteriorate a little since our interference with it), and more artifacts that he might have been able to use in his afterlife. King Tut didn’t rule long (only 10 years) and he really didn’t impact the history in any significant way so it is interesting that his treasures were so rich and that as a result he is probably the best known of all the pharaohs the world over.
From the Museum we were back en route to Giza and the pyramids. It was a surprise to find them right in the city……I don’t know what we expected but maybe that we’d have to cross the desert (the Sahara borders the location of the pyramids) to get to them but no…..we could see them in the distance while we were still driving through the city. In fact the hotel where we would have lunch later in the day was very near the pyramids and boasted some of the best views right from their rooms.
There were 3 stops at the site of the pyramids….the first was the main stop where we not only had the opportunity to wander the (very uneven) grounds around the base of these massive and ancient wonders but also were able to climb atop a camel for a short ride down a small hill, a photo opportunity, and the ride back up. Both Lynda and I participated in this ‘extra’ and you can rest assured that getting on and off a camel is not an easy task. Well…..the getting on and off isn’t really all that difficult….it is more when the camel stands up or lays down for you to get on and off that is the tough bit!! It’s a matter of leaning in the right direction and holding on tight!!! No one fell off though so it was another great addition to our amazing Egyptian adventure. We decided to forgo the descent into the pyramids as there is nothing to see there and it would take time away from the short time we had to wonder at the majestic sight that was above the ground.
Still smelling a little like a camel and with some camel poo stuck to our shoes….we were off to the next location…..the Sphinx. Here there was another great photo opportunity with this recognizable beast in front of the pyramids in the background. This location, like all the others, was crawling with Tourism Police, and some rather aggressive vendors.
All in all……the Ultimate Egypt tour was worth every penny and will leave a lasting impression on both of us. The 3 hour bus ride back to Alexandria gave us time to reflect on all that we had seen and felt over the two day trip. The highway took us through farmland (crops include grapes, cotton, and rice) and some interesting looking rather large bullet shaped structures. Hoda explained that they were pigeon houses! Egyptians love pigeons….for pets, for carrying messages, and for food…..yes…..they manage to find enough meat on those little birds! In fact….we’re pretty sure now that pigeon might have been one of the dishes at our lunch buffet in Luxor. It was called duck but it was the smallest boniest duck ever. Lynda had some and said it was good but different.
We made it back to the bus a few minutes after our scheduled departure time! Several busses had been delayed with the traffic coming out of Cairo and ours was one of them. This is one of those occasions that you’re really glad you’re on a tour that has been booked though the cruise line as they’ll hold the ship’s departure for your return. The drive back through the traffic had been an adventure in itself…at one point we thought our driver was going to get into a fight with a big green tanker that was beside us and who wouldn’t let us into the flow of traffic and past him. Aggression is a critical element to success in driving here! I’m really glad I didn’t have to do it!!
Boat is now underway to Malta, our final stop, and we’re going to enjoy this day at sea where we’ll have an opportunity to rest up from all we did in Egypt. I’m really thankful to have this time to get some of my notes from Egypt into the blog as I don’t want to forget any of it.....till next time,
L & L
Since then we’ve been everywhere, done everything, and all we have to say about it is, “WOW!”
As well, somehow all of our clothes continue to shrink!! We’ve gotten so much exercise since we first arrived on the Jade that we were sure we’d have to go shopping for a smaller size but no……fortunately the de-humidifier on the ship has taken care of the problem for us. Not only does it keep the humidity down on the ship but it sucks all the moisture out of the fabric in your clothes so they shrink quite a bit during the time that you’re on board. Buttons on blouses have begun to gape, bras barely hold it ‘all’ in, full briefs have turned into thongs, and jeans have become capris…..it’s like having a whole new wardrobe. It seems that even metal can be affected by the dehumidifier – Lynda even had to have an extra link put in her watch strap today!
We’re both tired tonight! So tired in fact that when Lynda stood up from the dinner table she almost fell back down again. It seems that her muscles went to sleep without her, which can be a real problem when you’re trying to stand on a ship that is underway!
The past week has been kind of like being in a time warp that spans more than 5000 years. We’ve travelled from the present where eatfests take place on ships that look like Hawaii to times long past where gladiators fought for the entertainment of others and where pharaohs oversaw the building of temples that are beyond description. We’ve experienced sights and sounds that seem to have come directly from the movie screen and we’ve made friends with people from around the globe.
To focus in on the past two days will be a tall order as there may not be enough words to describe our experiences in Egypt. But here’s our best attempt……
A 4:30 wake-up call should have been an indication of just how busy we’d be during this shore excursion but we were undaunted and ready for anything yesterday morning. Our guide for the 2 days would be Hoda, an Egyptian who has more information about this country in her little finger than all of the guide books ever printed!
Bus to airport in Alexandria where we boarded an Egyptian Air flight for Luxor. We crossed the Nile as we left the port and drove through an eclectic mix of old and new that was just an appetizer for what was to come. 6 million people live in a 25 mile strip that is the city of Alexandria, named for Alexander the Great. During our bus ride we learned that pretty well everyone in Egypt has more than one job as wages are quite low so regardless of whether you’re a teacher, a government worker, or a labourer….it is likely that you’ll also drive a taxi, have a shop, or work in a restaurant during your “off” hours. On that same topic…..it is very unlikely that the income from that second job will be declared though…..this works in the favour of both the worker and the employer. The employer doesn’t have to pay benefits and the worker doesn’t have to pay taxes on that income because officially…..people only have one job. We also learned that in ancient Egypt everyone lived on the East side of the Nile as the West was reserved for death. In death all the gods cross from East to West as Rah, the god of sun, leads the way by rising in the East and setting in the West. As Hoda told us about what we were passing along the highway to the airport and about what the next 2 days would look like….we could see horses pulling wagons laden with crops, obvious poverty in the housing, women clad in burkas, and men smoking water pipes as they enjoyed a cup of coffee or tea on the corner….and all of this out of the bus windows. That would be the only thing that I could find fault with over the past 2 days….there were so many things that I saw and wanted to take pictures of but taking them out of a bus window as it’s bumping along at fairly high speeds is pretty much impossible. Our time was so packed full that we literally ran from early early morning till well after dark when we simply fell into bed for another 4 or 5 hours just to do it all again!
Flight to Luxor took about 1 ½ hours and was very comfortable. Luxor seems cleaner than Alexandria and maybe it is a little more ‘polished’ in keeping with the meaning of it’s name. The word luxor means ‘palaces’ in Egyptian. Looking out at the passing landscape and city scenes we could see lots of donkeys pulling carts, water buffalo crossing the Nile, horses pulling wagons around the city like taxis on every corner, LOTS of police that were very obviously armed, men sitting in coffee shops with their pipes and glass of tea, women working, and children playing. I saw an entire shop window dedicated just to selling burkas, and in the next block there was another shop dedicated to selling tiny little evening dresses for nights out in the clubs. The vast majority of women here choose to wear the traditional Muslim dress but what they’re wearing under it remains a mystery…..perhaps it is one of those tiny little dresses??? The call to prayer was underway (this sounds 5 times per day) and the sound of it adds to the exotic nature of the place. Most of the buildings are the same colour…..and colour isn’t really a word that fits to describe the homes we’re looking at. The only colour is the laundry that is hanging from the balcony’s to dry. The buildings are all kind of drab…..red/grey brick seems to be the most popular. There are so many satellite dishes on the rooftops…everyone must have TV! Many of the homes are unfinished and Hoda explained that this is because Egyptians don’t really believe in borrowing money from a bank so they put their money into their house and when they run out of money, they stop building until they can get more cash to work with. As well, it is common for a son to continue with the building when the time comes for him to take a wife and need a home of his own. In that case…the mom and dad would live on the lower floor and the son and his new wife would live on the 2nd floor and so on and so on. In addition…..we’ve heard that if a house is unfinished there are no taxes to be paid so there is a definite advantage to living in an unfinished house.
Our first stop would be the Valley of the Kings and unfortunately we weren’t able to take our cameras into the Valley at all. There has been too much damage to the paintings in the tombs from flash photography so the government has taken a very strong stand and imposed a zero tolerance policy for anyone having a camera anywhere in the site. The Valley of the Kings was an amazing surprise for both Lynda and I …… we just kept saying, “wow” over and over again.
I used to think that the pyramids were kind of the ‘be all and end all’ but thanks to Hoda now know that there was a time when the pyramids were the only home to pharaohs in death but once the grave robbers began to take their toll on the wealth that could be found within…..the builders of the tombs came up with a new plan. They recognized that the pyramids were just too obvious in helping the grave robbers to find the location of tombs and their treasures so they decided to not have any markings above ground but rather to create the magnificent hallways and rooms that can be found in the Valley of the Kings beneath the surface and out of sight and hopefully safe from thieves. In addition to the Valley of the Kings there is also a Valley of the Queens, a Valley of Nobles, a Valley of Workers, and so on….everyone and everything received some form of mummification and passage into their afterlife when they died. The Kings & Queens were buried using the most elaborate methods of mummification and had golden statues and masks to accompany them on their journey. The Nobles had a slightly simpler mummification process and their life form faces were painted onto the sarcofagace that their preserved bodies were placed in, the Workers, commoners, and animals had the simplest form of mummification and may not have had any face painted on their ‘coffin’. Even today….science cannot identify all of the chemicals or processes used in ancient mummification but there is evidence (and we saw a lot of it in the past couple of days) that a properly mummified body can last for many thousands of years!!
Each of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings is numbered in the order in which it was discovered and the signage also explains who’s tomb it is and what special features it boasts. The tombs that Lynda and I visited included: KV2 (that means it was the 2nd one found) that was built for Ramses IV, KV6 (the 6th one found) belonging to Ramses IX, and KV20 that was built for Ramses I. Both KV2 and KV6 were relatively easy to access but KV20 was another matter! It went almost straight down into the ground using steep stairs. I’m not sure how many stairs there were but our estimate is that it would be the equivalent of at least 4 or 5 floors so by the time we emerged at the surface again…..I for one was pretty much done for at least a few minutes and until we got to the next one. Ramses I tomb was hot, stuffy, and difficult due to the super steep flights of stairs. For the last 30 or 40 stairs….my right knee pretty well gave up so I put my head down gritted my teeth together and made it the rest of the way with my knee grinding itself to what felt like a pulp. We also visited KV62 (yes….the 62nd one found on the site) that I was really excited to see. It is King Tut’s tomb and I have to say that it was somewhat of a shock. When you look at all of the treasures that have come out of Tut’s tomb….you might think that it would have to be quite large but it pales in comparison to my imaginings. It is a small and fairly simple tomb that appears to have been hastily built (perhaps this is because Tut died so young) but….boy oh boy….was it ever packed to the gunnels with some really amazing treasure! The one really special thing that was in Tut’s tomb though was his mummified body and sarcofagace. There it is for all to see under glass just a couple of feet away in the same place that it has lain for the past 3000 years. It was such a gift to be able to see him right there in his tomb and I was glad that I had purchased the extra ticket to visit KV62. The other additional ticket we purchased was for KV9, the tomb of Ramses VI, and that will always be a highlight of the trip for me. KV9 is in unbelievable condition and the overall size of the space is beyond imagination. The tunnel from the surface is about 10’ wide and about 12’ high. Each “section” (and I don’t know why I call them sections….but that just seems the right word to use) is maybe 20 or 30 feet long and always sloping down and then there is a steeper section that goes deeper into the earth and then there is another long sloping section and then another that is steeper and then another that is long and sloping and then another steeper one and then…..I won’t go on but just say that KV9 was so much like the Sistine Chapel….the deeper you got into it….the stronger the pull to continue the journey. Every inch of KV9 was carved relief work on the walls and ceiling, there were decorative columns and little cut outs into the walls, like shelves, along the entire journey. As I felt myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the tomb I felt emotional….how is it possible that something this beautiful could be buried so deep beneath the surface and how is it possible that this has lasted so many thousands of years and still looks so good? I wonder how many nameless people must have died building this masterpiece, how long it must have taken them, and how many more tombs are still buried beneath the surface of the modern world.
Emerging from the tombs in the Valley of the Kings was shocking! The sun was so bright on the stark landscape that consists of light grey (almost white) rock/gravel that is everywhere. There is not a tree or a plant anywhere….just rocks and dust and people…..so many people! It feels wrong in a way that all of these people should be running around on top of the mazes of tunnels that lead to tombs beneath the ground. Sunglasses are an essential here and we can only imagine how hot it must be during the summer. Here we are in January, the middle of winter, and we’re uncomfortably warm.
An important tidbit of information that you may find interesting is that 25% of all the world’s ancient monuments are located right here in Luxor! Even the statistics here are AMAZING!!!
From Valley of the Kings…we were off to Karnak Temple (Lynda’s favourite) where we were greeted by a row of miniature sphinx’s lining both sides of the walk. For any of you who have been to the Luxor in Vegas…..you’ll have seen the replica of this walk as we were standing at the original site of what they copied to create the illusion of this phenomenal place in Vegas. This temple site is impressive in size alone and as we wandered through it from room to room learning about the meaning of the relief stories that were written all over the walls there was a sense of silence among the noise of the crowds as everyone was conflicted with the same emotions…..a combination of awe, wonder, respect, and curiosity. The temple consists of a series of rooms and passageways and there are an astounding 134 massive columns still standing today. Each column is probably 10-12 feet in diameter and stands at least 30 feet high. We felt like ants walking among them…..the power each of them possessed through sheer size and number alone was impressive but when that was coupled with the fact that they’ve ruled that land for 5,000 years……it was overwhelming and we were all awestruck. Hoda showed us the wall that held the first peace treaty ever in history….it was between Ramses II and the King of another land. Ramses had not been entirely successful in conquering the King so the peace treaty spells out the agreement they came to and the fact that Ramses would take the Kings daughter to be one of his many wives to seal the deal. The relief work (in addition to this peace treaty) at Karnak was evident everywhere and Hoda explained about stories of war, of festivals, of death and of the afterlife. It was as though the characters on the walls came to life to whisper their stories to us as we passed through this ancient wonder.
From Karnak we were back across the Nile again (BTW…the Nile is 1500 miles long and if filled with boats of all sizes) to check into our hotel, the St George’s – a former palace. We had only 15 minutes to drop our bags in our rooms before we were off again. There was enough time though to be reminded that we were in a Muslim country as the call to prayer was on again and this time we could hear it coming from multiple mosques simultaneously……their voices blending together in their individual calls.
Within minutes we were back on the bus and headed to Luxor Temple, another ancient site, that was equally impressive but that we’d be able to see by night under the lights which added an even more magical dimension to the already phenomenal experience. Here the columns were narrower and curved ever so slightly to give the illusion of the shape of a papyrus and to give the impression of something that was both a work of art and a symbol of the belief that the papyrus was a holy plant. The lights also magnified the relief work that covered the walls here as well so there was another opportunity to hear the whispered stories of 5,000 years ago.
After a late night dinner…we fell into our beds in our palatial room overlooking the Nile with lights from the Valley of the Tombs glowing in the distance across the river.
Our 4:30 wake up call, a breakfast box to go, and a cup of Nescafe or tea (yes…they only have instant coffee here) got us to the airport in time to catch our early morning flight to Cairo for the continuation of our Egyptian adventures. It’s interesting to note that we only saw Egyptian Air planes at the international airport….whether this is because we only saw their hangar or because those are the only planes that fly here…..is a question we don’t know the answer to. The Cairo airport is under major construction though so perhaps other flights are there but just not visible to us from our small vantage point.
Cairo is a huge city with a population of 20 million people and plenty of smog! It is the largest city in Africa, known as “the city that never sleeps” and with that comes the insanity you might expect. Traffic is at a standstill much of the time and vehicles of all sizes communicate with one another through their horns and whistles so there is a constant background noise that is unfamiliar to visitors from a place like Summerland. It’s a good thing that they have this method of communication as the lanes that are marked on the road aren’t really used at all…..where there are 4 marked lanes….the vehicles find 6 to use! There is huge disparity in the homes we pass by along our journey….some are veritable palaces and others are barely shacks. There appears to be lots of poverty and garbage fills the ditches that line the roadways. The people are clean and busy with their daily lives as we pass by them on our way to experience the pyramids across the Nile to the West bank and Giza. Driving through Cairo left us with the feeling that we truly were in Egypt….everyone was obviously local and the only visitors to the country were on the bus with us. Before crossing the river, we stopped at the Egyptian Museum where we joined the throngs of visitors to explore this building that is filled to the rafters with archives and treasures from the ancients. A highlight for everyone was the rooms that house King Tut’s treasures…..to think that all of this could have been packed into that tiny burial chamber/tomb with him…..is almost beyond belief. Solid gold masks, locks of his grandmothers hair, shoes, boxes, jewellery, knives, hundreds of statues, seeds (that when planted in modern times actually grew!), buttons and beads, a floral arrangement (that until the tomb was opened had retained all of its leaves and petals but that now is beginning to deteriorate a little since our interference with it), and more artifacts that he might have been able to use in his afterlife. King Tut didn’t rule long (only 10 years) and he really didn’t impact the history in any significant way so it is interesting that his treasures were so rich and that as a result he is probably the best known of all the pharaohs the world over.
From the Museum we were back en route to Giza and the pyramids. It was a surprise to find them right in the city……I don’t know what we expected but maybe that we’d have to cross the desert (the Sahara borders the location of the pyramids) to get to them but no…..we could see them in the distance while we were still driving through the city. In fact the hotel where we would have lunch later in the day was very near the pyramids and boasted some of the best views right from their rooms.
There were 3 stops at the site of the pyramids….the first was the main stop where we not only had the opportunity to wander the (very uneven) grounds around the base of these massive and ancient wonders but also were able to climb atop a camel for a short ride down a small hill, a photo opportunity, and the ride back up. Both Lynda and I participated in this ‘extra’ and you can rest assured that getting on and off a camel is not an easy task. Well…..the getting on and off isn’t really all that difficult….it is more when the camel stands up or lays down for you to get on and off that is the tough bit!! It’s a matter of leaning in the right direction and holding on tight!!! No one fell off though so it was another great addition to our amazing Egyptian adventure. We decided to forgo the descent into the pyramids as there is nothing to see there and it would take time away from the short time we had to wonder at the majestic sight that was above the ground.
Still smelling a little like a camel and with some camel poo stuck to our shoes….we were off to the next location…..the Sphinx. Here there was another great photo opportunity with this recognizable beast in front of the pyramids in the background. This location, like all the others, was crawling with Tourism Police, and some rather aggressive vendors.
All in all……the Ultimate Egypt tour was worth every penny and will leave a lasting impression on both of us. The 3 hour bus ride back to Alexandria gave us time to reflect on all that we had seen and felt over the two day trip. The highway took us through farmland (crops include grapes, cotton, and rice) and some interesting looking rather large bullet shaped structures. Hoda explained that they were pigeon houses! Egyptians love pigeons….for pets, for carrying messages, and for food…..yes…..they manage to find enough meat on those little birds! In fact….we’re pretty sure now that pigeon might have been one of the dishes at our lunch buffet in Luxor. It was called duck but it was the smallest boniest duck ever. Lynda had some and said it was good but different.
We made it back to the bus a few minutes after our scheduled departure time! Several busses had been delayed with the traffic coming out of Cairo and ours was one of them. This is one of those occasions that you’re really glad you’re on a tour that has been booked though the cruise line as they’ll hold the ship’s departure for your return. The drive back through the traffic had been an adventure in itself…at one point we thought our driver was going to get into a fight with a big green tanker that was beside us and who wouldn’t let us into the flow of traffic and past him. Aggression is a critical element to success in driving here! I’m really glad I didn’t have to do it!!
Boat is now underway to Malta, our final stop, and we’re going to enjoy this day at sea where we’ll have an opportunity to rest up from all we did in Egypt. I’m really thankful to have this time to get some of my notes from Egypt into the blog as I don’t want to forget any of it.....till next time,
L & L
Saturday, January 8, 2011
January 8, 2011
A great day at sea today! Sunny skies and smooth sailing thanks to the fact that the wind was with us. Spent much of the day basking in the Mediterranean sun snoozing and reading snoozing and reading and then snoozing and reading. Oh yes….there were a few meals in there somewhere too! We’re pretty certain that we’ve gained at least 5 lbs already and we’ve still got a few days of this eatfest to go!!!
Meeting time is for 6:30 a.m. so it’ll be an early night tonight as tomorrow and the next day will leave us “knackered” if we’re to believe the manager of the casino onboard. He and his wife took the same tour last month and he said it is one of the highlights of his travel life so we’re excited to experience it for ourselves.
Will be off the ship for two days so won’t have any access to internet….so until we’re Malta bound….you won’t hear from us.
Excited to be ‘almost in Egypt’!!
L & L
Meeting time is for 6:30 a.m. so it’ll be an early night tonight as tomorrow and the next day will leave us “knackered” if we’re to believe the manager of the casino onboard. He and his wife took the same tour last month and he said it is one of the highlights of his travel life so we’re excited to experience it for ourselves.
Will be off the ship for two days so won’t have any access to internet….so until we’re Malta bound….you won’t hear from us.
Excited to be ‘almost in Egypt’!!
L & L
January 7, 2011
Well…..if this is January 7th then we must be in Izmir, Turkey! Izmir is a really beautiful port and the bay is filled with yachts and ferries shuffling people from one side of the water to the other. Sitting on the outdoor deck for breakfast watching the birds soar through the blue blue skies and the boats skimming across the dark blue water left us both feeling very very lucky!
Izmir is built on terraces that ascend the hills around the port. It is the third largest city in Turkey and there are about 4 million people living here. Main exports are: carpets, leather, and ceramics. In addition they also have lots of agriculture but that is not a major export or industry.
As I mentioned in the last blog…..Kay had to go to the hospital in Turkey today to get additional x-rays and the plan was for Lynda and I to go with her but…..plans can change and the cruise line had made arrangements for someone who speaks Turkish to go with her so once they had Kay en route to the hospital (about 11:00 a.m.) Lynda and I took off to explore, and explore we did.
We knew we were in for a great day when, walking down the hallway outside of Kay’s room, we overheard a woman say to her husband “that’s the flower I was telling you about….the one that is travelling all around the world”. It was a not so subtle reminder that Flor has taken on her own identity and Lynda and I have faded into the background….Flor doesn’t really even need us anymore. The fact that we’re doing all the work and Flor is getting all the recognition gives us both quite a chuckle.
Turkish words we learned today are: Hello = Maraba, Thank You = Teshekoot, No = Hire, and Yes = Evitt. All of this came from Oeur, the taxi driver we secured just outside the customs office once we left the boat. We settled on a price of $75 USD for 3 hours of touring (including entrance fees) and were off on our adventure.
Touring the winding streets where there seem to be no rules at all was an adventure in itself but Oeur is an amazing driver and managed to wind his way through the maze with ease. One of our first stops was Agora and what a great stop it was! At first glance it looked like nothing more than a few columns standing in a field of broken pieces of marble but thanks to Oeur’s encouragement we set out into the field to look for whatever it was that he was directing us to explore. Oh yes…..I guess I haven’t mentioned that Oeur didn’t have any English and our Turkish doesn’t consist of much more than gobble gobble!
Agora was amazing! The name means “meeting place” and this meeting place was built in the 4th century BC. Although the sections that we could see at first glance didn’t look all that impressive; once we descended the stairs to the walkways that ran beneath the surface we were both awestruck. We wandered the paths under the perfectly intact arches and oohed and aahhed at the beauty of it all until we could hear the sound of many children arriving overhead. Within minutes they had spotted us from their posts up top and we immediately learned what it would be like to be a huge celebrity in the midst of a mob! Initially, they just called to us but before long we were above ground and in the middle of the pack with little people all around wanting to shake our hands and ask our names and tell us theirs and….well….you get the picture. As much as this may not sound like much in the telling…..please believe me when I say that it was a memory I will never forget and Turkey couldn’t hope for any better ambassadors than those kids were today.
Out of breath from our time with the kids we fell into our taksi (yes…that’s how they spell it here) and were off to Kadifekele, another ancient site that was built by Alexander the Great in 400 BC. The story goes that while on a hunting trip, Alexander fell asleep in the shade of a tree and when he awoke he liked the place so much he decided it should become the site of his fort and so it did. This stop took us to one of the highest points of land where the view of the bay was super impressive and we felt like we were on top of the world. We could see our ship far below in the harbor and it was obvious just how big the Jade is when you see her from that vantage point. The stairs up to the top of the walls of the fort were a challenge to climb but very much worth the effort. Some of them were short and narrow and others of them were soooo high that it was a stretch to pull yourself up. The site was also home to a few venders who were displaying their colourful weavings from lines strung between the trees. It was easy to see why Alexander the Great might have decided to build on this site……it really is very beautiful.
From here we were off to the bazaar in search of Darbuka drums (a Turkish drum). We found them on the second floor of a store that seemed to have a little of everything. The stairway up to the second floor was “interesting”….I’m not sure if we should call them stairs or a ladder but either way…..”interesting” is the safest word I can use in this public domain. In true Turkish culture we had to build relationship prior to beginning our barter and so after some apple tea, a few puffs on a water pipe (properly called a Nargilay) filled with apple tobacco, and a lot of chit chat with our host….we were ready to deal. As is often the case…..the process of getting to the sale was the best part of the story and in time….we came to agreement and our purchases were packaged up for us. In parting, our host pinned a ceramic Turkish eye and a little plastic bunch of grapes to our lapels. This is a traditional Turkish custom that means good luck and long life and both of us were moved by the sincerity with which they were given.
Our next stop in the bazaar was at a little local restaurant where the specialty was kebabs. In no time at all….we’d been served up a plate of delicious food that consisted of cut up Turkish bread, thinly sliced meat that had been roasted on a spit, tabouli, fresh tomatoes and some sour cream….and….there was something that looked a lot like a grilled green bean on there too. Foolishly…..I assumed that it was a green bean, cut it up into three pieces and put two of the pieces in my mouth. It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was NOT a green bean but rather a very hot Turkish pepper and there is not much you can do to still the burn once you’ve chewed and swallowed the little beast! The owner of the restaurant was hovering nearby and suggested that the tomato would help so I downed that and then put some sour cream on top and a few minutes later was back to as normal as I ever am so the story had a happy ending both in my survival of the Turkish pepper attack and in the deliciousness of our meal.
All through our meal, Oeur was sitting at a table near ours with several of his friends (he seems to know absolutely everyone here!). They were all visiting, drinking tea, and smoking….it seems that is a pretty common thing for men to do in Turkish bazaars.
Of course….no Turkish meal would be complete without a Turkish coffee afterward so….Oeur took us to another of his friend’s where we were once again greeted as guests and served coffee by the coffee runner who brought it in on a tray from another store about 20 meters away. Once our relationship building was behind us…..of course there was another opportunity for negotiation and again, Lynda managed to find something that will look perfect in her place so by the time we left…there were smiles all around.
Our three hours was long past and we were fast approaching 4 hours so decided it was time to go back to the ship. Of course, Oeur didn’t charge us any more than the originally agreed price and we were more than happy to give him a little extra for this amazing day in Izmir.
Back on the ship, we found that Kay had just returned from the hospital and her x-rays confirmed that she in fact does have a fractured shoulder so she’ll be in a sling for the next 6 weeks and then into physio after that. She had good care in the hospital and will have a Turkish story that none of the rest of us will have as a memory.
Tomorrow is a day at sea so it will likely be pretty quiet between now and the time we hit Egypt so until then……
L & L
Izmir is built on terraces that ascend the hills around the port. It is the third largest city in Turkey and there are about 4 million people living here. Main exports are: carpets, leather, and ceramics. In addition they also have lots of agriculture but that is not a major export or industry.
As I mentioned in the last blog…..Kay had to go to the hospital in Turkey today to get additional x-rays and the plan was for Lynda and I to go with her but…..plans can change and the cruise line had made arrangements for someone who speaks Turkish to go with her so once they had Kay en route to the hospital (about 11:00 a.m.) Lynda and I took off to explore, and explore we did.
We knew we were in for a great day when, walking down the hallway outside of Kay’s room, we overheard a woman say to her husband “that’s the flower I was telling you about….the one that is travelling all around the world”. It was a not so subtle reminder that Flor has taken on her own identity and Lynda and I have faded into the background….Flor doesn’t really even need us anymore. The fact that we’re doing all the work and Flor is getting all the recognition gives us both quite a chuckle.
Turkish words we learned today are: Hello = Maraba, Thank You = Teshekoot, No = Hire, and Yes = Evitt. All of this came from Oeur, the taxi driver we secured just outside the customs office once we left the boat. We settled on a price of $75 USD for 3 hours of touring (including entrance fees) and were off on our adventure.
Touring the winding streets where there seem to be no rules at all was an adventure in itself but Oeur is an amazing driver and managed to wind his way through the maze with ease. One of our first stops was Agora and what a great stop it was! At first glance it looked like nothing more than a few columns standing in a field of broken pieces of marble but thanks to Oeur’s encouragement we set out into the field to look for whatever it was that he was directing us to explore. Oh yes…..I guess I haven’t mentioned that Oeur didn’t have any English and our Turkish doesn’t consist of much more than gobble gobble!
Agora was amazing! The name means “meeting place” and this meeting place was built in the 4th century BC. Although the sections that we could see at first glance didn’t look all that impressive; once we descended the stairs to the walkways that ran beneath the surface we were both awestruck. We wandered the paths under the perfectly intact arches and oohed and aahhed at the beauty of it all until we could hear the sound of many children arriving overhead. Within minutes they had spotted us from their posts up top and we immediately learned what it would be like to be a huge celebrity in the midst of a mob! Initially, they just called to us but before long we were above ground and in the middle of the pack with little people all around wanting to shake our hands and ask our names and tell us theirs and….well….you get the picture. As much as this may not sound like much in the telling…..please believe me when I say that it was a memory I will never forget and Turkey couldn’t hope for any better ambassadors than those kids were today.
Out of breath from our time with the kids we fell into our taksi (yes…that’s how they spell it here) and were off to Kadifekele, another ancient site that was built by Alexander the Great in 400 BC. The story goes that while on a hunting trip, Alexander fell asleep in the shade of a tree and when he awoke he liked the place so much he decided it should become the site of his fort and so it did. This stop took us to one of the highest points of land where the view of the bay was super impressive and we felt like we were on top of the world. We could see our ship far below in the harbor and it was obvious just how big the Jade is when you see her from that vantage point. The stairs up to the top of the walls of the fort were a challenge to climb but very much worth the effort. Some of them were short and narrow and others of them were soooo high that it was a stretch to pull yourself up. The site was also home to a few venders who were displaying their colourful weavings from lines strung between the trees. It was easy to see why Alexander the Great might have decided to build on this site……it really is very beautiful.
From here we were off to the bazaar in search of Darbuka drums (a Turkish drum). We found them on the second floor of a store that seemed to have a little of everything. The stairway up to the second floor was “interesting”….I’m not sure if we should call them stairs or a ladder but either way…..”interesting” is the safest word I can use in this public domain. In true Turkish culture we had to build relationship prior to beginning our barter and so after some apple tea, a few puffs on a water pipe (properly called a Nargilay) filled with apple tobacco, and a lot of chit chat with our host….we were ready to deal. As is often the case…..the process of getting to the sale was the best part of the story and in time….we came to agreement and our purchases were packaged up for us. In parting, our host pinned a ceramic Turkish eye and a little plastic bunch of grapes to our lapels. This is a traditional Turkish custom that means good luck and long life and both of us were moved by the sincerity with which they were given.
Our next stop in the bazaar was at a little local restaurant where the specialty was kebabs. In no time at all….we’d been served up a plate of delicious food that consisted of cut up Turkish bread, thinly sliced meat that had been roasted on a spit, tabouli, fresh tomatoes and some sour cream….and….there was something that looked a lot like a grilled green bean on there too. Foolishly…..I assumed that it was a green bean, cut it up into three pieces and put two of the pieces in my mouth. It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was NOT a green bean but rather a very hot Turkish pepper and there is not much you can do to still the burn once you’ve chewed and swallowed the little beast! The owner of the restaurant was hovering nearby and suggested that the tomato would help so I downed that and then put some sour cream on top and a few minutes later was back to as normal as I ever am so the story had a happy ending both in my survival of the Turkish pepper attack and in the deliciousness of our meal.
All through our meal, Oeur was sitting at a table near ours with several of his friends (he seems to know absolutely everyone here!). They were all visiting, drinking tea, and smoking….it seems that is a pretty common thing for men to do in Turkish bazaars.
Of course….no Turkish meal would be complete without a Turkish coffee afterward so….Oeur took us to another of his friend’s where we were once again greeted as guests and served coffee by the coffee runner who brought it in on a tray from another store about 20 meters away. Once our relationship building was behind us…..of course there was another opportunity for negotiation and again, Lynda managed to find something that will look perfect in her place so by the time we left…there were smiles all around.
Our three hours was long past and we were fast approaching 4 hours so decided it was time to go back to the ship. Of course, Oeur didn’t charge us any more than the originally agreed price and we were more than happy to give him a little extra for this amazing day in Izmir.
Back on the ship, we found that Kay had just returned from the hospital and her x-rays confirmed that she in fact does have a fractured shoulder so she’ll be in a sling for the next 6 weeks and then into physio after that. She had good care in the hospital and will have a Turkish story that none of the rest of us will have as a memory.
Tomorrow is a day at sea so it will likely be pretty quiet between now and the time we hit Egypt so until then……
L & L
Thursday, January 6, 2011
January 6, 2011
8 countries in 8 days and we’re still standing – wahoo!
Docked this morning in Pireus, Greece – the ancient and original port area of Athens. Pireus was built in 500 BC but most of it has been rebuilt within the last century due to destruction that happened during WWII.
We stood on the top deck to experience our arrival through the islands that lead the way to the port and were greeted by the ringing of church bells in celebration of another special day….January 6th….the day that Christ was baptized according to the Orthodox faith. It is interesting to note that in Mexico, Jan 6th is Kings Day and the day that the 3 Kings (wise men) bring presents to all the kids. In Italy it is Befana, when the old woman rides on her broom to bring gifts to all the children and now in Greece…it is the day that Jesus was baptized and from what we were able to glean….it is a special holiday and there are gifts for the kids here too.
We learned that in Greece you say Yashu for Hello and Efharisto for Thank you so we were set to go!
We were on a tour today….Scenic Athens and the Acropolis and at the start of our tour the people in the back of the bus were saying, “turn up your mic….we can’t hear you” and at the end of the tour people were saying “we can hear you….turn down your mic”. Yes…..it was a disappointment to say the least BUT….never fear…..there is a story somewhere in there I’m sure…..
We did learn a few things on the tour though and were able to enjoy some of the sights of Athens from our bus. A tour bus is no Jesus (Mexico), Sylvano (Italy), or Rafael (Spain) though so some of our photos are blurry from being taken through the bus window.
On the upside….decorative orange/tangerine trees lined the city streets, there were taxis everywhere (it looked a lot like New York city on that front), there are buildings upon buildings-the density is so high, and there are statues or ancient ruins on every other corner.
As we left the port of Pireus where our ship was docked and rounded the corner to another port that was named for Zeus. This one was in the Agean Sea though so here we are within minutes of floating in the Mediterranean Sea and now we’re looking out at the Agean….we are very lucky! As it was January 6th there were many young boys lining the beach near this port waiting for church to get out and for the priest to throw a cross into the Sea. The boys would then all dive into the water and search for the cross hoping to be the first to find it as they would then enjoy a day of great luck and good fortune.
We spent a little time at the Pantheon – the stadium that was built for the original Olympic Games in 400 BC and that was rebuilt in 1896 when the Games were restored. This is the home location for the flame that travels the world over each time there is another year of the Games. In addition to the fact that this location is truly something very special and completely constructed of marble and very impressive in it’s size if nothing else…..I found the bathrooms here to be very interesting too. They were marked so simply with a W.C. and then a childlike drawing of a man or a woman beside each of the doorways. Inside the washrooms…..the walls and the floors were solid marble and amazingly impressive for their simple and understated entrance.
We saw the government house and the tomb for the unknown soldier where there are guards dressed in traditional costume and who change posts every hour.
We noticed that there is sooo much graffiti everywhere on all the building fronts and along the little city streets. We learned that the population of Athens is 4 ½ million which is about 45% of the total population of the entire country! We also learned that Acropolys means the top of the city and that the Acropolys in Athens was built in 3000 BC when it was dedicated to Athena, the daughter of Zeus. We also saw the ruins of a temple that was built for Zeus in 200 AD and that originally consisted of 166 columns but only 6 are left standing today. We learned that olives and their oil are the main export and industry in Greece and that there are 60 billion olive trees in the country. Other exports include: bananas, grapes, wine, tobacco, cotton, and bauxite (for aluminum production).
So….yes…..we did learn a few things along the way and we did see a few sights as well but…..here is the story that I alluded to……Our guide, Mina, was terrible (and I am being generous!). She was rude, didn’t listen, was disorganized, and you had to wade through her ramblings to glean the information we did get. People were so frustrated and continually getting left behind or totally lost and since Lynda is an organizer extraordinaire…..she simply took over the tour! Yes…..she now speaks fluent Greek and carries a sign along the streets of Athens with a trail of tourists following behind her! Well….maybe she can’t say any more than Hello and Thank You but….those are important words in any language and she really did take over carrying the sign and everyone really did follow her! We were all wearing little headsets so could hear what Mina was saying and that meant that we could hear Lynda too (since she was right beside Mina). Mina is very short (at most 5’) and I don’t think her arm can lift higher than her waist as that is as high as she was willing to hold the sign so Lynda would take the sign from her and hold it high overhead so the folks at the back would know what direction to head for. Mina would say, “give me my sign back” and Lynda would say “no….people can’t see – you’re not holding it high enough” and they’d go a few more steps and Mina would say “give me my sign back” and when Lynda said that “not everyone was there yet”, Mina simply replied that “enough of them are here so we’re going in”. Needless to say that about finished me and many others, so rather than following along for the rest of her tour most of the group fanned out and did their own thing.
That is when Lynda and I experienced our first taste of Greek coffee. We discovered that it is never served with cream…only sugar…..and that is VERY IMPORTANT based on the look we got from our server when we tried to order cream with it. We had to choose if we wanted to have it a little bit sweet, a medium amount of sugar, or very sweet. We both chose medium and that was plenty sweet! We bought sesame pretzels from a man on the side of the road that were delicious and we enjoyed the strains of an accordion being played extremely well by a little boy trying to earn some money. I bought a bracelet and earrings and when the jeweler put them on me….he said “may you wear these and have long life” and then things went downhill quickly from there…..
My life may be long but……my aunt Kay is one of the people in our party and one of the people who had been “left behind” by our guide Mina. When Kay was left behind…she stopped in a shop along the way and when she came out of a room missed the fact that there was a step down. It’s not good news but….. she fell and hurt her shoulder quite badly. As soon as we got her back to the ship she saw the doctor who did an x-ray with the onboard equipment and who made arrangements for her to see someone at the hospital in Turkey where we’ll be tomorrow morning for another x-ray on better equipment. Regardless of what they find…it is likely that the best they’ll be able to do for her is give her some pain killers and put her arm in a sling or maybe tape it right down but…..it hurts her a lot and will mean that her Turkish adventure will look quite different from what she thought it would. Lynda and I didn’t have any tour booked in Turkey so will accompany her to the hospital in the morning. It will be another story I’m sure!
On to another country in the morning….this jet-setting, country hopping lifestyle is certainly something different from what we’re used to in Canada where it takes days to just go from province to province! According to our cruise director, Gary (who is very fond of himself and we know that because he's told us so in 18 different languages!), there are 47 different countries represented on this ship so even if we weren't getting off in all these ports we're kind of like a floating United Nations. You never know if the person you say hello to in the elevator will understand English or look at you in confusion and it is super cool to see all the cultures represented in both the staff and the guests.
Till next time,
L & L
Docked this morning in Pireus, Greece – the ancient and original port area of Athens. Pireus was built in 500 BC but most of it has been rebuilt within the last century due to destruction that happened during WWII.
We stood on the top deck to experience our arrival through the islands that lead the way to the port and were greeted by the ringing of church bells in celebration of another special day….January 6th….the day that Christ was baptized according to the Orthodox faith. It is interesting to note that in Mexico, Jan 6th is Kings Day and the day that the 3 Kings (wise men) bring presents to all the kids. In Italy it is Befana, when the old woman rides on her broom to bring gifts to all the children and now in Greece…it is the day that Jesus was baptized and from what we were able to glean….it is a special holiday and there are gifts for the kids here too.
We learned that in Greece you say Yashu for Hello and Efharisto for Thank you so we were set to go!
We were on a tour today….Scenic Athens and the Acropolis and at the start of our tour the people in the back of the bus were saying, “turn up your mic….we can’t hear you” and at the end of the tour people were saying “we can hear you….turn down your mic”. Yes…..it was a disappointment to say the least BUT….never fear…..there is a story somewhere in there I’m sure…..
We did learn a few things on the tour though and were able to enjoy some of the sights of Athens from our bus. A tour bus is no Jesus (Mexico), Sylvano (Italy), or Rafael (Spain) though so some of our photos are blurry from being taken through the bus window.
On the upside….decorative orange/tangerine trees lined the city streets, there were taxis everywhere (it looked a lot like New York city on that front), there are buildings upon buildings-the density is so high, and there are statues or ancient ruins on every other corner.
As we left the port of Pireus where our ship was docked and rounded the corner to another port that was named for Zeus. This one was in the Agean Sea though so here we are within minutes of floating in the Mediterranean Sea and now we’re looking out at the Agean….we are very lucky! As it was January 6th there were many young boys lining the beach near this port waiting for church to get out and for the priest to throw a cross into the Sea. The boys would then all dive into the water and search for the cross hoping to be the first to find it as they would then enjoy a day of great luck and good fortune.
We spent a little time at the Pantheon – the stadium that was built for the original Olympic Games in 400 BC and that was rebuilt in 1896 when the Games were restored. This is the home location for the flame that travels the world over each time there is another year of the Games. In addition to the fact that this location is truly something very special and completely constructed of marble and very impressive in it’s size if nothing else…..I found the bathrooms here to be very interesting too. They were marked so simply with a W.C. and then a childlike drawing of a man or a woman beside each of the doorways. Inside the washrooms…..the walls and the floors were solid marble and amazingly impressive for their simple and understated entrance.
We saw the government house and the tomb for the unknown soldier where there are guards dressed in traditional costume and who change posts every hour.
We noticed that there is sooo much graffiti everywhere on all the building fronts and along the little city streets. We learned that the population of Athens is 4 ½ million which is about 45% of the total population of the entire country! We also learned that Acropolys means the top of the city and that the Acropolys in Athens was built in 3000 BC when it was dedicated to Athena, the daughter of Zeus. We also saw the ruins of a temple that was built for Zeus in 200 AD and that originally consisted of 166 columns but only 6 are left standing today. We learned that olives and their oil are the main export and industry in Greece and that there are 60 billion olive trees in the country. Other exports include: bananas, grapes, wine, tobacco, cotton, and bauxite (for aluminum production).
So….yes…..we did learn a few things along the way and we did see a few sights as well but…..here is the story that I alluded to……Our guide, Mina, was terrible (and I am being generous!). She was rude, didn’t listen, was disorganized, and you had to wade through her ramblings to glean the information we did get. People were so frustrated and continually getting left behind or totally lost and since Lynda is an organizer extraordinaire…..she simply took over the tour! Yes…..she now speaks fluent Greek and carries a sign along the streets of Athens with a trail of tourists following behind her! Well….maybe she can’t say any more than Hello and Thank You but….those are important words in any language and she really did take over carrying the sign and everyone really did follow her! We were all wearing little headsets so could hear what Mina was saying and that meant that we could hear Lynda too (since she was right beside Mina). Mina is very short (at most 5’) and I don’t think her arm can lift higher than her waist as that is as high as she was willing to hold the sign so Lynda would take the sign from her and hold it high overhead so the folks at the back would know what direction to head for. Mina would say, “give me my sign back” and Lynda would say “no….people can’t see – you’re not holding it high enough” and they’d go a few more steps and Mina would say “give me my sign back” and when Lynda said that “not everyone was there yet”, Mina simply replied that “enough of them are here so we’re going in”. Needless to say that about finished me and many others, so rather than following along for the rest of her tour most of the group fanned out and did their own thing.
That is when Lynda and I experienced our first taste of Greek coffee. We discovered that it is never served with cream…only sugar…..and that is VERY IMPORTANT based on the look we got from our server when we tried to order cream with it. We had to choose if we wanted to have it a little bit sweet, a medium amount of sugar, or very sweet. We both chose medium and that was plenty sweet! We bought sesame pretzels from a man on the side of the road that were delicious and we enjoyed the strains of an accordion being played extremely well by a little boy trying to earn some money. I bought a bracelet and earrings and when the jeweler put them on me….he said “may you wear these and have long life” and then things went downhill quickly from there…..
My life may be long but……my aunt Kay is one of the people in our party and one of the people who had been “left behind” by our guide Mina. When Kay was left behind…she stopped in a shop along the way and when she came out of a room missed the fact that there was a step down. It’s not good news but….. she fell and hurt her shoulder quite badly. As soon as we got her back to the ship she saw the doctor who did an x-ray with the onboard equipment and who made arrangements for her to see someone at the hospital in Turkey where we’ll be tomorrow morning for another x-ray on better equipment. Regardless of what they find…it is likely that the best they’ll be able to do for her is give her some pain killers and put her arm in a sling or maybe tape it right down but…..it hurts her a lot and will mean that her Turkish adventure will look quite different from what she thought it would. Lynda and I didn’t have any tour booked in Turkey so will accompany her to the hospital in the morning. It will be another story I’m sure!
On to another country in the morning….this jet-setting, country hopping lifestyle is certainly something different from what we’re used to in Canada where it takes days to just go from province to province! According to our cruise director, Gary (who is very fond of himself and we know that because he's told us so in 18 different languages!), there are 47 different countries represented on this ship so even if we weren't getting off in all these ports we're kind of like a floating United Nations. You never know if the person you say hello to in the elevator will understand English or look at you in confusion and it is super cool to see all the cultures represented in both the staff and the guests.
Till next time,
L & L
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
January 4, 2011
What a FULL day after a very short night! It’s all good though and neither of us would want to change a single moment of this unforgettable day. It was so full that it’s likely to be a bit of a ‘book’ by the time I’m finished telling the stories as well!
Had to meet our “tour group” at 8:30 in the Stardust Theatre and I put tour group into quotations as today wasn’t really a tour….it was more like a transfer from the ship into the city of Rome as our port (Chitavecchia) is 1 ½ hours away by bus on a low traffic day. We had booked Rome On Your Own so….have been planning what to see and do during our short time in the city. The drive from Chitavecchia (which means Old City) was so informative and really lovely too. This small port city of 65,000 people boasts the ancient original entrance to Rome and the roads to get to Rome are lined with Eucalyptus and Olive trees.
We arrived just outside of St Peter’s Square and the gates to the tiny country of Vatican City at 10:30 this morning and had to be back at that location to meet our bus back to the ship at 4:00 in the afternoon so even though Rome wasn’t built in a day….we were going to have to see it all in just 5 ½ hours. It was a seemingly impossible task but we were up for the challenge and ready to give it our best shot.
We decided to start with the Sistine Chapel so made a quick dash to the left keeping to the outside of the wall to Vatican City but all the while keeping the wall on our left. It didn’t take long till we hit the line up of people waiting to get into the Museum and the Chapel. (You have to go through the museum to get to the chapel and the museum is one of the largest in the world!) We made a fairly simple decision to take one of the “pullers” up on their offer of a ticket to bypass the line up and within minutes were in a travel agents office paying 34 Euros (instead of the admission price of 12 Euros) to jump the queue. What would have taken us at least 2 hours ended up taking a mere 30 minutes!!
We made our way through the museum as quickly as we could but given that there were so many amazing sights to see and so many people crammed into the space….that was not a simple task. By the time that we made it to the Sistine Chapel….we were hot, tired, and ready to finish this leg of our Roman adventure. Our shuttle guide from the ship had suggested that if we made it into and through the Chapel that we might want to take the ‘short cut’ out and since we were about done we decided to take her advice. She had suggested that if we were to exit to the right of the final room in the Chapel we would find a door marked for guided tours only and that if we waited near that door for just a few minutes…there would be a tour that we could tag onto the end of to get out via that preferred route. There were a couple of tours right away that used that door but they were too small for us to join…only 2-4 people in them so we would have been too obvious an addition. Instead we decided to attach ourselves to the third group that used the exit. They were a much larger group and we felt pretty confident that we’d be able to blend right in. The only possible challenge on the blending in front is that they were all wearing grey but we decided to give it a go anyway. The good news is that we made it out but the rest of the story is that they were all in grey and carrying crosses as they were a group of nuns so although we fit in with the fact that they were all women….I’m not so sure that we’d qualify on any other count. In addition to being a little ‘different’ from the rest of our group….we also found ourselves in the crypts of the Cathedral so we’ll never know for sure if that is the way that all tour groups leave or if we had a special tour given the status of our group. Regardless….it was an interesting experience and the only way that I can think to describe the museum and the chapel is to say that it is like walking deeper and deeper into something that becomes more and more detailed and impressive with each step you take. There were statues, and carpets, and mosaics, and paintings. The walls were all done and the ceilings were too gorgeous to be believed and even the floors underfoot were tiled in mosaic patters or richly polished marble that was so beautifully worn you couldn’t help but let your imagination wander to another time and place where historical characters came to life. Even though we sped through the museum and the cathedral….it took us a full two hours to get back to our starting place on the street so now we knew we’d really have to find some luck and some stamina if we still hoped to complete the rest of our agenda in just 3 ½ hours!
We set out on foot for the old castle that was built over a period of three different eras and that had been everything from a church to a jail to it’s most recent iteration…..a castle. From there we crossed the Tibre river on a pedestrian only bridge and then hit the streets of Rome. Before we knew it we were definitely off track and our plan was rapidly becoming a distant memory as we rolled with the concept of “what will be will be”.
We walked until we met an American woman who lives in Rome and who was able to direct us to one of her favourite squares…..the Piazza del Farnese. There we discovered a traditional Roman style market where fruit, vegetables, and flowers filled the square with colour and locals bought their produce for the evening meal. This market runs every day of the week except Sundays. From the piazza we made our way up one of the little cobblestone streets, that are barely wide enough for one car, and came across a tiny little bakery/deli where we decided to stop for a snack. We settled on a broccoli and cheese paninni and two hot chocolates. The sandwich was delicious but the chocolate was out of this world! It was so thick you could stand your spoon up in it….it was super dark and rich and neither bitter nor sweet…..all in all…..it was like nothing either of us had ever tasted. We were seated in a tiny little back room that boasted only one equally tiny table where the owner had been sitting with a friend for a glass of wine just minutes before. We weren’t sure if this table was for public use or not but for some reason….the staff had decided to give us some kind of special treatment and we decided to accept. Our chairs were crammed into a tiny space between the doorway to the shop and a back wall. I took the wall and Lynda took the doorway. It was only a couple of minutes later that the wall behind me opened and out came one of the bakers! There was an entire bakery back there and it was no mom and pop operation….it was a big commercial type bakery that had many many people working back there and who’d have thought that it was all just behind the wall I was crushed up against! In the time that it took us to finish our chocolate….that wall/door had been opened and closed for people to pass at least ½ dozen times and each time was as much of a novelty as the first time that it happened. In addition to the “secret door” Lynda was virtually abducted from her seat during our lunch! The woman who owns the shop (and who doesn’t speak a word of English!!) decided she’d like to try to sell Lynda some of the product that they make and ship from that bakery behind the wall. It was lots of fun and the laughter only escalated when the woman asked for a 2nd Canadian lapel pin as she wanted to stick them in her ears!
A few minutes later when we were back on the street and I was taking pictures….I took a photo of a guy roasting chestnuts. He didn’t speak any English but it didn’t take long for me to understand that he wasn’t very happy that I’d taken his picture without asking his permission first. I apologized, showed him the picture and asked him if I could keep it or if he wanted me to delete it. He asked if I was American and when I said “no….Canada”…he just smiled and said that it was okay then and shook my hand. Go figure…..I’d been treated very well as a Canadian all over the world and had heard about this kind of experience (something to do with war times in Italy I’ve been told) but had never felt the effects of it first hand until today. The only thing I can say about it is that I learned a lesson….or perhaps was reminded of one that I had let slip…..always ask permission to take someone’s photo and to give thanks to all the Canadian’s (military and travellers alike) who represent our country so well and leave people like the man I offended today, open to forgiveness of my insensitivity.
I need to interject here as it’s now the next day and I’m typing this from an 8th floor dining room where I can see both Italy and Sicily on either side of the Jade. This is a very narrow pass so it feels like we can almost touch both pieces of land. There are boats that look like toys in comparison to the size of our ship buzzing around us in the water and the sun is shining……yep……life is good! Sicily is crammed with buildings in contrast to the toe of Italy’s boot….although…..not much further along the Italian coast is also filled with buildings. As I look out at Sicily though…..I can’t see even a bit of green…just city scape from my vantage point. In fairness, I am on the Italian side of the ship so my view on this side extends much further up the hills.
Now back to the Roman blog….. From where I left off we caught a quick cab to the Pantheon which is fondly dubbed either ‘the wedding cake’ or ‘the typewriter’ because of the look of it. The Pantheon is one of the very few original Roman buildings that is still in tact. It was built by Hadrian and dedicated to the Roman gods. It really is a very beautiful and a very grand building and is just around the corner from both the ruins that are the forum and the coliseum.
Rounding the corner from the Pantheon and seeing the Coliseum in front of us was a special moment…the kind of moment that is reserved for seeing something so recognizable for the very first time. A couple of bits of trivia for you about the Coliseum are: It is also known as the Flavium and it housed the amphitheatre where the gladiators would fight for the entertainment of the Romans. There were no killings of the Christians here nor were there chariot races within the amphitheatre for the simple reason that the floor of that space would not have held the weight of the chariot races. It was built in 72 AD and took only 8 years to build. The floor of the amphitheatre was covered in sand to absorb the blood of the gladiators and the Italian word for sand is ‘arena’ hence the term Arena was born the world over.
As time was running short and the weather had turned from chilly to cold and wet we decided to grab another cab to see if we might be able to see a couple more of the sights on our list en route back to our assigned meeting place near the Vatican.
It seems we are no less lucky in Italy and in no time at all we were seated in the comfort of Sylvano’s private cab. What a lovely man! He drove a limo for the movie industry for 21 years and 3 years ago decided to leave that life and purchase his own car/cab and are we ever glad he did! His English was good and he was happy to show us the city he was born in. We learned that the way to say, we’re lucky in Italian is, “Fortunata”….should be able to remember that one!! This is one of those English words that you just have to add the Italian accent to and you’re speaking Italian.
Sylvano explained that all the kids in Italy are still on vacation until after January 6th due to the holiday for Befana. Befana is a legendary woman who he described as old and poorly dressed, carrying a broom, and flying through the air to bring gifts to all the boys and girls on January 6th. Sounds much like Kings Day that is celebrated in Mexico! Another reminder that the world is a small place.
Sylvano took us to all of the places we had hoped to see in the time we had left and even managed to fit a few additional locations in as well.
We visited the Trevi Fountain and tossed in our coins. The critical piece to that feat is that you must turn your back to the water and toss the coins with your right hand over your left shoulder for it all to work. You toss 1 coin to return to Rome and 2 coins for love…..I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how many coins Lynda and I tossed.
Next up was the Spanish Steps where there was a vendor trying to give us both roses just for luck and maybe for a small donation too.
From there we were off to the Piazza Noven where the Brazilian Embassy was experiencing a group of protesters so the Polizia were out in full force and of course….we were able to get a photo of one of them with Flor. This piazza is also home to a church that has a statue in front of it that represents the 4 rivers. There is local folklore that says that one of the characters on the statue is holding up his hands in horror and that this is due to a dispute he was having with one of the other fellows who designed the church. It is believed that his horror is intended to offend the designer of the church….but unless that statue comes to life…..who knows the real story??? Noven is also the only place in all of Italy where you can get a very special treat called “tortufa” and so of course….since we were there….we did just that! It is a frozen dark chocolate truffle covered in whipped cream and you can rest assured that if either of us ever gets back to Noven….we’ll be buying another!!! The tortufa is much too large for just one person so we shared the one that we purchased with Sylvano and he enjoyed it as much as we did. It truly was a decadent and memorable tasty treat. Also in the Piazza Noven there was a small fair underway due to the holidays for Befana so in addition to all of the polizia and the protestors, there were children and their families, carrousels, balloons, and vendors of all types. Restaurants spilled out into the piazza and there was a passionate and festive flavor to the place.
In addition to all of this we also saw the ancient ruins of the infrastructure that housed the boats that the Romans used for boat battles as entertainment (much like the gladiators), several of the main shopping areas, numerous other little piazzas, and one of the seven hills of Rome that provide views of the city.
All in all….it was a day to remember and we were once again fortunata and as a result able to do it all. So….as I watch the Italian and the Sicilian coastlines fade into the distance….I’ll say goodbye for another day.
Till next time,
L & L
p.s.
We’d been warned that visitors to Rome should only plan on seeing 2-3 sights during a day trip there so unless you’re ‘fortunata’ like we are….don’t count on being able to accomplish all that we did in the short time we had. Although….if you are planning to be in Rome…..here is Sylvano Broglia’s cell number so you too can experience it all. Telephone: +39 06 72671339 Mobile: +39 347 8544963 E-Mail: silvanobroglia@yahoo.it
Had to meet our “tour group” at 8:30 in the Stardust Theatre and I put tour group into quotations as today wasn’t really a tour….it was more like a transfer from the ship into the city of Rome as our port (Chitavecchia) is 1 ½ hours away by bus on a low traffic day. We had booked Rome On Your Own so….have been planning what to see and do during our short time in the city. The drive from Chitavecchia (which means Old City) was so informative and really lovely too. This small port city of 65,000 people boasts the ancient original entrance to Rome and the roads to get to Rome are lined with Eucalyptus and Olive trees.
We arrived just outside of St Peter’s Square and the gates to the tiny country of Vatican City at 10:30 this morning and had to be back at that location to meet our bus back to the ship at 4:00 in the afternoon so even though Rome wasn’t built in a day….we were going to have to see it all in just 5 ½ hours. It was a seemingly impossible task but we were up for the challenge and ready to give it our best shot.
We decided to start with the Sistine Chapel so made a quick dash to the left keeping to the outside of the wall to Vatican City but all the while keeping the wall on our left. It didn’t take long till we hit the line up of people waiting to get into the Museum and the Chapel. (You have to go through the museum to get to the chapel and the museum is one of the largest in the world!) We made a fairly simple decision to take one of the “pullers” up on their offer of a ticket to bypass the line up and within minutes were in a travel agents office paying 34 Euros (instead of the admission price of 12 Euros) to jump the queue. What would have taken us at least 2 hours ended up taking a mere 30 minutes!!
We made our way through the museum as quickly as we could but given that there were so many amazing sights to see and so many people crammed into the space….that was not a simple task. By the time that we made it to the Sistine Chapel….we were hot, tired, and ready to finish this leg of our Roman adventure. Our shuttle guide from the ship had suggested that if we made it into and through the Chapel that we might want to take the ‘short cut’ out and since we were about done we decided to take her advice. She had suggested that if we were to exit to the right of the final room in the Chapel we would find a door marked for guided tours only and that if we waited near that door for just a few minutes…there would be a tour that we could tag onto the end of to get out via that preferred route. There were a couple of tours right away that used that door but they were too small for us to join…only 2-4 people in them so we would have been too obvious an addition. Instead we decided to attach ourselves to the third group that used the exit. They were a much larger group and we felt pretty confident that we’d be able to blend right in. The only possible challenge on the blending in front is that they were all wearing grey but we decided to give it a go anyway. The good news is that we made it out but the rest of the story is that they were all in grey and carrying crosses as they were a group of nuns so although we fit in with the fact that they were all women….I’m not so sure that we’d qualify on any other count. In addition to being a little ‘different’ from the rest of our group….we also found ourselves in the crypts of the Cathedral so we’ll never know for sure if that is the way that all tour groups leave or if we had a special tour given the status of our group. Regardless….it was an interesting experience and the only way that I can think to describe the museum and the chapel is to say that it is like walking deeper and deeper into something that becomes more and more detailed and impressive with each step you take. There were statues, and carpets, and mosaics, and paintings. The walls were all done and the ceilings were too gorgeous to be believed and even the floors underfoot were tiled in mosaic patters or richly polished marble that was so beautifully worn you couldn’t help but let your imagination wander to another time and place where historical characters came to life. Even though we sped through the museum and the cathedral….it took us a full two hours to get back to our starting place on the street so now we knew we’d really have to find some luck and some stamina if we still hoped to complete the rest of our agenda in just 3 ½ hours!
We set out on foot for the old castle that was built over a period of three different eras and that had been everything from a church to a jail to it’s most recent iteration…..a castle. From there we crossed the Tibre river on a pedestrian only bridge and then hit the streets of Rome. Before we knew it we were definitely off track and our plan was rapidly becoming a distant memory as we rolled with the concept of “what will be will be”.
We walked until we met an American woman who lives in Rome and who was able to direct us to one of her favourite squares…..the Piazza del Farnese. There we discovered a traditional Roman style market where fruit, vegetables, and flowers filled the square with colour and locals bought their produce for the evening meal. This market runs every day of the week except Sundays. From the piazza we made our way up one of the little cobblestone streets, that are barely wide enough for one car, and came across a tiny little bakery/deli where we decided to stop for a snack. We settled on a broccoli and cheese paninni and two hot chocolates. The sandwich was delicious but the chocolate was out of this world! It was so thick you could stand your spoon up in it….it was super dark and rich and neither bitter nor sweet…..all in all…..it was like nothing either of us had ever tasted. We were seated in a tiny little back room that boasted only one equally tiny table where the owner had been sitting with a friend for a glass of wine just minutes before. We weren’t sure if this table was for public use or not but for some reason….the staff had decided to give us some kind of special treatment and we decided to accept. Our chairs were crammed into a tiny space between the doorway to the shop and a back wall. I took the wall and Lynda took the doorway. It was only a couple of minutes later that the wall behind me opened and out came one of the bakers! There was an entire bakery back there and it was no mom and pop operation….it was a big commercial type bakery that had many many people working back there and who’d have thought that it was all just behind the wall I was crushed up against! In the time that it took us to finish our chocolate….that wall/door had been opened and closed for people to pass at least ½ dozen times and each time was as much of a novelty as the first time that it happened. In addition to the “secret door” Lynda was virtually abducted from her seat during our lunch! The woman who owns the shop (and who doesn’t speak a word of English!!) decided she’d like to try to sell Lynda some of the product that they make and ship from that bakery behind the wall. It was lots of fun and the laughter only escalated when the woman asked for a 2nd Canadian lapel pin as she wanted to stick them in her ears!
A few minutes later when we were back on the street and I was taking pictures….I took a photo of a guy roasting chestnuts. He didn’t speak any English but it didn’t take long for me to understand that he wasn’t very happy that I’d taken his picture without asking his permission first. I apologized, showed him the picture and asked him if I could keep it or if he wanted me to delete it. He asked if I was American and when I said “no….Canada”…he just smiled and said that it was okay then and shook my hand. Go figure…..I’d been treated very well as a Canadian all over the world and had heard about this kind of experience (something to do with war times in Italy I’ve been told) but had never felt the effects of it first hand until today. The only thing I can say about it is that I learned a lesson….or perhaps was reminded of one that I had let slip…..always ask permission to take someone’s photo and to give thanks to all the Canadian’s (military and travellers alike) who represent our country so well and leave people like the man I offended today, open to forgiveness of my insensitivity.
I need to interject here as it’s now the next day and I’m typing this from an 8th floor dining room where I can see both Italy and Sicily on either side of the Jade. This is a very narrow pass so it feels like we can almost touch both pieces of land. There are boats that look like toys in comparison to the size of our ship buzzing around us in the water and the sun is shining……yep……life is good! Sicily is crammed with buildings in contrast to the toe of Italy’s boot….although…..not much further along the Italian coast is also filled with buildings. As I look out at Sicily though…..I can’t see even a bit of green…just city scape from my vantage point. In fairness, I am on the Italian side of the ship so my view on this side extends much further up the hills.
Now back to the Roman blog….. From where I left off we caught a quick cab to the Pantheon which is fondly dubbed either ‘the wedding cake’ or ‘the typewriter’ because of the look of it. The Pantheon is one of the very few original Roman buildings that is still in tact. It was built by Hadrian and dedicated to the Roman gods. It really is a very beautiful and a very grand building and is just around the corner from both the ruins that are the forum and the coliseum.
Rounding the corner from the Pantheon and seeing the Coliseum in front of us was a special moment…the kind of moment that is reserved for seeing something so recognizable for the very first time. A couple of bits of trivia for you about the Coliseum are: It is also known as the Flavium and it housed the amphitheatre where the gladiators would fight for the entertainment of the Romans. There were no killings of the Christians here nor were there chariot races within the amphitheatre for the simple reason that the floor of that space would not have held the weight of the chariot races. It was built in 72 AD and took only 8 years to build. The floor of the amphitheatre was covered in sand to absorb the blood of the gladiators and the Italian word for sand is ‘arena’ hence the term Arena was born the world over.
As time was running short and the weather had turned from chilly to cold and wet we decided to grab another cab to see if we might be able to see a couple more of the sights on our list en route back to our assigned meeting place near the Vatican.
It seems we are no less lucky in Italy and in no time at all we were seated in the comfort of Sylvano’s private cab. What a lovely man! He drove a limo for the movie industry for 21 years and 3 years ago decided to leave that life and purchase his own car/cab and are we ever glad he did! His English was good and he was happy to show us the city he was born in. We learned that the way to say, we’re lucky in Italian is, “Fortunata”….should be able to remember that one!! This is one of those English words that you just have to add the Italian accent to and you’re speaking Italian.
Sylvano explained that all the kids in Italy are still on vacation until after January 6th due to the holiday for Befana. Befana is a legendary woman who he described as old and poorly dressed, carrying a broom, and flying through the air to bring gifts to all the boys and girls on January 6th. Sounds much like Kings Day that is celebrated in Mexico! Another reminder that the world is a small place.
Sylvano took us to all of the places we had hoped to see in the time we had left and even managed to fit a few additional locations in as well.
We visited the Trevi Fountain and tossed in our coins. The critical piece to that feat is that you must turn your back to the water and toss the coins with your right hand over your left shoulder for it all to work. You toss 1 coin to return to Rome and 2 coins for love…..I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how many coins Lynda and I tossed.
Next up was the Spanish Steps where there was a vendor trying to give us both roses just for luck and maybe for a small donation too.
From there we were off to the Piazza Noven where the Brazilian Embassy was experiencing a group of protesters so the Polizia were out in full force and of course….we were able to get a photo of one of them with Flor. This piazza is also home to a church that has a statue in front of it that represents the 4 rivers. There is local folklore that says that one of the characters on the statue is holding up his hands in horror and that this is due to a dispute he was having with one of the other fellows who designed the church. It is believed that his horror is intended to offend the designer of the church….but unless that statue comes to life…..who knows the real story??? Noven is also the only place in all of Italy where you can get a very special treat called “tortufa” and so of course….since we were there….we did just that! It is a frozen dark chocolate truffle covered in whipped cream and you can rest assured that if either of us ever gets back to Noven….we’ll be buying another!!! The tortufa is much too large for just one person so we shared the one that we purchased with Sylvano and he enjoyed it as much as we did. It truly was a decadent and memorable tasty treat. Also in the Piazza Noven there was a small fair underway due to the holidays for Befana so in addition to all of the polizia and the protestors, there were children and their families, carrousels, balloons, and vendors of all types. Restaurants spilled out into the piazza and there was a passionate and festive flavor to the place.
In addition to all of this we also saw the ancient ruins of the infrastructure that housed the boats that the Romans used for boat battles as entertainment (much like the gladiators), several of the main shopping areas, numerous other little piazzas, and one of the seven hills of Rome that provide views of the city.
All in all….it was a day to remember and we were once again fortunata and as a result able to do it all. So….as I watch the Italian and the Sicilian coastlines fade into the distance….I’ll say goodbye for another day.
Till next time,
L & L
p.s.
We’d been warned that visitors to Rome should only plan on seeing 2-3 sights during a day trip there so unless you’re ‘fortunata’ like we are….don’t count on being able to accomplish all that we did in the short time we had. Although….if you are planning to be in Rome…..here is Sylvano Broglia’s cell number so you too can experience it all. Telephone: +39 06 72671339 Mobile: +39 347 8544963 E-Mail: silvanobroglia@yahoo.it
Monday, January 3, 2011
January 3, 2011
Amazing as it seems.....I'm sending this up into cyberspace from our stateroom aboard a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea! What did we ever do before technology and the internet?!
As we approach Rome and Vatican City….I kind of feel like I should begin this post with something like, “It’s been several days since my last blog…..”
Before we get to our next stop though….I should backtrack to update you on our Norwegian Jade experience to date. We arrived on the ship yesterday around noon and after having explored pretty much the entire boat now….it is one MASSIVE cork bobbing around on the Mediterranean Sea!
We began our experience (or should I say eatfest) with lunch on an upper deck at the aft (back) of the ship. We’ve already discovered that eating is a main activity on board – no complaints from either of us on that though.
Last night we attended an excellent performance in the Stardust Theatre. It was an acrobatic duo and yes they were very good but the thing that made the biggest impression for me was that the man of the husband and wife team must have muscles on his muscles given what he was able to do!!! They used to perform with Cirque de Soleil so that gives you an idea of the caliber of performances we’re going to enjoy during our time on the Jade.
After the Stardust we spent a little time in the Spinnaker Lounge on the 13th floor (the top floor) where Lynda and I managed to do away with a couple of Rusty Nails and just like the lounge at our hotel in Barcelona and the Burro in Troncones….the bartenders here sure know how to make a drink! They’re at least 3 oz each and quite tasty. Our server, Luis from Peru, and Lynda became fast friends and in fact….it would seem that Lynda is getting married and moving to Peru! Okay….maybe that was the Rusty Nails talking and since he didn’t have a big enough ring to satisfy her desires…the wedding is off.
Kay (my aunt) , Ken (my uncle) and Liz (a friend) joined us for a final drink before we all made our way back to our state rooms. I’ll admit that was a bit of a challenge….not because of the Rusty Nails…..in fact they may have even been helpful! But rather because the ship was a rockin and a rollin!! We had a pretty wild night last night and my main thought at about 3:00 this morning was…..”how am I ever going to last for 12 days of this?!”
Fortunately, sleep takes care of many things and when our phone rang to wake us at 11:00 this morning the seas had settled down and the rocking and rolling was much more bearable. Lynda says that I’ll get my sea legs and I’m counting on her knowing what she is talking about!!!
We couldn’t believe that we’d both slept right through morning but I guess that’s what happens when you’re sleeping in a cave. We have no window in our state room and have decided that if we were ever to do this again that we’d opt to pay the additional and go for a room with a view. I think that I’d also be trying to get something lower down on the ship in the hope that it was a little calmer. I said earlier that Lynda describes us as a bit like a cork bobbing around in the Sea and when I tell you that there are 13 floors on this ship and that there is only 28 feet of it under the water…..you can see why she says that!
We spent the rest of today eating, eating, and then eating some more! Tonight the show in the Stardust Theatre was a musical called Shout. Again….it was very entertaining and well done playing to another full house.
Day two on the cruise is just coming to an end and we’ve both settled into the experience…..we’re getting used to leaving the restaurant and just walking away without paying….hopefully we won’t forget that that all comes to an end when we arrive back in the real world.
Time to crawl back into our beds (that are super comfy by the way!) for another night of being rocked to sleep. Actually….this whole ship is a bit like a giant hammock where we’re spending time with 2300 other people.
It will be a long day tomorrow as we do Rome on our own so….gotta sign off for now.
L & L
As we approach Rome and Vatican City….I kind of feel like I should begin this post with something like, “It’s been several days since my last blog…..”
Before we get to our next stop though….I should backtrack to update you on our Norwegian Jade experience to date. We arrived on the ship yesterday around noon and after having explored pretty much the entire boat now….it is one MASSIVE cork bobbing around on the Mediterranean Sea!
We began our experience (or should I say eatfest) with lunch on an upper deck at the aft (back) of the ship. We’ve already discovered that eating is a main activity on board – no complaints from either of us on that though.
Last night we attended an excellent performance in the Stardust Theatre. It was an acrobatic duo and yes they were very good but the thing that made the biggest impression for me was that the man of the husband and wife team must have muscles on his muscles given what he was able to do!!! They used to perform with Cirque de Soleil so that gives you an idea of the caliber of performances we’re going to enjoy during our time on the Jade.
After the Stardust we spent a little time in the Spinnaker Lounge on the 13th floor (the top floor) where Lynda and I managed to do away with a couple of Rusty Nails and just like the lounge at our hotel in Barcelona and the Burro in Troncones….the bartenders here sure know how to make a drink! They’re at least 3 oz each and quite tasty. Our server, Luis from Peru, and Lynda became fast friends and in fact….it would seem that Lynda is getting married and moving to Peru! Okay….maybe that was the Rusty Nails talking and since he didn’t have a big enough ring to satisfy her desires…the wedding is off.
Kay (my aunt) , Ken (my uncle) and Liz (a friend) joined us for a final drink before we all made our way back to our state rooms. I’ll admit that was a bit of a challenge….not because of the Rusty Nails…..in fact they may have even been helpful! But rather because the ship was a rockin and a rollin!! We had a pretty wild night last night and my main thought at about 3:00 this morning was…..”how am I ever going to last for 12 days of this?!”
Fortunately, sleep takes care of many things and when our phone rang to wake us at 11:00 this morning the seas had settled down and the rocking and rolling was much more bearable. Lynda says that I’ll get my sea legs and I’m counting on her knowing what she is talking about!!!
We couldn’t believe that we’d both slept right through morning but I guess that’s what happens when you’re sleeping in a cave. We have no window in our state room and have decided that if we were ever to do this again that we’d opt to pay the additional and go for a room with a view. I think that I’d also be trying to get something lower down on the ship in the hope that it was a little calmer. I said earlier that Lynda describes us as a bit like a cork bobbing around in the Sea and when I tell you that there are 13 floors on this ship and that there is only 28 feet of it under the water…..you can see why she says that!
We spent the rest of today eating, eating, and then eating some more! Tonight the show in the Stardust Theatre was a musical called Shout. Again….it was very entertaining and well done playing to another full house.
Day two on the cruise is just coming to an end and we’ve both settled into the experience…..we’re getting used to leaving the restaurant and just walking away without paying….hopefully we won’t forget that that all comes to an end when we arrive back in the real world.
Time to crawl back into our beds (that are super comfy by the way!) for another night of being rocked to sleep. Actually….this whole ship is a bit like a giant hammock where we’re spending time with 2300 other people.
It will be a long day tomorrow as we do Rome on our own so….gotta sign off for now.
L & L
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 1, 2011
If you haven't been online with us for the past couple of days then you'll want to make sure you read the December 29th entry prior to reading this one!
Had a wonderful day in Barcelona today!! What an amazing city and a great place to kick off what is sure to be a fantastic year.
Last night as I was finishing off the blog entry I was literally falling asleep doing it. LOL.....today is a much better day :-)
Both Lynda and I slept like the dead so are both switched over the local time zone and ready for action. Were awakened this morning (thank goodness!) by mom and Karen (my sister) at 9:00 as they were worried we would miss the complimentary breakfast that finishes at 10:00 a.m. Boy oh boy....are we ever glad they woke us up!!! What an amazing breakfast it was. There was a full Spanish style table with everything from cold fritatta and prociutto ( I have no idea if that is spelled right-sorry)to olives and palm hearts. There was every kind of french pastry on another table, another table full of american style breakfast foods, and still another one with just different kinds of freshly baked bread. On top of that there were at least half a dozen different kinds of juice and well....you get the picture. We figure it was just a teaser for what is still to come cuz....oh yea....I guess I haven't mentioned it yet....we're heading out in the morning to catch a boat that will take us on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. I'll leave the ports of call for later blogs and just concentrate on today's events on this one though.
After our AMAZING breakfast (and the best shower we've seen in quite a while) our group of 9 tried to hire a van that I would be designated as driver for but....alas...or perhaps I should say thankfully....there was no answer at the rental company so that option was out of the running. Our next attempt was to hire a 9 passenger taxi van to take us on a 3 hour tour but that was just too expensive and they would only be able to take 8 of us! They wanted 360 Euros (almost $600 CAD) so further discussion was required. In the end our group decided to split up into a group of 6 and another one of 3. The 3 planned to take a taxi to the red tram where they'd be able to see fantastic views of the entire city and the rest of us decided to hire a 6 passenger taxi van to take us by a couple of places and to drop us at the famous pedestrian street, La Rambla.
Our driver, Rafael, turned out to be another iteration of the guy Lynda and I found in Toluca two years ago (Jesus)! We had the best driver, the best tour, and the best time we could have hoped for!!! Rafael quoted us only 75 Euros for the trip and ended up spending almost 2 full hours driving us around AND giving us a full review of where we were going and what we were seeing. Mind you....it was all in Spanish but lucky for us....Rafael speaks both Mexican Spanish as well as Catilan (again...sorry about the spelling) Spanish so Lynda and I got to practice our Spanish as translators and as luck would have it....Rafael had just enough English and we had just enough Spanish that it all worked out perfectly! :-)
Our tour first took us past Gaudie's church, Sagrada Familia, where Karen found her first cache of the day and her second since our arrival in Barcelona. The cache that was near Gaudie's church was also her first cache of 2011 so memorable by many accounts. By the end of today....she would have found 7 Spanish cache's in total! A little trivia that you may not be aware of.....the term gawdy, as in gawdy clothes or a gawdy decor, comes from the architect, Gaudie of Barcelona so it made it even more interesting to see his work....which is by the way.....very gawdy!
Gaudie's house was next on the tour and we found it also to be interesting and more of the same style as his church.
I have to include here that our tour with Rafael was so much like Jesus of Toluca!!! Every time we arrived at another location worthy of our time and photos...Rafael would stop the cab as close as he could get to the front door, even if it was right on the street, and let us out to take our pictures and enjoy the views. Rafael would dust the car until our return 10 or 15 minutes later at which time we would all load back in and take off for our next destination.
Rafael was quite taken with mom....he said she was so young and beautiful and I think its pretty fair to say that he quite enjoyed touring us around. Today was the perfect day for us to tour. It is possibly the only day of the year when pretty much everyone and everything is closed so we were able to drive places that a vehicle cannot normally navigate because of the simple numbers of people and shops that block the roads. As well....the fact that there was really no traffic we were able to zip around the roads in record time and see twice as many things as normal in the time that we had.
After the Gaudie house we were off to the historic/gothic part of the city and once again Rafael was able to take us right to the heart of the place. We drove down skinny little streets, many of which are so narrow that it doesn't look like the van would fit but it does and no scratches either! The streets are as narrow as 6 feet so you can get a bit of an idea of how tiny they are. Doorways are short, buildings are right up to the edge of the road (ie: no sidewalks at all), everyone hangs their laundry out on their tiny balcony, and all in all....it is like walking (or driving) into a picture out of a history book. In the historic district we saw the cathedral and the aquaduct that brought all the fresh mountain water into the old city. Before we left the historic district, Rafael even backed his van into one of the skinniest streets of all so we could take a photo of the vehicle in the lane....he really was a great guy! As we were driving down the crowded streets, he would even reach out his hand to pat the head of a little kid walking by the van or call out of the open car window to his friends in other taxis to have a nice day....something that we were surely all enjoying!
Our final stop with Rafael was at the bottom end of La Rambla where there is a statue of Christopher Columbus. As we said good bye and thank you to him he gave each of us a kiss on both cheeks in true European fashion.....gracias Rafael for a wonderful couple of hours!!
Ambling up La Rambla was really vibrant and alive with people. Even so....we could all imagine what it would look like to see it on a day when all the shops would be open and the number of people magnified tenfold. It really would be a sight to see...maybe next time we're here :-)
We made our way back to the hotel via the Arc del Triomp and through a couple of parks. One of the things we've all been impressed by here is the fact that there are commuter bikes everywhere for people to use. People purchase a card (kind of like a phone card) from the little corner stores and then swipe it on the machine beside a long row of red and white bikes. Swiping their card unlocks the next bike in the row and when they return their bike to any other bike location that they want to drop it off at, they swipe their card again and it automatically takes the correct amount off of their card. Very good idea....there are so many people here that use them and simply so many people that I guess they can afford to have that many bikes available at so many locations for them to access.
Another thing we've been so impressed by (and a little confused) is that there are NO cell phones in sight. Not one person on the streets is using one and there are thousands of people. We have no idea what has happened. The last time Lynda was here...everyone was on a cell.....any time I've ever been anywhere in Europe...everyone is on a cell.....it's really weird. Will have to ask the reason...maybe they've passed a law???? They're not even texting....there are just no cell phones! Europe is a few years ahead of North America though....maybe this is what we have to look forward to?! :-)
Back at the hotel and after a little nip (in the form of a Rusty Nail)...Lynda, Karen and I headed back down to La Rambla for dinner where we enjoyed pizza, paella, and sangria...yum yum!
And of course...there had to be a crazy end to this unforgettable first day of the year.....our taxi driver back to the hotel after dinner was a great guy from Portugal. Actually,,,,he was pretty quiet until the music in the car came on and Lynda started to dance and sing. He joined right in and I even have proof in the form of a photo of the two of them dancing (yes...that means no hands on the wheel) while he is driving down the main streets amidst the traffic and the pedestrians at speeds beyond those posted.....it was as unforgettable as the rest of the day and ran a close second to riding in the bed of a pick up truck in Mexico!
What a day!!! Full of fun, laughter and learning with all the new sights and sounds. Tomorrow will be another one when we board our boat, the Norwegian Jade, for our Mediterranean cruise.
Till next time,
L & L
Had a wonderful day in Barcelona today!! What an amazing city and a great place to kick off what is sure to be a fantastic year.
Last night as I was finishing off the blog entry I was literally falling asleep doing it. LOL.....today is a much better day :-)
Both Lynda and I slept like the dead so are both switched over the local time zone and ready for action. Were awakened this morning (thank goodness!) by mom and Karen (my sister) at 9:00 as they were worried we would miss the complimentary breakfast that finishes at 10:00 a.m. Boy oh boy....are we ever glad they woke us up!!! What an amazing breakfast it was. There was a full Spanish style table with everything from cold fritatta and prociutto ( I have no idea if that is spelled right-sorry)to olives and palm hearts. There was every kind of french pastry on another table, another table full of american style breakfast foods, and still another one with just different kinds of freshly baked bread. On top of that there were at least half a dozen different kinds of juice and well....you get the picture. We figure it was just a teaser for what is still to come cuz....oh yea....I guess I haven't mentioned it yet....we're heading out in the morning to catch a boat that will take us on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. I'll leave the ports of call for later blogs and just concentrate on today's events on this one though.
After our AMAZING breakfast (and the best shower we've seen in quite a while) our group of 9 tried to hire a van that I would be designated as driver for but....alas...or perhaps I should say thankfully....there was no answer at the rental company so that option was out of the running. Our next attempt was to hire a 9 passenger taxi van to take us on a 3 hour tour but that was just too expensive and they would only be able to take 8 of us! They wanted 360 Euros (almost $600 CAD) so further discussion was required. In the end our group decided to split up into a group of 6 and another one of 3. The 3 planned to take a taxi to the red tram where they'd be able to see fantastic views of the entire city and the rest of us decided to hire a 6 passenger taxi van to take us by a couple of places and to drop us at the famous pedestrian street, La Rambla.
Our driver, Rafael, turned out to be another iteration of the guy Lynda and I found in Toluca two years ago (Jesus)! We had the best driver, the best tour, and the best time we could have hoped for!!! Rafael quoted us only 75 Euros for the trip and ended up spending almost 2 full hours driving us around AND giving us a full review of where we were going and what we were seeing. Mind you....it was all in Spanish but lucky for us....Rafael speaks both Mexican Spanish as well as Catilan (again...sorry about the spelling) Spanish so Lynda and I got to practice our Spanish as translators and as luck would have it....Rafael had just enough English and we had just enough Spanish that it all worked out perfectly! :-)
Our tour first took us past Gaudie's church, Sagrada Familia, where Karen found her first cache of the day and her second since our arrival in Barcelona. The cache that was near Gaudie's church was also her first cache of 2011 so memorable by many accounts. By the end of today....she would have found 7 Spanish cache's in total! A little trivia that you may not be aware of.....the term gawdy, as in gawdy clothes or a gawdy decor, comes from the architect, Gaudie of Barcelona so it made it even more interesting to see his work....which is by the way.....very gawdy!
Gaudie's house was next on the tour and we found it also to be interesting and more of the same style as his church.
I have to include here that our tour with Rafael was so much like Jesus of Toluca!!! Every time we arrived at another location worthy of our time and photos...Rafael would stop the cab as close as he could get to the front door, even if it was right on the street, and let us out to take our pictures and enjoy the views. Rafael would dust the car until our return 10 or 15 minutes later at which time we would all load back in and take off for our next destination.
Rafael was quite taken with mom....he said she was so young and beautiful and I think its pretty fair to say that he quite enjoyed touring us around. Today was the perfect day for us to tour. It is possibly the only day of the year when pretty much everyone and everything is closed so we were able to drive places that a vehicle cannot normally navigate because of the simple numbers of people and shops that block the roads. As well....the fact that there was really no traffic we were able to zip around the roads in record time and see twice as many things as normal in the time that we had.
After the Gaudie house we were off to the historic/gothic part of the city and once again Rafael was able to take us right to the heart of the place. We drove down skinny little streets, many of which are so narrow that it doesn't look like the van would fit but it does and no scratches either! The streets are as narrow as 6 feet so you can get a bit of an idea of how tiny they are. Doorways are short, buildings are right up to the edge of the road (ie: no sidewalks at all), everyone hangs their laundry out on their tiny balcony, and all in all....it is like walking (or driving) into a picture out of a history book. In the historic district we saw the cathedral and the aquaduct that brought all the fresh mountain water into the old city. Before we left the historic district, Rafael even backed his van into one of the skinniest streets of all so we could take a photo of the vehicle in the lane....he really was a great guy! As we were driving down the crowded streets, he would even reach out his hand to pat the head of a little kid walking by the van or call out of the open car window to his friends in other taxis to have a nice day....something that we were surely all enjoying!
Our final stop with Rafael was at the bottom end of La Rambla where there is a statue of Christopher Columbus. As we said good bye and thank you to him he gave each of us a kiss on both cheeks in true European fashion.....gracias Rafael for a wonderful couple of hours!!
Ambling up La Rambla was really vibrant and alive with people. Even so....we could all imagine what it would look like to see it on a day when all the shops would be open and the number of people magnified tenfold. It really would be a sight to see...maybe next time we're here :-)
We made our way back to the hotel via the Arc del Triomp and through a couple of parks. One of the things we've all been impressed by here is the fact that there are commuter bikes everywhere for people to use. People purchase a card (kind of like a phone card) from the little corner stores and then swipe it on the machine beside a long row of red and white bikes. Swiping their card unlocks the next bike in the row and when they return their bike to any other bike location that they want to drop it off at, they swipe their card again and it automatically takes the correct amount off of their card. Very good idea....there are so many people here that use them and simply so many people that I guess they can afford to have that many bikes available at so many locations for them to access.
Another thing we've been so impressed by (and a little confused) is that there are NO cell phones in sight. Not one person on the streets is using one and there are thousands of people. We have no idea what has happened. The last time Lynda was here...everyone was on a cell.....any time I've ever been anywhere in Europe...everyone is on a cell.....it's really weird. Will have to ask the reason...maybe they've passed a law???? They're not even texting....there are just no cell phones! Europe is a few years ahead of North America though....maybe this is what we have to look forward to?! :-)
Back at the hotel and after a little nip (in the form of a Rusty Nail)...Lynda, Karen and I headed back down to La Rambla for dinner where we enjoyed pizza, paella, and sangria...yum yum!
And of course...there had to be a crazy end to this unforgettable first day of the year.....our taxi driver back to the hotel after dinner was a great guy from Portugal. Actually,,,,he was pretty quiet until the music in the car came on and Lynda started to dance and sing. He joined right in and I even have proof in the form of a photo of the two of them dancing (yes...that means no hands on the wheel) while he is driving down the main streets amidst the traffic and the pedestrians at speeds beyond those posted.....it was as unforgettable as the rest of the day and ran a close second to riding in the bed of a pick up truck in Mexico!
What a day!!! Full of fun, laughter and learning with all the new sights and sounds. Tomorrow will be another one when we board our boat, the Norwegian Jade, for our Mediterranean cruise.
Till next time,
L & L
December 29, 2010
Am typing this up on the 29th from our hotel room in Seattle…..that’s right folks….we’re on the move but you’ll never guess where we’re headed! In fact you won’t be reading this until after we’re already there but….that will be another post all on it’s own. Likely won’t be able to post till after the new year but I promise…as soon as we can access internet….I’ll get these up so you can read all about our “new adventure”.
Spent today in Seattle playing the role of tourist and had a fun day. Took the rapid transit train from the airport all the way into the downtown centre where we visited the famous Pike Place Market and had the BEST fish and chips ever for breakfast!! Crazy but true…fish and chips for breakfast. We wandered the streets and agreed that there are definitely more people in Seattle than there are in Troncones and that we like the fact that we enjoy both types of lifestyle. We saw the stadium and the space needle and were really impressed with the public transit system and the fact that an all-day pass on the train only cost $5!
Once we were finished wandering…we made our way into a couple of the big stores downtown and both of us hit the jackpot. Our first jackpot came in Ross’s where both Lynda and I replaced our much used luggage with some nice new stuff for the next leg of our journey. We both stayed away from the basic black after having appreciated so much and so recently the ability to be able to recognize our very ugly and colourful cases on each and every flight.
From Ross we stumbled across Macey’s where I hit the motherlode and came away with some amazing bargains. It seems that everything I looked at was not only on sale but on the “take an additional 50% off” rack too!
Caught the train back to our hotel to drop off our purchases and in our true “lucky” fashion were right on time to catch the free shuttle to a massive mall…..Southcentre, where we did a little more shopping, got our feet happy with pedicures, got my eyebrows unhappy with a really bad dye job! (they’re even more invisible than they were before she started!!!), and then got happy again with an evening of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in the movie Tourist.
Back to the hotel with time to repack into our new bags and book the shuttle for tomorrow morning when we head out again…..stay tuned…..or more likely….read on……
L & L
December 31, 2010
Happy New Years Eve everyone!! We’re in transit again but this time we just took Euros out of the ATM. Yes….we’ve left the time zone and crossed a date line and are typing this from Amsterdam.
We decided that it would be fun to check out another Spanish speaking country so are en route to Spain….Barcelona to be exact. New Years in Barcelona sounds like it will be lots of fun and it provided an additional opportunity to surprise my family by joining them on their flight as they’re en route to a cruise that leaves from Barcelona. We caught up with them in Seattle and it was a surprise for everyone when we found them in the line up to check in to our Delta flight bright and early this morning. 10 hours later….here we are in Amsterdam waiting for our next plane. Will arrive in Barcelona around noon local time so will be there in plenty of time for all the celebrations and festivity.
Have arrived in Barcelona and although it’s been a looonnnngggg day everyone is doing well and has survived the trip none the worse for wear.
Were met at the airport by Online Vacations staff who moved us and all our luggage to the hotel. It was really nice to be met by the staff and to have everything taken care of for us but…..we both struggled with the ’following a leader holding up a sign’ plan . It kind of inspired us to moo or baaaaa but we both behaved and before you knew it we were on the bus and bound for the hotel. We’re staying at the H10 Hotel which is very nice and both Lynda and I are looking forward to hitting the hay tonight. We had thought about staying up for midnight….but as 9 pm has just passed and we’re both too tired to keep our eyes open…..we’ve decided to just go to bed and say we did instead.
Since we’re in the Mediterranean…decided to go for something of that persuasion for dinner and settled on donairs which hit the spot and left us much fuller than we thought they would.
Had a long walk around the area of our hotel tonight and enjoyed it very much. The one funny story that I can share is that when asking for some directions…Lynda left the Spanish man she was speaking with thinking that she was trying to get him to join Mom, Karen, Lynda and I in her hotel room for a big party with fireworks and everything tonight. That poor man….it was truly a case of: the price of four donairs 26 Euros; the price of a 12 day Mediterranean cruise 1599 Euros, the look on the man’s face when he thought Lynda was trying to pick him up…..priceless!!! Lots of laughs on our way home tonight!!
Drinks in the bar at our hotel tonight to ring in the New Year a little early was fun and Lynda met a couple of women who would also be on the boat with us. The really funny part about that meeting was that before she knew their names she introduced them to me with names she had made up for them. She said they were Anne and Betty….the truth is that their names are Lynn and Betsy….that is WAY too close….Lynda must have some kind of psychic thing going on!!
Feliz anos nuevos amigos. Till next time,
L & L
Spent today in Seattle playing the role of tourist and had a fun day. Took the rapid transit train from the airport all the way into the downtown centre where we visited the famous Pike Place Market and had the BEST fish and chips ever for breakfast!! Crazy but true…fish and chips for breakfast. We wandered the streets and agreed that there are definitely more people in Seattle than there are in Troncones and that we like the fact that we enjoy both types of lifestyle. We saw the stadium and the space needle and were really impressed with the public transit system and the fact that an all-day pass on the train only cost $5!
Once we were finished wandering…we made our way into a couple of the big stores downtown and both of us hit the jackpot. Our first jackpot came in Ross’s where both Lynda and I replaced our much used luggage with some nice new stuff for the next leg of our journey. We both stayed away from the basic black after having appreciated so much and so recently the ability to be able to recognize our very ugly and colourful cases on each and every flight.
From Ross we stumbled across Macey’s where I hit the motherlode and came away with some amazing bargains. It seems that everything I looked at was not only on sale but on the “take an additional 50% off” rack too!
Caught the train back to our hotel to drop off our purchases and in our true “lucky” fashion were right on time to catch the free shuttle to a massive mall…..Southcentre, where we did a little more shopping, got our feet happy with pedicures, got my eyebrows unhappy with a really bad dye job! (they’re even more invisible than they were before she started!!!), and then got happy again with an evening of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in the movie Tourist.
Back to the hotel with time to repack into our new bags and book the shuttle for tomorrow morning when we head out again…..stay tuned…..or more likely….read on……
L & L
December 31, 2010
Happy New Years Eve everyone!! We’re in transit again but this time we just took Euros out of the ATM. Yes….we’ve left the time zone and crossed a date line and are typing this from Amsterdam.
We decided that it would be fun to check out another Spanish speaking country so are en route to Spain….Barcelona to be exact. New Years in Barcelona sounds like it will be lots of fun and it provided an additional opportunity to surprise my family by joining them on their flight as they’re en route to a cruise that leaves from Barcelona. We caught up with them in Seattle and it was a surprise for everyone when we found them in the line up to check in to our Delta flight bright and early this morning. 10 hours later….here we are in Amsterdam waiting for our next plane. Will arrive in Barcelona around noon local time so will be there in plenty of time for all the celebrations and festivity.
Have arrived in Barcelona and although it’s been a looonnnngggg day everyone is doing well and has survived the trip none the worse for wear.
Were met at the airport by Online Vacations staff who moved us and all our luggage to the hotel. It was really nice to be met by the staff and to have everything taken care of for us but…..we both struggled with the ’following a leader holding up a sign’ plan . It kind of inspired us to moo or baaaaa but we both behaved and before you knew it we were on the bus and bound for the hotel. We’re staying at the H10 Hotel which is very nice and both Lynda and I are looking forward to hitting the hay tonight. We had thought about staying up for midnight….but as 9 pm has just passed and we’re both too tired to keep our eyes open…..we’ve decided to just go to bed and say we did instead.
Since we’re in the Mediterranean…decided to go for something of that persuasion for dinner and settled on donairs which hit the spot and left us much fuller than we thought they would.
Had a long walk around the area of our hotel tonight and enjoyed it very much. The one funny story that I can share is that when asking for some directions…Lynda left the Spanish man she was speaking with thinking that she was trying to get him to join Mom, Karen, Lynda and I in her hotel room for a big party with fireworks and everything tonight. That poor man….it was truly a case of: the price of four donairs 26 Euros; the price of a 12 day Mediterranean cruise 1599 Euros, the look on the man’s face when he thought Lynda was trying to pick him up…..priceless!!! Lots of laughs on our way home tonight!!
Drinks in the bar at our hotel tonight to ring in the New Year a little early was fun and Lynda met a couple of women who would also be on the boat with us. The really funny part about that meeting was that before she knew their names she introduced them to me with names she had made up for them. She said they were Anne and Betty….the truth is that their names are Lynn and Betsy….that is WAY too close….Lynda must have some kind of psychic thing going on!!
Feliz anos nuevos amigos. Till next time,
L & L
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