Day 4 in Morocco

Today our bus didn’t leave Morocco until 11 am, so we had some time in the hotel.  Actually, Babel came on the TV and since neither of us had ever watched it we watched it.  It is a great movie.  After that we left for our drive back to Casablanca.  It was a very long drive but not that bad.  Let me tell you a little more about Morocco too.  Toilets here are a little different, meaning that they are just holes in the ground.  Needless to say it was a little difficult to use the restroom.  Also, most restaurants just hang huge pieces of raw meat outside of their shop, and that is the meat they serve in the restaurant.  I really didn’t eat much the last four days because of this fact and the fact that most food doesn’t really meet health codes.  We made it back to the ship at like 5 pm and I hopped in the shower to wash off Morocco.  I really enjoyed Morocco because it was so different from the other countries we have been to, even Egypt.  Actually Morocco ranks lower on the list of developing countries than Egypt, but I found it much cleaner.  One of the reasons Morocco is ranked lower is that illiteracy is at about 43-48%.  That is a huge number and it is strange to think that for every 2 people you see on the street one can’t read. 

 

We head back to America tonight and I am sooo excited to be home.  See you in 10 days!!

 

The picture was taken right outside my hotel, I guess this is how the meat is delivered.  Luckily I didn't eat any of the meat at the hotel!!

 

 

 

Pictures

Both pictures are of the landscape and of a village in Morocco. :)

Day 2 and 3 in Morocco

Today we left on a really long drive to the Draa Valley for our Camel Trek.  It takes 8 hours to get to the place where we would be camping, and that is without stops.  What was very difficult about the drive is that we spent 2 ½ hours driving through the Atlas Mountains.  Everyone was car sick and there was hardly enough medicine to go around.  We made it through though and once on the other side of the Mountains I have never seen such amazing landscape.  Catherine compared the mountains to Wyoming, but if you have ever seen Babel we were right in the middle of where that movie was filmed.  Actually, one of the bus drivers in our tour group was the bus driver in Babel for the story line about Morocco.  And, if you have seen Babel we were driving and a huge rock hit our windshield and we all thought it was like the bullet that hits Cate Blanchett (pretty funny).  If you haven’t seen Babel I highly recommend it, I got a chance to see it on TV my last day in Morocco.  Anyways, after driving for a little longer than 8 hours we finally arrived at where we were staying, well at least where the camels were to take us to where we were staying.  So, Catherine and I hopped on our camel, which we named HUMPhrey, and started our trek.  It was only 35 minutes but the wind really was rough and kicking up tons of sand, so I wasn’t too sad that the camel ride didn’t last longer.  I actually had to wrap my sweater around my face to keep the sand out of my mouth and eyes.  It was quite the adventure.  Once there we saw that literally we were staying in cloth tents and very suspicious beds.  We had dinner in huge tents and got to see stars that were so bright and beautiful, I even saw a shooting star.  There was a fire and some belly dancers and the whole evening was really fun.

 

I slept fairly well, if you don’t include being woken up by drunk people all night long, but it was still a great experience.  We woke up, had a small breakfast, rode our camels back (this time our camel’s name was Ingrid), and then made the 8 hour trek back to Marrakech.  Once back in Marrakech we went on an another trek to find Pizza Hut, food we knew was safe.  Actually our food options were pretty limited because women are not allowed in most cafes at night.  After walking for about 30 minutes we just went back to the hotel and got some food there.  After we took showers (because we were still in the clothes we had worn all yesterday and throughout the night) we just passed out in our hotel room, exhausted and excited for a real bed.

 

Day 1 in Morocco

Today I left for a trip to Marrakech and the Sahara Desert.  We were docked in Casablanca and the drive to Marrakech from there is about 4 hours with no stops.  I was lucky enough to be on the trip with Catherine and let me say in advance that she saved my sanity throughout the four days in Morocco.  So anyways, we departed and instead of taking a couple of big buses for the 200 person group which was about to invade the Sahara desert, they gave us 14 small buses and only a handful of guides to float between them.  I must say the drive there was pretty uneventful; we mostly just slept and watched the flat planes of Morocco.  We arrived in Marrakech at around 3 pm and immediately ate lunch.  It was in the Moroccan style, basically meaning you share the food.  After that we had time to look around the main market place.  A huge square let way to tiny veins that were alleys full of shops.  In the middle of the square were snake charmers, dancing monkeys and people drawing henna on different tourists’ body parts.  We then entered through one of the alleys to look at the shops.  It was incredible to see the different colors of spices, leather bags and totes all around, and full shops lined floor to ceiling with scarves.  It was fun and I was sad to leave.  We then went to our hotel to check in and have a little free time.  After free time we went to dinner and a show.  The dinner was great—sitting under huge tents with on cushioned couches.  Then we went outside where there was a huge ring and we then watched a horse show.  The whole evening was like visiting a Moroccan Disneyland, but not as good!  It was fun but you could tell that it was put on strictly for tourists and there was very little of the show based in Moroccan culture.  We returned to our hotel tired but ready for our drive to the Sahara desert tomorrow.

My last day in Egypt

My last day in Egypt proved to be uneventful yet necessary.  I didn’t get off the boat because of serious fatigue caused by my rigorous schedule the last four days.  I slept and watched some movies with my girl friends and just relaxed.  Although part of me thought I was wasting my time, my body and mind was telling me not to do anything!  But as I reflect on my time in Egypt, I feel like I didn’t miss out on anything.  I saw so much and did so much that I don’t regret anything.  I think that Egypt is tied for my second favorite port.  My first being Croatia, then Egypt and Turkey are tied for 2^nd.  I never thought these three countries would be my favorite, but I loved the surprise. 

Day 4

Today we got to sleep in, the phone didn’t ring until 6:30.  We had breakfast and then went straight to the Karnak Temple.  This is a huge structure and almost every Pharoah added his or her touch to the temple.  In the temple is a huge scarab beetle, they say if you walk around it 7 times your wish will come true.  I walked around 7 times and as for the other part I guess we will see.  After this we went back to the hotel for lunch.  I managed, also, to find time to get a really great henna tattoo on my hand with my name in Arabic.  This was my first henna tattoo and I’m still getting used to it, but it was fun.  We left to the airport after lunch and then once back in Cairo made the three hour drive back to Alexandria.  Once back on the boat and in my home I went to bed early and enjoyed sleeping in.

Day 3 and Luxor

The phone rang at 4:15 again this morning.  We had to be up and ready to catch a flight to Luxor today.  We were all so worried about Airport Security in Egypt, but when we got there they hardly checked anything, and despite two metal detectors we had to go through, they didn’t care at all about the size of your liquids or even if you carried on an open water bottle.  Strange!  Anyways, we got to Luxor at about 9 am and went straight to the Valley of the Kings.  At 9 am it was already 44 degrees Celsius in the Valley, that is about 115 or 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  When we got to the Valley of the Kings we had the option of paying an extra 100 Egyptian Pounds ($20) to see King Tut’s tomb.  I had to do, mostly my decision rested on the fact that I had no idea if I would ever come back and I know I would regret it later.  So we went into King Tut’s tomb first and actually saw his Mummy.  King Tut’s tomb is right below one of the Ramses Pharaoh’s tombs and when that tomb was being discovered debris covered the entry to King Tut’s tomb completely.  Manal told us that King Tut is a very insignificant tomb.  He reigned for such a short time and was so young that historically he probably would have been passed over if it wasn’t for the fact that his tomb was found almost completely intact.  Another interesting fact is that King Tut’s tomb is the least ornate in the Valley of the Kings.  It was originally intended for a high priest, but when Tut died unexpectedly the hieroglyphs and drawings were changed for Tut.  I went in three other tombs and was shocked at the vivid colors and etched hieroglyphs on the wall.  Another cool thing is that inside each temple, directly to the right of the entry way were all the pharoah’s confessions, if you will.  They were supposed to say all the Kings’ wrong-doings, but because the Pharoah’s were practically Gods the inscriptions mostly said, “I did not lie, I did not commit adultery.”  Noting the phrasing of these inscriptions, it is the common belief that from these “confessions,” we get the Ten Commandments. 

 

After the Valley we went to see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.  It was huge and it was incredible the power that a woman had back in ancient Egypt.  It’s actually funny because she made up a story about her lineage, telling the Egyptian public that her mother and one of the Gods were her parents and that she was the rightful Queen of Egypt.  She is always depicted wearing male clothes and she is even buried in the Valley of the Kings, not the Valley of the Queens.  Let’s just say she was the exception.  Actually my tour guide Manal was saying how women, especially in rural parts of Egypt, get married right when the hit puberty.  And, that almost all women cover themselves even if they are not Muslim because of the modesty for which women need to have in order to be respected.  After Hatshepsut’s Temple we went to see the Colossi of Memnon, two huge statues, and then continued to our hotel for lunch. 

 

We were hot and starving and so happy to get back to the air conditioned hotel.  We had some free time, so basically everyone napped, and then went back out at around 7 to see the Luxor Temple.  The temple was beautiful with all of its hieroglyphs and statues.  It was really interesting because parts of the walls were painted over with Christian figures and scenes, such as the Last Supper.  When Egypt was proclaimed a Christian country, they painted over many of the monuments because they were said to be temples of paganism.  Now there are only little pieces of the paintings left. 

 

After the temple we went back to our hotel and a group of 7 of us went to the local bazaar.  I didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to shop around and get the most out of our time in Luxor.  After walking around for a bit we took a taxi back to the hotel and went to bed

 

Walk like an Egyptian

 

Camel ride

 

Sunrise with my friends

 

Day 2 in Egypt

The phone rang at 4:15 this morning to alert us that it was time to wake up.  Although the time was early excitement was in the air.  We were going to see the pyramids today!!  Not only that but we were going to see the sunrise over the pyramids and have a camel ride.  We got to the pyramids just as the sun reached over the horizon.  It was beautiful and I was rendered speechless.  I couldn’t believe that I was at the pyramids, buildings built so long ago.  They are beautiful.  After spending several hours watching the sunrise and getting many pictures (can you really have too many pictures of the pyramids) we saw the camels approaching.  It was 10 US dollars to ride a camel down to the pyramids, get a picture taken, and come back—totally worth it in my opinion.  My friend Andrea and I shared a camel and let me tell you it is quite an experience, especially when the camel rises from the ground for the first time.  Camels are tall—if you have never seen one in person—they looked about 2 and half times my height, but they were fun.  We named our camel Sally.  After our rides, we headed down to the pyramids.  I was able to buy a ticket to go into the middle sized pyramid.  It was definitely worth the money.  You begin your trek down a small square ramp, this journey is not for anyone who gets claustrophobic.  You go steeply down the pyramid and then up the same sized ramp into the burial chamber where the tomb still is.  We all climbed into the tomb, it was thrilling and a little creepy standing where the mummy, the dead pharaoh, once laid but it was an experience. 

 

Once done looking at the pyramids, my tour group proceeded to the National Archeological Museum.  This museum houses mummies and sarcophagi and, of course, the treasures of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.  It was an incredible museum and so fascinating to walk around inside.  Interestingly, there is no air conditioning in the building, but we all managed. 

 

After the Museum, we headed out to for a Nile Cruise and lunch.  It was fun and there was some interesting entertainment, including belly dancers, karaoke-like singers, and a sufi dervish show.  We were all sort of tired at this point and the free time at the hotel included a nap.

 

After our free time at the hotel we headed back out to the pyramids to see the Sound and Light Show.  We got to the pyramids a little early and so several of us headed to Pizza Hut to have some food.  It was really neat to be able to eat overlooking the pyramids, and for those who think I wasn’t being adventurous enough with Egyptian Cuisine it is because it is very unhealthy to eat the food in Egypt.  There is a high likely hood that you will get, what the medical team on the ship calls, Traveler’s Diarrhea.  I wanted to avoid this at all costs so I went for the healthy, at least in the sanitary sense, Pizza Hut.  After our quick dinner we headed over to the show.  It was fun, they gave the history of Egypt and the Pyramids, including the Sphinx, and it was great to see the pyramids all lit up.  After the show we headed back to the hotel to try and get some shut eye before another early morning.

Day 1 in Egypt- July 29

We landed in Egypt today and I am so excited to know that soon I will be seeing the Pyramids.  We disembarked the ship and got right onto the bus to head for Cairo.  The ride is about 3 hours long to Cairo from Alexandria but our wonderful tour guide, Manal, was able to keep us all entertained with fascinating facts about Egypt and the sights we were about to see.  We stopped for lunch at a restaurant right across from the Pyramids.  After lunch, we went to a Museum in Memphis.  From there we went the Step Pyramid at Sakkara.  It was so cool to see my first pyramid close up and a few tombs with vivid hieroglyphs.  Next we went to our hotel to check in and have some free time.  We stayed at the Marriot.  It used to be a palace and they just added the rooms on in two towers around the main palace.  After a short rest we all headed to the Khan El Khalil bazaar.  I didn’t really get much but the highlight of my purchase was a hot pink belly dancer’s costume.  It will be perfect for Halloween.  My friend, Amanda, and I both bought one and we tried to explain to the shop keeper about Halloween--that was a conversation and a half.  While walking through the bazaar the strangest thing happened, all of a sudden people began to rush and move all of their tables off the street.  Men, women, and children rushed to an undisclosed location and there was absolute chaos.  I still don’t know what was going on, it could either have been it was time for the evening prayer and the shops were closing up or the police were coming and they couldn’t sell on the street.  All I know is that the rush really scared me.  After the bazaar we returned to our hotel for a late dinner and prepared for an early wake up call.

4th and Final Day in Bulgaria

 

My last day in Varna was spent on the beach and doing some shopping.  There really is not too much to see in Varna outside of the beach, so that is where we went.  The Black Sea is clear and warm and it was fun to walk along the sandy shores.  After our time at the beach we returned to the ship to reflect on our wonderful times in Bulgaria and more fun times to come.

Day 3 in Bulgaria

My third day in Bulgaria I visited the village of Dobroudja.  We were greeted by the mayor of the villages who informed us through a translator that a woman from the village had died that morning and so some of our day’s schedule would have to be changed.  Our first stop was into the cultural center of the town.  We sat down in a theater and the mayor explained the towns situation to us.  Basically, when the soviet’s had power in Bulgaria towns like Dobroudja thrived, now many younger people have moved away to find jobs and left the town with only 200 citizens, mostly older people.  We learned that the famous poet (who I had never heard of before) Dora Gabe comes from this town and we visited her museum inside the cultural center.  Also in the cultural center was a library with 600 books in it (3 times the number of townspeople). 

 

After the cultural center, we moved on to the local church.  We were greeted by the Priest of the church and Aunt Gina, a four foot tall woman over 80 who takes care of the altar.  We talked with the Priest, again through a translator, and he was telling us that he was baptized in 1983 in secret, his parents didn’t even know.  It had to be secret because this was during the Atheist Soviet rule.  We had some wonderful conversations with him and really enjoyed talking with Aunt Gina too.

 

From the church we went to the Mayor’s office.  During the Soviet rule the entire building had been full, but now the only rooms occupied in the entire building are the mayors room and a one room hospital (the doctor visits the town once a week and the hospital literally included a bed and a sink—that’s it). 

 

After our tour of the Mayor’s office we walked down the dirt road to the Mayor’s house.  It had been raining all morning and it was nice to walk in the cool of the afternoon.  At the Mayor’s house we were greeted by music, women and men in authentic village outfits, bread dipped in spices, communal wine, and a wreathe made of popcorn (for good luck).  We sat down to a wonderful lunch, all made in the Mayor’s kitchen and with the vegetables grown in the garden behind the house.  It was wonderful.  Our lunch was followed by more dancing.  It is tradition here, that when you leave someone’s house after a celebration you dance all the way home.  So, as a group we danced to our bus, sort of our home.  Dora Gabe said that “the whole of the town can fit into my soul,” and I agree.  This has been one of my best experiences so far on this entire trip.

 

After we returned from Dobroujda, Amanda, Caitlyn, Catherine and I went across the way to Captain Jack’s to celebrate Catherine’s 21^st birthday.  We actually had sushi, it was good but not great!!  But the evening was wonderful and fun!

Day 2 Bulgaria-Nessebar

Today I took a trip to Nessebar.  We took a long drive into the Balkan Mountains and came to Nessebar.  Nessebar is a very beachy area.  We went to a church and the local museum than had time to explore.  Nessebar is a little piece of land only attached to the main beach by a small road.  Our free time was spent looking around the cute city and indulging in an orange soda and a shady umbrella.  It was nice to just relax.  The picture is of me at the Roman ruins on Nessebar.

July 24-1st Day in Bulgaria

Today was my first day in Varna, Bulgaria.  I started with my Highlights of Varna tour.  We went to a museum which was based out of an old Ottoman House. It had some great examples of classic dress of the Bulgarian villages and some of the old tools used throughout the history of Bulgaria.  After that we went to the Roman bathes, Bulgaria was occupied by Rome for a time, and during this time they built these bathes.  They were really neat and very well preserved for ancient ruins.   After this we went to the Archaeological Museum and saw some of the Icons which Eastern Orthodox Christians are so well known for.  They are basically the saints painted onto wood and the halos are highlighted in gold.  From there we went to the Cathedral and it was very beautiful as well with its gold domes and magnificent frescos.  I really enjoyed it but you had to pay 5 leva (the currency here) to take pictures--kind of ridiculous.  We had time for lunch so Amanda and I got some food at the closest thing which just happened to be KFC, go figure right.  Then we went back to the ship and met some friends.  Amanda, Catherine, and I went to Golden Sands, a beach about 20 minutes away, by taking the bus.  It was a good experience and the beach was all younger people, very interesting.  So far Varna has been a very beachy and resorty place.  After this we headed back to the boat and there was an incredibly long line so we went to get some snacks at the restaurant right on the harbor.  We had some wine, tempura, and desserts and made friends with the bartender, Philip.  We had a good time.  Now I am going to sleep because I am incredibly tired. 

 

 

 

 

View from the Bosphorous Straight

Here is a great picture I took of Istanbul as our ship went though the Bosphorous Straight. On the right hand side is Hagia Sophia and on the left hand side is the blue mosque.

Day 5 in Turkey

Today was my last day in Turkey and I was really sad to say good bye.  We started off the day by going to Topkapi, a Turkish palace that houses the largest diamond in the world.  If I remember correctly it was 80 carats.  All I can say is it would look good on my finger.  The palace was beautiful.  After the palace we walked around the city a little more to really soak in Istanbul before we left.  We met up with Murat and Ishmet for baklava and to say our good byes.  It was really sad to say good bye to our friends who had been so welcoming in showing us their home.  The only thing I can hope is that they come to visit California and I can show them the same hospitality.  We got back on our ship and departed for Bulgaria, the fun times and memories still lingering in the last rays of the sunset. 

Day 4-Kilim Today, History Tomorrow

Here is a story I wrote for my class, "Imagining Place Through Travel and Literature."  It is about my fourth day in Istanbul and I thought it would be more fun for everyone to read than what I have been doing.  The picture actually has my Kilim in it, it is the one in the right most corner.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

“You don’t think he’ll mind, do you?”  Amanda said in a concerned tone as she opened the door to another carpet shop.

            “No, it’s fine to ask around and make sure you’re getting the best deal,” Catherine replied in her straight forward way.

            “It’s a lot of money, and we can tell you’re worried about the decision,” I added.  “So let’s just go in here and take a look,” trying to reinforce what Catherine just said.  

            Amanda had already committed, by way of a hand shake, to a beautiful silk rug from a man at another carpet shop down the street at the Kapali Carsi in Istanbul.  And she had every intention of buying the rug after we ate lunch, but panic set in as she realized the persuasion power the salesman had exhibited.  We all knew that hand shakes have meaning here, they act as a contract, an honor code, and it was this contract that Amanda had at another carpet store which made her nervous to enter another shop to compare prices. 

A bell rang as Amanda opened the door to Adnan and Hasan’s.  With its unobtrusive, wooden store front and carpets in the window the store, in a way, seemed honest and trust-worthy and this drew us even deeper into it.  Already this shop was different from the rest, lined in a deep brown wood and smelling musty, the shop had genuine character.  In every corner, stacked, were rugs of every color and texture.  A wooden staircase hugged the back wall and led to an unknown location, and we acquainted ourselves with the store by looking around and taking in the store’s beauty.

            “Can I help you?” A man asked, in a casual and unassuming way.  He was short with a small frame and his hair was black but it looked as though silver had been combed into it.  He had lighter eyes and a friendly face, and we felt at ease instantly. 

            Taking the lead Catherine said, “Yes! About how much would a four by six, silk on cotton rug cost?”

            Taken back by her assertiveness, but not entirely shocked, the man said, “Well, it really depends on the quality.  We only sell antique kilims here, but I can make a few calls.”  We knew from our experience in past stores that kilims are a traditional style Turkish rug, exhibiting meaningful signs and colors, and having more geometric patterns than the silk rugs we had been looking at.   

            As the man picked up a phone, the three of us looked at each other then began to look through the piles of rugs.  The rugs were soft and faded, yet it was this faded quality which meant that each had a story and a past.

            With each of us about a third through our stack, we heard the man hang up the phone and take a breath.  “Well,” he said, “the rug, with out knowing the quality, that you describe should run you about 1, 400 dollars.  But it’s not Turkish, it might be Afghani.”

            “It’s not from Turkey?” Amanda said in a loud whisper, for it was the birth place of the rug, not the price which surprised her.

            “Well let me make another call for you,” the man uttered in what seemed to be an attempt to remedy Amanda’s shock.

            The three of us turned to each other again, all with the same wide-eyed surprised look on our faces.

            “I don’t want a rug from Turkey made in Afghanistan,” Amanda said.

            “I know, well let’s wait to hear what he says,” I said, glancing over at the man on the phone, so eager to help us.

            “Yes, definitely not Turkish,” the man said turning from the phone.  “Authentic Turkish rugs are wool on wool and silk on silk, nothing else.  That rug could be made anywhere, maybe even China.”

            Seeing Amanda’s disappointment, Catherine quickly suggested that the man show us some of his rugs.

            “Would you like something to drink?” he offered.  We sat down on the kilim-cushioned bench and in a unanimous sigh said, “Yes!”

            He began unfolding one kilim after another.  There were green kilims, with blue and red details; orange with black and red designs, and purple accents; tasseled rugs with blue beads and star embroidery; and yellow with faded black geometric patterns.  There was a kilim for everyone at least that is the way it seemed after looking at so many of the carpets.  As he unfolded each rug it was as if he created another dimension to the chaos which was the show room.  A patchwork quilt of kilims lay before us, it was dramatic and confusing, yet exciting.  Which one did I love?  Truthfully I loved them all, they were like people, each with a story and a past, which I yearned to know more about. 

            One kilim struck me, it was blue, red and grey.  The harsh geometric designs, in this one, seemed to mesh together creating soft, almost floral patterns, and it spoke to me. 

            “What about this one, can you tell me about it?” I asked. 

            The man responded quickly, “This one is from Western Turkey, Usak area.  It is wool on wool, hand-woven and about twenty-five years old.  It has a tree of life design, which represents the belief in life after death.  There is the child motif here, showing the desire for fertility, the fetters represent the unity of the family, and the meandering water around the edge means long life.”

            He went on to describe the two kilims which Amanda and Catherine had picked out.  Amanda’s was almost square with 9 embroidered stars of different colors, and a purple background.  Catherine’s pick had vibrant and vivid colors, yellows, greens, oranges, blues, all outlined in black.

            We fell in love, in love with the kilims, with the process, and with the stories, and knew that we had to take these small parts of Turkey home with us.  Taking one home would intertwine the kilims past with my future, creating a new history unique to us both.  So our group of three made our way to the ATM; after all it is expensive to buy a kilim with a past. 

            As we walked to the ATM, a man stopped us it was the salesman from the original carpet store.  He grabbed Amanda’s arm and in an aggressive tone asked, “Where are you going?  Did you forget where our store is?”  He was young and dressed accordingly in a nice grey suit and gold chain hanging between the two unbuttoned buttons on his shirt, revealing a tuff of chest hair.  His hair was greased back emphasizing two deep brown eyes, eyes that seemed to question and accuse all at once.    

            Amanda was shocked and didn’t quite know where to begin, she quickly looked from me to Catherine, back to me. 

            “She changed her mind, the rug was too big,” Catherine stated, plainly. 

            “Come with me, the rug’s already packed it’s yours,” the man pushed.

            We tried to walk away, ignoring him, but this tactic didn’t work.  He pushed his way in front of us, stopping us with an extended arm and another plea to come back to his store.  “You committed, the rug’s beautiful and waiting for you,” he continued.

            The three of us came closer, pushing against each others shoulders for some kind of support.  Right then, when we had run out of excuses for the badgering salesman, a man from our shop, the shop we had fallen in love with, came, and in Turkish he began arguing with the man.  Although intention is the only thing I could decipher, I imagine that he came to protect us. 

            After a few heated words, the perpetrator left us alone.  We made our purchase and walked to the metro, escorted by a salesman, turned body guard.  Forearms aching from the weight of our new kilims, the three of us weaved our way in and out of parked cars.  I glanced back as we stepped on the metro and a small smile peeled across my face as I realized that unlike our rugs, which had been finished many years back, our friendship was just starting.  We had plenty of time to add new borders, fetters, and trees of life, before our kilims of friendship will be complete; creating our own stories and pasts and always weaving new futures. 

   

Day 2 and 3 in Turkey: 7/19-20

 

Today I left for an over night trip to Troy, Canakkale, and Gallipoli.  We started with a long drive to Canakkale.  It was a five hour drive and included only a couple of stops.  We knew we were getting close when we took the bus on a ferry, crossing from the European side of Turkey to the Asian side.  Once across we were all so excited to be in Asia.  Our first stop was to the Canakkale Archaeological Museum.  It had some great artifacts including a sarcophagi case, similar to those found in the pyramids.  But, let me tell you, the heat was overwhelming and since there was no a/c the air inside the museum was stagnant.  It was hard to breathe, so I went through the museum and then sat outside enjoying the breeze.  Our next stop was to Troy, famous because of the Iliad and the more recent movie with Brad Pitt.  Unfortunately neither Homer nor Brad were there to greet me, but the city was beautiful anyways.  Troy is 5000 years old and there are 6 city ruins, one on top of the other, at the city site which makes it nearly impossible to excavate there.  I got some great pictures and there was even a fake Trojan Horse there!!

 

Next stop, our hotel.  We relaxed and ate dinner, and my friend Catherine and I, along with a group of friends, decided to find the movie theater in town and catch the new Harry Potter Movie.  Once we found the movie theater, which was under a grocery store, we had to mime our way through finding out if Harry Potter was in English.  It wasn’t!  So our next choice was Transformers.  SAS people filled the theater because it was the only thing to do in the area and the only movie in English.  It was fun and we ended up sitting next to the daughter of the owner of the theater, she was about 8. 

 

The next day we headed out to the World War I battle fields and the Gallipoli Museum.  The museum was full of great historical relics from the period, including bullets that were intersected and love letters.  After the museum we went for a swim in the Aegean Sea.  The water was warm but not very clear.  We still enjoyed ourselves.  From there we took the bus back to Istanbul, another 5 hour drive. 

 

After we returned to Istanbul, my three friends and two other guys got together to go to a really nice restaurant called Reina, on the Bosphorous Straight.  It was beautiful and really high end.  The food wasn’t too expensive but view was priceless, we overlooked a bridge that connected the European side to the Asian side.  The bridge changed colors, from purple to blue to green throughout our meal.  After dinner, we went down to the club area.  This is when we realized we couldn’t afford the place.  The dinner was fine, but the drinks in the bar were like 15 to 30 US dollars.  We quickly got the tab and a taxi and went back to the boat. 

 

Another wonderful day!   

Sufi Dervish Ceremony

 

Murat and us in front of the Hagia Sophia

 

1st day in Istanbul

We were told that out of all the ports we should wake up and see the sunrise as we pulled into Istanbul.  There are two reasons for this: one reason is because we pull in through the Bosphorous Straight and on one side is Asia and the other side is Europe; the other reason is because the Istanbul skyline is littered by minarets from the many mosques in the city.  So, at 6:00 I rolled out of bed to see this magnificent sunrise and skyline.  Unfortunately no one informed the weather that we were going to be watching the sunrise, and instead of awakening to a clear beautiful day it was actually really hazy and hard to see anything.  I took that as a cue and went down for breakfast and then to get ready for my day.

 

  My day would prove to be a little different than it had been in other countries because my friend Amanda had a family friend, Murat, who lives in Istanbul.  Murat had volunteered to take us(Amanda, Catherine, Caitlyn, and myself) around the city and show us Istanbul from a native’s perspective.  So we met Murat and were instantly on our way.  I found out that Murat had lived with Amanda’s aunt for 9 months to learn English better.  This is common for upper class Turkish citizens, men and women, the way Murat talked about it.  We began by walking over one of the bridges in Turkey to the main part of the city.  We then walked through the Spice Market, which is everything one would imagine when thinking of a Spice Market.  Shop after shop was lined with piles of spices and Turkish delights.  It smelled amazing and the colors were incredible. 

 

From the Spice Market we went to Kapali Carsi, or the Grand Bazaar.  This Bazaar has over 4000 shops and was overwhelming, to say the least.  The best thing to compare it to is to the Fashion District in Downtown L.A., but that doesn’t even do it justice.  There is a jewelry section, rug section, pottery area, and pagmina area.  We first stopped at a Pagmina, or scarf, stand.  Murat told us to each pick one out and then gave it to us as a gift.  We all tried to tell him no but he wouldn’t hear of it.  We then started looking at the hand-painted bowls that were everywhere.  Again, Murat said to pick out one we liked and he gave it to us as a gift.  We told him that we appreciated his kindness, but that he didn’t need to give us gifts.  He said that he wanted to and we moved on to see a mosque near the bazaar.  The Mosque was across from one of the Universities in Istanbul, it was the first mosque I had ever been in and I marveled at its beauty.  I truly think that after all the churches I have seen in Spain and Italy, Mosques are the most beautiful houses of worship. 

 

Next we took the metro to where we would be having lunch.  We ate lunch at a great little place across from the Blue Mosque.  We had salads and meatball-like things, and a drink that tasted like watered down yogurt.  It was all delicious.  After lunch we went into the Blue Mosque.  Murat had to go do his noontime prayer and the four of us walked around and took pictures of the beautiful architecture of the mosque.  We walked around the area a little after the going into the mosque, and saw Top Kapi, and old palace, and the outside of the Hagia Sofia, an old mosque turned museum. 

 

We walked back through the bazaar on our way back to the ship.  Caitlyn, Amanda, and Katherine all went with Murat for dinner and I parted ways to go to see a Sufi Dervish Ceremony.

 

I took a bus to the location of the ceremony and once there entered a completely circular brick room.  Musicians entered and then the dancers, and the whirling began.  The Sufi ceremony is based in religion, basically the men doing the dance get lost in their devotion to god and become hypnotized in dance.  I started getting hypnotized as well due to the constant circling that the dancers were doing and also from being tired.  After the show let out we returned to the boat for some sleep.  What a wonderful first day I had in Istanbul, I already love the city.

Hydra Part Two

The next morning we woke up pretty early, 8:30 or so, and got breakfast.  I had an omelets which is pretty common in Europe.  It was good and filled us up so we could walk around the city.  We walked around and stumbled right back into a little jewelry shop, where the artist was sitting there making jewelry.  Although there are tons of jewelry shops yet none of them made the jewelry themselves.  The artist, Zoe(which means "life" in Greek) told us about each piece of jewelry.  I ended up splurging on a ring with a green precious gem and a polished shell half.  It is absolutely beautiful, and another one of those souvenirs that you can only find in one place.  We asked Zoe if she had a website and she said she didn't really believe that it was a good idea because then her jewelry would not be unique and special, I like that.  This ring looks hand-made, but in a good way.  Anyways, I can't believe how quickly things are flying here.  I have tons of homework and there is just no time to recover at each port, but I just get sleep when I can.

 

Epidaurus, Mycenae, Corinth Canal

Today I did another trip with SAS.  I went to see Epidaurus, Mycenae, and the Corinth Canal.  This trip started incredibly early, 7 am to be precise and our first stop was the Corinth Canal.  The canal connects the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea and you could see boats taking the short trip between the two.  I couldn’t believe how deep the canal was; just from looking at the side of the canal you could not see the bottom. 

 

After the canal, we went to Epidaurus, this is a set of ruins, surprise surprise.  But what was really neat was that this set of ruins contained an amphitheater with almost perfectly build acoustics.  It reminded me a lot of the how the Hollywood Bowl is set up, and I am sure whoever built the Hollywood Bowl (sorry Kathy I feel like that is something I should know) was inspired by amphitheaters like this one.  There are actually three centers of acoustics in the theater and when standing on the triangle that these three create, your voice can be heard up to the top seat.  O and by the way this is one of the oldest theaters around, 2400 years old, and it survived only because the Romans had no interest in modifying it.

 

Next we stopped at the 2^nd capital of Greece, Napalou.  We only had a couple of minutes here but it was a nice walled city on the ocean.  From there we went to Mycenae, and if anyone ever read any Homer you will recognize the name because this is the city which Agamemnon once ruled over.  Here is the oldest sculpture in Europe, the Lions Gate which greets people at the gate of the city, is 3300 years old and absolutely huge.  There are nine tombs and one outside of the city.  There is little known about the one outside of the city, and it has been given the name Agamemnon’s Tomb because it just seems to fit even though Agamemnon probably was not buried there.  By the way, it was 41 degrees Celsius here that translates into 105 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let’s just say it was hot. 

 

When I got back to the ship, Amanda and I headed out to the Greek island Hydra for the night.  We took a hydrofoil, or a really fast ferry, to get to the island and I managed to start feeling sea sick, it sucked.  After, we arrived on the island Amanda and I found our hotel, which turned out to be very nice, then went to get some food.  We walked around the city for a while and enjoyed many different jewelry shops, I guess that is what Hydra is known for.  We decided to go back to our hotel for a little bit to get something, but as we walked up the street we noticed this guy following us, literally, and I stopped just to make sure and he stopped to.  Amanda and I walked back the opposite way back to the main road where there were many people.  He followed us back out of the little street and kept walking away.  I haven't felt in any danger this whole trip up until this point.  Good thing we were aware of surroundings and nothing truly bad happened.  We ended up going out to a little club/bar and were literally the only Americans there.  It was nice though to mingle with local people around my age.  I talked to the waiter and he had just gotten back from his mandatory military service (that is one plus in America that there is no required military service). 

Day 2 in Delphi

Today, I went to Delphi.  This was an amazing trip.  It is about a three hour drive, so once we made it there I had to enjoy to the full extent because who knows when I will ever come back.  We were able to see some incredible things.  The main wall in Delphi has 800 inscriptions telling the stories of slaves who gained their freedom.  The main temple itself had three inscriptions on the top of it: one is "E" (no one really knows what that means); the other is "be true to thyself"; and the last one is “nothing in excess”.  I got to see where the priestess would sit and give the oracle to many people.  In the movie My Life In Ruins, they show a rock with a hole in it.  This is actually right behind the temple in which the Priestess would live out her life giving oracles.  Even though it wasn't the real one, I still asked my question.  No answer except for the music these tree bugs make, which is incredibly loud.  Maybe my answer will come later!!  After Delphi, we went to a local place for more wonderful Greek food!!  I love the food here, by the way.  And then we went to a Byzantine Ministry. It was beautiful inside, in the classic Greek Orthodox fashion.  They have gilded gold mosaics through out.  I lit a candle inside; it was beautiful and peaceful at the top of a mountain. 

Day 1 in Greece

Athens is great. The first day here I went to see sights of Athens and the Acropolis.  I couldn't believe the Acropolis it was beautiful, sitting atop the mountain, and the buildings are so well preserved.  After the Acropolis, instead of going back to the port with the tour, my friends (Amanda, Caitlyn, and Catherine, and Elsabeth) stayed behind to look around and get dinner.  We first went to the Plaka, like an old town, and found a hole in the wall Suflacki(sorry for the spelling) place that Catherine's dad recommended.  Turns out that place is gone and this new one now exists.  It was amazing and for 3.10 Euro we all got Suflacki in a pita and a soda.  This was a nice snack!!  Then we went shopping.  We found a bakery(really all we did today was eat I swear).  In the bakery every wall was filled with Turkish delights, Greek Christmas cookies(like ginger bread), pine nut covered marzipan balls, and a variety of marmalade filled cookies.  We all got a variety and shared.  Then we went to dinner.  It was strange because we asked some older man for directions and he said no, no, no don't go there it's touristy and he took us to another local place.  He literally went out of his way, he owns a shop, and took us to this great restaurant.  We had a Greek salad and appetizers, and a bottle of wine.  That was enough, we couldn't make it to the main course because it was so much.  But the food was amazing: with sausage, tziki sauce, fried cheese sticks, the grape leaf thing.  It was incredible.  Then at the end of the meal the owner of the restaurant brought us all out a double shot of ouzo (black licorice flavored alcohol).  When poured over ice it turns a milky color.  It was strong but it was on the house so we all HAD to drink it, despite most of our deep loathing for black licorice.  It wasn't too bad.  We took a taxi back to the port, because by this time it was pretty late and got ready to go to a local bar.  We went to an Irish pub and a Karaoke bar, very random in Greece!!  Then went to bed.