Cairo trip continued

Our next stop with the tour was on a riverboat on the Nile. We enjoyed a nice buffet lunch, not unlike something we would have in the states. But, we also had some great entertainment. We first enjoyed a traditional belly dancer. Next we watched a male dancer in a spectacular costume do a dance that involved constant spinning and twirling the layers of colorful fabric of which his outfit was made Following the dance and lunch, we went out on deck and enjoyed the scenery as we cruised the Nile for about an hour. One of the things I found so interesting both within site of the Nile and all over both Cairo and Alexandria was the large number of mosques. Distinctive by the dome and minarets adorning each one, the size varied from quite small to amazingly large, and the amount of decoration from minimal to quite vast.

 

One of our next stops was the largest mosque in Cairo, the Mohammed Ali Pasha Mosque and castle. The inside of the mosque was huge, ornate, and consisted of multiple domes and minarets. While it is no longer used on a daily basis as a place of prayer, it is closed for tours on Friday afternoon’s for holy day prayers. Distinctive of the mosque is that as the last in the line of Egyptian kings, his tomb is there in the mosque.

The final stop on within our trip to Cairo was a stop at a Papyrus Institute where the process of making papyrus thousands of years ago was explained, and how real papyrus is still made today. Then we had an opportunity to buy a piece of papyrus with artwork from the very simple and inexpensive to some very intricate and pricey. Following this stop, we fell back into the bus for the two and a half hour ride back to our ship in Alexandria. What an amazing day!

Our stay in Egypt – Pyramids and the Sphinx

To say the least, the last two days have been amazing…and full. It is Saturday afternoon here in Alexandria as I type, and we just got back from the tour today. I will give some highlights of yesterday first.

We left the port at about 0830 in a big fancy bus and headed for Cairo, a 2-3 hours ride. Our first stop there brought us to the base of the Great Pyramid. I do not think I can do it justice in words at this point.

The entire environment around the Great Pyramid and a lesser one was chaos. Buses, tourists, men on camels wanting us to take a ride. We were warned beforehand that it would be cheap to get ON a camel – “only one dollar” – but we would not be able to get OFF until the price was right. We chose not to ride a camel here. In addition there were children, men and women aggressively hawking things from necklaces, bags and carvings to postcards and scarves. I will admit that the atmosphere took away a bit from the experience, but I also wonder if a bazaar in the part of the world is often like this any time. From there we boarded the bus and drove up the road a bit to a place with a better vantage point. It also was a place where tour operators had already negotiated with camel owners to give rides for a set fee. Jan decided to take advantage of that. I chose to take the pics.

 

From here we could see the three main pyramids clearly, as well as quite a few unfinished ones and a number of smaller ones in the distance. All of this was with Cairo in the background.

We boarded the bus again for a short ride down the hill a ways to the Sphinx. Again, the “bazaar” atmosphere was in full force. We had to be assertive at a new level in order to move around the area. It was hard to take in that we were in the presence of structures that had been about 4500 years ago. As we drove around Cairo after seeing the pyramids, their presence could be both seen and felt from quite a distance.

More later....

Leaving Malta and headed for Egypt

We have had a nice dinner, attended the show for tonight in which a British Soprano named Izzy entertained us. Now we are in the atrium of the ship in which another entertainer is singing.  We will arrive in Alexandria first thing in the morning and head to Cairo – a three-hour bus ride. It will be about a 12 hour day away from the ship tomorrow.

I thought I would share with you a few more pics: Jan and I standing outside the walled city of Mdina; three pics of the Brilliance of the Sea leaving Malta; and if you look at the previous post, you will see me in my debut as the assistant to the juggler and entertainer.

Thursday - A day at sea

It is just after lunch and I decided to come back to the cabin and read and write a bit while Jan goes to a talk on Cairo. The weather has been about 70 today with no rain. A nice day. (I will admit that the ship rocked a fair amount from side to side, which has made me a bit queasy at times, but it is manageable.) After some breakfast, we began the day by participating in a fundraiser for Make A Wish foundation. Royal Caribbean has had a long-standing relationship with them. For ten bucks each we got a nice t-shirt and walked a number of laps on Deck 12. It was fun and a great cause. We get to Alexandria, Egypt tomorrow. The excursion we have signed up for will take us to the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, and give us a short cruise down the Nile.

Probably not surprising to some, I managed to become “infamous” on the ship last night. So much for being an introvert. The entertainment was a juggler, but he was much more. After the show had already begun, Jan and I moved down front to see better. He immediately started teasing us about being late, and asked us to move to the front row, which we did. Then he asked my name and gave me a fake stuffed hand, and asked me to throw it and hit him in the face every time the show got boring, which agreed to do. A few minutes later he needed a helper so I was called to the stage to help him with part of his routine. I was on and off the stage for the next hour. I had a blast, and everyone watching the show did so as well. I have had a number of people come up to me today and say thank you for a great show. They all know my name now, know we are from Kansas City, and several have asked if I was a “plant”. Hardly. It was truly a lot of fun.

Valetta, Malta

We began the day quite early – early for vacation. We set the alarm for 630am so we would be dressed, fed and ready for our trip into Malta at 745am. The thunder and lighting sounded at about the same time as the alarm. We chose an excursion that used 4X4 Jeeps to get out of Valettta and into the countryside. As we disembarked we were escorted directly to our vehicle. Our eyebrows rose a bit when we realized that 5 tourists and a driver would be riding in this very small Suzuki.

 As we raced (and I DO mean raced) out of the capital and into the countryside, I wondered if our guide had been trained by American taxi drivers. The streets were quite narrow in the city, but later appeared wide after visiting the country. During our four-hour excursion, we saw modern buildings right next to buildings from Roman days, as well as the Roman Aquaducts. The military significance of the island of Malta was also very evident by the presence of Watch Towers and barracks. Scattered over the countryside everywhere we went were stone walls that enclosed well-cultivated gardens. They reminded me of the stone walls in Ireland.

 Another stop was a beautiful place overlooking Popeye Village. Yes, it is called that because the village was built for the production of the movie Popeye, in which Robin Williams starred. The beautiful water at the inlet there was breathtaking. The wind was blowing fiercely, resulting in significant waves crashing against the surrounding cliffs. 

Popeye pics

 

 We made a number of stops during our trip, one of which was the original capital, a walled city named Mdina. As we wandered around the old city for a bit, we browsed the shops for bargains (okay – Jan looked for bargains. I followed her). It became apparent quickly that the city streets were like a maze, and it took us a bit longer to navigate the very narrow streets and find our way back to jeep.

Mdina pics

 As we continued through the countryside and back to the ship, we stopped at an overlook of the Island of Comina. The only access to the island is by the ferry in the picture below, which travels back and forth every 45 minutes. One of the many distinctive buildings in Malta was the ancient St. John’s Church, clearly visible all around with its red color.

 

As we headed back into town, I vowed to hold my tongue about potholes when I get home…at least for a time. The condition of the country roads is hard to describe, other than to say I think it rearranged some of my bones. The driver was having a blast, occasionally yelling as he accelerated around narrow corners like Mario Andretti, telling us his name was Joseph – but he went by Rambo.  So, we’re back on the ship now, had a brief nap, Jan went to another scrapbooking class, I read my book on the balcony overlooking the water. We have decided to forgo the more formal dining room this evening and go to the Windjammer Café up on Deck 11. It has a significant amount of great food, but is in a buffet style. We plan to go to the entertainment tonight at 7, then head back to the cabin. Tomorrow is a cruising day before we get to Alexandria, Egypt Friday morning. Later…….Tim

Tuesday Evening

Yesterday in Barcelona we went to an enclosed mall next door to get a few things before we took a taxi to the ship. The Brilliance of the Sea is a nice ship that is a bit smaller than others we have cruised on. Our luggage arrived at our cabins fine. Jan and I took a nap in the afternoon before attending the required gathering before setting sail. We had to be sure and know how to put on the life jackets. They said that if we ever ended up in the water, the is a flashing light and whistle we could use to get attention. (I thought yea, the attention of large carnivorous fish.)

After a nice dinner at six we attended a show in the auditorium. It started off with the Brilliance of the Sea orchestra before an former circus performer entertained us with his ability to spin a dozen plates on wires. We tired after that and came back to the cabin to relax before bed.

The captain announced last night that we had a stout head wind, were expecting storms and to let us know to expect some movement as a result of the approximately six foot waves. We did do a bit a rolling during the night, and did experiences some thunder and lightning.

Today has been a relaxing day. It rained this morning and now the sun is out and is probably up to about fifty-five degrees. We had a formal night tonight for dinner –which means suits and nice dresses. The entertainment is to be the performance by an Elton John endorsed look alike. Should be fun. We will arrive early in Malta tomorrow for a short port stay. We will be there from about 7a until 1pm. I will jot some more notes tomorrow – and hopefully have some great pictures. In the mean time, here is one from our cabin.

We just had a nice dinner, dressed up for one of the formal nights, and will go attend the entertainment for the night.

Sunrise

It is early as I sit at the east-facing window in our hotel room. I didn’t get up to journal or blog, but to experience the sunrise here in Barcelona on the Balearic Sea, described on one map as a division of the Mediterranean Sea. The window is quite large – tall and wide. While reading the hotel book in our room, one of the instructions read that while the windows can be opened, the ledge (happens to be about 2 feet wide) outside the window is not a balcony and guests should not go out there. (Here on the 22^nd floor, NO problem there).

When we arrived yesterday, we had flown during the evening/night and therefore did not really have a night in which to sleep, other than on the plane, so we were tired when we arrived. We did stay up a while but still took a nap, probably a reason why we slept poorly last night. It’s okay…tonight we will sleep well on the ship.

Here within our room there is no television (other than pay-tv) and no radio. Not a complaint at all, but a realization that I usually have some “noise” going within my realm. How uncomfortable am I with true silence? Something to ponder on this trip. And another thought…it is often only within silence that the One who cares for us can speak to our spirits. Only when there is less distractions can we really listen and hear. As I type I am beginning to see the orange glow of the sun over the clouds along the horizon. Twenty minutes until sunrise (I am not psychic – I looked it up last night on the internet). I think I will sit in silence and watch it. Later…

View from our hotel window - Hotel Barcelona Princess

We are here in Barcelona

We had uneventful flights from KC to Atlanta and Atlanta to Barcelona. We arrived this morning about nine and just arrived at the Barcelona Princess Hotel. I was hoping that we could take the train or bus here. After asking many questions and being answered in Spanish,  we finally took a taxi to the hotel. The room is not ready yet so we are sitting for a few minutes and will wander around the neighborhood a bit. Since it is Sunday, most places are closed. Who cares?? We are here. We did get some sleep during the eight hour flight but are still a bit weary. More later... Tim