Many of us are already planning to move to Greece, we're having so much fun (and learning, of course!)
We left Athens the morning of the 6th, to make our way into the Peloponnesse. Our first stop was the city of Corinth, an ancient center of the Peloponnessian area. We passed over the Isthmas of Corinth, which is 6.5 km long, leaving behind the mainland. We learned a great deal about St. Paul's influence on Corinth and the amazing architecture of the ruins. After Corinth, we ventured to Mycenae, where we saw a cylopean wall that kept out many offenders of the Mycenaens. During our tour, we encountered a thunderstorm, which was thrilling, yet terrifying to witness on top of the fortress.
The rain cleared as we headed to Epidaurus, the sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing. The main structure that was still in tact was the theater, which if you stand in the very center of the orchestra, you can be heard throughout the 18,000 seating stadium. One of our beloved bloggers, Sarah, tested this assumption by performing "Defying Gravity" in front of all the tourists in the area. A group from Japan even asked for an Encore, and a Brazilian man claimed it was beautiful.
We spent the night in Nauplion, a beautiful harbor town, where we relaxed and enjoyed a free night! We left the next morning for Sparta!
On the road to Sparta, we took some interesting detours and hiked many mountains. During our visit Mystras, it started pouring rain as soon as we reached the top, so the trek down was very treacherous. Luckily, our wonderful tour guide Heidi, treated us to hot chocolate to warm us back up. We stayed right in Sparta at the Apollon Hotel, where some of us had to fix the plumbing!
Today, we set out for a beautiful scenic tour of the western edge of the Peloponnesse, going through many little Greek villages overlooking the sea. We enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee during the morning, and had lunch by the beach in Kalamata, the place of the famous olives! Our hotel we are currently at in Pylos is right on the harbor, and we found a small beach to spend the afternoon floating in the surf. All in all, a wonderful day!
Tomorrow, we set off to Olympia and Delphi as we make our way back to the mainland!
Sarah and Nicole
P.S. Happy Birthday, Mom!!!! Love, Sarah
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Welcome to Greece!!!
Hello from Athens, Greece!!
Our last two days in Cairo were spent wrapping up our time in Egypt by visiting the Museum in Cairo and having a Egyptian Folklore dinner out on the Nile complete with the Whirling Dervish, singing, and bellydancing. By visiting the Museum in Cairo, we laid eyes upon some of the most royal mummies and the treasures of King Tut, like his famous headdress. Later that day, some of us opted to visit Islamic avenue for a look at Islamic architecture. Before we departed, we had a farewell dinner with Amr, our tour director, and the fellow travellers on the Go Ahead tours. We will miss them!!
Lucky for us, we left Cairo at 4:30am to arrive at Athens International Airport at about 6am to secure a full day in Athens. We drove to our hotel, Pan Hotel, to drop off our bags before beginning our Greek exploration. We had a brief brunch and walking tour while we waited for our room to get to know the city. Then we had some much needed rest before our first Greek dinner! (Which was delicious and quite a change from the Egyptian cuisine!)
Today, our historical tour of Greece began here in Athens. We visited the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the 1896 Olympic Arena, the Acropolis (including the Parthenon and Theater of Dionysos), and the Agora. It was amazing to see the iconic Acropolis, where we learned a lot of the differences in architecture such as Doric and Ionic columns by observing the superior structure of the Parthenon.
We covered much of Athens by 3pm. From there, some of us climbed (or gondala-ed) up the Hill at Lykavittos for a magnificent view of Athens (pictures to come). Tonight we ventured our separate ways to enjoy small dinners, shopping, and more exploring.
Tomorrow, we head to Corinth to begin our tour of the Peloponnesse. We will be staying at a hotel overlooking a harbor..so we are in for some good seafood and scenery!
Keep checking back for pictures and updates!
Sarah and Nicole
Our last two days in Cairo were spent wrapping up our time in Egypt by visiting the Museum in Cairo and having a Egyptian Folklore dinner out on the Nile complete with the Whirling Dervish, singing, and bellydancing. By visiting the Museum in Cairo, we laid eyes upon some of the most royal mummies and the treasures of King Tut, like his famous headdress. Later that day, some of us opted to visit Islamic avenue for a look at Islamic architecture. Before we departed, we had a farewell dinner with Amr, our tour director, and the fellow travellers on the Go Ahead tours. We will miss them!!
Lucky for us, we left Cairo at 4:30am to arrive at Athens International Airport at about 6am to secure a full day in Athens. We drove to our hotel, Pan Hotel, to drop off our bags before beginning our Greek exploration. We had a brief brunch and walking tour while we waited for our room to get to know the city. Then we had some much needed rest before our first Greek dinner! (Which was delicious and quite a change from the Egyptian cuisine!)
Today, our historical tour of Greece began here in Athens. We visited the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the 1896 Olympic Arena, the Acropolis (including the Parthenon and Theater of Dionysos), and the Agora. It was amazing to see the iconic Acropolis, where we learned a lot of the differences in architecture such as Doric and Ionic columns by observing the superior structure of the Parthenon.
We covered much of Athens by 3pm. From there, some of us climbed (or gondala-ed) up the Hill at Lykavittos for a magnificent view of Athens (pictures to come). Tonight we ventured our separate ways to enjoy small dinners, shopping, and more exploring.
Tomorrow, we head to Corinth to begin our tour of the Peloponnesse. We will be staying at a hotel overlooking a harbor..so we are in for some good seafood and scenery!
Keep checking back for pictures and updates!
Sarah and Nicole
Friday, May 1, 2009
Some Pictures for Your Viewing Pleasure!
The group at Abu Simbel
At the perfumery in Aswan
A Felucca, like the one we sailed the Nile on.
At Isis's Temple on Angelina Island (earlier today)
Temples Galore!!!
Hello, avid readers, long time, no talk! For the past few nights, we have been at sea aboard the HS Moondance, floating down the Nile! Since we last informed you of our journeys, we have explored the Valley of the Nobles, Hatshepsut's Temple, Valley of the Kings, the Temple at Edfu, Kom Ombo Temple, the Temple of Isis, and many more exciting sites. As you can see, we have been extremely busy!
We have had the opportunity for some down time on our cruise ship, soaking in some Egyptian sun. The boat's crew hosted an Egyptian night, with a themed dinner with authentic Egyptian cuisine, and a galabiya party (a special dress worn by many of the locals). We purchased many of these outfits at the vendors' shops at the Temple at Edfu. We danced to traditional Egyptian music, as well as the YMCA and the Macarena (which we taught to the Spanish passengers on the boat).
We also have spent some time at local craft shops, including the Papyrus Museum, a handmade alabaster carver's store, a jewelry store, and an oil and perfumery shop. We have experienced many of the traditional skills that the ancients have passed down.
To commemorate our last night on the boat, we took a Felucca out around Aswan's islands, such as Elephantine Island, for a nice sunset sail. Today, we took a motor boat out to Angelina Island, which is the home of the Temple of Isis, the Mother Goddess of ancient Egypt. The Temples of Horus and Isis are Hellenistic temples, dating from after the time of Alexander and the Greek influence. Because they are only 2000 years old, these temples are considered modern compared to the others we have visited!
For tonight, we are staying at the Basma Hotel in Aswan before flying back at 5:30 am to Cairo for some more sightseeing. The farther south we go, the hotter it seems to get, so some much needed rest and pool time are in order!
We will keep you posted when we reach our next internet accessible location!
Sarah and Nicole
We have had the opportunity for some down time on our cruise ship, soaking in some Egyptian sun. The boat's crew hosted an Egyptian night, with a themed dinner with authentic Egyptian cuisine, and a galabiya party (a special dress worn by many of the locals). We purchased many of these outfits at the vendors' shops at the Temple at Edfu. We danced to traditional Egyptian music, as well as the YMCA and the Macarena (which we taught to the Spanish passengers on the boat).
We also have spent some time at local craft shops, including the Papyrus Museum, a handmade alabaster carver's store, a jewelry store, and an oil and perfumery shop. We have experienced many of the traditional skills that the ancients have passed down.
To commemorate our last night on the boat, we took a Felucca out around Aswan's islands, such as Elephantine Island, for a nice sunset sail. Today, we took a motor boat out to Angelina Island, which is the home of the Temple of Isis, the Mother Goddess of ancient Egypt. The Temples of Horus and Isis are Hellenistic temples, dating from after the time of Alexander and the Greek influence. Because they are only 2000 years old, these temples are considered modern compared to the others we have visited!
For tonight, we are staying at the Basma Hotel in Aswan before flying back at 5:30 am to Cairo for some more sightseeing. The farther south we go, the hotter it seems to get, so some much needed rest and pool time are in order!
We will keep you posted when we reach our next internet accessible location!
Sarah and Nicole
Monday, April 27, 2009
Alexandria and Luxor...the past two days!
Hello dedicated readers! Yesterday, we ventured to the wonderfully historical city of Alexandria. After a two hour drive, we arrived in the Greek built city around 10:30 am. We proceeded to the ancient catacombs, where we toured the burial chambers of the citizens of Alexandria. We saw tombs and many Greek influenced Egyptian designs. Next, we explored the Roman AmpiTheatre, which was like walking through the pages of history. We climbs around the old site before heading to the Library of Alexandria, which is one of the world's most renowned libraries in the world. From there, we dined at a famous seafood restaurant on the Mediterranean named San Giovanni's. Most of the group enjoyed their specialty seafood rice, while others stayed away from that and ate delicious chicken. Thuthmosis III introduced chicken to Egypt. We headed back to the hotel for our last night in Cairo.
Today, we were up at 5:00 am, and headed the the airport to fly to Luxor. The flight was very quick and we soon arrived at the Temple of Luxor, which was astounding in height and history. We checked into our cruise ship, which is fabulous, and enjoyed some down time on the liddo deck. In the afternoon, we journeyed to Karnak, and visited Amun's Temple. It was soooo huge, that it took us two hours to tour the structure with the aid of our trusty tour director Amr Osman. A visit to the Papyrus Museum ended our first day in Luxor.
Tomorrow we set sail and venture to the Valley of Kings! Will keep you all updated!
Sarah and Nicole
Today, we were up at 5:00 am, and headed the the airport to fly to Luxor. The flight was very quick and we soon arrived at the Temple of Luxor, which was astounding in height and history. We checked into our cruise ship, which is fabulous, and enjoyed some down time on the liddo deck. In the afternoon, we journeyed to Karnak, and visited Amun's Temple. It was soooo huge, that it took us two hours to tour the structure with the aid of our trusty tour director Amr Osman. A visit to the Papyrus Museum ended our first day in Luxor.
Tomorrow we set sail and venture to the Valley of Kings! Will keep you all updated!
Sarah and Nicole
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Pyramids, the Sphynx, and Vendors, Oh My!
Hello! Busy Day!!
We headed to Memphis early this sunny morning to visit the ancient capital of Egypt. There, we saw many monuments, including an alabaster sphinx for the only woman pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. There was also a large detailed statue of Ramses II that was magnificent. From there, we headed to Sakkara to the Steppe Pyramid designed by Imenhotep. Also in Sakkara we visited the El Sultan Carpet Making School and saw one of Egypt's most beloved and oldest traditions. A master carpetmaker was still hard at work at the age of 70! We had lunch at an authentic Egyptian restaurant Felfela. They served a variety of dishes including pigeon, fava beans, and felafel (although some hesitant eaters stuck to chicken...which was delicious). From there, we headed to the Great Pyramids at Giza!
At the first Great Pyramid, we were permitted to climb up a ways on the superstructure on the pyramid getting a great view of the city below. Many of us headed inside the second great pyramid, descending at a 45degree angle in a stifling hot chamber that was merely 3 feet tall...fun fun. We then ventured to the Solar Boat, discovered 25 years ago and was only recently put on display. From there, we went to the beloved sphinx! Only for short time however, but still a great photo op..as seen here. Most of us finished the day atop a camel for a ride with the locals around the neighborhood of Giza. Although the sites were fantastic and wonderful to see, it was impossible to walk without being intercepted by vendors! We eventually learned just to walk away!!! We were back to the hotel by 5 where some went swimming and we all met up for dinner.
Tomorrow Alexandria!!
Nicole and Sarah
Friday, April 24, 2009
Greetings from Egypt!
Today we arrived at Cairo International Airport at around noon (Egypt time) after a long, uneventful ten hour flight. From there, we were greeted by the Go Ahead tours staff, who kindly escorted us to our hotel. The Pyramids Park Resort is a stone's throw away from the Giza Pyramids! After having a relaxing afternoon to recuperate from the flight, we were given a briefing regarding our stay in Egypt for the next 11 days. We enjoyed a lovely buffet dinner, and are trying to catch up on the missed hours of sleep. Tomorrow, we are heading to the Pyramids at 6:00 a.m. Ewwww.... but it will be a wonderful kickoff to our exploration of Egyptian culture and history. Stay tuned!!
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