I haven't written my blog for what we did in Morocco, so here goes.
After porting in Casablanca, we were the first group to leave the ship because we had a very full itinerary. We actually only set foot in Casablanca while in the port; but from what everyone said, Marrakech was a much better place to be anyway. We took our bus on a three hour ride to Marrekech, where we immediately went to the Ja Elfna (sp?) square. This is the major trading center of the city, where by day you will find snake charmers, monkey handlers, henna artists, and lots of open air shops. By night, the monkeys and snakes go away and it turns into a very large open air dining area with tents and chefs cooking right in front of customers' eyes. We ate a traditional Moroccan meal of cous-cous and meat, beat salads, and orange carrot juice with cinnamon for dessert. Afterwards, we wondered around the square for a while. I felt really bad for the monkeys. They were in small cages and the handlers had collars and chains around them. Dumb ass tourists were taking photos with them and I yelled at a few SASers who were getting their photos with them- I know these handlers were poor, but they could have found another way to earn money. Now the snakes on the other hand I didn't feel sorry for one bit. I just didn't like the fact that asps and cobras were on the ground literally six feet from me without any box or cage to keep them in. At one point, a charmer pulled out about twenty water snakes from a basket and about six got loose. He just ran around in the crowd picking them up, holding the rest as they struck at his clothing- I hate snakes. After that we checked into our hotel, or karma for our five star resort in Egypt, rather. This place looked nice on the outside, but had really run down rooms and not the best of services. It did have a pool, however, so we took a dip in it before dinner. For dinner, we journeyed to the center of the old city, where no cars were allowed because of the small roads, and sat down in a beautiful courtyard area for a delicious dinner. All of our waiters had traditional white robes with red fezes on- it was candlelit and rose petals covered the ground and tables. We had salad, a large tangine of citrus chicken, and a pastry pie for dessert. The wine just kept flowing and so we had a wonderful night.
On day two, we woke up around seven to board our bus to our Nomad camp. The Nomad camp was located deep in the Sahara near the boarder of Algeria, and we had two mountain ranges to cross, so we actually were on the bus for twelve hours. The views in the Sahara and through the mountains (the High Atlas mountain range and the Anti Atlas Mountain range) were beautiful. It was extremely scary at some points, though, because we were on a fifty passenger bus going around winding narrow roads with no guard rails and deep ravines on our sides. We made frequent stops at Berber (indigenous people of Morocco) shops and villages- they were all made of mud and sticks- very rural. We ate at a very nice restaurant in the middle of the desert, literally no civilization for miles around it, but was beautifully decorated with mosaics inside. When we finally arrived at the Nomad camp, it was around seven in the evening. The bus had to just drive in the desert, no road for about five minutes to take us to where we had to walk to the camp- the bus driver kept swearing and the guide told us he was worried we packed too much and the weight was going to strand the bus in the sand. We made it safely, however. We took our belongings and headed to the camp. The camp was completely worth the twelve hour bus ride. It was surrounded by date palms and looked like an oasis (it really was by an oasis). The camp was quite large, and made as a traditional Nomad camp- completely out of blankets and sticks. Tonya, Chrissy, my roommate Mikey and I all settled into the camp quickly. Inside the tents were mattresses and pillows to our surprise. The tents were in a rectangular formation, and in the middle, the entire ground was covered with Berber carpets- it was kind of like a really cool open air tent hotel. There was a large tent with tables close to the floor for a dining room, and a table where you could purchase drinks (kind of reminded me of a Moroccan style sleigh ride tent that we went to at Big Sky). There was a place in the middle for a large bon fire, but since it was August, the desert night was actually a very comfortable 70-75 degrees- not as cold as I thought it would be. We just got a bottle of wine, talked about everything we were seeing, and watched as the night sky filled up with the most stars I have ever seen. We sat down to dinner - lots of meat and cous-cous the Morrocans eat- on pillows on the ground around low tables. After dinner, we just talked everyone, played cards with our guides Omar and Hussein, and anticipated our camel ride in the morning. It was such a beautiful night, that we all decided to drag our mattresses out of our tents and sleep in the open air of the Sahara. We drifted to sleep watching the sky, Chrissy, who spent her life in Brooklyn and New Orleans, was dumbfounded to see so many stars. During the night, I woke up around four and watched for shooting stars- I saw about three large, slow ones before waking Chrissy and Tonya up to watch for more- they were the first ones Chrissy had ever seen.
The next morning, we woke up to a six o'clock wake up call in order to ride our camels while it was still coolish. We had pastries and mint tea (which is absolutely amazing) for breakfast before watching 85 (that's how many people were on the trip) camels be led into camp. We covered our heads and necks with the traditional scarves of the Nomads, and made our way to our camels. Our four camels were a lot healthier looking than the ones in Egypt, but also much moodier. They were all chewing cud, and one actually threw up a little on my friend Tonya. Once they got used to us, we were on our way. Our camel guide took us through date farms, Berber villages, past oases, up and down sand dunes for about an hour and a half. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Everyone looked like the magi making their way to Bethlehem- you know, if you believe that story. At one point my camel tripped while going up a dune and nearly bit it, but made a quick recovery. I named him Malthazar. Once our camel trek was over, it was back on the bus for us. We didn't make as many stops, just one long one for lunch at a place with a beautiful view of a Berber village built into the mountainside. We arrived in Marrakech with enough time for a night on the town. At the hotel, we met up with our friends Rachael and Raj and had some drinks at the hotel bar before heading to the square again. The square at night is so much cooler than in the daytime. It is teaming with life- locals, tourists, families, young adults, everyone goes there to grab some food and socialize. We were able to secure a table at one of the rooftop restaurants where the views were amazing but the food was horrible. The lights of Marrakech reflected in the smoke of all the cooking tents below and cast an eerie glow over the square- Marrakech is a truly unique and beautiful city where Arabic, French, Berber and English all mix together to create a multicultural mosaic. After soaking in the square as much as possible, we went back to the hotel for more drinks and then bed.
In the morning, before boarding the bus, we spent about three hours in the suks (open air shops) of Marrakech where we bartered for good prices on souvenirs. Then, in a very courageous, self-actualizing act, Chrissy and I paid to take a picture with two huge water snakes around our necks. But, more impressive than that, we knelt with them around our necks while a huge cobra was being "charmed" about two feet away- I was shaking, but good pictures came of it. On the bus ride back to Casablanca, it was 115 degrees in the desert- the windows on the bus felt like the glass on an oven. We boarded the ship for the last time, said goodbye to Africa, and set sail for the US.
We spent the last 12 days on the ship- in that time, we had an alumni ball, a five course thank you dinner for our professor and assistant dean, lots of sunning, all our work including finals, dance parties, and tons of shitty food and boredom.
This truly has been an adventure of a lifetime, one that I do not take for granted. I hope this is just the beginning of my travel experiences.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Egypt
Currently I am off the coast of Tunisia on the northern coast of Aftrica, watching a documentary on chocolate production in the U.S. We have four more days before we port in our final destination of Casablanca, Morocco, before setting sail on a twelve-day trip across the Atlantic. Before I forget what I did in Egypt, here is my travel blog:
The MV Explorer ported in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, named after the famous Macedonian, Alexander the Great. Egypt is considered a part of the Arab world, and although it is in northern Africa, is considered to be a part of the Middle East, for both economic and cultural reasons. That being said, Egypt was unlike any port we visited thus far. As soon as we walked off the ship, Egypt’s Muslim influence and poverty could be observed everywhere we went. We looked for an ATM machine to pull out some Egyptian pounds and were immediately accosted by groups of men wanting to translate for us and hail us cabs. We tried to shake them off in order to find our own cab, and therefore avoid tip solicitation, and finally found a cab on our own. We explained that we wanted to go to the library and even showed him some pictures, but a local Egyptian stuck his head in our cab and translated in Arabic for the cabby and demanded a tip. I refused and asked the driver to go, so he moved on to the back seat where the women in our group were (women are not allowed to sit in the front seat). I expected them to do the same, but turned around and found my friend Becca in tears, she then told him to “just get away” and handed him a fifty pound note- about 9 dollars. I was both amused by her obvious fear of Middle Easterners as well as empathetic towards her- women are definitely second class citizens in this region (so are gays- if they knew I was I would have been jailed). Anywho, the cabbie was very friendly and offered me cigarettes on the way to the library. The cab rides in Egypt were more frightening and exhilarating than rides at amusement parks. There is no regard for lines, very few traffic lights, and horns blare 24/7. Multiple times in the cab I thought we were either going to hit pedestrians or slam into other cars. So, we finally arrived at our destination- but it wasn’t the library- he had taken us to Pompeii’s pillar, a large granite pillar erected around 500 BC. This was one of the stops we had planned on making that day, however, so decided to stay. After the pillar, we walked to the catacombs, ancient underground tombs that looked like something out of Indiana Jones movies. Another crazy cab ride took us to the great library of Alexandria. The modern library was built on top of the ancient library Alexander had constructed during his reign in Egypt. It was beautiful inside, and I was relieved to see many of the library goers were women. When we left the library, two men approached me and asked me for a picture. Being the keen traveler I am, I refused immediately and continued walking, however, I noted that they were presenting their own cameras while asking me. I expected them to take my photo with them with my camera and then ask for money. I’ll mention later why this is noteworthy. Off in our crazy cab we went across town to the Citadel. This was a beautiful fort located on the colorful coast of Alexandria. There, another group of Arab men approached me and asked for a picture- they seemed very friendly and had their cameras out so I said yes. They all started snapping photos of me with them in it and then asked my friend Tanya to join. We introduced ourselves and talked for a while before they thanked us and left- weird. Shortly after, a couple with a baby asked to take a photo with me. I said sure, and they began handing the baby to me- I quickly took back the offer, cause I didn’t want to drop an Egyptian baby, and continued on. I asked another group that wanted my picture why they wanted it, and they pointed to my hair and eyes. I guess Egyptians don’t see a lot of white folk, and with my sun-bleached hair I guess I was really exotic. So funny. In the evening we ventured out to a delicious fish market restaurant where we chose our own fish to cook before ending the night at a hookah bar.
The second day we shipped off on our fist overnight trip with SAS. Up until Egypt, we pretty much traveled independently except for a few day trips like the hike in Turkey. Based on our day trips, we were not looking forward to our 3 day 2 night SAS trip in Cairo- they are very touristy and rushed, very little interaction with locals because you have a guide. My experience could not have been more to the contrary. Our guide, Manal was a very interesting and knowledgeable women who kept us entertained the whole time. After a three hour bus ride to Cairo, we began our trip at the Egyptian National Archeological museum. This museum was cooler than all other museums I have been to combined. Inside we saw: King Tut’s golden sarcophagus, his burial tombs, his many personal possessions made of solid gold, chariots, multiple tombs, coffins, and even an entire room full of 16 mummies. All these were dated to be from around 2600 BC, that’s 5,000 years ago!! One of the mummies we viewed was found to be King Ramses II, believed to be the Pharoah during Moses’ exodus out of Egypt, presumably his half-brother. We could see his hair, fingernails, and eyelashes all intact. Unfortunately, Egypt is very strict about photography inside of museums and national buildings, so no photos from this experience ☹. We then set off for our hotel. Ryan stayed in a very nice hotel right next to the pyramids while he was there, and I was bumbed that we were staying somewhere else- that feeling also left me the minute we drove past his hotel and went even closer to the pyramids to find mine. Our hotel, Mena House Oberoi, sits almost at the base of the great pyramid. Originally built as a palace for Napoleon’s wife, it was turned into a hotel in 1863 and has since been one of the best hotels in the area. This was the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed in. It was a 5 star hotel, with plaques from 2001 to 2010 boasting titles of best 500 hotels in the world and two years of the best hotel in Africa and the Middle East. Every inch of the property was ornately decorated and staffed with very classy employees. We ate a buffet lunch before heading to our rooms for a siesta. The rooms were extremely modern, with flatscreen tvs, linen robes, and fresh fruit for the taking. I had a balcony from where you could partially see the pyramids- amazing. I then met up with some friends by the infinity pool and had some drinks before getting ready for our first look at the pyramids. We attended a “sound and light” show at the base of the pyramids, where you watch the sun set behind them and then a Disney-esque light show illuminates the pyramids as a pre-recorded voice narrates the history of ancient Egypt. It was very cheesy, but just the fact that the pyramids, and not Mickey’s Funhouse, were being lit up made it worthwhile. Then back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, we relaxed in a bar, and the bar had a harp player- ridiculous. Oh, I almost forgot. While I waited for my friends to get ready for the light show I began wondering the hotel, taking pictures. The concierge saw me and asked if I would like to get better pictures- I said of course. He took me to the Churchill suite- the room Churchill stayed in while signing some sort of treaty with Roosevelt and Montgomery I believe. There were pictures of the three of them in this suite and another one he took me to all around. I sat in Churchill’s desk and sat in a bed that Sarkozy (sp) had just slept in a few months ago. He even took me out to the private balcony and took pictures of me in front of the pyramids. I tipped him 50 pounds- not a bad 9 dollar tour.
The second day in Cairo was my favorite day of my whole trip so far. We woke up at 4:15 and were at a plateau overlooking the pyramids by 5:00am. The pyramids usually do not open to the public until around 8, but semester at sea is one of the few programs they make exceptions for- it only happens about 4 times a year. We watched the sunrise over the pyramids, took tons of great pictures, and ate our boxed breakfast as the sun rose higher. By around 7:00, our guides had the local camel drivers bring over our camels and asked who was ready. Chrissy and I paid a little more to have our own camels, so volunteered and suited up. Camels are much bigger than I had thought, and riding them was a test of balance. Our camel driver let me hold the stick and steer the camels- it was surreal. Chrissy and I were the only ones out there, we rode them to the base of the pyramids and posed for photos, taking it all in. We were out there by ourselves for a good twenty minutes before the busload of other SASers swarmed in with their camels. So crazy!! After the camel ride we explored around the pyramids, then on to the sphinx. This was all before 10 am. Then we visited the Alabaster mosque where Muhamed Ali, the founder of secular Egypt, is buried (or tombed rather). We dined on the Nile at a place called Le Pecha before heading to the Cairo Bazaar. This bazaar was much less intrusive than the Turkish bazaar, although you still had to barter, and had much more interesting items. Following the bazaar it was back to the hotel before a Nile boat dinner cruise including a belly dancer and whirling dervish. I really thought the food, entertainment, and boat were all very inauthentic, but it was nice to stand out on the bow of the boat and watch Cairo’s lights reflect on the Nile.
Our third day in Cairo consisted of visiting the oldest pyramid in the world-the step pyramid, a recently opened tomb of an Egyptian princess complete with colored hieroglyphics from around 2500 BC- both in Sakara, a trip to Memphis- the first capital of Egypt- where the colossal statues of Ramses II are, and a drive through rural Giza. Upon returning to Alexandria, we had a family dinner with my close friends- there are six of us- where we gorged ourselves on delicious Buri bread, grape leaves, hummus, baba ganuj, tabuli, and large amounts of kebaps before returning to the hookah bar for a smoke and some drinks.
Unfortunately, we stayed out till three thirty the aforementioned night and therefore wasted our last few hours in Egypt before on-ship time swimming at the pool on the ship. I was very tired from the trip, however, so I really didn’t mind.
Things I took away from Egypt- with all its shortcomings, I am very thankful to be living in the U.S. The level of poverty I saw there made inner city New Orleans look like a paradise. My desire to work in international human rights law has been solidified after I witnessed firsthand the stratification of society in the Muslim world- everywhere we went lines were separated by gender and women seemed to have no voice- not in any position, whether it be a maid or a shopkeeper, did I see women workers- barring my tour guide. The human race is an incredible species- the pyramids were built 3,000 years before Christ, using no mortar, and still amaze people in the modern world. I love traveling- Egypt was the first county I was out of my comfort zone- we had an armed guard with us the whole time because of terrorist dangers, but almost all my interactions with local Egyptians were positive and fun.
The MV Explorer ported in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, named after the famous Macedonian, Alexander the Great. Egypt is considered a part of the Arab world, and although it is in northern Africa, is considered to be a part of the Middle East, for both economic and cultural reasons. That being said, Egypt was unlike any port we visited thus far. As soon as we walked off the ship, Egypt’s Muslim influence and poverty could be observed everywhere we went. We looked for an ATM machine to pull out some Egyptian pounds and were immediately accosted by groups of men wanting to translate for us and hail us cabs. We tried to shake them off in order to find our own cab, and therefore avoid tip solicitation, and finally found a cab on our own. We explained that we wanted to go to the library and even showed him some pictures, but a local Egyptian stuck his head in our cab and translated in Arabic for the cabby and demanded a tip. I refused and asked the driver to go, so he moved on to the back seat where the women in our group were (women are not allowed to sit in the front seat). I expected them to do the same, but turned around and found my friend Becca in tears, she then told him to “just get away” and handed him a fifty pound note- about 9 dollars. I was both amused by her obvious fear of Middle Easterners as well as empathetic towards her- women are definitely second class citizens in this region (so are gays- if they knew I was I would have been jailed). Anywho, the cabbie was very friendly and offered me cigarettes on the way to the library. The cab rides in Egypt were more frightening and exhilarating than rides at amusement parks. There is no regard for lines, very few traffic lights, and horns blare 24/7. Multiple times in the cab I thought we were either going to hit pedestrians or slam into other cars. So, we finally arrived at our destination- but it wasn’t the library- he had taken us to Pompeii’s pillar, a large granite pillar erected around 500 BC. This was one of the stops we had planned on making that day, however, so decided to stay. After the pillar, we walked to the catacombs, ancient underground tombs that looked like something out of Indiana Jones movies. Another crazy cab ride took us to the great library of Alexandria. The modern library was built on top of the ancient library Alexander had constructed during his reign in Egypt. It was beautiful inside, and I was relieved to see many of the library goers were women. When we left the library, two men approached me and asked me for a picture. Being the keen traveler I am, I refused immediately and continued walking, however, I noted that they were presenting their own cameras while asking me. I expected them to take my photo with them with my camera and then ask for money. I’ll mention later why this is noteworthy. Off in our crazy cab we went across town to the Citadel. This was a beautiful fort located on the colorful coast of Alexandria. There, another group of Arab men approached me and asked for a picture- they seemed very friendly and had their cameras out so I said yes. They all started snapping photos of me with them in it and then asked my friend Tanya to join. We introduced ourselves and talked for a while before they thanked us and left- weird. Shortly after, a couple with a baby asked to take a photo with me. I said sure, and they began handing the baby to me- I quickly took back the offer, cause I didn’t want to drop an Egyptian baby, and continued on. I asked another group that wanted my picture why they wanted it, and they pointed to my hair and eyes. I guess Egyptians don’t see a lot of white folk, and with my sun-bleached hair I guess I was really exotic. So funny. In the evening we ventured out to a delicious fish market restaurant where we chose our own fish to cook before ending the night at a hookah bar.
The second day we shipped off on our fist overnight trip with SAS. Up until Egypt, we pretty much traveled independently except for a few day trips like the hike in Turkey. Based on our day trips, we were not looking forward to our 3 day 2 night SAS trip in Cairo- they are very touristy and rushed, very little interaction with locals because you have a guide. My experience could not have been more to the contrary. Our guide, Manal was a very interesting and knowledgeable women who kept us entertained the whole time. After a three hour bus ride to Cairo, we began our trip at the Egyptian National Archeological museum. This museum was cooler than all other museums I have been to combined. Inside we saw: King Tut’s golden sarcophagus, his burial tombs, his many personal possessions made of solid gold, chariots, multiple tombs, coffins, and even an entire room full of 16 mummies. All these were dated to be from around 2600 BC, that’s 5,000 years ago!! One of the mummies we viewed was found to be King Ramses II, believed to be the Pharoah during Moses’ exodus out of Egypt, presumably his half-brother. We could see his hair, fingernails, and eyelashes all intact. Unfortunately, Egypt is very strict about photography inside of museums and national buildings, so no photos from this experience ☹. We then set off for our hotel. Ryan stayed in a very nice hotel right next to the pyramids while he was there, and I was bumbed that we were staying somewhere else- that feeling also left me the minute we drove past his hotel and went even closer to the pyramids to find mine. Our hotel, Mena House Oberoi, sits almost at the base of the great pyramid. Originally built as a palace for Napoleon’s wife, it was turned into a hotel in 1863 and has since been one of the best hotels in the area. This was the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed in. It was a 5 star hotel, with plaques from 2001 to 2010 boasting titles of best 500 hotels in the world and two years of the best hotel in Africa and the Middle East. Every inch of the property was ornately decorated and staffed with very classy employees. We ate a buffet lunch before heading to our rooms for a siesta. The rooms were extremely modern, with flatscreen tvs, linen robes, and fresh fruit for the taking. I had a balcony from where you could partially see the pyramids- amazing. I then met up with some friends by the infinity pool and had some drinks before getting ready for our first look at the pyramids. We attended a “sound and light” show at the base of the pyramids, where you watch the sun set behind them and then a Disney-esque light show illuminates the pyramids as a pre-recorded voice narrates the history of ancient Egypt. It was very cheesy, but just the fact that the pyramids, and not Mickey’s Funhouse, were being lit up made it worthwhile. Then back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, we relaxed in a bar, and the bar had a harp player- ridiculous. Oh, I almost forgot. While I waited for my friends to get ready for the light show I began wondering the hotel, taking pictures. The concierge saw me and asked if I would like to get better pictures- I said of course. He took me to the Churchill suite- the room Churchill stayed in while signing some sort of treaty with Roosevelt and Montgomery I believe. There were pictures of the three of them in this suite and another one he took me to all around. I sat in Churchill’s desk and sat in a bed that Sarkozy (sp) had just slept in a few months ago. He even took me out to the private balcony and took pictures of me in front of the pyramids. I tipped him 50 pounds- not a bad 9 dollar tour.
The second day in Cairo was my favorite day of my whole trip so far. We woke up at 4:15 and were at a plateau overlooking the pyramids by 5:00am. The pyramids usually do not open to the public until around 8, but semester at sea is one of the few programs they make exceptions for- it only happens about 4 times a year. We watched the sunrise over the pyramids, took tons of great pictures, and ate our boxed breakfast as the sun rose higher. By around 7:00, our guides had the local camel drivers bring over our camels and asked who was ready. Chrissy and I paid a little more to have our own camels, so volunteered and suited up. Camels are much bigger than I had thought, and riding them was a test of balance. Our camel driver let me hold the stick and steer the camels- it was surreal. Chrissy and I were the only ones out there, we rode them to the base of the pyramids and posed for photos, taking it all in. We were out there by ourselves for a good twenty minutes before the busload of other SASers swarmed in with their camels. So crazy!! After the camel ride we explored around the pyramids, then on to the sphinx. This was all before 10 am. Then we visited the Alabaster mosque where Muhamed Ali, the founder of secular Egypt, is buried (or tombed rather). We dined on the Nile at a place called Le Pecha before heading to the Cairo Bazaar. This bazaar was much less intrusive than the Turkish bazaar, although you still had to barter, and had much more interesting items. Following the bazaar it was back to the hotel before a Nile boat dinner cruise including a belly dancer and whirling dervish. I really thought the food, entertainment, and boat were all very inauthentic, but it was nice to stand out on the bow of the boat and watch Cairo’s lights reflect on the Nile.
Our third day in Cairo consisted of visiting the oldest pyramid in the world-the step pyramid, a recently opened tomb of an Egyptian princess complete with colored hieroglyphics from around 2500 BC- both in Sakara, a trip to Memphis- the first capital of Egypt- where the colossal statues of Ramses II are, and a drive through rural Giza. Upon returning to Alexandria, we had a family dinner with my close friends- there are six of us- where we gorged ourselves on delicious Buri bread, grape leaves, hummus, baba ganuj, tabuli, and large amounts of kebaps before returning to the hookah bar for a smoke and some drinks.
Unfortunately, we stayed out till three thirty the aforementioned night and therefore wasted our last few hours in Egypt before on-ship time swimming at the pool on the ship. I was very tired from the trip, however, so I really didn’t mind.
Things I took away from Egypt- with all its shortcomings, I am very thankful to be living in the U.S. The level of poverty I saw there made inner city New Orleans look like a paradise. My desire to work in international human rights law has been solidified after I witnessed firsthand the stratification of society in the Muslim world- everywhere we went lines were separated by gender and women seemed to have no voice- not in any position, whether it be a maid or a shopkeeper, did I see women workers- barring my tour guide. The human race is an incredible species- the pyramids were built 3,000 years before Christ, using no mortar, and still amaze people in the modern world. I love traveling- Egypt was the first county I was out of my comfort zone- we had an armed guard with us the whole time because of terrorist dangers, but almost all my interactions with local Egyptians were positive and fun.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Turkey
Well, we ported in Istanbul, formally Constantinople, named after Constantine who declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire, last Monday. Istanbul is a huge Megalopolis of 15 million people, the only city in the world to span two continents- Europe and Asia. Many people describe Istanbul as where the East meets West, and I found this to be true. Situated on the Bosphorus, the waterway that connects the Black Sea with the Agean Sea, Istanbul’s skyline is dominated by the domes and spires of its many mosques. My first day in Istanbul, we decided to explore two of the more famous mosques, the AyaSofia and the Blue Mosque. It was an easy metro ride to the “old city”, formally Byzantium, where we found most of the tourist attractions. The Blue Mosque was our first stop. It is a gigantic, beautiful structure with six spires and multiple domed ceilings. In order to enter, we had to take off our shoes and the women in the group had to cover their heads with shawls. The mosque is a functioning mosque, and so we were able to observe many Muslim men and women praying on the intricate Turkish carpets. Inside were huge candelabras and breathtaking mosaics. Outside of the Blue Mosque, we found obelisks from 300 BC as well as the serpent column, a column made out of Persian weapons when the Turks defeated the Persians. After the mosque, we visited one of my favorite places in Istanbul, the Basilica Cistern. This is an underground Basilica that was built around 500 BC, but wasn’t discovered by archeologists until the 17th century when an archeologist wondered how locals were catching fish in holes in the ground. He found a flooded cathedral under the ground and excavated it. Underground we found a floor of water about 5 feet deep full of fish, a large hall filled with large columns, and carvings of medusa. It was both beautiful and eerie, I could picture ancient sacrificial rituals or occult practices taking place there long ago. We then walked around the outside of Haggia Sofia before heading to Taksim square, the hipper part of town for dinner. Taksim actually reminded both Chrissy and I of Grafton Street in Dublin- lots of lights, upscale shops and live music. I forgot! The entire morning the first day was spent at a bilingual school called Kent-Koleji. We were able to dialogue with teachers there, I even made a friend out of the gym teacher there named Eg. We played socoer with the children there and had a delicious lunch of kofte (meat patties), yogurt, chicken, and sausage.
On the second day, I went to Asia! It was on an SAS sponsored hike in the rural area of Balikaya. After a three hour bus ride, our guide took us on a 2 ½ hour hike through the mountains of Northern Turkey. We hiked to a local swimming hole where a beautiful waterfall was our backdrop for lunch- it was funny, two stray dogs followed us the whole time to wait for our scraps. After the long hike, I had the best experience on the trip yet- a Turkish bath. The bathhouse we went to was built in the 1500’s and hadn’t changed since. The boys and girls were separated into groups and were led to changing rooms, where I was given a towel and slippers. After changing, I walked into the men’s bath, a large, round room with a domed ceiling that had lightholes in it. In the middle of the room was a large round marble slab. I laid on the slab with the other men in the room and began to “sweat out.” The marble was heated in order cause the pores to open and sweat, much like a sauna. Then, Mustafa, my Turkish bather, gave me instructions to lie on my back. Mustafa looked like a burlier, Turkish version of dad. He began by lathering me up with pillow case full of suds. Then he scraped layers of dead skin from my body with a mit. He kept cracking my back and throwing cold water over my head. It felt like I was a piece of meat he was kneading and washing over and over. After Mustafa was done with me, he pointed me in the direction of the massage room, where I received my first massage of my life. Amazing. The guy took thirty minutes squeezing my pressure points and kneading out knots in my back. Awesome. Then I showered and headed back to the steam room where Mustafa gave me another bath cause I still had oil on my body from the massage. The whole thing took about 2 hours. Afterwards, I drank orange juice and water on the roof while I waited for my friends. My group of friends (Chrissy, Serena, Tanya, and Bri) and I set out for food and found a great place near Topkapi Palace. It was right by a mosque, and so we had to hide the wine we had with dinner in between menus, because in Muslim countries it is not allowed to serve alcohol near mosques. It was a great day.
The third day was dominated by a trip to the Grand Bazaar, a huge trading center in the middle of the old city. Bargaining is an art in the grand bazaar, and while I was buying a present for one of you, had a very long conversation with a local shop owner. He served me apple tea and we played chess for a while as he told me about his brother who attends Boston University. I think I bargained well, and was happy with my product and price. We then visited the spice bazaar before dinner. Also, in the morning, I forgot, my friend Tanya and I went inside Aya Soia. Aya Sofia was originally built as a Christian cathedral during the Byzantine Empire. Then it was turned into a Mosque once the Turks conquered Istanbul and was finally turned into a museum once Atatturk created the secular state of Turkey in 1922, effectively ending the Ottoman Empire. Ayasofia was beautiful inside, a combination of Christian mosaics and Islamic writings on tile.
We then met up with Chrissy at Topkapi palace, the palace of the Ottoman emperors and their harems. I didn’t know that the treasures in Topkapi even remotely existed in the world. We saw the third largest diamond in the world- it was found on a trash dump by a merchant and then appraised as a real diamond before being bought by the emperor. We saw solid gold thrones encrusted with gems, solid gold armor, and many royal Ottoman robes. My bronchitis was getting really bad that day, so I actually stayed in during the night and rested.
The fourth day we decided to get out of the city and explore one of the Princes’ Island. We took a two hour ferry down the Bosphorus to a rural island that does not allow any automobiles. The Princes’ Islands are where many Turks go on day vacations and picnics. We toured the island in a horse-drawn carriage and saw a cool area where Turkish families were camping and picnicking. We bought some fruit (the best peach I have ever had) and walked back to the forest to picnic. There we played games and watched locals cook food over fires and ride horses. We then grabbed some Turkish pizza and hopped back on our ferry. That night, we headed to dinner with our friends Raj and Rachael in Taksim before heading to some bars and clubs. We got back to the ship around 4 in the morning, so didn’t get up until around 11 the next day.
My last day was just a quick trip to the Bazaar and lunch before on ship time
On the second day, I went to Asia! It was on an SAS sponsored hike in the rural area of Balikaya. After a three hour bus ride, our guide took us on a 2 ½ hour hike through the mountains of Northern Turkey. We hiked to a local swimming hole where a beautiful waterfall was our backdrop for lunch- it was funny, two stray dogs followed us the whole time to wait for our scraps. After the long hike, I had the best experience on the trip yet- a Turkish bath. The bathhouse we went to was built in the 1500’s and hadn’t changed since. The boys and girls were separated into groups and were led to changing rooms, where I was given a towel and slippers. After changing, I walked into the men’s bath, a large, round room with a domed ceiling that had lightholes in it. In the middle of the room was a large round marble slab. I laid on the slab with the other men in the room and began to “sweat out.” The marble was heated in order cause the pores to open and sweat, much like a sauna. Then, Mustafa, my Turkish bather, gave me instructions to lie on my back. Mustafa looked like a burlier, Turkish version of dad. He began by lathering me up with pillow case full of suds. Then he scraped layers of dead skin from my body with a mit. He kept cracking my back and throwing cold water over my head. It felt like I was a piece of meat he was kneading and washing over and over. After Mustafa was done with me, he pointed me in the direction of the massage room, where I received my first massage of my life. Amazing. The guy took thirty minutes squeezing my pressure points and kneading out knots in my back. Awesome. Then I showered and headed back to the steam room where Mustafa gave me another bath cause I still had oil on my body from the massage. The whole thing took about 2 hours. Afterwards, I drank orange juice and water on the roof while I waited for my friends. My group of friends (Chrissy, Serena, Tanya, and Bri) and I set out for food and found a great place near Topkapi Palace. It was right by a mosque, and so we had to hide the wine we had with dinner in between menus, because in Muslim countries it is not allowed to serve alcohol near mosques. It was a great day.
The third day was dominated by a trip to the Grand Bazaar, a huge trading center in the middle of the old city. Bargaining is an art in the grand bazaar, and while I was buying a present for one of you, had a very long conversation with a local shop owner. He served me apple tea and we played chess for a while as he told me about his brother who attends Boston University. I think I bargained well, and was happy with my product and price. We then visited the spice bazaar before dinner. Also, in the morning, I forgot, my friend Tanya and I went inside Aya Soia. Aya Sofia was originally built as a Christian cathedral during the Byzantine Empire. Then it was turned into a Mosque once the Turks conquered Istanbul and was finally turned into a museum once Atatturk created the secular state of Turkey in 1922, effectively ending the Ottoman Empire. Ayasofia was beautiful inside, a combination of Christian mosaics and Islamic writings on tile.
We then met up with Chrissy at Topkapi palace, the palace of the Ottoman emperors and their harems. I didn’t know that the treasures in Topkapi even remotely existed in the world. We saw the third largest diamond in the world- it was found on a trash dump by a merchant and then appraised as a real diamond before being bought by the emperor. We saw solid gold thrones encrusted with gems, solid gold armor, and many royal Ottoman robes. My bronchitis was getting really bad that day, so I actually stayed in during the night and rested.
The fourth day we decided to get out of the city and explore one of the Princes’ Island. We took a two hour ferry down the Bosphorus to a rural island that does not allow any automobiles. The Princes’ Islands are where many Turks go on day vacations and picnics. We toured the island in a horse-drawn carriage and saw a cool area where Turkish families were camping and picnicking. We bought some fruit (the best peach I have ever had) and walked back to the forest to picnic. There we played games and watched locals cook food over fires and ride horses. We then grabbed some Turkish pizza and hopped back on our ferry. That night, we headed to dinner with our friends Raj and Rachael in Taksim before heading to some bars and clubs. We got back to the ship around 4 in the morning, so didn’t get up until around 11 the next day.
My last day was just a quick trip to the Bazaar and lunch before on ship time
Monday, July 19, 2010
Greece
So we ported in the city of Piraeus, Greece, about twenty minutes by train outside of Athens. The very first thing we did when getting off the ship was wander around for about an hour looking for our ferry company to purchase tickets for Sifnos, the island we booked our hotel at. Once we purchased our tickets, we headed into the city via the train. The heat of Athens was absolutely ridiculous; on our way to the Acropolis we saw about five tourists literally on their backs, being doused with water because of heat exhaustion. I heard that it was actually 115. It sounds high but it really felt like it. We pulled ourselves up the huge hill that looks over Athens to the Acropolis, originally built as a temple to Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, the patron goddess of Athens. For having been built in the B.C. era, and having survived Christian, Muslim and Ottoman raids and alterations, the carvings and magnitude of the building astonished me. We tried to stay as long as we could stand the heat before heading downhill to the Acropolis museum, which opened about two years ago. The museum was built above an ancient archeological site, an old state house from around 500 BC. The museum floors were made of glass so that you could see the ruins and excavating still going on. Within the museum, all the statues and artifacts from the Acropolis were put back together and housed in glass and open-air cases. We watched an interesting movie that explained the construction and then the destruction of the Acropolis over the centuries, mostly because of religious tensions. I couldn’t believe that the amazing works of art were so old and yet so intact. After the museum we cooled off with an iced coffee and headed back to the ship to meet up with some friends for dinner. We headed to the “hip” part of town and dined on grape leaves, grilled veggies, lamb, olives, croquettes, yogurt, fried feta, and ouzo light- absolutely delicious. Then a nightcap before heading back to the ship.
The second day we woke up early to catch the ferry to the island of Sifnos, about 170 miles south of the mainland. The ferry was like a giant airplane on the inside, complete with a breakfast/coffee bar and restaurant. We sailed for about 3 hours before porting on the island, about the size of Staten Island. Our hotel was bright white with blue shutters and trim, which matched all other buildings on the island. We think the entire island had no more than a few thousand inhabitants. After picking up Serena from her hotel, we went straight to the beautiful sandy beach by our hotel and relaxed for long time. Everyone on the island seemed to be driving mopeds, so unwittingly thought it would be a good idea to rent some. The rental man made us drive them in front of him before signing the paperwork, and unfortunately Chrissy failed horribly. She kept full throttling the accelerator while keeping her hand clenched on the break, which caused Serena and I to crack up and the owner of the place to refuse to rent to us. So, dejected, we walked across the street to rent a car. I was the only one who knew how to drive a stick so chauffeured the ladies to a small town in the middle of the island called Appollonia. There we ate some gelato and shopped for a while before exploring the southern part of Sifnos. After driving on the winding mountain roads, we finally made it to the northern fishing village to a restaurant that we heard was delicious. The owner and his family ran the place, and spoke no English, but we were able to point to the fish we wanted from his catch of the day and watch him grill it up. The island had so many goats, donkeys, and sheep wandering on the roads I had to keep the car in second gear pretty much the whole time.
Day 2 on the island was pretty much a beach day. After a delicious breakfast of crepes we took the car to the southern beach town and swam and tanned. After purchasing some pottery made right in the local shops, we returned the car and settled in to our beach. The Aegean waters were extremely warm, and from what we could tell, we were the only American tourists on this part of the island. Not much else happened this day, except for great food and lots of sun- exactly what one should expect when traveling to the islands.
Our final day in Sifnos was full of beaches, shopping, food, and talking with the locals. We met a Greek man that was so excited we were from New Orleans that he bought us a round of pomegranate liquor he made himself in his restaurant. We talked about how both his son and daughter had graduated from the London school of economics and now waited tables in his restaurant because the Greek economy is so horrible- much worse than the U.S. Our ferry left that night at 11:30; we returned to Athens well rested and well fed.
Our final day in Greece, my coughing symptoms took a turn for the worse, which prompted me to make a visit to student health, where they diagnosed me with Serena’s Bronchitis. So, basically I’ve been cabin ridden coughing until my head feels like it’s going to explode, drinking my weight in water. I hope the antibiotics kick in soon.
The second day we woke up early to catch the ferry to the island of Sifnos, about 170 miles south of the mainland. The ferry was like a giant airplane on the inside, complete with a breakfast/coffee bar and restaurant. We sailed for about 3 hours before porting on the island, about the size of Staten Island. Our hotel was bright white with blue shutters and trim, which matched all other buildings on the island. We think the entire island had no more than a few thousand inhabitants. After picking up Serena from her hotel, we went straight to the beautiful sandy beach by our hotel and relaxed for long time. Everyone on the island seemed to be driving mopeds, so unwittingly thought it would be a good idea to rent some. The rental man made us drive them in front of him before signing the paperwork, and unfortunately Chrissy failed horribly. She kept full throttling the accelerator while keeping her hand clenched on the break, which caused Serena and I to crack up and the owner of the place to refuse to rent to us. So, dejected, we walked across the street to rent a car. I was the only one who knew how to drive a stick so chauffeured the ladies to a small town in the middle of the island called Appollonia. There we ate some gelato and shopped for a while before exploring the southern part of Sifnos. After driving on the winding mountain roads, we finally made it to the northern fishing village to a restaurant that we heard was delicious. The owner and his family ran the place, and spoke no English, but we were able to point to the fish we wanted from his catch of the day and watch him grill it up. The island had so many goats, donkeys, and sheep wandering on the roads I had to keep the car in second gear pretty much the whole time.
Day 2 on the island was pretty much a beach day. After a delicious breakfast of crepes we took the car to the southern beach town and swam and tanned. After purchasing some pottery made right in the local shops, we returned the car and settled in to our beach. The Aegean waters were extremely warm, and from what we could tell, we were the only American tourists on this part of the island. Not much else happened this day, except for great food and lots of sun- exactly what one should expect when traveling to the islands.
Our final day in Sifnos was full of beaches, shopping, food, and talking with the locals. We met a Greek man that was so excited we were from New Orleans that he bought us a round of pomegranate liquor he made himself in his restaurant. We talked about how both his son and daughter had graduated from the London school of economics and now waited tables in his restaurant because the Greek economy is so horrible- much worse than the U.S. Our ferry left that night at 11:30; we returned to Athens well rested and well fed.
Our final day in Greece, my coughing symptoms took a turn for the worse, which prompted me to make a visit to student health, where they diagnosed me with Serena’s Bronchitis. So, basically I’ve been cabin ridden coughing until my head feels like it’s going to explode, drinking my weight in water. I hope the antibiotics kick in soon.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovinia, and Montenegro
The former Yugoslavia has been my favorite port stop so far! Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovinia, and Montenegro were breathtaking countries with rich histories and extremely friendly people- here is what I did there for four days:
The first day in Croatia was magical. I don’t throw this adjective around lightly, but I couldn’t think of a better way of describing this coastal country. Normally we get into port during the night and then are able to clear the ship after clearing customs in the morning and listening to our diplomatic briefing (done by US diplomats, congresspeople, and their foreign counterparts), so we usually wake up to our first sight of the country. Unfortunately, the ports are usually not very appealing aesthetically (Naples’ water was black and had dead fish and garbage in it). Croatia, however, was a beautiful port. We opened our blinds in the morning and saw a tree-covered mountain across the turquoise blue waters of the Adriatic spotted with white homes with red terracotta roofs. When we were able to clear the ship, we took a bus to the “old city” part of town. The old city is a Medieval town surrounded by massive white walls to keep out invaders of the time- I’m thinking the Turks- any help Dad? (By the way- learning about Constantinople and the Crusades right now in Global Studies – why didn’t I know this stuff before the age of 25?). Anyway, we paid to go up on the city walls and walk the perimeter- about one and a half miles total. The views were amazing. The water was every color of blue and green imaginable, and the town of Dubrovnik seemed like it belonged in an old fairy tale. All the buildings were made of white limestone and marble (the same stone as the white house- Croatian limestone and marble is the only kind to stay white) and have red roofs made of large terracotta tiles. We took in all the boats and went inside towers and turrets for about 2 hours, and took over 200 pictures each- I feel so stupid lugging my big camera around but the pictures are great. Then we explored the city- small shops and cafes everywhere as it is one of the biggest destination for European travelers. We had a good lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and beer before heading to the War Photos museum. The exhibit there was entitled “Troubled Islam,” and was a photo-essay look into the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya, and Saudi Arabia. It was so weird seeing these horrific and saddening photographs of War while being in the country where they were taken- even odder knowing that this beautiful and advanced country had been in an ethnic war only in the 90’s. When I saw news photos of the war in Bosnia and Croatia, I never thought I would find this area to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. After we lifted ourselves up from the depression the museum caused, we went for a coffee and found out some interesting news. In the middle of the town (it’s a total pedestrian town that you need to cross a drawbridge to get into) we saw people setting up a large tennis court surrounded by chairs. We found out that John McEnroe would be playing later that night, and decided to come back. So we then hit the beach, where a lounge chair or cabana only cost 60 kuna- about 10 bucks, and ordered mojitos and beer for a few hours while swimming- oh, Paddy, you would be happy to know that all beaches we have been going to are topless and some people are nude. After that we had an excellent meal of mussels, seafood risotto, and calamari and white wine right on the harbor. The Croatians are so friendly and mellow- we all felt much safer here than our last two ports- 65 people got pick pocketed in Barcelona and around 40 in Rome- 0 in Croatia. We then walked into the city to find McEnroe playing some Eastern European I haven’t heard of. We didn’t buy seats cause they were too expensive, but some nuns who were watching on the roof of a church waved to join them. Unfortunately, we could not find the stairs up, so watched through the fence- very exciting. After the match we wandered to find a place to grab a drink and found the Buza Bar- a bar literally carved into the side of the cliff the city walls are built on top of. There, we watched the sunset and my friend Raj and I cliff jumped into the waves below. We talked and drank for a few hours before heading back to the ship… a great day.
On day two, Chrissy and I had another scheduled trip with the ship- a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovenia. Unfortunately, the bus ride took forever because of the passport checks at the border, so we spent about six hours in a bus that day. When in Bosnia, we went to the city of Mostar, named after the gothic bridge (or Most in the native tongue) built in 500 AD. The bridge had been destroyed in the Bosnian war in the nineties, and since been rebuilt. The water under the bridge looked like glacial water, and the mosque on the other side of the bridge had waterfalls entering into the river around it- very picturesque. Other than the mosques we visited and the bridge, Mostar was not that spectacular. There were bullet holes and shrapnel pieces still embedded in many of the buildings, however. As we travel more East each day, I can see the Islamic influence in each country. More mosques, different dress, Arabic architecture- but in the former Yugoslavia, the West and East are both equally prominent- with Croats being Catholic, Bosnians Muslim, and Serbs Eastern Orthodox. That night we went out to eat with friends at a very good Dubrovnik restaurant, the Taj Mahal, and called it an early night.
Day three was probably my favorite in Croatia- well, it wasn’t in Croatia but in this port. I tried to sign up for a trip to Montenegro with SAS that Chrissy got, but unfortunately I didn’t. So, Serena, Raj, Rachael and I decided to go by ourselves. We caught a bus early in the morning to the country of Montenegro- which is named for the “black” mountains surrounding it. We arrived around lunchtime and grabbed some food before heading to the harbor. We wanted to snorkel, and so went to the tourist office to find a good place. The woman there suggested the “Blue Cave,” similar to Capri’s blue Grotto, but alas told us that the last tour group left about an hour ago. The blue cave was about an hour and a half away by boat, so we thought we may just snorkel by the beach. On our way, we saw a man coming into the harbor on a very small outboard motor boat. We offered him money to take us to the cave- He seemed nice enough- and we finally settled on 50 Euro as payment. This was the best decision we made. The guy, Micheilo (Mik- ki- low) was a born and raised Montenegran and told us the stories of the forts built during WWI that guared the town of Herceg Novi from invaders. We went to the blue cave, a huge cavern that allows light in from a small, unseen, opening underwater and creates a blue glow in the water. It was kind of freaky, so we didn’t snorkel there, but at a private beach he took us to owned by the Russian mafia. We just laid out while he went and had lunch for a couple of hours before heading back to Herceg Novi. All in all, we got a private tour in a tiny boat for 5 hours for about 15 dollars a person. We then explored the town for a while before eating some gelato and heading back to Dubrovnik. When in Dubrovnik, we ate at a great restaurant overlooking the cliffs with live music. It was the night of Croatia’s summer festival, so tons of people were in town. A firework show over the Medieval walls ended our night before we headed back to the ship.
On our final day in Croatia, as part of our Grad work in Global Education, we attended a trip to the Croatian Children’s Hospital and Orphanage. We learned about Croatian healthcare and child and family services, social problems in Croatia, and state vs. family rights. My favorite part of the six hour experience was playing a very rough game of soccer with some Croatian orphans, three boys about 3rd to 6th grade. I played barefoot on a gravel basketball court and now have blisters all over my feet. After that we just headed back to the beach and enjoyed our last few hours before on ship time. It was definitely my favorite port so far.
The first day in Croatia was magical. I don’t throw this adjective around lightly, but I couldn’t think of a better way of describing this coastal country. Normally we get into port during the night and then are able to clear the ship after clearing customs in the morning and listening to our diplomatic briefing (done by US diplomats, congresspeople, and their foreign counterparts), so we usually wake up to our first sight of the country. Unfortunately, the ports are usually not very appealing aesthetically (Naples’ water was black and had dead fish and garbage in it). Croatia, however, was a beautiful port. We opened our blinds in the morning and saw a tree-covered mountain across the turquoise blue waters of the Adriatic spotted with white homes with red terracotta roofs. When we were able to clear the ship, we took a bus to the “old city” part of town. The old city is a Medieval town surrounded by massive white walls to keep out invaders of the time- I’m thinking the Turks- any help Dad? (By the way- learning about Constantinople and the Crusades right now in Global Studies – why didn’t I know this stuff before the age of 25?). Anyway, we paid to go up on the city walls and walk the perimeter- about one and a half miles total. The views were amazing. The water was every color of blue and green imaginable, and the town of Dubrovnik seemed like it belonged in an old fairy tale. All the buildings were made of white limestone and marble (the same stone as the white house- Croatian limestone and marble is the only kind to stay white) and have red roofs made of large terracotta tiles. We took in all the boats and went inside towers and turrets for about 2 hours, and took over 200 pictures each- I feel so stupid lugging my big camera around but the pictures are great. Then we explored the city- small shops and cafes everywhere as it is one of the biggest destination for European travelers. We had a good lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and beer before heading to the War Photos museum. The exhibit there was entitled “Troubled Islam,” and was a photo-essay look into the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya, and Saudi Arabia. It was so weird seeing these horrific and saddening photographs of War while being in the country where they were taken- even odder knowing that this beautiful and advanced country had been in an ethnic war only in the 90’s. When I saw news photos of the war in Bosnia and Croatia, I never thought I would find this area to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. After we lifted ourselves up from the depression the museum caused, we went for a coffee and found out some interesting news. In the middle of the town (it’s a total pedestrian town that you need to cross a drawbridge to get into) we saw people setting up a large tennis court surrounded by chairs. We found out that John McEnroe would be playing later that night, and decided to come back. So we then hit the beach, where a lounge chair or cabana only cost 60 kuna- about 10 bucks, and ordered mojitos and beer for a few hours while swimming- oh, Paddy, you would be happy to know that all beaches we have been going to are topless and some people are nude. After that we had an excellent meal of mussels, seafood risotto, and calamari and white wine right on the harbor. The Croatians are so friendly and mellow- we all felt much safer here than our last two ports- 65 people got pick pocketed in Barcelona and around 40 in Rome- 0 in Croatia. We then walked into the city to find McEnroe playing some Eastern European I haven’t heard of. We didn’t buy seats cause they were too expensive, but some nuns who were watching on the roof of a church waved to join them. Unfortunately, we could not find the stairs up, so watched through the fence- very exciting. After the match we wandered to find a place to grab a drink and found the Buza Bar- a bar literally carved into the side of the cliff the city walls are built on top of. There, we watched the sunset and my friend Raj and I cliff jumped into the waves below. We talked and drank for a few hours before heading back to the ship… a great day.
On day two, Chrissy and I had another scheduled trip with the ship- a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovenia. Unfortunately, the bus ride took forever because of the passport checks at the border, so we spent about six hours in a bus that day. When in Bosnia, we went to the city of Mostar, named after the gothic bridge (or Most in the native tongue) built in 500 AD. The bridge had been destroyed in the Bosnian war in the nineties, and since been rebuilt. The water under the bridge looked like glacial water, and the mosque on the other side of the bridge had waterfalls entering into the river around it- very picturesque. Other than the mosques we visited and the bridge, Mostar was not that spectacular. There were bullet holes and shrapnel pieces still embedded in many of the buildings, however. As we travel more East each day, I can see the Islamic influence in each country. More mosques, different dress, Arabic architecture- but in the former Yugoslavia, the West and East are both equally prominent- with Croats being Catholic, Bosnians Muslim, and Serbs Eastern Orthodox. That night we went out to eat with friends at a very good Dubrovnik restaurant, the Taj Mahal, and called it an early night.
Day three was probably my favorite in Croatia- well, it wasn’t in Croatia but in this port. I tried to sign up for a trip to Montenegro with SAS that Chrissy got, but unfortunately I didn’t. So, Serena, Raj, Rachael and I decided to go by ourselves. We caught a bus early in the morning to the country of Montenegro- which is named for the “black” mountains surrounding it. We arrived around lunchtime and grabbed some food before heading to the harbor. We wanted to snorkel, and so went to the tourist office to find a good place. The woman there suggested the “Blue Cave,” similar to Capri’s blue Grotto, but alas told us that the last tour group left about an hour ago. The blue cave was about an hour and a half away by boat, so we thought we may just snorkel by the beach. On our way, we saw a man coming into the harbor on a very small outboard motor boat. We offered him money to take us to the cave- He seemed nice enough- and we finally settled on 50 Euro as payment. This was the best decision we made. The guy, Micheilo (Mik- ki- low) was a born and raised Montenegran and told us the stories of the forts built during WWI that guared the town of Herceg Novi from invaders. We went to the blue cave, a huge cavern that allows light in from a small, unseen, opening underwater and creates a blue glow in the water. It was kind of freaky, so we didn’t snorkel there, but at a private beach he took us to owned by the Russian mafia. We just laid out while he went and had lunch for a couple of hours before heading back to Herceg Novi. All in all, we got a private tour in a tiny boat for 5 hours for about 15 dollars a person. We then explored the town for a while before eating some gelato and heading back to Dubrovnik. When in Dubrovnik, we ate at a great restaurant overlooking the cliffs with live music. It was the night of Croatia’s summer festival, so tons of people were in town. A firework show over the Medieval walls ended our night before we headed back to the ship.
On our final day in Croatia, as part of our Grad work in Global Education, we attended a trip to the Croatian Children’s Hospital and Orphanage. We learned about Croatian healthcare and child and family services, social problems in Croatia, and state vs. family rights. My favorite part of the six hour experience was playing a very rough game of soccer with some Croatian orphans, three boys about 3rd to 6th grade. I played barefoot on a gravel basketball court and now have blisters all over my feet. After that we just headed back to the beach and enjoyed our last few hours before on ship time. It was definitely my favorite port so far.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Italy
So we ported in the small town of Civitavecchia (Chiv-a-tuh-vek-ee-a) outside of Rome. We took the hour train into Rome and began our exploration. Both Chrissy and I have been to Rome before, so we decided that Rome would be another take it easy port. We were able to reserve a B and B, which was basically just some woman's apartment to stay in for two nights- only 25 Euro each a night. It was right by the coliseum- it had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a nice bathroom for Europe. After we unloaded our things, we took off to orientate ourselves. On the way to lunch, we passed by all the monuments- coliseum, pantheon, war museum, piazza Navona. We found a small cafe that served great Italian pizza and had a bite to eat. After walking all over the city some more, we went back to the B and B for a little Siesta, mainly because of the oppressive heat. After waking up, we took a night tour of the city and took pictures in front of the coliseum, pantheon, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona and other Roman structures. We then went to an amazing dinner by the Coliseum. We had gnocchi and sea bream and sliced Tuna. Italian fish is cooked at max 12 hours after it is caught. We finished our night with an espresso and hit the hay.
The next day, we woke early to eat some croissants in our kitchen before heading out to explore the Roman catacombs. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the right bus stop, and so instead saw the circus maximus (where they had chariot races) and then went to the Senate- where Caesar was stabbed. We then explored a new neighborhood neither one of us had been to called the Trestevere. We had some prosciutto and cheese for lunch and then meandered along the Tiber for a while. We then went to the Spanish steps and the fashion district, where all the original Gucci and Prada stores. I bought some Italian shoes for myself because my sneakers were giving me horrible blisters. After that, Chrissy wanted to shop more so I left her and went to the War Museum, the resting place of Ignatius of Loyola (very cool for me!), and saw an exhibit called the sculptures of the renaissance, featuring works by Michaelangelo and Donnatello. Beautiful. We met up again went to go meet our new friend Serena- who's boyfriend was meeting her in Rome. We met them in the Piazza Navona and found out that he had proposed to her the night before! We celebrated with two bottles of Prosecco before heading to dinner, where we had way too much table wine. I had a gorgonzola stuffed steak at dinner, while we all enjoyed prosciutto melons and cheese plates for appetizers. We then wanted to go out, so found a place near the Castel Sant' Angelo. We just got a little crazy after that and had great Mojitos and Passion fruit drinks before heading to another bar. We didn't get back to the B and B until 4:30- great to celebrate with them!!
The train ride the next day to Venice was, as you can imagine, not that fun. It took 3 and a half hours to get to Venice, but the second I stepped off the train, I was jolted back to life. All of you need to visit Venice at some point. It is unlike any other place I have been. There are no cars allowed, mainly because the streets are all pedestrian. The city was built on a lagoon when barbarian invaders overtook northern Italy. The ornate architecture is astounding. The canals throughout the city are a beautiful green hue, and bridges are everywhere connecting neighborhoods. Front doors of homes open onto the water directly. Anyway, we got to our hotel, which was really like a hostel, and met our grandma-like hotel owner. She was so kind and had the best Italian accent. We just started exploring the city first on foot and then on the bus- the bus being a boat that travels the city in a circle from stop to stop on the Grand Canal. I was able to see San Marco's square and the Rialto bridge- and just sat on the boat with my jaw dropped. We then found an outdoor cafe along a small canal where we ate for about 2 hours- pizza and wine by candlelight. So amazing.
The next day, we woke up early and had a croissant with a cappuchino before heading to San Marco square and the Peggy Gugenheim collection. We just got ourselves lost all over Venice, and its so fun. The street names are hard to find and everywhere you turn are little alleyways and pedestrian bridges. So cool. We then went to Harry's bar, the place that the original Bellini was created, so we had a Bellini (very overpriced) but delicious. Then we found an off the beaten path neighborhood called Cannaregio, where we had cheap delicious wine, octopus, spider crab pasta, and wonderful tapas. This was my favorite place in Venice- we were the only tourists there. Venice is by far my favorite place in Italy.
We woke up the next morning to take a six hour train ride to meet the ship in Naples. We were wiped when we got into Naples, but we did meet up with friends and headed to a restaurant that was written up in the New York Times as the best pizza in Naples (the birhplace of pizza). It was amazing- sweet, thick crust and olive oil tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil. Other than that, this day was a day to rest and unpack on the ship.
We woke up the next day to catch a train to Pompeii. Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 72 AD. The ash from the volcano perfectly preserved the ancient city until excavators found it in the 1700's. It was huge! I always thought Pompeii would be a few ruins in the dirt, but we were able to walk around the entire ancient city! It is over 30 sq km. We spent 5 hours walking around listening to an auditory guide- we saw the ancient amphitheater, brothels, restaurants, homes, vineyards, forums, and theaters. There were even perfectly preserved frescoes. That was mostly day 6.
Our final day in Italy, three friends and I went on my first Semester at Sea sponsored trip. It was a hike up the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. We took a bus up close to the summit, and then hiked for an hour to the top of the volcano. We walked around the mouth of the crater and took great pictures- you won't see pictures till i'm back in the states because it takes up to much of my internet usage. Vesuvius was absolutely breathtaking- it could blow again any minute- geologists expect its next eruption within fifteen years. After we got back from the hike, we had another pizza and some excellent gelato. When back on the ship, the crew threw us a 4th of July bbq before we set sail.
In the last two days on the ship, we sailed by the volcano Stromboli and in between Italy and Sicily. The Tyrrehnian Sea and the Adriatic Sea are both gorgeous. I've been busy with school work- hard to get back into it after three years.
The next day, we woke early to eat some croissants in our kitchen before heading out to explore the Roman catacombs. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the right bus stop, and so instead saw the circus maximus (where they had chariot races) and then went to the Senate- where Caesar was stabbed. We then explored a new neighborhood neither one of us had been to called the Trestevere. We had some prosciutto and cheese for lunch and then meandered along the Tiber for a while. We then went to the Spanish steps and the fashion district, where all the original Gucci and Prada stores. I bought some Italian shoes for myself because my sneakers were giving me horrible blisters. After that, Chrissy wanted to shop more so I left her and went to the War Museum, the resting place of Ignatius of Loyola (very cool for me!), and saw an exhibit called the sculptures of the renaissance, featuring works by Michaelangelo and Donnatello. Beautiful. We met up again went to go meet our new friend Serena- who's boyfriend was meeting her in Rome. We met them in the Piazza Navona and found out that he had proposed to her the night before! We celebrated with two bottles of Prosecco before heading to dinner, where we had way too much table wine. I had a gorgonzola stuffed steak at dinner, while we all enjoyed prosciutto melons and cheese plates for appetizers. We then wanted to go out, so found a place near the Castel Sant' Angelo. We just got a little crazy after that and had great Mojitos and Passion fruit drinks before heading to another bar. We didn't get back to the B and B until 4:30- great to celebrate with them!!
The train ride the next day to Venice was, as you can imagine, not that fun. It took 3 and a half hours to get to Venice, but the second I stepped off the train, I was jolted back to life. All of you need to visit Venice at some point. It is unlike any other place I have been. There are no cars allowed, mainly because the streets are all pedestrian. The city was built on a lagoon when barbarian invaders overtook northern Italy. The ornate architecture is astounding. The canals throughout the city are a beautiful green hue, and bridges are everywhere connecting neighborhoods. Front doors of homes open onto the water directly. Anyway, we got to our hotel, which was really like a hostel, and met our grandma-like hotel owner. She was so kind and had the best Italian accent. We just started exploring the city first on foot and then on the bus- the bus being a boat that travels the city in a circle from stop to stop on the Grand Canal. I was able to see San Marco's square and the Rialto bridge- and just sat on the boat with my jaw dropped. We then found an outdoor cafe along a small canal where we ate for about 2 hours- pizza and wine by candlelight. So amazing.
The next day, we woke up early and had a croissant with a cappuchino before heading to San Marco square and the Peggy Gugenheim collection. We just got ourselves lost all over Venice, and its so fun. The street names are hard to find and everywhere you turn are little alleyways and pedestrian bridges. So cool. We then went to Harry's bar, the place that the original Bellini was created, so we had a Bellini (very overpriced) but delicious. Then we found an off the beaten path neighborhood called Cannaregio, where we had cheap delicious wine, octopus, spider crab pasta, and wonderful tapas. This was my favorite place in Venice- we were the only tourists there. Venice is by far my favorite place in Italy.
We woke up the next morning to take a six hour train ride to meet the ship in Naples. We were wiped when we got into Naples, but we did meet up with friends and headed to a restaurant that was written up in the New York Times as the best pizza in Naples (the birhplace of pizza). It was amazing- sweet, thick crust and olive oil tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil. Other than that, this day was a day to rest and unpack on the ship.
We woke up the next day to catch a train to Pompeii. Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 72 AD. The ash from the volcano perfectly preserved the ancient city until excavators found it in the 1700's. It was huge! I always thought Pompeii would be a few ruins in the dirt, but we were able to walk around the entire ancient city! It is over 30 sq km. We spent 5 hours walking around listening to an auditory guide- we saw the ancient amphitheater, brothels, restaurants, homes, vineyards, forums, and theaters. There were even perfectly preserved frescoes. That was mostly day 6.
Our final day in Italy, three friends and I went on my first Semester at Sea sponsored trip. It was a hike up the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. We took a bus up close to the summit, and then hiked for an hour to the top of the volcano. We walked around the mouth of the crater and took great pictures- you won't see pictures till i'm back in the states because it takes up to much of my internet usage. Vesuvius was absolutely breathtaking- it could blow again any minute- geologists expect its next eruption within fifteen years. After we got back from the hike, we had another pizza and some excellent gelato. When back on the ship, the crew threw us a 4th of July bbq before we set sail.
In the last two days on the ship, we sailed by the volcano Stromboli and in between Italy and Sicily. The Tyrrehnian Sea and the Adriatic Sea are both gorgeous. I've been busy with school work- hard to get back into it after three years.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Barcelona!!
I’m just about to leave Barcelona, Espana and make my way to Civitevecchia, Italia- right outside of Rome.
I am having the time of my life. We started out the first day in Barcelona walking the entire city. We probably walked a total of ten miles the first day! The architect Gaudi made many beautiful buildings in Barcelona, including, La Sagrade Familia, a megachurch that began construction in the late 1800’s and won’t be finished until 2030. We were able to climb the tiny staircases in the giant spires, where we took great photographs of Barcelona. We saw many Gaudi buildings and had excellent tapas and wine- wine, by the way, is super cheap in Spain. A glass of wine was usually complementary with tapas, and if it wasn’t, you could buy a bottle for 5Euro. We then had an amazing meal (dinner in Spain starts around 9:30) after more exploring of the city.
Day 2 in Spain started out with a trip to the Museu de Picasso. He had a really interesting Parisian stage- lots of soft lines that I had never seen of Picasso’s. Then we settled in to watch the Spain v. Chile game, where Spain won. The European’s love them some football. Also, we continued eating and drinking wine every five steps. Spaniards have breakfast, then tapas at 11:00, lunch at 2, more tapas at six, and then dinner from usually 9:30 to 2:00. I loved their schedule. We went out to a few bars as well- everyone here is so nice and just takes life slow.
On the third day, my favorite, we took the train about an hour outside of Barcelona to a vineyard where Cava, Catalonian champagne, is harvested, pressed, and distributed. This vineyard had 30 kilometers of underground cellars that go 5 stories down. It was built in the 1500’s, and then expanded upon on at the turn of the century. The tour was 6 Euro, and felt like a private tour. We took a mini corporate train through the cellars, where over 8,000,000 bottles of Cava are being aged. The tour was 2 ½ hours, including the tasting at the end. A magical, tucked away place that seemed like a dream to myself and three friends. After spending the day in the tiny town nestled in the wine country, we headed back to Barcelona. That night, my entire SAS “family”, the 10 teachers and my friend Serena, went to a Flamenco show and then out for Paella.
On our final day, I got up early and wandered to Gaudi’s public park, Park Guelle, and strolled through the mountainside neighborhoods. After that, we hit the beaches, where about ¼ of the people are nude, and the water is a beautiful turquoise. We sprung for a ride in the gondola (sky car) over the city to the mountains and back…. Then back to the ship. These are just the highlights, I fell in love with the city the first day.
Chrissy and I are breaking away from the group- we take turns traveling in 3 and 4’s anyway based on what we want to do, and are planning our backpacking trip around Italy. We are now shortening our time in Venice and heading to a town called Cinqua Terre- five cliff side villages on the Western coast of Italy. Then to Naples where we plan to hike Mount Vesuvius and explore Pompeii.
I am having the time of my life. We started out the first day in Barcelona walking the entire city. We probably walked a total of ten miles the first day! The architect Gaudi made many beautiful buildings in Barcelona, including, La Sagrade Familia, a megachurch that began construction in the late 1800’s and won’t be finished until 2030. We were able to climb the tiny staircases in the giant spires, where we took great photographs of Barcelona. We saw many Gaudi buildings and had excellent tapas and wine- wine, by the way, is super cheap in Spain. A glass of wine was usually complementary with tapas, and if it wasn’t, you could buy a bottle for 5Euro. We then had an amazing meal (dinner in Spain starts around 9:30) after more exploring of the city.
Day 2 in Spain started out with a trip to the Museu de Picasso. He had a really interesting Parisian stage- lots of soft lines that I had never seen of Picasso’s. Then we settled in to watch the Spain v. Chile game, where Spain won. The European’s love them some football. Also, we continued eating and drinking wine every five steps. Spaniards have breakfast, then tapas at 11:00, lunch at 2, more tapas at six, and then dinner from usually 9:30 to 2:00. I loved their schedule. We went out to a few bars as well- everyone here is so nice and just takes life slow.
On the third day, my favorite, we took the train about an hour outside of Barcelona to a vineyard where Cava, Catalonian champagne, is harvested, pressed, and distributed. This vineyard had 30 kilometers of underground cellars that go 5 stories down. It was built in the 1500’s, and then expanded upon on at the turn of the century. The tour was 6 Euro, and felt like a private tour. We took a mini corporate train through the cellars, where over 8,000,000 bottles of Cava are being aged. The tour was 2 ½ hours, including the tasting at the end. A magical, tucked away place that seemed like a dream to myself and three friends. After spending the day in the tiny town nestled in the wine country, we headed back to Barcelona. That night, my entire SAS “family”, the 10 teachers and my friend Serena, went to a Flamenco show and then out for Paella.
On our final day, I got up early and wandered to Gaudi’s public park, Park Guelle, and strolled through the mountainside neighborhoods. After that, we hit the beaches, where about ¼ of the people are nude, and the water is a beautiful turquoise. We sprung for a ride in the gondola (sky car) over the city to the mountains and back…. Then back to the ship. These are just the highlights, I fell in love with the city the first day.
Chrissy and I are breaking away from the group- we take turns traveling in 3 and 4’s anyway based on what we want to do, and are planning our backpacking trip around Italy. We are now shortening our time in Venice and heading to a town called Cinqua Terre- five cliff side villages on the Western coast of Italy. Then to Naples where we plan to hike Mount Vesuvius and explore Pompeii.
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