This day began in an easy way and ended being a bit stressful trying to make the multiple changes. You must reserve handicapped help 24 hours in advance, and of course when you change borders -- the reservation goes away. BUT you no longer know how to contact that handicapped access people. Therefore when we arrived at Brig we lost all the wonderful help. The good news is that in Switzerland there are long ramps to go down in addition to the stairs which have been horrible for Kathy.
We walked to the hotel -- which was a fair distance, but the temperature was much cooler making the walking more pleasant. The Hotel Kreuz is an old Swiss hotel---the floors creak and the doors have to be locked from the inside leaving the key in the lock. When you leave in the morning --- you trade your key for a small one -- which admits you if you return after they have closed at night. The room is comfortable with feather beds and down pillows. The bathroom is crisp blue and white tile and the bidets which were everywhere in southern Europe are no where to be seen again in the North.
Matt went down and got us pizza (which is nothing like the pizza in Italy) and salad which was wonderful --probably because they make everything from local ingredients -- the lettuce was fresh and delightful and I have consistently made my own dressing from the olive oil and balsamic vinegar which is everywhere. I organized my photos into folders (542 of them) switched batteries in my camera and recharged my laptop. These simple tasks are somewhat problematic because the current in Europe is different from that in the states. There are a variety of different looking switch plates - some with three round prongs, some with three large flat prongs, many with just two round prongs. I am glad I bought the expensive converter from the young Egyptian at Best Buy -- his recommendation has worked everywhere even Egypt! Apparently one of the converters that Kathy's sister had burned up a couple of appliances -- a fate I would certainly not want for my new little laptop! The windows of our room open and have no screens so Kathy wants them closed just in case someone should decide to join us for the night. Since it is cooler this won't be unbearable -- but we got a fan from the main desk and set it up. This was probably a good idea since the noise of the fan helped block out the sounds from the revelers on the street below. When I finally turned in at about 12:15 I closed the windows and fell asleep upon the moment.
We were up at 6:30 and headed down for breakfast. This hotel apparently has lots of Japanese visitors since there were breakfasts set out for English, Japanese, and Swiss. I like Sushi --- but the idea of eating raw fish for breakfast -- almost made me want to skip breakfast. The British eat wieners and beans for breakfast and bacon, but the bacon they choose is never crisp -- always greasy--I guess they like it that way. The Swiss like Muesli and granola. The coffee is really good -- I am not sure how they make it --- but they also always heat the milk so that when you put it in your coffee it doesn't cool off! (Smart people these Europeans).
The journey up to the Jungfreau included squealing children who got off at Lauterbrunnen for a walkabout in Muren. I chatted with their teacher who spoke English. School is on holiday but the children have this special field trip each summer when they hike about the mountains for several hours learning some history and nature. Each village sets its own calendar for school but students must attend 39 weeks per year. The children in this part of Switzerland speak a dialect of German so in kindergarten they begin to learn standard German. Then in 3rd grade they begin instruction in French since that is another language spoken in a major part of their country, and in 5th year they may choose between Italian and English instruction So Swiss children are at least tri-lingual and the teacher indicated that many of the children are immigrants so they even speak another language at home. 95% of Swiss children attend public school. I asked about citizenship and she said that you must wait 10 years before you can gain citizenship. BUT if you marry someone you only have to wait five years. The children are so excited . The teacher tells them about our little school mascot dragon and they have a picture with him. They asked about school in America and I shared a bit about how it is very similar but also very different.
Matt and I changed trains several times to reach the Jungfrau. It is the tallest point in Europe and the weather is perfect for seeing great distances. It was not as cold as I expected it to be, but the sun shone brightly and the wind was not strong or constant. The summit is a little over 13,000 feet. Not particularly high by American standards, but in this northern lattitude it was always enough to keep the glacier. It is clear with Global warming that this is not going to be the case. I wonder what will happen to all these wonderful little Swiss town when the streams dry up. There are running water spigots for people to fill water bottles from the water from these streams--- wash up-- or cool off. They run all the time. Even the water in our hotel is very cold (as though it had ice in it). All water here comes from the glacier and snow pack. There are magnificent waterfalls everywhere and the streams rush down the mountain creating deafening sounds as the water crashes over the rocks. It is filled with mineral content and is milky white as it passes beneath the train. There are many plants on the meadows that I recognize. Azaleas grow wild here, but they are smaller than at home.There were bees and butterflies all over the Alpine meadows. I wonder what the local honey tastes like. There are patches of the glacier left disconnected from the rest which are covered with brown dirt and soot.
There were ferns in sections where it was shady, but everywhere were plants covering the exposed earth. I did not see any bare spots at all.
We stopped to let another train go past and I heard that wonderful sound of cowbells. It was so musical, just like I remember it from Garmisch. Other than the sound of the train it is quiet and entirely peaceful -- just the sound of the breeze in the leaves, no buses, cars, no rush.
When we reached the top I noticed that it was difficult to get your breath if you moved very quickly at all. I wonder if that is because I have been living at sea level for nearly a decade now. When I lived in New Mexico (4500 feet elevation) I did not remember this problem when we traveled in Colorado---of course I was much younger then as well. Matt and I put on our warm clothes and climbed outside to the top of the plateau observation spot. It was very slippery and snowy, but the sun was brilliant and made it seem (even though I was wearing sunglasses as though I had forgotten to put them on.) It is easier to use the viewfinder in the camera in this intense light, and I am not sure how the pictures taken with Kathy's HD camera will turn out since you could not see in the viewer what you were taking -- the sunlight was just too intense.
We took photos and turned around and headed back down the mountain. The trip takes over an hour, and we found Kathy waiting patiently for us by the cable car to Murren in Lauterbrunnen. The trip up the side of the mountain took about five minutes and then we were back in Murren. This was one of my favorite spots six years ago, and it was sad to see that it is growing in popularity among tourists. Before we had to take a cogwheel railway and there were NO vehicles in Murren itself. Now there were many and it was not the quiet spot I remembered. We had lunch at about 2:00. A lovely tomato soup and we split a ham sandwich. Sandwiches here are beautiful with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and local cheese all on a local bread ---Matt had what he always has Spaghetti! After a walk around Murren we went down the mountain and back to Interlaken for the night. We had Fondue in a local restaurant and split a salad and a fruit salad. We were quite stuffed by the time we finished. We sat outside and watched the world go by. It began to rain a little and the restaurant rolled out a canaopy so we did not have to go inside. There were horse drawn cart going by and it was interesting to see how they accommodated the horses by having pooper scoopers attached or easily at hand where the driver could catch the falling debris--keeping the streeet clean. In fact the streets here are pristine. Shopkeepers pick up everything --- even the cigarette butts left behind by rude tourists.
Almost from the moment you cross from Italy into Switzerland there is a marked difference in how tings look. Train tracks no longer have weeds knee high. The workers who pick up the trash are diligent while in Italy -- they pick up some but leave other stuff behind. The Swiss pick it all up --- diligently. I wonder if it is because the Swiss are paid a living wage while the Italians are probably paid minimum wage and do not even earn enough to live on.....of course it is also possible that these things are just cultural differences as well. The Swiss and Germans both are precise. It is a bit easier to figure out if you are on the right train. Many places the destination is displayed prominently --- while in Italy you are always guessing....and trains even change tracks. They do not leave on time-- but in the north --- they leave precisely on time! Some one comes and check your tickets -- in Italy sometimes they check, sometimes they do not.
We walked to our hotel in the humidity between rain showers--repacked our things and prepared for the trip to Frankfurt. I am sending my big bag home with Matt --- it is already damaged and difficult to manage and I bought a smaller one in Florence at the train station which I can hang from the back of Kathy's wheelchair. Tomorrow we will travel to Frankfurt in the morning and perhaps Matt and Kathy will take a little Rhine tour to see the castles.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A walk in the sky - Tuscany
We slept in a bit and Kathy and Matt went to see David. I stayed and emptied my mailbox, checked my Face Book Page, and posted the blog while they were gone in the morning. I met them in the Piazza San Marco where I found them having coffee and coke at the little outdoor cafe. We caught a taxi to the train station (standard fee from our hotel to train station is 7-10 Euro)and then a tour through Chianti to Castellano and Greve, both small villages. The winery we visited was an old villa-estate from the 11th century which was fortified and survived the rivalry between Sienna and Firenze.
We reached the fortress at San Donato in Poggio which is now a restaurant where we had a typical Firenze meal. The bus was comfortable and the scenery was truly just as beautiful as it is in the paintings of Monet or Van Gogh. As we climbed out of Florence we crossed the Arno and could look toward the Ponto Vecchio Bridge then we began a winding ascent into the hills where we were surrounded by vineyards and olive orchards.
Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful vista for me was the neat rows of multiple shades of green from the shimmering silver olive to the deep almost terre vert of the cypress trees that tower skyward marching in lines to the horizons. The rows of grapes and dark earth make a beautiful pattern against the blue sky. It has been sunny and very warm, but as evening comes on the temperatures drop and the breeze picks up making it especially inviting to sit outside. In the little hill town of there are older Italian men sitting out talking animatedly around one of the look-out points where a thin haze was beginning to form over the distant hills. As we walked along the sidewalk toward the bus I glanced up and a really elderly man who looked to be in his 80s with no teeth was watching us make our way along the stones below. I wanted to take his picture in the worst way, but feared it would be an invasion of privacy so I restrained myself. We arrived back at the spot where we would catch our bus and sat on rocks looking over the valley. Wildflowers were everywhere poppies, blue bells, and several varieties that I do not recognize push their way up through the rich soil. The only sounds are the birds and the occasional scooter. There are not too many cars up here probably because the roads are so narrow. At the winery there was really only room for two very small cars or one bus on the road at a time. The bus driver honks his horn five or six times as he comes to places where he cannot clearly see ahead to warn oncoming traffic that a large vehicle is coming.
As soon as we left the bus the a wonderful fragrance overwhelmed our senses. It was a mixture of star jasmine, magnolia, broom and scents that seem herbal. I couldn't identify them clearly, but perhaps rosemary and lavender --since I could see these plants in evidence everywhere! Still there was something else--perhaps a pine of some kind --- maybe it is the cypress trees. Whatever it was I think this is how heaven will smell! The scent was present everywhere in the hills of Tuscany. Not so much in Firenze. Florence had its own scent. I remembered it from before as being very distinctive. If I were mixing it at a perfumery I think it might be a combination of tannery, hundreds of years of cobblestone, urine, internal combustion engine, wonderful expensive cologne, some old fashioned garlic, and body odor tossed in.
When we arrived at the winery which was also an ancient villa established in the 1400s when Firenze and Sienna were warring city states, we found a quiet and idyllic setting. The family had two chapels. One was within the villa itself and one sat some distance away in the vineyard. We walked through the central courtyard and saw some of the art that still resides there, but the original masterworks had long ago been donated by the family to national galleries. Then we went down into the cellar where the wine is housed. Chianti is chianti because of the location of the grapes not the kind of grade. The cellar was cool and filled with large barrels. These barrels could be used for up to 4 years. One of the largest was reserved to simply show us and was no longer in use anymore. The capacity of each barrel was posted on the exterior and the guide explained that some wines are utilized when they are young -- only 6 months old but the standard Chianti must age three years in the vat and one year average in the bottle.These barrels when they expire are used to make balsamic vinegar and ultimately sold as scrap.
Then we walked up to the garden for our wine tasting. We traveled past chickens, rabbits. A cat was lying still and allowing a chicken to peck at his head.. Next to the wall was a long planting of lavender in full bloom. The tables had linen on them and with each wine they brought something to accompany it. a peccarino cheese with the Chianti, a Bhusetta and cotto salami with the super Chianti and a pepper jelly, a fine desert wine with a biscuit -- which was very like our biscotti. This was dipped in the heavy desert wine which was rather like creme sherry. Our guide Sylvia is a native of Firenze. Kathy asked her how she surveys. She told Kathy and she and her boyfriend are hoping to purchase an apartment and the cheapest they can hope for is around 200,000 Euro! Sylvia also suggested that people who are native do not use taxis or eat sitting down EVER -- If you want to save money eating in Italy you must not sit outside a restaurant ever. AND you should look for a Trattoria or pizzeria and then eat inside only or carry out your food.
We next drove onto Grieve the main village in this part of Chianti. During the middle ages there were five villages that formed the alliance of the black roster of which Grieve was the main village. We walked along the square (which is actually a triangle in this case. Shops indicated a dependence on tourism. But the appeal to live in a place like this is clear. Peace and community were evident everywhere as we saw people cheerfully engaged in conversation in the pleasant evening!
We arrived at about 7:30 in the hill town where dinner was scheduled in an old medieval castle. The barrel-vaulted ceiling overhead magnified the conversation which grew more animated with with each additional glass of wine. AND since Kathy, Matt and I were not drinking we were very popular with our table mates since it mean that there was much more wine for each of them....Everyone was allotted 3 glasses with the meal. The dinner consisted of a first course of two different kinds of pasta. One a penne with a spicy meat sauce and one with another flat pasta with a cheesier sauce. There was the most wonderful Parmesan cheese to scatter over your pasta and of course the ever present bread and olive oil. The next course consisted of beans and sausages -- which Kathy couldn't eat because of her allergy to beans so they brought her a salad. They also had a pork of some kind that was served---it was roasted, and finally they served Tiramisu and coffee. By the time we left he sun had set and the lights across the valley were twinkling on. We returned to the train station in Firenze across the River Arno where the Ponto Vecchio Bridge mirrored itself in the water -- the kind of photograph that makes people want to come to the city in a travel brochure.
We caught a taxi to the hotel and retired for teh night at about midnight.
We reached the fortress at San Donato in Poggio which is now a restaurant where we had a typical Firenze meal. The bus was comfortable and the scenery was truly just as beautiful as it is in the paintings of Monet or Van Gogh. As we climbed out of Florence we crossed the Arno and could look toward the Ponto Vecchio Bridge then we began a winding ascent into the hills where we were surrounded by vineyards and olive orchards.
Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful vista for me was the neat rows of multiple shades of green from the shimmering silver olive to the deep almost terre vert of the cypress trees that tower skyward marching in lines to the horizons. The rows of grapes and dark earth make a beautiful pattern against the blue sky. It has been sunny and very warm, but as evening comes on the temperatures drop and the breeze picks up making it especially inviting to sit outside. In the little hill town of there are older Italian men sitting out talking animatedly around one of the look-out points where a thin haze was beginning to form over the distant hills. As we walked along the sidewalk toward the bus I glanced up and a really elderly man who looked to be in his 80s with no teeth was watching us make our way along the stones below. I wanted to take his picture in the worst way, but feared it would be an invasion of privacy so I restrained myself. We arrived back at the spot where we would catch our bus and sat on rocks looking over the valley. Wildflowers were everywhere poppies, blue bells, and several varieties that I do not recognize push their way up through the rich soil. The only sounds are the birds and the occasional scooter. There are not too many cars up here probably because the roads are so narrow. At the winery there was really only room for two very small cars or one bus on the road at a time. The bus driver honks his horn five or six times as he comes to places where he cannot clearly see ahead to warn oncoming traffic that a large vehicle is coming.
As soon as we left the bus the a wonderful fragrance overwhelmed our senses. It was a mixture of star jasmine, magnolia, broom and scents that seem herbal. I couldn't identify them clearly, but perhaps rosemary and lavender --since I could see these plants in evidence everywhere! Still there was something else--perhaps a pine of some kind --- maybe it is the cypress trees. Whatever it was I think this is how heaven will smell! The scent was present everywhere in the hills of Tuscany. Not so much in Firenze. Florence had its own scent. I remembered it from before as being very distinctive. If I were mixing it at a perfumery I think it might be a combination of tannery, hundreds of years of cobblestone, urine, internal combustion engine, wonderful expensive cologne, some old fashioned garlic, and body odor tossed in.
When we arrived at the winery which was also an ancient villa established in the 1400s when Firenze and Sienna were warring city states, we found a quiet and idyllic setting. The family had two chapels. One was within the villa itself and one sat some distance away in the vineyard. We walked through the central courtyard and saw some of the art that still resides there, but the original masterworks had long ago been donated by the family to national galleries. Then we went down into the cellar where the wine is housed. Chianti is chianti because of the location of the grapes not the kind of grade. The cellar was cool and filled with large barrels. These barrels could be used for up to 4 years. One of the largest was reserved to simply show us and was no longer in use anymore. The capacity of each barrel was posted on the exterior and the guide explained that some wines are utilized when they are young -- only 6 months old but the standard Chianti must age three years in the vat and one year average in the bottle.These barrels when they expire are used to make balsamic vinegar and ultimately sold as scrap.
Then we walked up to the garden for our wine tasting. We traveled past chickens, rabbits. A cat was lying still and allowing a chicken to peck at his head.. Next to the wall was a long planting of lavender in full bloom. The tables had linen on them and with each wine they brought something to accompany it. a peccarino cheese with the Chianti, a Bhusetta and cotto salami with the super Chianti and a pepper jelly, a fine desert wine with a biscuit -- which was very like our biscotti. This was dipped in the heavy desert wine which was rather like creme sherry. Our guide Sylvia is a native of Firenze. Kathy asked her how she surveys. She told Kathy and she and her boyfriend are hoping to purchase an apartment and the cheapest they can hope for is around 200,000 Euro! Sylvia also suggested that people who are native do not use taxis or eat sitting down EVER -- If you want to save money eating in Italy you must not sit outside a restaurant ever. AND you should look for a Trattoria or pizzeria and then eat inside only or carry out your food.
We next drove onto Grieve the main village in this part of Chianti. During the middle ages there were five villages that formed the alliance of the black roster of which Grieve was the main village. We walked along the square (which is actually a triangle in this case. Shops indicated a dependence on tourism. But the appeal to live in a place like this is clear. Peace and community were evident everywhere as we saw people cheerfully engaged in conversation in the pleasant evening!
We arrived at about 7:30 in the hill town where dinner was scheduled in an old medieval castle. The barrel-vaulted ceiling overhead magnified the conversation which grew more animated with with each additional glass of wine. AND since Kathy, Matt and I were not drinking we were very popular with our table mates since it mean that there was much more wine for each of them....Everyone was allotted 3 glasses with the meal. The dinner consisted of a first course of two different kinds of pasta. One a penne with a spicy meat sauce and one with another flat pasta with a cheesier sauce. There was the most wonderful Parmesan cheese to scatter over your pasta and of course the ever present bread and olive oil. The next course consisted of beans and sausages -- which Kathy couldn't eat because of her allergy to beans so they brought her a salad. They also had a pork of some kind that was served---it was roasted, and finally they served Tiramisu and coffee. By the time we left he sun had set and the lights across the valley were twinkling on. We returned to the train station in Firenze across the River Arno where the Ponto Vecchio Bridge mirrored itself in the water -- the kind of photograph that makes people want to come to the city in a travel brochure.
We caught a taxi to the hotel and retired for teh night at about midnight.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Mea Culpa and Handicapped Access
The hotel was beautiful and we had an excellent breakfast. HOWEVER, we learned when we got to the train station that we should have made our reservations to get across the track 24-hours in advance. I plead, quite truthfully, ignorance and the same woman who was so helpful yesterday relented and helped out. I got her name and hope to be able to write a thank you letter to her supervisor.
The problem is one of communication. When she said we needed to arrange ahead --- we did so for Venice. But when we got back to the Maestre station the office was closed --- so we came in the morning --- missed our train connection and caused her real trouble in making arrangements all because I didn't understand the "24-hours prior-to" part. Certainly none of what we had done had ever been 24 hours in advance --- until we got to this station we didn't even know about the "Assistenze cliente!"(customer service). It makes good sense. She began an Italian harangue by saying, "As I told-a you yesterday you must make-a your reservation 24 hours in advance!" --- but my mea culpa and throwing myself on her mercy was enough.
She arranged for the same little man who pushed the chair on our arrival to help out again. The lady was still giving us a hard time when we arrived at the baggage section to pick him up. Kathy was quite amused to watch the body language and vocal interchange between them-- this guy started grabbing our bags to put them on a cart since he was carrying bags for another stupid American elderly couple already. She tried to stop him so that I would be forced to carry them as I pushed the chair --- The woman had already made Matt take two of the bags and tote them down the stairs and back up to track 2 rather than accompany us across the tracks.
This little guy was just a happy-go-lucky fellow who looked at her as if to say, "give it a rest, lady. These are just poor ignorant tourists." He took my bags and put them on his cart and walked with us to the appointed spot. By the time we reached the track she was in better humor and even said she would send a man to check to be sure we got on the right train car. Once on she said I would have to find the Train Captain -- this is the guy who walks through to collect your tickets -- and throw myself on his mercy and he would find a place for us. This short little guy was good at maneuvering the wheel chair - so no more carnival rides for Kathy. We waited on the right track close to where the correct car would arrive. I guess if you travelled a lot you would know the arrangement of the cars -- but for us this is just another Italian mystery, and there is often not enough time to find the right car for fear of not getting all the luggage and us on the car before the train starts to pull out of the station. This keeps your blood pumping!
I think we finally get how to arrange for Assistanze Cliente --- now that we are within a couple of days of leaving for Switzerland! I do not want you to think that Italian people are rude -- If you watch the way they talk to each other --- it is this demonstrative -- assertive way of talking -- almost scolding tone seems normal. Once they get past the scolding -- they are actually quite warm and helpful!
After such a rough start it was a comfortable morning -- partly cloudy so the wait was comfortable, but it is set to get quite warm later. However, there always seems to be a breeze which is cooling if you can find a spot of shade. The Italians are geniuses at finding shade. I saw a woman using a telephone and another using a newspaper for shade just steps away from us. They sent a customer service representative to make sure we got on the wheelchair coach as well so we definitely need to write and thank the supervisor of the woman for her help. She went the extra mile to make sure we got on the train, so I did thank her profusely and tell her I hoped the rest of her day would be filled only with intelligent tourists!
This is the first time we have experienced wheelchair trains. The one last night back to Maestre actually had a ramp inside -- of course you had to get into it via steps -- but apparently if you had to have someone lift you into the train they provide this service as well ---but this was the first time in our travels that we learned this. Part of the problem is that rail Europe made all the arrangements -- perhaps if you make your own arrangements you would have this information....but "its always something" as Rosanne Rosanadana said.
Each station is a little different and some of them actually have Assensores (lifts or elevators if you are American), but you never know until you arrive what the situation is.....so from now on we will to to the Assistenze Cliente office and reserve help ahead!
On the way to Florence we passed through beautiful vineyards and lovely landscapes. Most every back yard had a well tended gardens. The farms used the old watering method of a sprinkler which shoots water out a great distance and swings back and forth. We have so much work to do in conserving water around the world. In West Texas farmers who are able are putting in drip irrigation buried in the soil which drips slowly encouraging the roots to go deeper instead of staying near the surface where they burn if it is very hot and dry. (unfortunately the water still comes from the aquifer).
Speaking of water -- I am not drinking enough because I HATE to use the restrooms on the trains or in the train stations -- Though the Eurostar trains may be different. These trains have attendants who go through like those on an airline and offer coffee and drinks and give you a biscuit to eat. There was also an attendant with newspapers -- unfortunately none of them were in English. The car is quite comfortable and is even equipped with an electrical outlet (alas I left the converter in my luggage) for your electronic appliances, a table in front of the seat which folds up or down, and comfortable head rests. The interior was clean and the windows were the first clean ones we had seen in some time.
There was a dining car and a first class section which had leather seats and was an actual compartment -- like those you see in old movies from the 1930-40s.
We arrived in Florence at 1:30 and found the Assistance office to make our arrangements for departure. This was wonderful --- if only I had realized sooner our journeys would have been easier!! They were even able to tell us how much we should have to pay for a taxi and they provided us with a map marking our hotel location! We got to the hotel just a few blocks from Piazza San Marco. You could see the duomo from here and the Academia where David's statue resides was just one block from that.
We got to our rooms and it was obvious that the building was old. The elevator was a shaft in the center and barely accommodated two. When it stopped on our floor (the top) it didn't rise fully to the floor --so you must step UP out of it into a very narrow hall. The room itself was like what I image a garret apartment in Paris might be -- there is a sky light or clerestory window -- but no window to look out. Two twin beds are pushed together and there was room to just get around them. At one end of the room was a ledge on which cushions had been placed Bohemian style there was a lamp and a table of sorts there and on the other side of the "sofa" a refrigerator and on top of the fridge was a t.v. Europeans are good at using every cranny. To get to the bathroom you must climb three steep steps. It has a window to the outside high above the shower. Having said all that it is a lovely clean room and quite comfortable!
We deposited our bags and immediately went to the square to find something to eat. There was a cafeteria -- with excellent Italian foods --where Kathy and I shared a tomato and mozzarella salad (the fresh vegetables and even the mozzarella are no doubt local -- because the quality is high, and cannelloni which they of course did Florentine --with the spinach stuffing. She is obviously back to normal now! Matt had his favorite --- Spaghetti! Then we hailed a cab for the Duomo since it was the heat of the day.
We did not get to go in last time - maybe the church was closed or maybe the lines were too long....but now they have handicapped access and we got right in --without any wait and had to pay no fee! The exterior of this building (which is huge) is stunning green, white and pink marble-- Unfortunately, I can not get far enough away to get a good photo! I can only get small sections. The organ is mostly hidden -- so only a few pipes show. It is clear that a service was held yesterday since there are beautiful flowers on the alter. I asked about mass --- it is celebrated every morning at 7:30. We did not climb to the top but rather remained on the main floor. The dome itself is beautifully painted. The painting would have been dangerous and difficult for it is very high above the ground.
Next we went to Santa Croce where Michelangelo, Dante and Galileo are all buried. It, like the Duomo, has pink, green and white marble in intricate patterns. Everywhere your eye pauses there is beauty, and it was quite exciting to see a genuine handicapped ramp.
When we were here in 2003 their were no arrangements for handicapped at either of these churches! So these are improvements. While I think this is great-- I notice that there are other changes which make the place less Italian. For example, there was never butter, toast, cereal, eggs or bacon for breakfast -- and now almost every hotel where we stayed has these choices at breakfast. That was my only criticism of the cruise. It was almost like being at home and just stepping into the country you were visiting briefly for the day --- then returning to the U.S. at night.
Kathy took Matt shopping for Christmas gifts for his Mother and Aunt Cindy and also purchased his gift, a beautiful leather jacket with his initials on the inside at a shop nearby. We then caught a Taxi to the Academia to see David -- but when we arrived it was closed (many things are closed on Monday) so we went to the square where we had gellato and purchased take out from the same little cafeteria where we had lunch to take back to our hotel where we could eat later. All in all it was a grand day!
Tomorrow it is David and a tour of Tuscany concluding in a villa with dinner in the vineyards.
The problem is one of communication. When she said we needed to arrange ahead --- we did so for Venice. But when we got back to the Maestre station the office was closed --- so we came in the morning --- missed our train connection and caused her real trouble in making arrangements all because I didn't understand the "24-hours prior-to" part. Certainly none of what we had done had ever been 24 hours in advance --- until we got to this station we didn't even know about the "Assistenze cliente!"(customer service). It makes good sense. She began an Italian harangue by saying, "As I told-a you yesterday you must make-a your reservation 24 hours in advance!" --- but my mea culpa and throwing myself on her mercy was enough.
She arranged for the same little man who pushed the chair on our arrival to help out again. The lady was still giving us a hard time when we arrived at the baggage section to pick him up. Kathy was quite amused to watch the body language and vocal interchange between them-- this guy started grabbing our bags to put them on a cart since he was carrying bags for another stupid American elderly couple already. She tried to stop him so that I would be forced to carry them as I pushed the chair --- The woman had already made Matt take two of the bags and tote them down the stairs and back up to track 2 rather than accompany us across the tracks.
This little guy was just a happy-go-lucky fellow who looked at her as if to say, "give it a rest, lady. These are just poor ignorant tourists." He took my bags and put them on his cart and walked with us to the appointed spot. By the time we reached the track she was in better humor and even said she would send a man to check to be sure we got on the right train car. Once on she said I would have to find the Train Captain -- this is the guy who walks through to collect your tickets -- and throw myself on his mercy and he would find a place for us. This short little guy was good at maneuvering the wheel chair - so no more carnival rides for Kathy. We waited on the right track close to where the correct car would arrive. I guess if you travelled a lot you would know the arrangement of the cars -- but for us this is just another Italian mystery, and there is often not enough time to find the right car for fear of not getting all the luggage and us on the car before the train starts to pull out of the station. This keeps your blood pumping!
I think we finally get how to arrange for Assistanze Cliente --- now that we are within a couple of days of leaving for Switzerland! I do not want you to think that Italian people are rude -- If you watch the way they talk to each other --- it is this demonstrative -- assertive way of talking -- almost scolding tone seems normal. Once they get past the scolding -- they are actually quite warm and helpful!
After such a rough start it was a comfortable morning -- partly cloudy so the wait was comfortable, but it is set to get quite warm later. However, there always seems to be a breeze which is cooling if you can find a spot of shade. The Italians are geniuses at finding shade. I saw a woman using a telephone and another using a newspaper for shade just steps away from us. They sent a customer service representative to make sure we got on the wheelchair coach as well so we definitely need to write and thank the supervisor of the woman for her help. She went the extra mile to make sure we got on the train, so I did thank her profusely and tell her I hoped the rest of her day would be filled only with intelligent tourists!
This is the first time we have experienced wheelchair trains. The one last night back to Maestre actually had a ramp inside -- of course you had to get into it via steps -- but apparently if you had to have someone lift you into the train they provide this service as well ---but this was the first time in our travels that we learned this. Part of the problem is that rail Europe made all the arrangements -- perhaps if you make your own arrangements you would have this information....but "its always something" as Rosanne Rosanadana said.
Each station is a little different and some of them actually have Assensores (lifts or elevators if you are American), but you never know until you arrive what the situation is.....so from now on we will to to the Assistenze Cliente office and reserve help ahead!
On the way to Florence we passed through beautiful vineyards and lovely landscapes. Most every back yard had a well tended gardens. The farms used the old watering method of a sprinkler which shoots water out a great distance and swings back and forth. We have so much work to do in conserving water around the world. In West Texas farmers who are able are putting in drip irrigation buried in the soil which drips slowly encouraging the roots to go deeper instead of staying near the surface where they burn if it is very hot and dry. (unfortunately the water still comes from the aquifer).
Speaking of water -- I am not drinking enough because I HATE to use the restrooms on the trains or in the train stations -- Though the Eurostar trains may be different. These trains have attendants who go through like those on an airline and offer coffee and drinks and give you a biscuit to eat. There was also an attendant with newspapers -- unfortunately none of them were in English. The car is quite comfortable and is even equipped with an electrical outlet (alas I left the converter in my luggage) for your electronic appliances, a table in front of the seat which folds up or down, and comfortable head rests. The interior was clean and the windows were the first clean ones we had seen in some time.
There was a dining car and a first class section which had leather seats and was an actual compartment -- like those you see in old movies from the 1930-40s.
We arrived in Florence at 1:30 and found the Assistance office to make our arrangements for departure. This was wonderful --- if only I had realized sooner our journeys would have been easier!! They were even able to tell us how much we should have to pay for a taxi and they provided us with a map marking our hotel location! We got to the hotel just a few blocks from Piazza San Marco. You could see the duomo from here and the Academia where David's statue resides was just one block from that.
We got to our rooms and it was obvious that the building was old. The elevator was a shaft in the center and barely accommodated two. When it stopped on our floor (the top) it didn't rise fully to the floor --so you must step UP out of it into a very narrow hall. The room itself was like what I image a garret apartment in Paris might be -- there is a sky light or clerestory window -- but no window to look out. Two twin beds are pushed together and there was room to just get around them. At one end of the room was a ledge on which cushions had been placed Bohemian style there was a lamp and a table of sorts there and on the other side of the "sofa" a refrigerator and on top of the fridge was a t.v. Europeans are good at using every cranny. To get to the bathroom you must climb three steep steps. It has a window to the outside high above the shower. Having said all that it is a lovely clean room and quite comfortable!
We deposited our bags and immediately went to the square to find something to eat. There was a cafeteria -- with excellent Italian foods --where Kathy and I shared a tomato and mozzarella salad (the fresh vegetables and even the mozzarella are no doubt local -- because the quality is high, and cannelloni which they of course did Florentine --with the spinach stuffing. She is obviously back to normal now! Matt had his favorite --- Spaghetti! Then we hailed a cab for the Duomo since it was the heat of the day.
We did not get to go in last time - maybe the church was closed or maybe the lines were too long....but now they have handicapped access and we got right in --without any wait and had to pay no fee! The exterior of this building (which is huge) is stunning green, white and pink marble-- Unfortunately, I can not get far enough away to get a good photo! I can only get small sections. The organ is mostly hidden -- so only a few pipes show. It is clear that a service was held yesterday since there are beautiful flowers on the alter. I asked about mass --- it is celebrated every morning at 7:30. We did not climb to the top but rather remained on the main floor. The dome itself is beautifully painted. The painting would have been dangerous and difficult for it is very high above the ground.
Next we went to Santa Croce where Michelangelo, Dante and Galileo are all buried. It, like the Duomo, has pink, green and white marble in intricate patterns. Everywhere your eye pauses there is beauty, and it was quite exciting to see a genuine handicapped ramp.
When we were here in 2003 their were no arrangements for handicapped at either of these churches! So these are improvements. While I think this is great-- I notice that there are other changes which make the place less Italian. For example, there was never butter, toast, cereal, eggs or bacon for breakfast -- and now almost every hotel where we stayed has these choices at breakfast. That was my only criticism of the cruise. It was almost like being at home and just stepping into the country you were visiting briefly for the day --- then returning to the U.S. at night.
Kathy took Matt shopping for Christmas gifts for his Mother and Aunt Cindy and also purchased his gift, a beautiful leather jacket with his initials on the inside at a shop nearby. We then caught a Taxi to the Academia to see David -- but when we arrived it was closed (many things are closed on Monday) so we went to the square where we had gellato and purchased take out from the same little cafeteria where we had lunch to take back to our hotel where we could eat later. All in all it was a grand day!
Tomorrow it is David and a tour of Tuscany concluding in a villa with dinner in the vineyards.
Monday, June 15, 2009
San Marco and Pagentry
We got up at about 7:00 a.m.-- the church bells of Rome awakened me! We went down for a breakfast of cereal and juice as well as a couple of pastries with cheese or some packaged biscuits. I love the way they serve food in Europe. There is always linen on the table and always china --- no plastic. An older lady brought a pot of coffee to the table with a cream pitcher filled with frothy hot milk. After breakfast Matt and I went in search of an Internet connection which was reputed to be at a laundry...which we found open.. but the man who was there clearly didn't want to deal with us and told us the connection was next door -- which was a dry cleaners. The door was locked, however you could see him through an open door in the establishment -- they were one and the same! Her are some observations about Italy.
1)Many people are not interested in assisting you....which I translate to mean that they do not need tourists -- they have plenty. (Turkey and Egypt need tourists and they were very helpful and attentive.
2) If they don't want to deal with you they feign inability to understand any English.
3) If they want to appear to be helpful they are willing to supply you with information which may have no relation to reality.
4) The cab drivers are willing to drive you around many streets to give you an opportunity to see the city always for an interesting charge at the end. One even tried to charge us for the amount of luggage we had put in his boot.
The hotels we have had often do not conform to what Kathy specified. For instance here she over payed for the taxi because we were supposed to be close to the Piazza Navonna or the Campo di Fiori....however we discovered we were only two blocks from the train station. The hotels in Rome both have had small rooms in odd shapes. Probably because they are retrofitted older buildings. This is a clean nice hotel - Mariano on the Plaza --Manfredo. The area around the hotel is mostly inhabited by Asians and some arabs. Lots of graffiti suggests that this is not a great neighborhood -- which is why we waited until this morning to try for Internet. While we were on the way to the taxi last night one of the gay revellers tried to sit in Kathy's wheel chair --- he was drunk and she had her had in the chair giving Matt a break. The drunk gay guy gestured and spoke to her hat and then started to sit down while taking a sip from his bottle of beer. Matt hailed the taxi at just this moment -- which was nice for us! I will forever have the images of the goth Christ pulling a rock with mirrored cross and red bloody hands sticking out of the rock, and the Virgin Mary in Drag pulling his/her own cloud with a rainbow attached! This was not the image of the Piazza Navona I remember from the past but I think Matt thought this was GREAT FUN and probably enjoyed it more than he would have the old Piazza with just the fountains and beautiful Italian music on stringed instruments.
We walked to the train station and caught the train to Venice. Eurostar is quite nice. Much cleaner than TrenItalia. It is faster, more reliable, and air conditioned. We waited in the Eurostar lounge --- a frosted glass enclosure with comfortable seating in its waiting room and wi-fi sign. Unfortunately we are not dressed up (most Italians it seems dress really well) so one of the employees came over and asked to see our tickets. We proved we deserved to be there no matter how things looked! I tried to connect to the Wi-Fi and failed so I went back to the desk person and asked how to connect. They did not know --Internet has been frustrating. I have not been able to connect to unsecured networks --and very few places have it cheaply enough to connect.
The Plaza Hotel in Venice Maestre was directly across from the train station --- such a blessing --- no taxi worries and an easy walk. My arms are sore from wagging luggage about. We will have to figure out a way to send a lot of this stuff back with Matt when he leaves at the end of the week, as I don't think I can manage dragging my bag and pushing the chair at the same time --- we will have to experiment...but I have faith we will find a way. After depositing our luggage and washing up we caught the train into Venice --- found a water bus (there are water taxis which are smaller boats and then their are larger ones that stop a bit more frequently -- like a city bus.)
We crossed the two bridges (the second - the bridge of sighs) and were surprised to find one had a ramp---don't ask why only one bridge had a ramp -- but we were happy to see it. Well, maybe not Matt -- it was quite an incline. We passed the Ducal Palace (which had been cleaned since I was here last) and found the stone a beautiful pink, turned the corner and there was San Marco glittering in the sun. The gold leaf on the frescoes was especially beautiful. We found a cafe and had some gellato, parked Kathy on the square and Matt and I began our exploration and attempt to find a Pinocchio puppet. Sadly most of them were way beyond the limit of about $30 euro that Peggy(a teacher friend) had set.....then after a couple of hours of wondering we found a shop with the perfect Pinocchio at just exactly 30 euro -- but alas the store was closed --- It was after all Sunday! Tired and hot we finally found our way through the maze of streets and bridges back to the square and Kathy. She had successfully found what she was looking for and we went into a place to eat. I have yet to have a bad meal in Italy! I had a salad, cannelloni, and house wine -- which was quite good. Matt had the best Pizza of his life --- thanks to the fact that Kathy couldn't eat the whole one herself and Matt had a Risotto dish. As we sat in this restaurant with its flat screen T.V. blaring rock music I could hear first the bells of San Marco and then singing on the square. The church itself was closed, so Matt didn't get to see this most impressive structure from the inside, but they had set up an alter on the square earlier.
I left Matt and Kathy deep in discussion and went to the procession on the square. Today was Corpus Domini Day (I think) at any rate there was a fabulous parade with chant and many clerics dressed in beautiful garb followed by nuns and then the faithful --- censors broadcast incense and candles were carried aloft in the light of early evening---it was a most moving experience....and yes, DEAN I GOT THE BULLETIN-- I was moved to tears. We spent the rest of the evening finding a water bus back and then the proper train and this time we had reserved an assistant ahead to meet us at the train and escort us across the tracks. Unfortunately this hapless luggage handler had not had much experience with wheelchairs so Kathy was treated to an amusement ride over the tracks. (3 sets of three tracks each) and on the last track he fell under the chair but Matt was there to keep Kathy from going over onto him ---- it is amusing only in retrospect.... The Plaza Hotel is a 4 STAR and is beautiful. LARGE ROOMS....fabulous breakfast including lots of American foods and of course --- the standard linen and china....and lovely local eggs and fresh fruits.
1)Many people are not interested in assisting you....which I translate to mean that they do not need tourists -- they have plenty. (Turkey and Egypt need tourists and they were very helpful and attentive.
2) If they don't want to deal with you they feign inability to understand any English.
3) If they want to appear to be helpful they are willing to supply you with information which may have no relation to reality.
4) The cab drivers are willing to drive you around many streets to give you an opportunity to see the city always for an interesting charge at the end. One even tried to charge us for the amount of luggage we had put in his boot.
The hotels we have had often do not conform to what Kathy specified. For instance here she over payed for the taxi because we were supposed to be close to the Piazza Navonna or the Campo di Fiori....however we discovered we were only two blocks from the train station. The hotels in Rome both have had small rooms in odd shapes. Probably because they are retrofitted older buildings. This is a clean nice hotel - Mariano on the Plaza --Manfredo. The area around the hotel is mostly inhabited by Asians and some arabs. Lots of graffiti suggests that this is not a great neighborhood -- which is why we waited until this morning to try for Internet. While we were on the way to the taxi last night one of the gay revellers tried to sit in Kathy's wheel chair --- he was drunk and she had her had in the chair giving Matt a break. The drunk gay guy gestured and spoke to her hat and then started to sit down while taking a sip from his bottle of beer. Matt hailed the taxi at just this moment -- which was nice for us! I will forever have the images of the goth Christ pulling a rock with mirrored cross and red bloody hands sticking out of the rock, and the Virgin Mary in Drag pulling his/her own cloud with a rainbow attached! This was not the image of the Piazza Navona I remember from the past but I think Matt thought this was GREAT FUN and probably enjoyed it more than he would have the old Piazza with just the fountains and beautiful Italian music on stringed instruments.
We walked to the train station and caught the train to Venice. Eurostar is quite nice. Much cleaner than TrenItalia. It is faster, more reliable, and air conditioned. We waited in the Eurostar lounge --- a frosted glass enclosure with comfortable seating in its waiting room and wi-fi sign. Unfortunately we are not dressed up (most Italians it seems dress really well) so one of the employees came over and asked to see our tickets. We proved we deserved to be there no matter how things looked! I tried to connect to the Wi-Fi and failed so I went back to the desk person and asked how to connect. They did not know --Internet has been frustrating. I have not been able to connect to unsecured networks --and very few places have it cheaply enough to connect.
The Plaza Hotel in Venice Maestre was directly across from the train station --- such a blessing --- no taxi worries and an easy walk. My arms are sore from wagging luggage about. We will have to figure out a way to send a lot of this stuff back with Matt when he leaves at the end of the week, as I don't think I can manage dragging my bag and pushing the chair at the same time --- we will have to experiment...but I have faith we will find a way. After depositing our luggage and washing up we caught the train into Venice --- found a water bus (there are water taxis which are smaller boats and then their are larger ones that stop a bit more frequently -- like a city bus.)
We crossed the two bridges (the second - the bridge of sighs) and were surprised to find one had a ramp---don't ask why only one bridge had a ramp -- but we were happy to see it. Well, maybe not Matt -- it was quite an incline. We passed the Ducal Palace (which had been cleaned since I was here last) and found the stone a beautiful pink, turned the corner and there was San Marco glittering in the sun. The gold leaf on the frescoes was especially beautiful. We found a cafe and had some gellato, parked Kathy on the square and Matt and I began our exploration and attempt to find a Pinocchio puppet. Sadly most of them were way beyond the limit of about $30 euro that Peggy(a teacher friend) had set.....then after a couple of hours of wondering we found a shop with the perfect Pinocchio at just exactly 30 euro -- but alas the store was closed --- It was after all Sunday! Tired and hot we finally found our way through the maze of streets and bridges back to the square and Kathy. She had successfully found what she was looking for and we went into a place to eat. I have yet to have a bad meal in Italy! I had a salad, cannelloni, and house wine -- which was quite good. Matt had the best Pizza of his life --- thanks to the fact that Kathy couldn't eat the whole one herself and Matt had a Risotto dish. As we sat in this restaurant with its flat screen T.V. blaring rock music I could hear first the bells of San Marco and then singing on the square. The church itself was closed, so Matt didn't get to see this most impressive structure from the inside, but they had set up an alter on the square earlier.
I left Matt and Kathy deep in discussion and went to the procession on the square. Today was Corpus Domini Day (I think) at any rate there was a fabulous parade with chant and many clerics dressed in beautiful garb followed by nuns and then the faithful --- censors broadcast incense and candles were carried aloft in the light of early evening---it was a most moving experience....and yes, DEAN I GOT THE BULLETIN-- I was moved to tears. We spent the rest of the evening finding a water bus back and then the proper train and this time we had reserved an assistant ahead to meet us at the train and escort us across the tracks. Unfortunately this hapless luggage handler had not had much experience with wheelchairs so Kathy was treated to an amusement ride over the tracks. (3 sets of three tracks each) and on the last track he fell under the chair but Matt was there to keep Kathy from going over onto him ---- it is amusing only in retrospect.... The Plaza Hotel is a 4 STAR and is beautiful. LARGE ROOMS....fabulous breakfast including lots of American foods and of course --- the standard linen and china....and lovely local eggs and fresh fruits.
From Luxury to Reality
Had Kathy felt better we could have taken a free shuttle and then walked four blocks to the train station. Instead it cost 20 Euro for the cab to the train station Although she is better this morning she clearly doesn't feel up to to great a challenge. When we arrived at the station we learned that we would need a train that says Roma T (Rome is the terminus). AND in addition we needed one that doesn't require Kathy to walk any stairs. These train stations require you to climb down about 40 stairs then once underground you choose the track you need and climb the 30-40 stairs back up to your platform.
There were several trains that showed Roma T -- but all were on platforms that required the stair climbing feat. I sought out a man who was wearing a police (I assume it was police) uniform. I asked if he spoke any English to which he indicated a little. I was able to convey what we needed (a lift) by gesturing to Kathy --- and he said no lift -- I pointed to the tracks indicating perhaps a crossing --- no crossing. So we will need to wait for about 90 minutes to catch a train that will use track one.
What struck me was his manner -- there was no joy in Civitiavechia today for this fellow. What a contrast from the people who were eager to help you on the ship. As I watched several trains come and go --- it was clear to me that the step onto the train would be a challenge for her today. I once again sought out the officer. I wanted to see if perhaps we could manage a step stool for her to ease her step onto the train. As I approached him --- before I said anything --he said in his most exasperated voice - "I told-a you already" I tried to explain this was a different question. With my sweetest smile (it would work better if I were 20 or 30) again gesturing to show him my concern about the steep step up onto the train.... but it was clearly a futile effort. He was tired of these touristas and their wealthy relations....OR -- maybe he had just found out his job had been cut, or his wife left him or his dog died. Whatever his situation he was not going to be of much assistance to anyone today.....unless perhaps they were Italian -- in which case they would not need him.
I hope that by the time we reach Rome Kathy is feeling much improved since she had hoped to repeat our trek from the Spanish steps down to the Pantheon and then to the Trevi fountain and on to the Piazza Navona for dinner next to one of the great fountains.
The train station is a sea of people from the various ships which were docked returning from the vacation of your dreams. Most of these folks have a lot luggage, because unlike us, they have been on these tours before. They knew that you have lots of opportunities to dress formally and wear your jewelry and look beautiful after a trip to the spa and beauty salon on board. We on the other hand, had as little luggage as possible....since on the rest of the trip we are dragging our luggage about. Kathy packed a hard drive which weighs a ton and some other electronic equipment -- that I think we will send back with Matt next week, since I do not want to mess with that additional bag -- I think we can down load all her film onto the hard drive of her computer if she winds up taking too much footage --- but I don't think that she will have that much....we have a total between us of one rolling bag(mine) - one duffle bag - hers - a document bag, an electronics bag (hopefully to go home.) One bag that is her purse, one bag that has water and other things in it....and then Matt has his bags --- so when he leaves --- I have to be able to manage all our bags and the wheel chair...so I will be working on mastering this and paring down over the next few days of train travel.
When we came in 2003 we were with a tour where they tended your luggage faithfully....so when we took excursions away from them ---- they had our luggage and I only had the chair and our hand luggage to manage. This is different , but I think totally manageable.
Italian train stations are a bit dingy -- but they look pristine in comparison to what we saw in Egypt. One of the people on the tour to Luxor said that their guide explained that at present there is no garbage collection as there is in many countries --- so disposal of trash is really problematic. We know that many Americans find it quite convenient to toss trash onto the ground -- it is just that we also have folks who go around cleaning up after them and of course we also have garbage collected.....so I am not so sure that we should be entirely superior on this issue. The guide also indicated that they were beginning to teach people in schools about the importance of saving their national treasures and preserving the environment. But given the issues with water they are going to need a great deal of help.
A train pulled into the station --- I figured it was the 9:17 train --- it was 9:17 but in Italy time seems to fold on itself. Our train was supposed to leave at 9:41, but typical of Italy -- it turned out that this was the train...Kathy came and got me and and we got on and then waited until about 9:55 before whatever the train it was actually left the station. And that was after the lights flickered on and off several times in the cabin. This was the signal that the train had broken down before, so we were beginning to think we would have to disembark and take another train. When the lights came on and the train actually started to move the passengers cheered! Apparently that kind of thing is not uncommon.
We arrived in Rome at about 2:00 p.m. and got a taxi for our hotel which was very close to the beautiful old church the Santa Maria Maggiore. It turned out our Taxi Driver thought --- that we were inexperienced travelers. When he delivered us --- he tried to charge Kathy 32.20 Euro ---but she wasn't having any of that --- When she took his cab number and company he sang a different tune and she only had to pay 14 Euro. Later when we returned from the Piazza Navona -- we discovered that our hotel was only two blocks from the train station! The taxi driver had taken us all around Robin Hoods Barn and back again to make us think it was far away!
After we deposited our bags at the hotel we walked to a cafe across from the old church. Kathy and I had ham and cheese Paninni and Matt had Spaghetti. We ended our meal with gellato -- I had lemon and mat had chocolate and creme. After that treat we crossed the street and entered the Santa Maria Maggiore which in which Bernini lies entombed (I am not sure of this and would have to check my facts to be sure) It was absolutely beautiful --- there was a miniature of the Bernini alter there and stunning mosaics, gold leaf, frescoes, and to top everything off---it is a working church as mass was going on there.....crowds of tourists and only a handful of worshipers.
The fountain was being used as a place to cool off and a young man was letting his dogs romp there. We returned to our hotel and caught a taxi to the Forum. When we arrived we took a guided tour (something I had not done last time) It was surprisingly cool --in the shade. Of course the Romans laid the city out so that the breezes pass through the streets -- of course that means that the streets are laid out like a drunken sailor had left bread crumbs for the construction crew!
One of the benefits of the tour was to have a picture with a Roman Gladiator so our I got one with our school mascot being held at knife point --- hmmm--- maybe not the best image for the kids --- I may have to think about that! Kathy forgot her camera so after the Colosseum and the Palantine we wanted to head back to the hotel, but when we flagged down a cab the driver spoke rapid Italian while putting his hand to his head. He said -- "impossible" of course we couldn't figure out why it was impossible. We walked toward the Piazza Navona -- finally stopping for a drink at a cafe. It was a blessing to be under a canopy of green leaves in a gentle cooling breeze. Matt and I regrouped and after about 30 minutes we headed back out onto the street.
We walked and hailed a second cab who repeated the "impossible" -- We had noticed that the police were everywhere out in force, and had heard someone mention a Gay Pride Parade -- Dense Americans finally put two and two together and asked the cabby if he could take us to the Spanish Steps...which was a yes.
We took lots of pictures of Matt at the Steps where he found a cute babe -- unfortunately she was connected! As we walked down to the Trevi Fountain I was looking forward to a memory -- my memory of the 4th of July dinner we shared there in 2003 when Kathy got out her clock and we were nearly thrown out of the restaurant!
As we got to the Pantheon I was determined to get in. It was closed last time....for some reason. This time we couldn't go in because they were having mass. We were able to look in -- but my photos didn't come out because of the contrast of light to dark. So we went on to the Piazza. As we got nearer the noise level increased and when we entered the Piazza it was clear that the Gay Rights Parade was concluding here!
So here we had dinner at an elegant restaurant while the most bizarre parade was in front of us...everyone was blowing whistles, a drum corps accompanied the marchers and then the rock music started punctuated by speeches -- obviously angry in Italian --- which of course made it seem even angrier. I ordered two glasses of red wine - one for Matt and one for me to accompany our pasta. The waiter returned with them plus one white --- which I told him we did not order --- then the head waiter came and insisted that we ordered it and he could not change the order --- Unlike Kathy I am not aggressive so I just gave in. I think these waiters are able to understand a great deal and feign ignorance and bully people into whatever they want to give you. So far this has happened three times in Italy --- our order doesn't always reflect what we requested. Matt had a great time taking pics of the Gay marchers.... Finally we gave up on ever getting the Piazza back and we started walking looking for a Taxi Station.
We have learned that you can't hail a cab in Roma-- you must go to a taxi station --- we were just two blocks from one -- when Matt boldly risked life and limb to hail us one and we got back to our hotel safe and sound and late! I showered a second time to get the grit and grim from my skin. I stopped wearing make-up when we hit Italy before and I haven't put anymore on since --- it just melts in the Mediterranean sun...I started writing this -- but found myself nodding off...So it completed today's entry this morning. Here at club Eurostar in the train station. So for thse few entries --- which I have not had any time to reflect and edit --please forgive!!
There were several trains that showed Roma T -- but all were on platforms that required the stair climbing feat. I sought out a man who was wearing a police (I assume it was police) uniform. I asked if he spoke any English to which he indicated a little. I was able to convey what we needed (a lift) by gesturing to Kathy --- and he said no lift -- I pointed to the tracks indicating perhaps a crossing --- no crossing. So we will need to wait for about 90 minutes to catch a train that will use track one.
What struck me was his manner -- there was no joy in Civitiavechia today for this fellow. What a contrast from the people who were eager to help you on the ship. As I watched several trains come and go --- it was clear to me that the step onto the train would be a challenge for her today. I once again sought out the officer. I wanted to see if perhaps we could manage a step stool for her to ease her step onto the train. As I approached him --- before I said anything --he said in his most exasperated voice - "I told-a you already" I tried to explain this was a different question. With my sweetest smile (it would work better if I were 20 or 30) again gesturing to show him my concern about the steep step up onto the train.... but it was clearly a futile effort. He was tired of these touristas and their wealthy relations....OR -- maybe he had just found out his job had been cut, or his wife left him or his dog died. Whatever his situation he was not going to be of much assistance to anyone today.....unless perhaps they were Italian -- in which case they would not need him.
I hope that by the time we reach Rome Kathy is feeling much improved since she had hoped to repeat our trek from the Spanish steps down to the Pantheon and then to the Trevi fountain and on to the Piazza Navona for dinner next to one of the great fountains.
The train station is a sea of people from the various ships which were docked returning from the vacation of your dreams. Most of these folks have a lot luggage, because unlike us, they have been on these tours before. They knew that you have lots of opportunities to dress formally and wear your jewelry and look beautiful after a trip to the spa and beauty salon on board. We on the other hand, had as little luggage as possible....since on the rest of the trip we are dragging our luggage about. Kathy packed a hard drive which weighs a ton and some other electronic equipment -- that I think we will send back with Matt next week, since I do not want to mess with that additional bag -- I think we can down load all her film onto the hard drive of her computer if she winds up taking too much footage --- but I don't think that she will have that much....we have a total between us of one rolling bag(mine) - one duffle bag - hers - a document bag, an electronics bag (hopefully to go home.) One bag that is her purse, one bag that has water and other things in it....and then Matt has his bags --- so when he leaves --- I have to be able to manage all our bags and the wheel chair...so I will be working on mastering this and paring down over the next few days of train travel.
When we came in 2003 we were with a tour where they tended your luggage faithfully....so when we took excursions away from them ---- they had our luggage and I only had the chair and our hand luggage to manage. This is different , but I think totally manageable.
Italian train stations are a bit dingy -- but they look pristine in comparison to what we saw in Egypt. One of the people on the tour to Luxor said that their guide explained that at present there is no garbage collection as there is in many countries --- so disposal of trash is really problematic. We know that many Americans find it quite convenient to toss trash onto the ground -- it is just that we also have folks who go around cleaning up after them and of course we also have garbage collected.....so I am not so sure that we should be entirely superior on this issue. The guide also indicated that they were beginning to teach people in schools about the importance of saving their national treasures and preserving the environment. But given the issues with water they are going to need a great deal of help.
A train pulled into the station --- I figured it was the 9:17 train --- it was 9:17 but in Italy time seems to fold on itself. Our train was supposed to leave at 9:41, but typical of Italy -- it turned out that this was the train...Kathy came and got me and and we got on and then waited until about 9:55 before whatever the train it was actually left the station. And that was after the lights flickered on and off several times in the cabin. This was the signal that the train had broken down before, so we were beginning to think we would have to disembark and take another train. When the lights came on and the train actually started to move the passengers cheered! Apparently that kind of thing is not uncommon.
We arrived in Rome at about 2:00 p.m. and got a taxi for our hotel which was very close to the beautiful old church the Santa Maria Maggiore. It turned out our Taxi Driver thought --- that we were inexperienced travelers. When he delivered us --- he tried to charge Kathy 32.20 Euro ---but she wasn't having any of that --- When she took his cab number and company he sang a different tune and she only had to pay 14 Euro. Later when we returned from the Piazza Navona -- we discovered that our hotel was only two blocks from the train station! The taxi driver had taken us all around Robin Hoods Barn and back again to make us think it was far away!
After we deposited our bags at the hotel we walked to a cafe across from the old church. Kathy and I had ham and cheese Paninni and Matt had Spaghetti. We ended our meal with gellato -- I had lemon and mat had chocolate and creme. After that treat we crossed the street and entered the Santa Maria Maggiore which in which Bernini lies entombed (I am not sure of this and would have to check my facts to be sure) It was absolutely beautiful --- there was a miniature of the Bernini alter there and stunning mosaics, gold leaf, frescoes, and to top everything off---it is a working church as mass was going on there.....crowds of tourists and only a handful of worshipers.
The fountain was being used as a place to cool off and a young man was letting his dogs romp there. We returned to our hotel and caught a taxi to the Forum. When we arrived we took a guided tour (something I had not done last time) It was surprisingly cool --in the shade. Of course the Romans laid the city out so that the breezes pass through the streets -- of course that means that the streets are laid out like a drunken sailor had left bread crumbs for the construction crew!
One of the benefits of the tour was to have a picture with a Roman Gladiator so our I got one with our school mascot being held at knife point --- hmmm--- maybe not the best image for the kids --- I may have to think about that! Kathy forgot her camera so after the Colosseum and the Palantine we wanted to head back to the hotel, but when we flagged down a cab the driver spoke rapid Italian while putting his hand to his head. He said -- "impossible" of course we couldn't figure out why it was impossible. We walked toward the Piazza Navona -- finally stopping for a drink at a cafe. It was a blessing to be under a canopy of green leaves in a gentle cooling breeze. Matt and I regrouped and after about 30 minutes we headed back out onto the street.
We walked and hailed a second cab who repeated the "impossible" -- We had noticed that the police were everywhere out in force, and had heard someone mention a Gay Pride Parade -- Dense Americans finally put two and two together and asked the cabby if he could take us to the Spanish Steps...which was a yes.
We took lots of pictures of Matt at the Steps where he found a cute babe -- unfortunately she was connected! As we walked down to the Trevi Fountain I was looking forward to a memory -- my memory of the 4th of July dinner we shared there in 2003 when Kathy got out her clock and we were nearly thrown out of the restaurant!
As we got to the Pantheon I was determined to get in. It was closed last time....for some reason. This time we couldn't go in because they were having mass. We were able to look in -- but my photos didn't come out because of the contrast of light to dark. So we went on to the Piazza. As we got nearer the noise level increased and when we entered the Piazza it was clear that the Gay Rights Parade was concluding here!
So here we had dinner at an elegant restaurant while the most bizarre parade was in front of us...everyone was blowing whistles, a drum corps accompanied the marchers and then the rock music started punctuated by speeches -- obviously angry in Italian --- which of course made it seem even angrier. I ordered two glasses of red wine - one for Matt and one for me to accompany our pasta. The waiter returned with them plus one white --- which I told him we did not order --- then the head waiter came and insisted that we ordered it and he could not change the order --- Unlike Kathy I am not aggressive so I just gave in. I think these waiters are able to understand a great deal and feign ignorance and bully people into whatever they want to give you. So far this has happened three times in Italy --- our order doesn't always reflect what we requested. Matt had a great time taking pics of the Gay marchers.... Finally we gave up on ever getting the Piazza back and we started walking looking for a Taxi Station.
We have learned that you can't hail a cab in Roma-- you must go to a taxi station --- we were just two blocks from one -- when Matt boldly risked life and limb to hail us one and we got back to our hotel safe and sound and late! I showered a second time to get the grit and grim from my skin. I stopped wearing make-up when we hit Italy before and I haven't put anymore on since --- it just melts in the Mediterranean sun...I started writing this -- but found myself nodding off...So it completed today's entry this morning. Here at club Eurostar in the train station. So for thse few entries --- which I have not had any time to reflect and edit --please forgive!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Corfu and the last day....aboard..
We used tender boats to go on shore These are smaller vessels used to transport people from a big ship to the port if the ship cannot dock for some reason. -- Corfu is a large island and looked very much like San Diego as we were bused to the beach. I had been scheduled to go on a tour of the island, but there was a strike of the guides so no tours were operating. The young woman who waited on Kathy when we first arrived and she couldn't get the beach tour for Matt called and there was a cancellation so we were able to go on the beach excursion.
I was able to swim in the Mediterranean. The water was incredibly clear. I could see all the way to the bottom and the many fish swimming around . The were the color of the sand with a large black circle (mimicking an eye) on their tails. The largest ones were about 12-15 inches long. Some of them would swim up to the top with their backs above the water --- I suppose they were sunning themselves. Had never seen fish do that before.
The beach was very pebbly -- I was wishing I had a pair of flip-flops--but it was worth the pain to get to the beautiful water, and once in the water there was a sandy bottom.
This 5 star resort had lounge chairs and umbrellas waiting for us. All we had to supply was a towel. After swimming I went in and dried off a bit in the shade. Next we went to the Taverna where we had Greek salad and dolmas....Matt, of course, had spaghetti. After lunch I went swimming in the resorts pool which was absolutely pristinely beautiful. There were little individual houses on the grounds. A grounds keeper took Kathy in a golf-cart to the spot -- and then back again when we caught the bus back to the ship.
Once back aboard the ship we got underway heading for our final stop in Naples at Civitevechhia the port. There we will board the train back to Rome. It will be an early morning and a long day - depending on train changes and potential problems with trains or the steps if we have to change trains--- or then there is the possibility that the train could break down as it did on the way to the port from Rome a week and a half ago.
Kathy woke this morning with traveller's distress. She remained in the cabin most of the day while I got most of my things packed this morning. We had to set all our bags out between 7-11:00 p.m. the last night. I tried to get pictures of all the various parts of the ship that we have frequented. Needless to say --- that did not include the casino....or the bars.
We went down to the ship's doctor in the afternoon at about 4:30 to see if he could give Kathy anything for her problem. This would not be a pleasant problem to have on the trains in Italy -- since they are really dirty... He gave her medication --- and dietary advice. (neither of which she followed immediately, and asked us to stay in for the rest of the night.) He didn't seem overly concered -- since we were apparently not the only ones who chose to eat fresh fruit and vegetables on the island!
I was able to swim in the Mediterranean. The water was incredibly clear. I could see all the way to the bottom and the many fish swimming around . The were the color of the sand with a large black circle (mimicking an eye) on their tails. The largest ones were about 12-15 inches long. Some of them would swim up to the top with their backs above the water --- I suppose they were sunning themselves. Had never seen fish do that before.
The beach was very pebbly -- I was wishing I had a pair of flip-flops--but it was worth the pain to get to the beautiful water, and once in the water there was a sandy bottom.
This 5 star resort had lounge chairs and umbrellas waiting for us. All we had to supply was a towel. After swimming I went in and dried off a bit in the shade. Next we went to the Taverna where we had Greek salad and dolmas....Matt, of course, had spaghetti. After lunch I went swimming in the resorts pool which was absolutely pristinely beautiful. There were little individual houses on the grounds. A grounds keeper took Kathy in a golf-cart to the spot -- and then back again when we caught the bus back to the ship.
Once back aboard the ship we got underway heading for our final stop in Naples at Civitevechhia the port. There we will board the train back to Rome. It will be an early morning and a long day - depending on train changes and potential problems with trains or the steps if we have to change trains--- or then there is the possibility that the train could break down as it did on the way to the port from Rome a week and a half ago.
Kathy woke this morning with traveller's distress. She remained in the cabin most of the day while I got most of my things packed this morning. We had to set all our bags out between 7-11:00 p.m. the last night. I tried to get pictures of all the various parts of the ship that we have frequented. Needless to say --- that did not include the casino....or the bars.
We went down to the ship's doctor in the afternoon at about 4:30 to see if he could give Kathy anything for her problem. This would not be a pleasant problem to have on the trains in Italy -- since they are really dirty... He gave her medication --- and dietary advice. (neither of which she followed immediately, and asked us to stay in for the rest of the night.) He didn't seem overly concered -- since we were apparently not the only ones who chose to eat fresh fruit and vegetables on the island!
Days at Sea
The cruise was punctuated with days at sea. This is a reflection on several, rather than individual entries.
A school of dolphins came up next ot the bow of the ship and dove out of the water. The water was so clear that you could see the school as they swam underneath the surface and than as they broke the surface of the water. They are such stunning creatures and as they say --- they are the sailor's friend (thinking of documented cases where Dolphins have carried swimmers back to shore who were in danger of drowning) Early in the morning there is a sort of ground fog -- only there is no ground! The sun burns this off and soon we were surrounded by stunning ultramarine waters. The sea changes color here, possibly in response to sky and sand beneath. It moves between ultramarine, cobalt and shades of aquamarine. It was wonderfully relaxing, and after a good swim and some time to read (I brought along Bryson's Short History of Everything) we had lunch at the Burger Bar -- This was the first burger I have had in some time. Indeed the cruise allows you to have all the stuff from home in addition to experiencing as much as you like of the countries you are visiting.
Kathy and I took a nap in the afternoon and I am spending a bit of time now reflecting on the experience of being on board this ship. It is easy to see why so many people choose to vacation on a cruise, especially those who have medical challenges, honeymooners or people with children. There is a pharmacy and doctor on board, diets can easily be accommodated, people are around to assist with wheelchairs, and you can retire to your cabin at any moment, and there is a staff providing activities for younger children through teens.
1) You carry your hotel with you wherever you go.
2) People really keep track of you -- so that you have a sense of being safe. They would track you down if you did not show up at the appointed time.
3) People are checked on board each time you return to the ship so that bring guns or explosives aboard would be difficult.
4)The crew is taught to meet your every need. Our stateroom attendant comes several times a day always exceedingly polite and asking if we need anything.
5) Someone is here to do your laundry.
6) You can use U.S. currency at the ship stores where prices are quite competative.
7)All your food is covered (except for liquor and sodas)
8)If you are a person who gets easily bored this would be a great way to travel -- if I wanted to participate there are things to do every moment.....gameshows, casinos, video games, dance lessons, massages, beauty appointments, and in the evening lots of shows.....including a piano bar with a torch singer.
9)Shopping --- this cruise not only has shops aboard, but also arranges shops in the towns they visit which are sort of approved ---
A lot of these events are not too appealing to me --- but I can think that some cruises would appeal --- like if they had tours focused on history or archealogy with everything focused about the places we would see, and tours of the local museums, Architectural buildings, churches and mosques. I think these cruise ships must have arrangements with local merchants -- because so much is always about shopping, whether it is on board or in a bazaar or other market. This cruise hits the highs at each spot since you are not in port overnight anywhere you really have to choose just one experience. For example --- You could choose to see an overview with the Pyramids and the famous Alabaster Mosque -- or a tour in Alexandria itself, but there is no possibility for doing both. On these sea days there is always a lecture in the morning about the next port-of-call.
This is fine since these are things I would never have had the opportunity to see and truthfully you only could experience a place in some depth if you committed a minimum of several months to it Ideally to be able to see the museums architecture and historical sites with alacrity would take several days in each destination. This trip we haven't done the art museums or cathedrals --- which was something we did the first time we came in 2003. I think this trip for Kathy is about being in a place and seeing the whole of it, and encouraging her nephew's curiosity about the world and its culture.
Matt is a birght young man who was raised in small town Oklahoma, with all that is equally wonderful and terrible surrounding that. It has been a while since I was around high school students, but he reminds me why I enjoyed working with these students. His warped high school humor has always been a favorite of mine, perhaps part of my character that never really matured. I think about my own experience at his age and remember that I often was so concerned about how I appeared that it limited my explorations.
There is only one real frustration -- at all of these ports of call there are not good accommodations for handicapped people. Kathy is determined (within the realm of possibility) to do everything --- In order to go on the Nile cruise for example she climbed down 35 marble stairs and once aboard up and down a series of 5 more in order to have this experience of Egyptian culture. But she missed the Mosque becuse of the number of stairs and their unevenness. It seems that these governmnets should put lifts in these locations. In France some of the museums had put lifts on the stairs themselves -- thus in no way altering the integrity of the original construction.
These were relaxing days and gave us time to rest up for the each days coming activity.
A school of dolphins came up next ot the bow of the ship and dove out of the water. The water was so clear that you could see the school as they swam underneath the surface and than as they broke the surface of the water. They are such stunning creatures and as they say --- they are the sailor's friend (thinking of documented cases where Dolphins have carried swimmers back to shore who were in danger of drowning) Early in the morning there is a sort of ground fog -- only there is no ground! The sun burns this off and soon we were surrounded by stunning ultramarine waters. The sea changes color here, possibly in response to sky and sand beneath. It moves between ultramarine, cobalt and shades of aquamarine. It was wonderfully relaxing, and after a good swim and some time to read (I brought along Bryson's Short History of Everything) we had lunch at the Burger Bar -- This was the first burger I have had in some time. Indeed the cruise allows you to have all the stuff from home in addition to experiencing as much as you like of the countries you are visiting.
Kathy and I took a nap in the afternoon and I am spending a bit of time now reflecting on the experience of being on board this ship. It is easy to see why so many people choose to vacation on a cruise, especially those who have medical challenges, honeymooners or people with children. There is a pharmacy and doctor on board, diets can easily be accommodated, people are around to assist with wheelchairs, and you can retire to your cabin at any moment, and there is a staff providing activities for younger children through teens.
1) You carry your hotel with you wherever you go.
2) People really keep track of you -- so that you have a sense of being safe. They would track you down if you did not show up at the appointed time.
3) People are checked on board each time you return to the ship so that bring guns or explosives aboard would be difficult.
4)The crew is taught to meet your every need. Our stateroom attendant comes several times a day always exceedingly polite and asking if we need anything.
5) Someone is here to do your laundry.
6) You can use U.S. currency at the ship stores where prices are quite competative.
7)All your food is covered (except for liquor and sodas)
8)If you are a person who gets easily bored this would be a great way to travel -- if I wanted to participate there are things to do every moment.....gameshows, casinos, video games, dance lessons, massages, beauty appointments, and in the evening lots of shows.....including a piano bar with a torch singer.
9)Shopping --- this cruise not only has shops aboard, but also arranges shops in the towns they visit which are sort of approved ---
A lot of these events are not too appealing to me --- but I can think that some cruises would appeal --- like if they had tours focused on history or archealogy with everything focused about the places we would see, and tours of the local museums, Architectural buildings, churches and mosques. I think these cruise ships must have arrangements with local merchants -- because so much is always about shopping, whether it is on board or in a bazaar or other market. This cruise hits the highs at each spot since you are not in port overnight anywhere you really have to choose just one experience. For example --- You could choose to see an overview with the Pyramids and the famous Alabaster Mosque -- or a tour in Alexandria itself, but there is no possibility for doing both. On these sea days there is always a lecture in the morning about the next port-of-call.
This is fine since these are things I would never have had the opportunity to see and truthfully you only could experience a place in some depth if you committed a minimum of several months to it Ideally to be able to see the museums architecture and historical sites with alacrity would take several days in each destination. This trip we haven't done the art museums or cathedrals --- which was something we did the first time we came in 2003. I think this trip for Kathy is about being in a place and seeing the whole of it, and encouraging her nephew's curiosity about the world and its culture.
Matt is a birght young man who was raised in small town Oklahoma, with all that is equally wonderful and terrible surrounding that. It has been a while since I was around high school students, but he reminds me why I enjoyed working with these students. His warped high school humor has always been a favorite of mine, perhaps part of my character that never really matured. I think about my own experience at his age and remember that I often was so concerned about how I appeared that it limited my explorations.
There is only one real frustration -- at all of these ports of call there are not good accommodations for handicapped people. Kathy is determined (within the realm of possibility) to do everything --- In order to go on the Nile cruise for example she climbed down 35 marble stairs and once aboard up and down a series of 5 more in order to have this experience of Egyptian culture. But she missed the Mosque becuse of the number of stairs and their unevenness. It seems that these governmnets should put lifts in these locations. In France some of the museums had put lifts on the stairs themselves -- thus in no way altering the integrity of the original construction.
These were relaxing days and gave us time to rest up for the each days coming activity.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
RidingCamels in Egypt
As we docked there was an acrid smell in the air. Similar to the smell from childhood when we took trash to the "dump" -- As a child it fascinated me because there were always little fires burning or smoldering all around the perimeters. The smell was burning damp cardboard and other unidentified things. We had to present our passport and sea pass upon disembarking. We were met by our Egyptian guide, Bella. She teaches at Cairo University and is a tour guide once a week. She instructs other guides, and it is clear from the outset that the government and everyone else was intent on making us feel welcome, safe and appreciated. This seems to be something that most of these countries in the Southern Mediterranean do as well --- they train their guides to be experts on their history. Security is everywhere. On the bus with us was an armed guard. Our buses were escorted by police through Cairo traffic. Bella pointed out that even though it was slow going at times --- we were actually moving quite fast (100 K by the speedometer on the dash) compared to what it could have been without the escort. We did not stop for traffic lights, but often found that traffic backed up to a standstill.
There are 20 million people living in Cairo and Bella told us that there are 1 million babies added to the population of Egypt every eight months. This surely is a spectre on anything good happening here. There are three economic products --- tourism, gold, cotton and recently they have begun to export sand to the Greek islands. They also earn money from the Suez canal fees, but it is clear that Egypt is a poor country. Bella pointed out that Egypt is a bridge between Asia and Africa representing parts of both cultures. The entire population of Egypt is concentrated along the length of the Nile(6% of the land) That population totals around 80 million at present. The only source of water for the country is this river. Bella said that they may only have 3 cm a year in rainfall and that students are dismissed from school when it rains. There are celebrations everywhere during this time. The rain may last only an hour or two --- but people celebrate for the entire day!
As we left the harbor there was an area behind a wall which was like a landfill-- with children picking trash. It was an incredible shock to see the conditions along the highway. I find it difficult put feelings into words. There was trash everywhere, and buildings looked as though they were in various stages of decay or perhaps they were never finished to begin with. I hope the photos I snapped as we passed through these neighborhoods in Alexandria come out because they glimpse a level of poverty I had not seen before, even in Mexico.
Everything was covered with soot -- in Europe they are constantly cleaning this from the ancient buildings. Perhaps if they did not do this Europe would seem as dingy.
The air was like Los Angeles when I was a kid --- thick like a fog but clearly photo-chemical smog (identifiable also by odor). Soon we are out on the road between Alexandria and Cairo. There was a huge lake and we crossed the several small Nile tributaries as we speed along the highway. Bella says this lake is largely polluted because of the industries surrounding it. They appear to be mostly related to oil and gas. It is amazing to see the reeds growing in this lake which has little flat bottomed boats with men wearing traditional Egyptian garb pushing their poles along the bottom to keep moving. Here and there were what appeared to be duck blinds, but are more likely makeshift homes. These would make quaint photos --- but the bus sped along at a rate that made it difficult to capture this on film.
The traffic on the road is mostly industrial in nature, but there is an occasional car with a family in it. There are many vans which seem clearly to be some sort of public conveyance which are jam-packed with people. It takes nearly 3 hours to reach Cairo which like Alexandria is very dirty. The tour company provided us with a bag of treats - including guava nectar, crackers, banana and apple, and a candy bar. It was very considerate since we left at about 7:00 a.m.
Our first stop is the Alabaster Mosque or the Mosque of Mohammad Ali -- the "re-creator of Egypt" I think were the words that Bella used. At any rate he is the person responsible for the modern country of Egypt and while the chap was quite bloodthirsty -- he succeeded in creating a nation state because of this. While he kept the Muslim religion he jettisoned the role that women played. During the Muslim occupation women were allowed to leave there home on two occasions -- one of which was their wedding. He ditched that policy and went back to the Egyptian practice of equality between the sexes.
The mosque is an impressive structure at the south of Cairo. Again we came through some abysmal slums to get there -- Bella tells us that it is always in the south of a city that you find slums...still either we have been driving exclusively in the slums or else there are a lot of slums here. As we get to the Mosque we must take off our shoes and there are women stationed to put what look like surgical gowns on the women who do not have enough of their bodies covered -- I place the shawl I bought in Germany on my head as a matter of respect. It is the same reason I wore a long sleeved shirt and a long skirt today. I would like to honor the traditions of these people.
There are ornate and ancient carpets on the floor of the central prayer room. There are three small or semi-domes that support the enormous stone dome which Bella says is the largest stone dome in the world. In the courtyard where men perform their ritualistic ablutions there is an incongruant clock tower. Turns out this tower was sent by King Louis Phillipe of France. Unfortunately it has never worked, and when they tried to fix it they discovered it never had the clockworks in it. For this clock Luis Philippe received one of the obelisks from Luxor for the Concorde in Paris. When he requested the other obelisk -- Mohammad Ali thought it was payback time. Knowing full well what he wanted Mohammad agreed and received the spectacular chandelier that graces the interior of the mosque --- in return he sent the French King a golden box filled with sand and inside a letter saying he was sending something even more ancient and valuable than the obelisk. He was sending the sand on which the Egyptian people built the obelisk.
Their were workmen repainting the inscription above the fountain -- but much of this mosque needs the kind of cleaning that the Sistine chapel received and now much of the art of European masterpieces is cleaned every decade to wash away the grime of the tourists and the smoke of air pollution. As we descend the steep stairway to our bus -- it is clear how many pilgrims have passed this way. The stones are worn down. I wonder though if this is ever used as a functional Mosque --- since so many infidels visit it daily. Everywhere there are the independent vendors trying to sell their wares. We have been warned against them -- we are not even to acknowledge them. Bella warns us that a no thank you is only an invitation to keep trying!
Once back on the bus, I was aware of just how hot it felt. The bus was air conditioned which was a gift indeed. At mid-day (which is when we arrived at the Pyramids) the heat was overwhelming. It took about 30 minutes to arrive at the great pyramids of Giza. The pictures I took may be spoiled by the air pollution, but I am certain I can find some on the internet when the day was clear. We climbed to the highest spot where there are camel rides, and Matt and I took the ride of a lifetime. As I approached a young boy who was to lead my camel around, the mother gestured to a different camel -- one that I am sure was very old and very tired and very tame-- The view from atop one of these beasts is strikingly different than the view from astride a horse. They are much wider and the saddle horn is at both ends --- so even getting up was a bit of a challenge -- getting my leg up over the horn at the rear presented a set of problems --- since Muslim males couldn't touch a female --- even one that is old --- I had to manage to do this while the camel was moving under me --- but once I was in place -- the boy said, "lean back mam." I thought I was --- but apparently the signal to the camel to stand up is leaning far back -- once the beast began to rise it was a bit unnerving - I felt as though I might topple off at any moment! I did manage to take a couple of pictures from on top of the camel -- but I never really felt comfortable without both hands hanging on!! When the boy returned to put the camel down -- he said ---"Lean forward, Mam" I did -- nothing happened. "Lean forward, Mam." He repeated. I tried again --- NO----MORE mam -- I felt as though I would go headlong over the camel as it was, but suddenly the camel knelt down and then I really was headlong at a most precarious angle. His brother rushed to his aide --- fearing this Mam would land on her head....but I managed to regain some semblance of balance and with no dignity whatever get off the beast! It was a moment I was glad to look at in retrospect! I got the boys photo together. Then they wanted to take my picture with the camel --- but the guide had told us never to give our camera to anyone --- even the children working the camels -- so I said no thank you! It made me sad to think that I couldn't trust them. I should have tried to interview them for this kids at school about their experience and school- --- but I would have needed translation help.
We next drove down to the Sphinx -- which struck me as being smaller than I expected. The Sphinx had a beard and face until Napoleon's army used it for target practice. The sand and heart were too much -- and I headed back for the comfort of the bus. There were opportunities to go into the great pyramid -- and if it had not been so hot --- I would like to have done that -- of course you don't actually see anything --- it has all been removed, but you would be standing in the place where the Pharaoh's body had once been borne to his final resting place (well that is until tomb robbers removed him destroyed his body to destroy his spirit . Bella advised against this excursion because of the time constraint we were on and of course also because of the extreme heat --- and as she said," the lack of oxygen and the fact that you have to enter through a corridor quite stooped over."
After we left the Pyramids we headed to our Nile excursion. This was a very clean boat (a 5 star hotel sponsors) so we could feel confident about what we ate there. They arranged a beautiful buffet of typical Egyptian food including the honey-drenched sweets at the end. Some of these delicacies I had experienced thanks to my friend Inas Alameldin -- at home, but some were completely new to me. For the main course there were choices of lamb, chicken or fish-- many choices of rice and a variety of salads and vegetables with which I was unfamiliar. Their was traditional Egyptian folk music and a belly dancer who performed five or six numbers. The last of which was almost a dance with one of the old drummers and was quite entertaining -- as she moved her body in response to his drumming. Kathy went outside and photographed the Nile and the shore from the boat. returning just in time to head back to the bus. To come to the feast was she had to navigate 100 steps total --- She has more gumption than most folks I know.
Once we were back on the bus -- there was the final stop at the Papyrus Institute and the Bazaar. At the Papyrus institute young Muslim girls demonstrate the making of papyrus (and warned against buying it in the street -- where it is likely made from banana peels and potato -- and apparently disintegrates rather quickly.. She first showed the papyrus stock with the shock of feathery plant at the top. The stalk represents the Nile and the feathery part the delta with its many tributaries. The stock itself is in the form of a pyramid--many symbols for the Egyptian. It is made by stripping away the green and then dividing it into long strips -- soaking it until the starch of the plant becomes evident and then pressing it together after weaving it and placing it between carpet until it dries. I selected a small bit from the Koran. Most of the people are buying ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and pictures of a Pharaoh ---or Nefertiti. I wanted to be sure I had the one I wanted --- I thought it said there is but one God and his name is Allah. I took the papyrus request to the cashier --- the young man looked at me and said, "Are you a Muslim?" I replied no --"You are aware this is from the Koran?" Yes, I said --- telling him what I thought it said. Surprised he filled the order and I wished him "Salaam Aleichem" and left with my beautiful illuminated papyrus manuscript. We were next in the Bazaar where the kartoush orders were picked up --- and finally back on the bus for the return to port in Alexandria. As we exited the city I saw some of the most beautiful trees. The leaves were like mimosa trees at home, but the flowers were much more pronounced and the colors were bold unlike the pastel pink of home.
There were bougainvilleas, something that looked like morning glories as well, and other beautiful flowers in the midst of squalor. Then we passed into an obviously upscale section of the city. Though it was also dirty, there were nicer buildings and cars. Bella also said we were provided cokes and bottled water --- from the tour company. They also provided us with an Egyptian Newspaper printed in English, a postcard stamped which they will mail for us, a place to review the experience. It is really clear that these people need and want American tourism. They are friendly and did everything that they could to ensure that we had a great experience in Egypt.
We drove back over the same route, but this time it was time for people to be heading home from work so our traveling companions were different. There appeared to be many vehicles with lots of workers headed home to the suburbs. There are huge tracts of land that are just dunes in the desert --- but right next door may be a nice looking villa and several small houses. The guide explained that where there is something obviously growing in the ground the government is subsidizing this. Bella explained that the government was giving away land to people and if they could produce a crop in three years the land was theirs. I asked her about how they pay for the water -and she said they don't have to pay anything for water, but for pumping it out of the ground. The small houses that looked like housing developments were in fact the homes of the workers in the fields. They get to live in the nice little houses in exchange for their labor and must work there for months at a time. Each of these compounds appear to have a mosque at the entrance to the land. Many of these fields are clearly abandoned --- it would be terribly difficult to grow things in this sand, and also -- it is a terrible idea to take water from an underground aquifer to water these fields too. There are also at least three maybe four sites that we thought were either prisons or military bases --- when we asked--we learned that they were jails.
As we approach the end of our trip together Bella reminds us that no matter how bad we think our jobs are --- or how tired we are of something at home --- it could always be much worse--it makes me very sad to recognize this. We arrived back to the ship about around 8:30 -- watched the sun set and watched as the tugs maneuvered us toward the opening in the bay and into the night....
There are 20 million people living in Cairo and Bella told us that there are 1 million babies added to the population of Egypt every eight months. This surely is a spectre on anything good happening here. There are three economic products --- tourism, gold, cotton and recently they have begun to export sand to the Greek islands. They also earn money from the Suez canal fees, but it is clear that Egypt is a poor country. Bella pointed out that Egypt is a bridge between Asia and Africa representing parts of both cultures. The entire population of Egypt is concentrated along the length of the Nile(6% of the land) That population totals around 80 million at present. The only source of water for the country is this river. Bella said that they may only have 3 cm a year in rainfall and that students are dismissed from school when it rains. There are celebrations everywhere during this time. The rain may last only an hour or two --- but people celebrate for the entire day!
As we left the harbor there was an area behind a wall which was like a landfill-- with children picking trash. It was an incredible shock to see the conditions along the highway. I find it difficult put feelings into words. There was trash everywhere, and buildings looked as though they were in various stages of decay or perhaps they were never finished to begin with. I hope the photos I snapped as we passed through these neighborhoods in Alexandria come out because they glimpse a level of poverty I had not seen before, even in Mexico.
Everything was covered with soot -- in Europe they are constantly cleaning this from the ancient buildings. Perhaps if they did not do this Europe would seem as dingy.
The air was like Los Angeles when I was a kid --- thick like a fog but clearly photo-chemical smog (identifiable also by odor). Soon we are out on the road between Alexandria and Cairo. There was a huge lake and we crossed the several small Nile tributaries as we speed along the highway. Bella says this lake is largely polluted because of the industries surrounding it. They appear to be mostly related to oil and gas. It is amazing to see the reeds growing in this lake which has little flat bottomed boats with men wearing traditional Egyptian garb pushing their poles along the bottom to keep moving. Here and there were what appeared to be duck blinds, but are more likely makeshift homes. These would make quaint photos --- but the bus sped along at a rate that made it difficult to capture this on film.
The traffic on the road is mostly industrial in nature, but there is an occasional car with a family in it. There are many vans which seem clearly to be some sort of public conveyance which are jam-packed with people. It takes nearly 3 hours to reach Cairo which like Alexandria is very dirty. The tour company provided us with a bag of treats - including guava nectar, crackers, banana and apple, and a candy bar. It was very considerate since we left at about 7:00 a.m.
Our first stop is the Alabaster Mosque or the Mosque of Mohammad Ali -- the "re-creator of Egypt" I think were the words that Bella used. At any rate he is the person responsible for the modern country of Egypt and while the chap was quite bloodthirsty -- he succeeded in creating a nation state because of this. While he kept the Muslim religion he jettisoned the role that women played. During the Muslim occupation women were allowed to leave there home on two occasions -- one of which was their wedding. He ditched that policy and went back to the Egyptian practice of equality between the sexes.
The mosque is an impressive structure at the south of Cairo. Again we came through some abysmal slums to get there -- Bella tells us that it is always in the south of a city that you find slums...still either we have been driving exclusively in the slums or else there are a lot of slums here. As we get to the Mosque we must take off our shoes and there are women stationed to put what look like surgical gowns on the women who do not have enough of their bodies covered -- I place the shawl I bought in Germany on my head as a matter of respect. It is the same reason I wore a long sleeved shirt and a long skirt today. I would like to honor the traditions of these people.
There are ornate and ancient carpets on the floor of the central prayer room. There are three small or semi-domes that support the enormous stone dome which Bella says is the largest stone dome in the world. In the courtyard where men perform their ritualistic ablutions there is an incongruant clock tower. Turns out this tower was sent by King Louis Phillipe of France. Unfortunately it has never worked, and when they tried to fix it they discovered it never had the clockworks in it. For this clock Luis Philippe received one of the obelisks from Luxor for the Concorde in Paris. When he requested the other obelisk -- Mohammad Ali thought it was payback time. Knowing full well what he wanted Mohammad agreed and received the spectacular chandelier that graces the interior of the mosque --- in return he sent the French King a golden box filled with sand and inside a letter saying he was sending something even more ancient and valuable than the obelisk. He was sending the sand on which the Egyptian people built the obelisk.
Their were workmen repainting the inscription above the fountain -- but much of this mosque needs the kind of cleaning that the Sistine chapel received and now much of the art of European masterpieces is cleaned every decade to wash away the grime of the tourists and the smoke of air pollution. As we descend the steep stairway to our bus -- it is clear how many pilgrims have passed this way. The stones are worn down. I wonder though if this is ever used as a functional Mosque --- since so many infidels visit it daily. Everywhere there are the independent vendors trying to sell their wares. We have been warned against them -- we are not even to acknowledge them. Bella warns us that a no thank you is only an invitation to keep trying!
Once back on the bus, I was aware of just how hot it felt. The bus was air conditioned which was a gift indeed. At mid-day (which is when we arrived at the Pyramids) the heat was overwhelming. It took about 30 minutes to arrive at the great pyramids of Giza. The pictures I took may be spoiled by the air pollution, but I am certain I can find some on the internet when the day was clear. We climbed to the highest spot where there are camel rides, and Matt and I took the ride of a lifetime. As I approached a young boy who was to lead my camel around, the mother gestured to a different camel -- one that I am sure was very old and very tired and very tame-- The view from atop one of these beasts is strikingly different than the view from astride a horse. They are much wider and the saddle horn is at both ends --- so even getting up was a bit of a challenge -- getting my leg up over the horn at the rear presented a set of problems --- since Muslim males couldn't touch a female --- even one that is old --- I had to manage to do this while the camel was moving under me --- but once I was in place -- the boy said, "lean back mam." I thought I was --- but apparently the signal to the camel to stand up is leaning far back -- once the beast began to rise it was a bit unnerving - I felt as though I might topple off at any moment! I did manage to take a couple of pictures from on top of the camel -- but I never really felt comfortable without both hands hanging on!! When the boy returned to put the camel down -- he said ---"Lean forward, Mam" I did -- nothing happened. "Lean forward, Mam." He repeated. I tried again --- NO----MORE mam -- I felt as though I would go headlong over the camel as it was, but suddenly the camel knelt down and then I really was headlong at a most precarious angle. His brother rushed to his aide --- fearing this Mam would land on her head....but I managed to regain some semblance of balance and with no dignity whatever get off the beast! It was a moment I was glad to look at in retrospect! I got the boys photo together. Then they wanted to take my picture with the camel --- but the guide had told us never to give our camera to anyone --- even the children working the camels -- so I said no thank you! It made me sad to think that I couldn't trust them. I should have tried to interview them for this kids at school about their experience and school- --- but I would have needed translation help.
We next drove down to the Sphinx -- which struck me as being smaller than I expected. The Sphinx had a beard and face until Napoleon's army used it for target practice. The sand and heart were too much -- and I headed back for the comfort of the bus. There were opportunities to go into the great pyramid -- and if it had not been so hot --- I would like to have done that -- of course you don't actually see anything --- it has all been removed, but you would be standing in the place where the Pharaoh's body had once been borne to his final resting place (well that is until tomb robbers removed him destroyed his body to destroy his spirit . Bella advised against this excursion because of the time constraint we were on and of course also because of the extreme heat --- and as she said," the lack of oxygen and the fact that you have to enter through a corridor quite stooped over."
After we left the Pyramids we headed to our Nile excursion. This was a very clean boat (a 5 star hotel sponsors) so we could feel confident about what we ate there. They arranged a beautiful buffet of typical Egyptian food including the honey-drenched sweets at the end. Some of these delicacies I had experienced thanks to my friend Inas Alameldin -- at home, but some were completely new to me. For the main course there were choices of lamb, chicken or fish-- many choices of rice and a variety of salads and vegetables with which I was unfamiliar. Their was traditional Egyptian folk music and a belly dancer who performed five or six numbers. The last of which was almost a dance with one of the old drummers and was quite entertaining -- as she moved her body in response to his drumming. Kathy went outside and photographed the Nile and the shore from the boat. returning just in time to head back to the bus. To come to the feast was she had to navigate 100 steps total --- She has more gumption than most folks I know.
Once we were back on the bus -- there was the final stop at the Papyrus Institute and the Bazaar. At the Papyrus institute young Muslim girls demonstrate the making of papyrus (and warned against buying it in the street -- where it is likely made from banana peels and potato -- and apparently disintegrates rather quickly.. She first showed the papyrus stock with the shock of feathery plant at the top. The stalk represents the Nile and the feathery part the delta with its many tributaries. The stock itself is in the form of a pyramid--many symbols for the Egyptian. It is made by stripping away the green and then dividing it into long strips -- soaking it until the starch of the plant becomes evident and then pressing it together after weaving it and placing it between carpet until it dries. I selected a small bit from the Koran. Most of the people are buying ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and pictures of a Pharaoh ---or Nefertiti. I wanted to be sure I had the one I wanted --- I thought it said there is but one God and his name is Allah. I took the papyrus request to the cashier --- the young man looked at me and said, "Are you a Muslim?" I replied no --"You are aware this is from the Koran?" Yes, I said --- telling him what I thought it said. Surprised he filled the order and I wished him "Salaam Aleichem" and left with my beautiful illuminated papyrus manuscript. We were next in the Bazaar where the kartoush orders were picked up --- and finally back on the bus for the return to port in Alexandria. As we exited the city I saw some of the most beautiful trees. The leaves were like mimosa trees at home, but the flowers were much more pronounced and the colors were bold unlike the pastel pink of home.
There were bougainvilleas, something that looked like morning glories as well, and other beautiful flowers in the midst of squalor. Then we passed into an obviously upscale section of the city. Though it was also dirty, there were nicer buildings and cars. Bella also said we were provided cokes and bottled water --- from the tour company. They also provided us with an Egyptian Newspaper printed in English, a postcard stamped which they will mail for us, a place to review the experience. It is really clear that these people need and want American tourism. They are friendly and did everything that they could to ensure that we had a great experience in Egypt.
We drove back over the same route, but this time it was time for people to be heading home from work so our traveling companions were different. There appeared to be many vehicles with lots of workers headed home to the suburbs. There are huge tracts of land that are just dunes in the desert --- but right next door may be a nice looking villa and several small houses. The guide explained that where there is something obviously growing in the ground the government is subsidizing this. Bella explained that the government was giving away land to people and if they could produce a crop in three years the land was theirs. I asked her about how they pay for the water -and she said they don't have to pay anything for water, but for pumping it out of the ground. The small houses that looked like housing developments were in fact the homes of the workers in the fields. They get to live in the nice little houses in exchange for their labor and must work there for months at a time. Each of these compounds appear to have a mosque at the entrance to the land. Many of these fields are clearly abandoned --- it would be terribly difficult to grow things in this sand, and also -- it is a terrible idea to take water from an underground aquifer to water these fields too. There are also at least three maybe four sites that we thought were either prisons or military bases --- when we asked--we learned that they were jails.
As we approach the end of our trip together Bella reminds us that no matter how bad we think our jobs are --- or how tired we are of something at home --- it could always be much worse--it makes me very sad to recognize this. We arrived back to the ship about around 8:30 -- watched the sun set and watched as the tugs maneuvered us toward the opening in the bay and into the night....
Monday, June 08, 2009
Speaking to the Ephesians
In these waters we were able to pull in Aljazeera T.V. So we began to watch news from this perspective. I must say that I found much of their reporting to be as Fox says "fair and balanced." There was a story about a madras which was !forcing Muslim children to beg during the day to help pay for the school. It was an unflattering account. A report that Iranians are using Satellite dishes which are not accepted by the government-- villages that have only had electricity for three years are now using the dish to learn about the rest of the world and this is a big problem to the government, and parents who think it wastes children's time and distracts them from spreading Islam and studying the Koran!
Sounds like my Mom when we got our first T.V. when I was 7 years old. She was worried that it would distract us from getting an education. We see people challenging their government based on the fact that they are not able to get information and news or good educational television from the government run t.v. stations. Hmmm....I really think we would benefit from seeing this channel! I will have to see if we can get it at home. The next program about Lebanon found the reporter grilling one of the people in the Hezbollah-Led coalition -- and I do mean grilling! He was obviously angry when the reporter continued to point out that Hezbollah has been a disruptive force and one that has caused much ill. This was not a perspective I expected from Aljazeera.
We left this morning for Ephesus. Everyone aboard ship was going on this tour and even though we went down early -- there was a line extending clear back through the casino. We finally got our bush number and headed off ship. The Ship now sails with a Turkish flag a beautiful red with the crescent and star. Our bus was immaculate. The driver had things organized very neatly and obviously took great pride in his bus. He wore a white shirt and tie. The tour guide, Tan, explained that he has not done a tour for 12 years, but one of the traditions here regards being a Godfather. His friend who would have been our tour guide had his first baby this morning, and so he will work for him today. All the money that he would earn, he explained, will go to this young family. Then Tan told us some of the other traditions. He was happy that the child was a boy. With a boy he only has to pay for the circumcision of the child which will happen in the next couple of days as Turks believe a baby doesn't feel pain yet! If it had been a girl the cost of her dowry would have run him about $25,000.
Tan got his B.A. in the U.S. at Gainesville, Florida in Art History. He later got his PhD in Istanbul focusing on Turkish carpet making which is one of the major traditions of Turkey and has been part of his family's business for centuries. He now has his own school for carpet weavers, taking young tribal women who easily fall into prostitution without some intervention. His hope is that they can preserve the beautiful artistic tradition and give them this trade. His family has been involved in the textile business (one of his uncles lived in U.S. for 45 years) learning and then producing denim. So he saw an opportunity to start a school for these girls teaching ancient weaving arts. His girls wove the presidential carpet when Bill Clinton visited and the Clintons have been interested in the school. As we passed by it he had one of the girls hang a red carpet outside so we could see it.
He pointed out as we journeyed along that the main industry in Turkey is cotton farming, in addition to tourism. At present you could buy a beautiful seaside condo for $180,000 U.S. Dollars -- but he expects this to skyrocket when they join the European Union. He clearly supports this move, but indicates that it will be difficult at first.
Tan told us about the Muslim Culture, with its inherent hospitality and emphasized that interplay of Jewish, Christian and Muslim culture in Turkey. He explained the fact that Ataturk (whose statue graces the harbor) brought secular society to Turkey in 1923 and the three religions have existed here in relative peace. He himself has a Jewish sister-in-law and his nieces are being raised as Jews. He went out of his way to explain that not all Muslims are radical as we may believe.
Our first stop is the house of the Virgin Mary. According to Catholic tradition Mary spent her last years in Turkey and apparently St. Katherine(stigmata) apparently believed after a dream that she had found the spot and got the church to sponsor rebuilding the site in the early 18th century. So as we walk through what we see is not 3rd century Greek building, but it is what they thought it would have been. A monk welcomed us and it was hushed inside. We were not to take pictures. As we exited there was a place to light candles. The whole spot is high atop a mountain and the air was very cool. The building was surrounded by beautiful flowers -- the roses were especially lovely. Here things were not dry. As we drove down to Ephesus the terrain looked very much like parts of California with citrus orchards on the mountainsides, but the closer we come to the ancient city the drier it appears...
We reached the city and disembarked from the bus. It seemed unreal to find myself in the city where Paul spoke and to think of being able to read Ephesians with new eyes -- thinking of these stones and wondering if I stepped on one where the Apostle himself stood -- moves me. The people here are incredibly hospitable. It has been typical everywhere that at the conclusion of a tour there is a gauntlet of shops and peddlers selling local wares. As Matt and I walked down toward the bus, a peddler approached selling spices. I had left my purse on the bus and thought it the simplest things to say --- I had no money. When I said this the peddler simply gave me a packet of Saffron. I protested, but he insisted I take it. Where else might this happen? Anyone who comes will have their preconceived notions about the Muslims turned on its ear. The bus driver had a small step stool which made it easier for her to climb into the bus. Tan made sure that she was accommodated and when we left I fluffed her hair and we ditched the chair as Bunny had instructed. Apparently a young man made a pass at her while we were gone. He explained that age is unimportant in relationships. He took Kathy to meet his cousins who ran a number of stands at the market. While we were on the walking tour of this fabulous site Kathy was able to buy a number of items she had hoped to find. She was waiting in comfort at the end of our tour having had some coffee in a local cafe.
Matt and I were treated to an excellent historical presentation by Tan. He pointed out that excavation here is an ongoing. Just 10 years ago much of that which we saw was still underneath the surface. He explained that the three columns just next to us were uncovered last year at an expense of 6 million. He was quick to thank Ericcson, Boston University, New York Metropolitan Museum and British Museum for the money that they kick in to the purpose of excavation. Tan explains who the river deposited silt into the bay and ultimately the area became a swamp which meant that there was malaria and other mosquito borne diseases-- which meant that the city was ultimately abandoned --- of course seismic activity was another reason for the abandonment of the city. But this city was a great trading center for centuries from around 3 b.c. until the destruction by earthquake several centuries after Christ.
Tan also pointed out other interesting things like the sewer pipe which was exposed --- it measured the same size as a modern American sewer pipe for a city this size! The gauge on train tracks is the same as the measure of the distance between the wheels of a standard Roman cart! He pointed out as did our guide in Lindos that many of the things that were done thousands of years ago remain largely unchanged today. Even the news on Aljazeera about Lebanese Elections spoke to this. In Lebanon people must travel to the city of origin to vote ((just like Mary and Joseph - traveling to point of origin for census!).
Tan was careful to put us in the shade whenever he stopped to tell us about various spots. It was a stroke of good luck to have the baby born today!! He always pointed out the best vantage point for photos. When we arrived at the amphitheater we passed the library which was undergoing reconstruction.. Tan explained that the library originally had 3 floors to it, and included an underground passage to the bordello across the street --- so that men could tell their wives they were going to the library and then enjoy one of the prostitutes from the city. Another interesting feature is a blue crane. Apparently, when Sting performed here to benefit the excavations and reconstruction -- so many people were jumping up and down that they cracked an important support in the Colosseum! So now it is being repaired.
Everywhere along the path were hollyhocks and red poppies, sedums blooming, and clover. The pomegranate trees are in bloom, and we have learned that this tree is an important symbol of fertility in this region. It is interesting to see in this part of the world what happens to hibiscus, pomegranates and other shrubs that I have seen in the U.S. I suppose that since it doesn't ever freeze in these countries things that are only bushes at home turn into real trees. On Mykanos I saw a Hibiscus with a trunk that was 6 inches thick and the blooms and leaves were overhead! This is true as well with pomegranates. Cats wandered the ruins here too, and one of the French-Canadians shrieked as one of them brushed up against her. The sun continued to bear down on us and perspiration began to form on my brow. When we returned to the bus I drank most of the water provided for me at the beginning of the trip. Our bus was airconditioned, and soon were on the way to lunch at a beautiful 5 star resort hotel on the mountainside overlooking the bay.
We were treated to a variety of Turkish foods featuring cucumbers, eggplant, lamb, chicken, fabulous deserts and many vegetables -- olives are served in oil with orange slices. Lots of dill and yogurt are present in refreshing abundance, and then there are the deserts --- Baklava, of course, but also many very light souffle like custards, and cakes that are very creamy, in addition to creme puffs and other European delights. We were asked not to drink anything with ice or water while we were on the mainland of Turkey --- but that has been true also in Greece --- I forgot that admonition and had the iced Greek coffee in Mykanos and seem to be fine and we ate lots of local very delicious veggies.
I certainly am well fed on this trip --- at least this part of it --- though of course, I am walking a great deal. So I hope that I am being reasonable trying to take small helpings, but I am tasting many new things. Last night I chose the Sushi option at dinner, and that was delightful.
Following our meal we headed back onto the bus and went to a Carpet making establishment where they explained how the carpets are made. The wools, silks and cottons are all dyed with vegetable dyes as they have been in ancient times. They offered us various drinks (I choose apple tea -- a local specialty). Matt was the only person in the entire group to try to local liquor drink Raki -- which is about 50% alcohol--He was a bit unsteady at the end but very happy! One of the workers as they rolled out the carpets was able to toss them into the air to make them into true flying carpets. One of the round ones was easily spun pizza-style!
Following the presentation we were descended upon by salespeople. This was something that we found in the markets where shop keepers besieged us. People worked the crowd and really pursued you to get you into their shops. It is not an easy life --- I am sure. Matt found a cafe where there was Wi-Fi and we sat and had some water, coke and coffee, and Kathy and I walked among the shops --- There are beautiful leather goods, jewelry, and many pashmina shawls and clothes. We returned to the ship and set sail around 5:00 p.m.
Tomorrow is a sea day and the day after we will arrive in Egypt.
Sounds like my Mom when we got our first T.V. when I was 7 years old. She was worried that it would distract us from getting an education. We see people challenging their government based on the fact that they are not able to get information and news or good educational television from the government run t.v. stations. Hmmm....I really think we would benefit from seeing this channel! I will have to see if we can get it at home. The next program about Lebanon found the reporter grilling one of the people in the Hezbollah-Led coalition -- and I do mean grilling! He was obviously angry when the reporter continued to point out that Hezbollah has been a disruptive force and one that has caused much ill. This was not a perspective I expected from Aljazeera.
We left this morning for Ephesus. Everyone aboard ship was going on this tour and even though we went down early -- there was a line extending clear back through the casino. We finally got our bush number and headed off ship. The Ship now sails with a Turkish flag a beautiful red with the crescent and star. Our bus was immaculate. The driver had things organized very neatly and obviously took great pride in his bus. He wore a white shirt and tie. The tour guide, Tan, explained that he has not done a tour for 12 years, but one of the traditions here regards being a Godfather. His friend who would have been our tour guide had his first baby this morning, and so he will work for him today. All the money that he would earn, he explained, will go to this young family. Then Tan told us some of the other traditions. He was happy that the child was a boy. With a boy he only has to pay for the circumcision of the child which will happen in the next couple of days as Turks believe a baby doesn't feel pain yet! If it had been a girl the cost of her dowry would have run him about $25,000.
Tan got his B.A. in the U.S. at Gainesville, Florida in Art History. He later got his PhD in Istanbul focusing on Turkish carpet making which is one of the major traditions of Turkey and has been part of his family's business for centuries. He now has his own school for carpet weavers, taking young tribal women who easily fall into prostitution without some intervention. His hope is that they can preserve the beautiful artistic tradition and give them this trade. His family has been involved in the textile business (one of his uncles lived in U.S. for 45 years) learning and then producing denim. So he saw an opportunity to start a school for these girls teaching ancient weaving arts. His girls wove the presidential carpet when Bill Clinton visited and the Clintons have been interested in the school. As we passed by it he had one of the girls hang a red carpet outside so we could see it.
He pointed out as we journeyed along that the main industry in Turkey is cotton farming, in addition to tourism. At present you could buy a beautiful seaside condo for $180,000 U.S. Dollars -- but he expects this to skyrocket when they join the European Union. He clearly supports this move, but indicates that it will be difficult at first.
Tan told us about the Muslim Culture, with its inherent hospitality and emphasized that interplay of Jewish, Christian and Muslim culture in Turkey. He explained the fact that Ataturk (whose statue graces the harbor) brought secular society to Turkey in 1923 and the three religions have existed here in relative peace. He himself has a Jewish sister-in-law and his nieces are being raised as Jews. He went out of his way to explain that not all Muslims are radical as we may believe.
Our first stop is the house of the Virgin Mary. According to Catholic tradition Mary spent her last years in Turkey and apparently St. Katherine(stigmata) apparently believed after a dream that she had found the spot and got the church to sponsor rebuilding the site in the early 18th century. So as we walk through what we see is not 3rd century Greek building, but it is what they thought it would have been. A monk welcomed us and it was hushed inside. We were not to take pictures. As we exited there was a place to light candles. The whole spot is high atop a mountain and the air was very cool. The building was surrounded by beautiful flowers -- the roses were especially lovely. Here things were not dry. As we drove down to Ephesus the terrain looked very much like parts of California with citrus orchards on the mountainsides, but the closer we come to the ancient city the drier it appears...
We reached the city and disembarked from the bus. It seemed unreal to find myself in the city where Paul spoke and to think of being able to read Ephesians with new eyes -- thinking of these stones and wondering if I stepped on one where the Apostle himself stood -- moves me. The people here are incredibly hospitable. It has been typical everywhere that at the conclusion of a tour there is a gauntlet of shops and peddlers selling local wares. As Matt and I walked down toward the bus, a peddler approached selling spices. I had left my purse on the bus and thought it the simplest things to say --- I had no money. When I said this the peddler simply gave me a packet of Saffron. I protested, but he insisted I take it. Where else might this happen? Anyone who comes will have their preconceived notions about the Muslims turned on its ear. The bus driver had a small step stool which made it easier for her to climb into the bus. Tan made sure that she was accommodated and when we left I fluffed her hair and we ditched the chair as Bunny had instructed. Apparently a young man made a pass at her while we were gone. He explained that age is unimportant in relationships. He took Kathy to meet his cousins who ran a number of stands at the market. While we were on the walking tour of this fabulous site Kathy was able to buy a number of items she had hoped to find. She was waiting in comfort at the end of our tour having had some coffee in a local cafe.
Matt and I were treated to an excellent historical presentation by Tan. He pointed out that excavation here is an ongoing. Just 10 years ago much of that which we saw was still underneath the surface. He explained that the three columns just next to us were uncovered last year at an expense of 6 million. He was quick to thank Ericcson, Boston University, New York Metropolitan Museum and British Museum for the money that they kick in to the purpose of excavation. Tan explains who the river deposited silt into the bay and ultimately the area became a swamp which meant that there was malaria and other mosquito borne diseases-- which meant that the city was ultimately abandoned --- of course seismic activity was another reason for the abandonment of the city. But this city was a great trading center for centuries from around 3 b.c. until the destruction by earthquake several centuries after Christ.
Tan also pointed out other interesting things like the sewer pipe which was exposed --- it measured the same size as a modern American sewer pipe for a city this size! The gauge on train tracks is the same as the measure of the distance between the wheels of a standard Roman cart! He pointed out as did our guide in Lindos that many of the things that were done thousands of years ago remain largely unchanged today. Even the news on Aljazeera about Lebanese Elections spoke to this. In Lebanon people must travel to the city of origin to vote ((just like Mary and Joseph - traveling to point of origin for census!).
Tan was careful to put us in the shade whenever he stopped to tell us about various spots. It was a stroke of good luck to have the baby born today!! He always pointed out the best vantage point for photos. When we arrived at the amphitheater we passed the library which was undergoing reconstruction.. Tan explained that the library originally had 3 floors to it, and included an underground passage to the bordello across the street --- so that men could tell their wives they were going to the library and then enjoy one of the prostitutes from the city. Another interesting feature is a blue crane. Apparently, when Sting performed here to benefit the excavations and reconstruction -- so many people were jumping up and down that they cracked an important support in the Colosseum! So now it is being repaired.
Everywhere along the path were hollyhocks and red poppies, sedums blooming, and clover. The pomegranate trees are in bloom, and we have learned that this tree is an important symbol of fertility in this region. It is interesting to see in this part of the world what happens to hibiscus, pomegranates and other shrubs that I have seen in the U.S. I suppose that since it doesn't ever freeze in these countries things that are only bushes at home turn into real trees. On Mykanos I saw a Hibiscus with a trunk that was 6 inches thick and the blooms and leaves were overhead! This is true as well with pomegranates. Cats wandered the ruins here too, and one of the French-Canadians shrieked as one of them brushed up against her. The sun continued to bear down on us and perspiration began to form on my brow. When we returned to the bus I drank most of the water provided for me at the beginning of the trip. Our bus was airconditioned, and soon were on the way to lunch at a beautiful 5 star resort hotel on the mountainside overlooking the bay.
We were treated to a variety of Turkish foods featuring cucumbers, eggplant, lamb, chicken, fabulous deserts and many vegetables -- olives are served in oil with orange slices. Lots of dill and yogurt are present in refreshing abundance, and then there are the deserts --- Baklava, of course, but also many very light souffle like custards, and cakes that are very creamy, in addition to creme puffs and other European delights. We were asked not to drink anything with ice or water while we were on the mainland of Turkey --- but that has been true also in Greece --- I forgot that admonition and had the iced Greek coffee in Mykanos and seem to be fine and we ate lots of local very delicious veggies.
I certainly am well fed on this trip --- at least this part of it --- though of course, I am walking a great deal. So I hope that I am being reasonable trying to take small helpings, but I am tasting many new things. Last night I chose the Sushi option at dinner, and that was delightful.
Following our meal we headed back onto the bus and went to a Carpet making establishment where they explained how the carpets are made. The wools, silks and cottons are all dyed with vegetable dyes as they have been in ancient times. They offered us various drinks (I choose apple tea -- a local specialty). Matt was the only person in the entire group to try to local liquor drink Raki -- which is about 50% alcohol--He was a bit unsteady at the end but very happy! One of the workers as they rolled out the carpets was able to toss them into the air to make them into true flying carpets. One of the round ones was easily spun pizza-style!
Following the presentation we were descended upon by salespeople. This was something that we found in the markets where shop keepers besieged us. People worked the crowd and really pursued you to get you into their shops. It is not an easy life --- I am sure. Matt found a cafe where there was Wi-Fi and we sat and had some water, coke and coffee, and Kathy and I walked among the shops --- There are beautiful leather goods, jewelry, and many pashmina shawls and clothes. We returned to the ship and set sail around 5:00 p.m.
Tomorrow is a sea day and the day after we will arrive in Egypt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
