A magical journey through Greece

April 26, 2015

We arrived at Piraeus, Greece on Friday, April 10 – the Greek Orthodox Good Friday. Having been to Athens twice before we opted for a three-day, two night overland tour to Meteora, Delphi and Olympia.

Our first stop – after a 4-hour bus ride through the amazing Greek countryside – was Kalambaka at the base of the Meteora Monasteries. Picture giant rocks reaching high into the sky over the Thessalian plain, and on top of several are monasteries that date back to the 11^th century and sit atop the rocks like caps on one’s head.

There were once twenty-one monasteries and nunneries, but today there are only six, with only five still occupied – three with monks and two with nuns. Over the years the nuns and monks who lived in the monasteries to engage in reflection and prayer have been inundated with visitors so many have abandoned their homes for less popular venues. The roads built to the sites have enabled people to access the churches (each monastery is built with a church at its core and several small chapels) via motorized vehicles instead of hiking up or being pulled up in a basket. We saw campsites at the bases and climbers scaling some of the rocks.

Even more special was the juxtaposition of spring flowers and budding trees against a background of snow-capped peaks. Spectacular!

We visited two sites, one we could drive fairly close to and one that required a hike up 210 steps in a skirt! (Women are required to wear skirts, no trousers.) The first had a lovely domed church, but the paintings were recent. The second – the one that required the hike – had ancient frescos on the walls that made the trek worthwhile. Because the only light is from candles, the frescos are in excellent condition.

That evening we stayed in Kalambaka. While many in our group joined our guide to participate in the Good Friday procession, we and our back-of-the bus buddies, Craig and Sumi Gerhart from Philly, found a local restaurant where we ate and drank like kings all for a total of 25 Euros per couple. We love Greece!

The next day, back on the bus for the trip to Delphi. Our guide pronounced it Delphee, but a local merchant told us that is because that’s the way it’s spelled in Greek, but Delphi is also correct. After visiting the Delphi Museum and site we drove through a spectacular little town at the base of the ski slopes – which are still open due to a colder than normal spring – and on to a delightful place where we had lunch. We all left feeling way too full.

Then back to Delphi where we checked into our hotel. Our room had a spectacular view of the mountains and the Ionian Sea below. The town is so hilly that a young woman at the hotel referred to it as a “gymnasium.” We got our workout wandering around the town. Much later, when we were finally ready for dinner, several of the places we visited were too busy getting ready for the midnight diners after the Easter eve mass. But we did find one place and had a late night pizza. At midnight we looked out our balcony and saw the fireworks celebrating the Easter miracle. The next morning we saw smoke everywhere as people were barbequing lambs.

Fireworks celebrating Easter in Delphi

Our final stop before re-joining the ship in Katakolon (emphasis on the second syllable) was Olympia. Unfortunately, the site was closed for Easter Sunday, but we were hosted at a giant Easter celebration, complete with Greek dancing and lots of wonderful food. For Easter the Greeks dye boiled eggs solid red. Two people hit the eggs together. The one who’s egg cracks might have bad luck. My egg cracked but John’s didn’t so as a family we balance out.

We got to Katakolon early enough to walk around town. It’s a fun little port city with lots of merchants who were open on Easter Sunday. As we returned to the ship we were greeted by two dogs – like a welcoming committee. They made themselves at home on the mat at the base of the gangway and greeted everyone who walked by. Nice way to end our trip to Greece.

 Now on to Italy (Messinna, Naples and Civitavechia/Rome), then Cartegena, Malaga, and Cadiz, Spain, and finally Ponta Delgada where we had two days instead of the scheduled one.   

A special day and evening in Turkey

April 20, 2015

Since my last post we have visited Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain. Now we have two sea days as we sail to Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel, so I have time to catch up.

First Turkey. We arrived at Kusadasi on April 9. Most of our fellow passengers were traveling to Ephesus but, since we had already visited there twice, we opted for an excursion to a small Turkish village. This was a small tour – only eight passengers plus a ship’s representative and our guide – so we drove up the winding mountain road in a small van instead of a big bus. Our group included two couples from the US, one from Canada and one from Australia.

The Turkish countryside is lush and beautiful. On the way to our destination, Sirince, we stopped in a small town where the one remaining column from the Temple of Artemis still stands and we met a friendly street cat. We also saw the castle and monument to St. John.

                                                   Remaining column from the Temple of Artemis and local greeter

In Sirince we had Turkish coffee and learned that the trick is to request any sweetener beforehand so you don’t have to stir the coffee after it is served and can avoid “chewing” the grounds. This is something we had not been warned about the first time we had Turkish coffee on our first visit in 1998. This time the coffee was delicious and the fortune teller who “read” the grounds foresaw both of us coming into money this year.

The village is full of stalls and shops where local (and maybe not so local) handicrafts and jewelry were for sale. One shop had a big sign over the door that boasted it had made the jewels for the movie Troy and advised that we should look for the photo of Brad Pitt over the cash register.

A jewelry shop in Sirince

Street scene from Sirince

The highlight of the day was lunch in a private home, complete with local wine. It was delicious. The home was also an art gallery where the son of the woman who had prepared our lunch does felt art. His craft earned an article in the NY Times. The dining room walls were covered in this lovely work.

                           Our hostess standing in the doorway with our ship rep and our guide.

That evening every passenger of the ship was treated to dinner and a concert at Ephesus. This was part of the celebration of “Mariners’ Week” and was hosted by the CEO of Holland America Group and the new President of Holland America Line.

As awe-inspiring as Ephesus is during the day, to be there at night with the ruins lit up defies description. The concert by the Aegean Chamber Orchestra was held in the Roman Amphitheater. The acoustics are such that no amplification was necessary for us to hear every string section.

                The library at Ephesus at night.

                                       Waiting for the concert at Ephesus with friend Cindy

Concert at Ephesus

The only problem was worrying about the many elderly guests maneuvering safely around the 3,000 year-old structure. As a matter of fact, after the concert as we were about to leave our seats, a man came tumbling down the stone steps right next to us and landed about four steps below. Unbelievably he got up and walked out under his own power.

All in all it was a day to remember and Turkey remains one of our favorite countries. That evening we set sail for Greece.

Through the Suez and on to Israel

April 13, 2015

On April 2^nd we sailed away from lovely Aqaba, Jordan and headed toward Israel via the Suez Canal. In order to assure that we might go through the canal during the day, our captain “…cranked this baby up…” to 22 knots – almost max speed. So we arrived at the entrance to the canal about 11:00 a.m. on the 3^rd, dropped anchor and awaited our turn. That came at about 4:00 that afternoon, giving us about 3 hours of daylight. Unlike the Panama Canal, there are no locks – just views of Egyptian towns on one side and the Sinai Desert (also Egypt) on the other side. It costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 for a ship to go through the canal, and those fees have become an important source of income to Egypt. All along one side is a massive wall punctuated by forts and guard houses. No one ever explained what that might be for except, possibly, a deterrent to potential attacks on the canal from the countryside.

After leaving the canal and a day at sea we arrived at the port of Ashdod, Israel on Sunday, April 4, a triple holiday in Israel – Easter, Passover, and Orthodox Palm Sunday. We traveled to Masada and the Dead Sea which, although crowed with holiday travelers, were not as crowded as Jerusalem and the holy sites. Acquaintances from the ship who went into Jerusalem said it was not as bad as predicted but many areas were closed for various services.

The descent into the lowest place on the earth’s crust was fascinating. We saw farms and lots of green in the desert – quite a contrast to the deserts in the Arab countries – and camels, too. The Dead Sea is dying due to over-harvesting of its minerals. But it remains beautiful. We were told that we were there at the best time, just after a wetter than normal winter and before the hot summer sun turned the blue lake hazy. Of surprise to us were the many cities and towns that were almost entirely populated by Muslim Bedouins, living peacefully within the Jewish state.

View of Dead Sea from Masada

Just past the Dead Sea is Masada, the high flat mesa from which a small band of Jews withstood an assault by Roman soldiers centuries ago. When it became apparent that the soldiers were about to breach the fortification the Jews killed each other, with the final survivor killing himself, rather than become slaves. The place had originally been built by King Herod as a summer palace and is in remarkably good condition. We took a gondola to and from the site. The views of the Dead Sea from the mountain are spectacular. How it was built and later breached by the Roman soldiers is unbelievable given the sheer height and seeming impenetrable cliff face. The gondola ride alone takes five minutes. Some hardy visitors hiked up the original narrow path to the top.

    

Next we went back down to a hotel next to the Dead Sea, had lunch and took a float – literally – in the salty water. The water is so buoyant some people had a hard time standing up. Fun. They say that swimming in the Dead Sea makes you look 10 years younger, but I didn’t really seen much difference. ;-)

The next day, April 5, we were in Haifa where we visited Caesarea – another ancient site built by Herod and occupied through the centuries by Romans, Arabs, Christians (including Crusaders) and Jews. As with Masada, the archeologists have done an amazing job restoring the site. The shopping was pretty good, too.

Also in Haifa is the temple and gardens of the Bhai. Although founded in Iran, where the founder was executed for claiming that another prophet was possible, the temple and gardens are in Haifa because the founder was born and is buried in a nearby town. There is a Bhai group in Youngstown and, we are told, quite a large group in Chicago. 

The Bhai Temple (gold dome) and gardens from the top of the mountain. Note the straight boulevard and our ship in the port below.

                

The street that leads up to the temple is the only straight boulevard in Haifa and was built by German Christians who settled here in the late 1800s. Their descendants were ejected by the English during WWII because they were Nazi sympathizers. The square stone houses they built were abandoned, but in recent years have been renovated and turned into shops and restaurants. 

Because the tour was a short one we had time to walk around Haifa. As we returned to the port we met a family of orthodox Jews who asked us lots of questions about the ship, cruising in general, and our cruise, including how much it cost. We had the port guards take our picture with the family. Another special encounter with people who actually live in the places we visit.

Now we’re off to Turkey!    

Jordan – a day that began with a tragedy and ended with wonder

April 9, 2015

Getting a little behind in my blogging. Since my last post we have visited Jordan, traversed the Suez Canal, spent two days in Israel and just left Kusadasi, Turkey. Now we are sailing the rocky and rainy Aegean Sea on our way to Athens. So a little catch-up is needed.

Aqaba, Jordan – April 3, 2015

Because of cool temps we had breakfast inside the cabin instead of on the veranda and thus caused the tragedy. A dove died on our veranda after hitting its head on our window. It was messy – blood and feathers everywhere and a dove on its back with legs in the air. We notified our cabin attendant as we left for our tour to Petra. All was back to normal by the time we returned from our tour.

Now, about Petra. We have visited the Pyramids, Ephesus, Pompeii, Borobudur, the Coliseum, the Parthenon, etc. None had the same impact on us as Petra. Although it was a long day with rough walking of over 5 miles – at least half of which was up hill – the surroundings and sights were awe-inspiring.  We are scheduled to visit Meteora in Greece on the 10^th. After Petra, I wonder if it will measure up.

The 2 ½ hour bus ride from Aqaba to Petra was not the least bit boring due to the spectacular scenery – rugged mountains, canyons, and Bedouin encampments. Our tour guide – who happens to be a Bedouin from Petra – was both knowledgeable and entertaining. While in Petra he told us about the New Zealand woman who married a Bedouin, moved into the cave and adopted the lifestyle. That led to a book, I Married a Bedouin. On our return trip on the bus our guide asked the pretty young blond on the tour to marry him so they could write the sequel – “I Married a Bedouin II.” In addition to being smart, he was quite good looking and she gave it some thought. ;-))

I won’t spend a lot of time telling the history of Petra – you can Google it and get the background. The pictures do not do it justice. Petra was re-discovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwing Burchhardt, a possible ancestor of my cousin-in-law, Lee Burkhart. The spelling was different, but the name is pretty close. And even if he wasn’t related, we’re still claiming him. ;-)

Like Oman, Jordan is a small predominantly Muslim country with a stable government and moderate policies about religion. Across the bay from Aqaba was the Israeli port city of Eilat. Although Jordan and Israel have made their peace, Jordan faces pressures from its other neighbors. We wonder how long Jordan and Oman can retain their independence in the middle of such instability from religious extremists among their neighbors. 

We ended our tour of Petra with a ride through Aqaba. It is a lovely city and one we’d like to visit again. Now it’s off to the Suez Canal!

Man ‘o man – Oman

April 1, 2015

After leaving Dubai, the world of high rises and world record features, our March 26 arrival in Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman, was like a breath of fresh air. The coast is dramatically beautiful in its stark, rocky mountains that encircle the city and its port. The buildings are low, two and three stories and even the new construction is true to the traditional architecture. No high-rises – maximum height is 7 stories – by design. The current sultan prefers expansion out instead of up and, to encourage that vision, every Omani who reaches the age of 23 (men and women both) is given a parcel of land in the location of his/her choice on which to build a home or to sell. Once again, the Portuguese were among the first “conquerors” from the west as this was an important port for the spice trade. Although they were driven out after about a century of occupation, their 14^th-century forts remain.

       View of Muscat coast. Note Portuguese fort.

                                                 View of Muscat from the ship

Thanks to production and export of over 900,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the cities and country-side are clean and the people seemingly comfortable.  Unlike go-go Dubai, Oman is a study in conservatism. Not the religious conservatism of Saudi Arabia, but the economic conservatism that respects the country’s past, benefits its people, and keeps the country out of world conflicts. Also of interest is that Oman offers free education, health care and other benefits to its citizens regardless of gender. There are even two women who serve as ministers in the government.

Due to insufficient ground water, the country uses mostly desalinated water. However some ground water continues to help irrigate the date palms which grow near an oasis we visited in the hills outside of Muscat.  We also visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, completed in 2001.

Our tour guide in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Our next stop in Oman was Salalah on March 28. This was the center of the world’s frankincense trade and is thought to be the origin of one of the wise men who visited Bethlehem. It is also thought to be where the Queen of Sheba obtained frankincense for King Solomon. We visited an archaeological site that may have been her palace, although that idea has been refuted by the Italian archaeologists who are restoring the site. They say her palace was in Yemen, a 2-hour drive away. As our bus traveled the highway around Salalah, we saw a herd of camels along the road. Our guide noted that the camel herder was driving in a Toyota Land Cruiser across the way. My, how times have changed!

                                                Camels along the road near Salalah

We especially enjoyed our visit to the Salalah Heritage Museum where we saw frankincense trees among other interesting exhibits. Apparently frankincense has a multitude of uses including ridding your home of pests, medicinal benefits from dissolving and drinking, or from mixing with oils for application to the skin.

With our guide in front of a frankincense tree at the museum in Salalah

The beaches in Salalah are both magnificent and empty as Muslims are not water enthusiasts. We saw evidence of preparation for beach-front hotel construction in the city which will change both the character of the city as well as the activity on the beaches by visitors from Europe. We had lunch at a Crowne Plaza resort and got a peek at the future of the region.

Oman reminded us of the smart kid who knows how to stay out of trouble and live successfully. The country is not part of OPEC, opted not to join the Emerates as part of the United Arab Emerates, and by decree stays out of the internal affairs of other nations. All of this is attributed to Sultan Qaboos who took power in 1970 and has converted his country from a backward land to the modern, wealthy country we visited. He is much beloved by the people and we saw signs of celebration everywhere as he had just returned home after an 8-month hospitalization in Germany. Although he is presumably fully recovered, he is 75. Although he has married twice, he has no children, so his presumed heir would be one of his nephews as chosen by the members of the royal family. One hopes that this little gem of a country will continue to be led by one as apparently wise as Sultan Qaboos.

Dubai, Oman and the Gulf of Aden

March 30, 2015

Today we passed through the Strait of Bab El Mandeb which links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. We were within 3 miles of Yemen on the starboard side and 7 miles of Somalia on the port side. In addition to the razor wire draped around the ship and the strategically-positioned water cannons, the captain cranked up the engines to a speed of 23 knots. Although we could see the outlying islands of Yemen from the ship, the only excitement we experienced was a military helicopter (no one is sure from what country) that flew over the ship in both directions. Now we are in the Red Sea and will soon leave the coast of Yemen and sail along the coast of Saudi Arabia. On April 2^nd we will arrive in Al Aqabah, Jordan.

March 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

Our friend Warren Walker refers to Dubai as “Due Bill” and we now understand why. After 30-years of massive building projects, this emirate (one of 7 in the UAE) is deeply in debt and many of the building projects are either abandoned or on hold. Even its most impressive project – Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building – was only completed because Dubai’s fellow and much richer emirate, Abu Dhabi, provided the money to complete the project. The entire area, while impressive, reminded us of the little rich kid with all the toys.

The first day we toured the “architectural marvels” of the city, including a trip up to the observation deck of the Burj (means tower) Khalifa. Although we were higher than in any other building, we were still 14 floors below the top. Those floors are private apartments. The entrance to the tower is inside the world’s second largest mall – the Mall of Dubai.

We also saw the Burj Al Arab, the infamous sail-shaped hotel located on Palm Jumeirah. We did not go inside because no one without a reservation is allowed in – not even in the lobby.     

Then it was on to the Mall of the Emirates (These folks love to shop!) where we saw Ski Dubai, the world’s only indoor ski dome featuring fresh, real snow year-round. Weird!

The second day we struck out on our own and took a taxi to the Creek District – old Dubai. While riding the water taxi across the river we sat next to a nice British couple who have been working in Dubai on and off since 1973. They steered us to a wonderful Arabic restaurant right on the water where we enjoyed delicious food and watched the water taxis and Dhows. The Dhows were being loaded with goods to take to near-by Iran. Dubai continues to maintain economic relationships with Iran in spite of USA’s economic sanctions. We also strolled through the nearby silk 

souk (market), visited some spice markets, and found an art fair in the Dubai Heritage region.

One thing we did not see either day were regular Dubai citizens. Because every citizen receives a guaranteed annual income, housing, medical and education, the emirate imports the workforce. Of the 8-million residents in Dubai, only 15% are citizens. The other 85% are foreign residents. It is impossible to obtain Dubai citizenship unless one is born there and at least one parent is a citizen. Visas must be renewed every two years and the unemployed are returned to their countries of origin. Workers age 65 must return home with no pension other than personal savings. Those workers also have no health coverage. Seems, in light of Dubai’s current economic problems, this system may be unsustainable.

That was Dubai, then we were on to Oman – a very different experience.   More about that visit tomorrow.

Mumbai – wow!

March 23, 2015

“Don’t panic. Move when I move. Keep to my right.” So said our guide on the first day in Mumbai (3.19) as we prepared to cross four lanes of horn-blowing, non-stop traffic to get to the Victoria Station. We survived this and several other challenging street crossings that day. What an adventure!

Inside Victoria Station

Mumbai traffic. Yes, we crossed this street!

We loved Mumbai – chaos and all. Seeing the waves of people getting off the trains and moving in large groups through the city on their way to their respective workplaces was amazing. BTW, the station itself is beautiful and, surprise, the trains run on very precise schedules. Ticket checking is random and our guide – a 21-year-old recent university grad – managed to ride for free for two and a half years before getting caught. His father would give him money for his pass and he just found other things to spend it on.

The architecture is spectacular – Mumbai University, city hall, etc. – and well maintained. The city is not as dirty as we expected and many of our fellow cruisers who have visited before noted that it is vastly improved re cleanliness.

Mumbai City Hall

A highlight of our first day was our visit to the home of Gandhi. It is now a museum filled with Gandhi memorabilia, his preserved room and few material itemsM, photos and a series of dioramas depicting highlights of his life and assassination. We had not been aware that prior to WW II he wrote to Hitler urging that he reconsider his apparent war plans, and to Roosevelt noting that if necessary the Allies could base troops, at their own expense, in India. Both of those letters are on display.

Then we got to witness the amazing lunch delivery service that transports thousands of lunches daily from people’s homes to their offices. The process is so efficient they were recognized by Forbes as a “six sigma” organization.

Let's do lunch!

Breathing in Mumbai is a bit problematic the air pollution so bad it’s visible. Our guide noted that breathing in Mumbai is akin to smoking 2 ½ packs of cigarettes per day. Cough, cough, cough…

In the afternoon our city guide, Isree, left us and our driver, Narem, took over for the trip to Bollywood! After a short ride through the Portuguese neighborhood, where we saw the Mt. Carmel Church of Mumbai, and passing several Bollywood stars’ homes, we went to S & J Studio, one of over 30 producing studios in the area generally referred to as Bollywood. This part of the tour had not been of particular interest to us and we were prepared to cut it short, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it, even the performance by four professional Bollywood dancers for an audience of two – us.  

Dancing with the Bollywood stars!

The second day – 3/20 – we started with a walking tour through the Heritage area of Mumbai, passing several of the buildings we had seen on day one and stopping in at the St. Mary Anglican Cathedral. This tour ended at the Gateway to India, across from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and we left the group and struck out on our own. At the hotel, which was the scene of the horrific terrorist attack a few years ago, we indulged in some up-scale shopping and a positively decadent 7-course Japanese lunch, complete with a bottle of wine and a view of the Gateway and all of the attendant activities there – boats coming and going, Hindu and Muslim families enjoying the day – the saris are so colorful and add to the flavor of the city. Our waiter was Ronald deMello – son of parents with ties to Portuguese Goa.

Gateway to India - the view from our table at the restaurant. Note the pigeon feeding area up front - it's an act of goodwill to assure long life for one's loved ones. Coo?

Then we left the hotel and strolled down a near-by shopping street where we found a little linen shop that had been there over 100 years. Now operated by a Mr. Mendes (who had visited Pittsburgh as a young man taking pilot training), the son of the founder who had operated the shop well into her nineties. She had been from Goa, hence the Portuguese name, and had spoken Portuguese. Of course we bought a hand-embroidered tablecloth.

So many ties to the US – our taxi driver back to the ship has four children, two of whom live in the greater Boston area!

Now we are arriving in Dubai. Our journey through the Straits of Hormuse included adding razor wire around the lower promenade deck of the ship, water canons on that same deck, and extra security to guard against potential pirates. Fortunately none has been needed so far but we will be sailing those same waters as we back track to stop in Oman and Jordan before entering the Suez Canal.

Small additional story about Colombo, Sri Lanka – we stopped at an ATM and John withdrew 1000 rupiah. Turns out that amounted to $7.52 USD, but was enough to cover tolls to and from the tea plantation and lunch for our guide. You never know!

Favorite Gandhi quote:

To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman…

If by strength is meant moral power then woman is immeasurably man’s superior… If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman