Navplion Greece

Navplion Greece

(pronounced naf plee o)

Yesterday was a sea day in which we basically did nothing. Had a formal dinner and ate far too much as the main course was half a large lobster, steak and veges. The choice and quality of food is exceptional and we are struggling to limit our intake.

Today was a sleep in day (which Alan obviously forgot about) so once again I was awake before I wanted to be.  We dropped anchor in the outer harbour of Navplion (a large Greek Island) and at 9am we boarded the tender to go ashore.  We had not booked a tour here as we just wanted to wander around the old town ourselves.

The main claim to fame for Navplion is the Palamidi Fortress which is perched atop a 700 foot crag and takes an almost vertical 899 steps staircase to reach.  Needless to say I passed on that one! Instead we wandered the town and up the lower slopes to another fortress which is falling apart at a rapid rate.  The sign says its being restored from 2007 – 2013 but unfortunately it looks like the Greeks have run out of money and nothing has been done for a number of years.  Its reaching the dangerous stage with a few signs placed knocked over in the long grass saying ‘danger’.  Nevertheless we walked thru some tunnels and up and down very steep steps and eventually wound our way back to the centre of town to the Museum which is full of Mycanae artifacts.  Interesting stuff dating back to 1500BC up to 1000AD recovered from tombs.

The ocean is that incredible blue that you seen in photos and so clear you can see the fish even at great depths.  Very tempting to just jump in when you are sweating from all the uphill climbs but really air temp only 25 degrees so not hot enough for swimming.

Don’t know how the oldies manage the really steep steps getting to and from the houses – must just be a lifetime of traversing them so that even on walking sticks they don’t seem to get out of breath (even though I was huffing and puffing like an old steam train).  Stopped in the main square for a cool drink under the shade of magnificent old trees and more than adequate umbrellas on comfortable cane lounges and watched the

Greek way of life go past us.

Back to the ship in the arvo where we managed to get a couple of recliner lounge chairs in the crows nest where we could continue to watch the world out of picture windows, read a book, snooze and drink cocktails.  Altogether a pleasant day and the first I have felt relaxed in.

Been 1 week on the cruise now and starting to settle after being sick and worried sick about Triona and then Mum being admitted to hospital with a blood clot on the lung.  Fortunately all home from hospital and doing OK so now trying to relax a little.

An early dinner tonight compliments of Holland America (for being good folks) at the Asian Fusion restaurant. Off to Katakolon (Greece) tomorrow.

Back from dinner with a very extended tummy.  The food was incredible! certainly worth the extra $15 they usually charge (ours was free) now going for walk around the deck as I am over full.

Sicily - Mt Etna

Mt Etna

Today we docked in Sicily, a smallish island just off the coast of Italy which was an independent nation 150 yrs ago.  We boarded the bus for a 2 hr drive to Mt Etna.

Our guide is a trained naturalist and volcanoist and a very proud Sicilian.  His enthusiasm was boundless and for the 2 hr drive he did not draw breath!   Nevertheless he was very informative and entertaining.

In a short distance we traveled thru many different landscapes with micro climates, different flora including some very confusing ones with lemon trees growing next to a banana tree and a chestnut tree and grapevines – this caused Mauritizo to go into exteme handwaving and spluttering excitement.  Nevertheless the steep climb with the villages clinging to the cliffs and up and down the valleys with the ever changing landscape was beautiful.  The bus drivers do a fabulous job navigating the hairpin turns and the very narrow streets.  I’m sure the residents of the villages know not to open their front doors when a bus passes otherwise they would be knocked over.

We glimpsed the northside snowcapped Mt Etna through the clouds a couple of times and eventually got through the clouds on the southside to see it in all its glory.  The temperature had dropped to 10degrees and even though we had our light coats we stepped off the bus and froze.  We had a ½ hr toilet/coffee stop and it was pretty spectacular, just what you imagine a lunar landscape to be only black. The restaurant/lodge that we stopped at was destroyed in the 1992 eruption and also in one back in the 1800s.  It is strange to see this stark landscape with chairlifts but apparently it’s a major skiing resort in the winter.   All back on board and traveled 100mtrs down the road to go look at a crater and by that time the weather had closed in.

We walked to the fault line of the 1992 eruption and the several craters from then.  You couldn’t see your hand infront of your face so it appeared very mystical – just black lava and swirling mist.  Took a few snaps, listened to Mauritizo wax enthusiastic about the different rocks etc and beat a hasty retreat back to the warm bus.

Mauritizo seemed to have talked himself out on the trip home so we have a peaceful 2 hrs dozing and admiring the beautiful scenery.

Back on the boat and decided we really didn’t want to walk to town of Messina as I’m  quite weary from the hectic days, the runs and now a runny nose, so a relaxing afternoon in the library/crows nest bar seemed a good idea.

As usual the internet is not working.

Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii

Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii

Another busy day with another early departure.  We drove through Naples and the many towns (which appeared to be just one big town) with some ordinary scenery until we came through a tunnel and there were the mountains, cliffs and incredible coastline of Sorrento.  Its one of those picturesque towns that appear to be velcroed to the cliff walls over the ocean and really pretty.  We stopped in the town square and had 1 hr to wander around on our own.  We immediately set out down the alleyways towards to sea.  This is the type of town we really enjoy.  Got to the spot where you could look down to the beach (40 metres below) and couldn’t see how to get down there.  It was the postcard scene of a little cove surrounded by black sand, deck chairs and bathing huts.  Very cute but you would be exhausted and sweaty after climbing all the way back up.

Wandered back to meeting point, checking out the little shops etc and went to a very early lunch.  1^st course was spinach & fetta cannelloni, followed by veal and potatoes and then the most divine little sponge cakes sandwiched together with lemon custard and absolutely dripping in a lemon cream.  Couldn’t believe something so rich could be so light and delicious and I (and everyone else) licked the lot up.

Back on the bus to Pompeii and the heavens opened and remained open for the rest of the day.  Pompeii was fascinating.  To think that a civilization that long ago had sewerage, water drains etc and to be able to see them even now is incredible.  The road system is something to behold and the house we saw was huge and beautifully decorated.  The entrance to a house was an Atrium which allowed the rain to come into what looked like a large pond, this fed into the underground water tank which serviced the house. Unfortunately due to the pouring rain we were all pretty miserable and only got to see a couple of things before calling it quits, plus our guide was just a little cranky hurrying us all the time.  One lady asked for the toilet and was told with the wagging finger and cranky voice ‘no pee pee’.  I exercised great bladder control for the day.  You really need a full day to explore and read the map to understand where you are and what you are seeing.  We couldn’t get the maps and instructions out due to the rain, although we did go into a bordello which still had some very graphic fresco’s .  Frescos were used as a ‘menu’ in all shops and markets and questionable places of business. Despite the weather we enjoyed today’s excursion although my nose is now running.

Rome

Roma

Early departure at 7.20 for the trip to Rome.  Being Sunday morning the roads were empty and we arrived at the Trevi Fountain by 9.  The amasing thing for me was that the fountain was attached to a building – I always thought it was a massive fountain in the middle of a square!  From here we had 2 hours to explore on our own, so armed with a map off we went.

Found our way to the Pantheon, which could have done with a good clean, then to Piazza Navone, which is a church.  From here we were headed to Mausoleo Augusto but mmm, Alan couldn’t read the map, Alan got cranky, Alan threw a tanty and life was miserable. Apparently only women can read maps upsidedown! Di read the map, found where we were and off we went to Campo de Fiori, Palazzo Farnese which was the farmers market and some great food and wanted to get truffles etc for Anto but someone was still in a shit so didn’t stop.  Next stop was Palazzo Spada then Campidoglio and then Monumento a Vittorio Emanuelle II.

Unfortunately we had absolutely no idea what we were looking at or the significance of the places but our time was up and we had to find our way back the Trevi fountain.

Once we met up with our group we had to walk to the bus which was a good 30 minutes.  We went past some of the places we had already seen and our ‘guide’ explained that she was an ‘escort’ and as she hadn’t passed her ‘guide’ exam she couldn’t tell us what we were going past. Very frustrating!!.

Back on the bus and off to the lunch, where again we drove past some of the highlights and once on the bus our guide decided she would tell us what we were seeing but her English was so poor we couldn’t understand her anyway.  I think I heard her say one of the roman ruins was where Julius Caesar died.

After a lunch of tuna salad (yuck, yuck, yuck, I would rather starve than eat cat food) and the weirdest lasagna, followed by tiramisu (which was frozen so enjoyed that) we picked up a proper guide and went to the Vatican.

Yesterday being Pentacost Sunday meant that the Pope did a mass in St Peter Square (which is why we couldn’t go until the afternoon).  By the time we got there the line was a couple of times around the square but after 75mins in the sun we made it in.  We all had radio headsets so we could hear the guide so we didn’t miss out on anything. Saw the Popes apartment from the Square then ventured into The Basilica.  Wow, what can you say, it is magnificent and well worth the wait.  The Sistine Chapel was closed as were other parts of the Basilica but there was more than enough to see.  The artwork is incredible and to find that there are no paintings – what look like paintings are mosaics! Tiny naturally coloured stones all perfectly placed to make these masterpieces.  Really mindblowing.  I was expecting to see a Michael Angelo painting but found out he designed the building but never painted it.  We didn’t have time to go to the Museum but if we are ever back in Roma we will plan on spending more time here.

From here we were off to the Colosseum, which once again required a long hike from the bus and some very steep steps inside. We were very short of time so had to do a quick look around but again with excellent commentary from our guide and even though it is falling down you could see how it worked in its time.  Fascinating building when you think it was originally covered in marble and had sail shades over the roof to provide shade!

Utterly exhausted by this time and happy to get back on the bus.  We were disappointed in the way the ruins were presented ie the ruins where Caesar supposedly died were surrounded by a knee high concrete wall with glass panels on top.  The glass panels were completely covered in graffiti so you couldn’t see through them and the only sign said ‘do not feed the cats’ – not very helpful at all.  There were numerous examples of ruins being built over by different generations but no signage so we have no idea what they were about.

Rome in a day really isn’t possible but at least we got a snapshot of what was available.

Cruise days 1 - 3

Input by Alan

Boarded the cruise Thursday but because we still had gastric we contacted the medical centre to get some medication and were placed into isolation in our cabin. We couldn’t leave until we had a full 24 hours without problems. We had to have everything delivered to our cabin and it had to be thoroughly cleaned twice a day by staff wearing protective clothing. Very boring!!! I was due to be cleared at 7:00am this morning (Saturday) as we arrived in Livorno, but Di wouldn’t be released until 2:30pm, which meant that she would certainly miss our pre-booked excursion to Florence and Pisa. I wanted to go and spent an hour chasing medical staff on the phone to get cleared to leave the ship. When I finally got the OK about 4 minutes before the bus was due to board I raced down and tried to leave the ship, but the computer system hadn’t been updated with my medical clearance. Two other couples also had the same problem and after 20 minutes of racing around to get someone to update the system all 5 had missed our bus. We have been told that we will get a refund because it was a medical issue that caused the missed tour, but we really wanted to see both these popular cities and attractions.

I finally got to the gym while Di was still confined and then I watched the Collingwood/Adelaide Crows AFL match live on the satellite TV to pass the time while Di dozed.  When Di was cleared, a real relief after being cooped up in a cabin for nearly 2 days, we went into Livorno on the shuttle bus for a quick look around and to get some fresh air. Not much going on in town as it was Saturday and most of the shops were closed until late afternoon. Back to the ship for a couple of cocktails at happy hour and a very light dinner as our tummies are still quite tender. We have just left port on our way to Rome.

Arrive in Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) in the morning and will be out touring for over 10 hours before the ship leaves Sunday night. Will report on Rome next blog update.

Barcelona

Day 1

Arrived around 3ish and booked in the Arc La Rambla.  We were pleasantly surprised as the reviews of this hotel were pretty awful and we had steeled ourselves to being uncomfortable for 4 days.  Instead we scored a room at the back of the hotel away from the noise (or so we thought) and the room had been recently refurbished.  We certainly miss the tea and coffee making facilities and there is no mini fridge.  The bed is just this side of concrete but can survive.

Went strolling up the street and in and out of alleyways totally enchanted with the 500 yr old buildings.  Very easy to get lost and you wander up an alleyway which ends in a square so you have to backtrack  but great fun as long as Alan is navigating.  Stopped for dinner in the tourist strip (yep knew it wasn’t going to be best quality or cheap) but we experienced Tapas, Paella and Pizza.  Anto could give them a lesson on how to do it without dripping in oil! 

Unfortunately on the way back Egypt Belly hit in a big way and I had to do a 100mtr dash.  Spent the next 12 hours attached to the toilet and feeling very sorry for myself.  It hit Alan in the morning so we were doing the tag team thing.  

La Rambla

Artist in La Rambla

 Day 2

Medication finally kicked in and we got enough energy up to take the washing to a Laundromat.  Paid to have it done as sitting there was not an option today.  We weighed the washing at just over 8kgs but apparently the girl behind the counter lifting the bag off the counter was far\ more accurate than our scales and we had to pay for 16kg.

Decided to walk around the Port area and then through the streets for as long as we could.

Stopping at the Christopher Columbus statue, the Post Office, and the old Fort and defending walls.  We had a look in the Barcelona Cathedral which is unbelievable . I think there is a shrine to every saint – it is absolutely huge and gaudy as only we Catholics can do.

Christopher Columbus Monument

Old Fort over Roman ruins

Cathedral

Went thru the fresh food market.  This is incredible – I have never seen so much produce presented in such a pleasant way before.  If its like this in Paris I have no doubt Anto will spend an entire day there.  Produce is expensive, I brought 2 oranges that cost over $2.50 each (had one for breakfast and it was very ordinary)

Market

Finished off the 3 hr walk with a coffee from Starbucks and headed back to the hotel where I collapsed in a shivering mess for the afternoon.  Couldn’t get warm so crawled into bed.  The empty tummy has driven me out, I want soup but doubt I will be able to find any.

Didn’t find soup but ordered a light veal dish, unfortunately a couple of mouthfuls was all I could manage.  Had a very early night in a bed becoming more uncomfortable by the minute.

Day 3

Woke up feeing much better so we wandered the street and found a café for coffee and croissant then walked to the hop on, hop off bus stop.  Just got to the bus stop when the coffee and croissant decided they didn’t like me so did the quick dash home again.  Eventually got to the bus and decided it was best to just sit and sightsee without getting off.  It was a 2 hour trip around the south western part of the city showing all the sites through the old city and the newer parts built for the 92 Olympics.  Had a break at lunch time, chatted to my girls who had some sad news, then opted for some fresh air so caught the bus that toured  the waterfront and showed the Olympic village.  This was interesting as before the Olympics it was an industrial/slum area which was demolished to build the port for the sailing and the accommodation for athletes.  Previous to this Barcelonians believed status came with living the furtherest from the ocean.  Like everywhere else in the world that has now changed and the waterfront land and apartments are the most expensive.

We decided to exit the bus and walk back the 2-3kms to the hotel as the sun had come out and my tummy was behaving itself.  Everywhere you go the place is crowded with tourists and the natives themselves all out enjoying the sunshine.  Barcelona is proving to be a very vibrant and pleasant city to visit.

After a rest and updating blog we wandered out for dinner.  We wandered the side alleys looking for something not touristy and found a lovely restaurant called 'Sinatra' which was mediterranean fusion.  Having not eaten for a while I was a bit dubious about ordering a full meal so just ordered an entree of raviolli and a rocket and ham salad.  The raviolli was devine and the salad turned out to be avocado, mango, mozarella di bulafa , walnjuts with Pedro Ximenez wine vinaigrette and was just divine - polished the whole lot off.  Alan ordered charcoal angus beef with cognac three peppers sauce served with potatoes au gratin and grilled asparagus.  Our waiter did not like our choice of wine and brought us a taster and a bottle of what he considered a more suitable wine.  We liked our choice but of course agreed whole heartedly with the waiter. After our depressing news of finding out today that our youngest daughter has been diagnosed with cancer (treatable with chemo and a good prognosis) and the worring day that followed, the whole meal really hit the spot and we finished with a vienna coffee.  Nice for Alan to have a few drinks and not have to drive home.  Had a brief walk after dinner but it started to rain so headed back to the hotel.  Have discovered the armchair converts to a single bed so when my back goes into spasms tonight I will trying moving to the foam cushions.

Unfortunately the lovely dinner didn't last long in my body and only got a couple of hours sleep.

Day 3

The sun is shining and after an update from the girls we ventured out  once again to explore the north east of the city.  Our first stop was the Sagrada Familia.  This is the cathedral started by Gaudi.  It is the most incredible structure I have ever seen.  I was absolutely awestruck at the genius of the man and the engineering feat in building it.  Even though it was started in the 1800's they estimate it will take another 30 years to finish.  This should be another 'wonder of the world' and personally thought it more impressive than the Pyramids. Followed this with a visit to Park Guell which is a complex that Gaudi built of park like english gardens in a housing complex.  Of course the houses were not standard and the entire complex is now run by the State.

These visits were definitely the highlight of the day but continued with the sightseeing from the bus as I was very weary after traipsing around in the heat when not feeling well.

 

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

We realised today that we have not seen one house! everyone lives in apartments! very unusual but originally rich people built a 3 or 4 story house with shops at ground level, they lived on the first floor and the other floors were built as apartments, and thats the way they remain.  Astounding!

 

Gaudi Apartment Bld

Interesting Apartments

Bull ring in the backround

Hotel Vela

Tonight we braved the metro - and as anticipated it was easy and well run - to go to a flamenco Tapas and Show.  The Tapas was too much for me with processed meat and cheese, potatoes, mushrooms and calimari, so only managed to nibble a bit but Alan ate his fill.  We had front row seats and literally had our hands on the stage.  Every spaniard in the world will hate me for this but I couldn't distinguish the singing from the Moslem call to Prayer and the dancing was glorified tap dancing.  In fairness to the performers they were very dedicated, fit and really threw themselves into their art - I just didn't get it.  I was expecting fantastic costumes but found the lead male, who thought he was gods gift to the contiki tour girls at the next table, costume of red boots, black trousers, purple shirt and shiny grey jacket just a little offputting.  The girls costumes were quite drab.  Obviously the whole experience was not for me.

All in all Barcelona has been a fantastic city and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We board the ship tomorrow for our 24 day Mediterranean cruise.

Bells' Summary of do's and don'ts in Egypt

Bell’s summary of Egypt

Do not attempt to tour Egypt on your own. It would be a great waste of time to see the Temples and Tombs without a knowledgeable guide who can explain what you are seeing and the significance of it.  Organising transport, tickets and navigating thru the hawkers would be horrendous.  Would never do this without a qualified guide.

There are no traffic rules, no marked lanes and even scarier than Bangkok. You need a good driver to get you around.  We played a game of spot the car without dents and scratches – 9 days in country and we couldn’t find one!

Insight Vacations have been fabulous.  Cannot fault them in any way.  Whilst in Country nothing has been too much trouble.  The mini buses are spacious with only 2 rows of seats, the drivers are professional and ever helpful.  Our guide Mohamed (I think all guides are called Mohamed) is a young trained Egyptologist full of interesting facts and figures and had a great way of imparting information in a storytelling format.  He also had a very good sense of humour and figured out very quickly when we were taking the mickey out of him.  The pace of the tour was excellent.  We tended to do sightseeing in the morning and have the afternoon off with occasional excursions in the evening.  We saw everything we wanted to see but still feel quite refreshed.  The hot dry air does exhaust you and everyone commented on how long and well they slept at night.

There is a fair bit of walking over very rough ruins – uneven stonework, lots of steps and boats have 3 stories with no lifts, so you do need to be steady on your feet rather than super fit to get around the boat and all temples.

The main season for tourists ends at the end of April with the stragglers (like us) coming in May.  We found the timing to be fantastic as there were no crowds and as there were only 2 of us we were joined up with a couple from a Trafalgar tour.  Being just 4 on the tour meant that Mohamed could adjust timings and itineraries to suit us.  This was great as we agreed to be up and about before 7am to beat the heat of the day and again when venues were open visiting in the evening when cooler.  This gave us plenty of free time during the day for lounging around the pool. The trade off for avoiding the crowds being it was much hotter when sightseeing.

Normally there are 332 ships operating in the peak tourist season but this year only 40 boats were operating.  A disaster of a year for Egyptian tourism.  There has been no trouble whatsoever traveling around so I will be telling people to ignore all the warnings.  If there is trouble it is confined to a couple of streets in Cairo. We have never felt unsafe, even wandering through the Cairo bazaar on our own when there were hardly any people about. Aswan and Luxor appear a lot cleaner than Cairo.

My only complaint would be the train trip to Aswan as we (and everybody else on the train) were expecting first class. Unless young or adventurous I would advise skip the train in favour of a direct flight.

9 days touring is sufficient to see the major sights.

2 nights in Cairo is plenty – the city is hot, dirty, crowded and not at all pleasant.  You only need to stay long enough for 1 day at the Pyramids and 1 day doing the Museum. Book a good quality hotel to provide a haven away from the crowded streets when you are not sightseeing. We stayed at the Marriott and found this ideal with good restaurants available at reasonable prices.

Disregard what you read in reference to the dress code.  Tourists wander everywhere in shorts, single tops etc.   I came with only long sleeved or ¾ sleeved cotton shirts and trousers as advised.  I don’t regret this as I found the loose shirts comfortable and they prevented me from getting sunburned. Egyptian cotton shirts are plentiful and cheap at every stop. A good sunhat is essential. 

The tours provide plenty of bottled water but it is never chilled.  Ice is not offered in any drinks on the boat as it is unsafe.  We were advised to not eat the salads on the boat but disregarded this as figured it would be the same quality as any of the hotels.  I have had no problems with tummy upsets.  Alan did but only lasted 24 hrs  I suspect he picked up the bug at a not very clean public toilet (which I refuse to use) before we boarded the boat.

The hawkers are probably the worst aspect of touring Egypt as they are generally persistent and in-your-face the whole time when entering and leaving any public venue. More often than not they would be young children so that you would take pity on them and buy something. They won’t take no for an answer and follow you at every opportunity. At some venues even the guards will try to take advantage of you by trying to show you things and then expecting payment. It can be very tiring, and when the price often starts at 10 or even 20 times an appropriate cost it does not leave a good impression of the Egyptian people. But generally we have found the people to be very warm and friendly.  The hawkers are particularly bad this year due to the downturn in tourism, they are fighting each other to get a sale, very sad!

The trip has been everything we expected

Last day in Cairo

Last day in Cairo

Arrived back in Cairo yesterday and had a lazy afternoon followed by a lovely Egyptian Dinner at the hotel.

This morning had a 8.30 pick up but we went to the wrong pick up point so a bit late in starting out.

First stop was the Citadel of Salah al-Din.  The original fortress was built to stop the Crusaders, who were defeated in Jerusalem so they didn’t get to Egypt.  Later on Mohammed Ali (Turkish guy not the boxer) built a mosque inside the Citadel.  Very large and elaborate and we got a lesson in the Islamic faith.  A very enjoyable visit.

 

 

Followed this with a trip to the hanging church.  This is a greek orthodox church and I didn’t quite understand how it was hanging even though there is glass in the floor looking onto nothing. Lots of relics of saints etc inside but everything in Egyptian so couldn’t read it.

Last stop of the day was the Egyptian Museum.  You could spend a month in there looking at the exhibits.  Unfortunately the Egyptians don’t seem to be organized or have money to display things properly.  The Museum is a huge building with display cases haphazardly placed and many without a description so you have no idea what you are looking at.  A lot of the statues were covered in thick opaque plastic to protect them which meant you couldn’t see them as the lighting was very bad.  Regardless of this Mohamed showed us the important exhibits and it was interesting to relate these back to sites we had visited.

The most famous exhibit is King Tut’s stuff.  This was spectacular.  Tut’s mummy is still in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings but everything else from the Tomb is on display.  He had 3 coffins that fitted inside each other (like the Russian dolls) each one more elaborately decorated.  These went into a huge gold box (solid gold), which went into another one, then another one and then the final one which was about 5mrs x 3mtrs – all gold plated.   Incredible to see and also had 2 rooms with just the jewelry that was removed from the tomb.

Unfortunately you are not allowed to take a camera into the museum and didn’t find a book which detailed what was there so will just have to remember it without photos.

Said goodbye to Mohamed, Lynette and Henry and returned to the hotel and will spend the afternoon at the pool before departing Egypt for Barcelona in the morning.

Thoroughly enjoyed Egypt but will be glad to get out of the dust.

Alan, Mohamed, Henry, Di & Lynette

Luxor

After a relaxing afternoon around the pool and cruising down the Nile we docked in Luxor which is our last port.  We left the ship for a brief bus ride around 5ish to the Temple of Luxor. Mohamed, our ever patient guide, tells us wonderful stories about the temples and the kings etc but by now my brain has absorbed as much as it can as you feel totally overwhelmed by the sheer size and splendour of the ruins.  Back to the ship for dinner and preparation for a big day at the Valley of the Kings.

Cruising down the Nile

Temple of Luxor

Up early and depart for the Valley of the Kings.  Unfortunately you are not allowed cameras in the valley or tombs but did buy a book with photos.  There are 62 tombs excavated (with they suspect still 4 to be recovered) dating from 1575 to1090BC. The Tombs replaced the Pyramids as the Kings wanted to protect their burial chambers from looters and the Pyramids had proven to be easily robbed.  Unfortunately the Tombs have also been robbed but the most famous of Tutankhamon has his treasures and mummy in the Cairo museum.

Going into the Valley of the Kings

Only a number of tombs are open at one time and on our visit we went thru Ramses I, who died within 2 years of being on the throne so had an unfinished tomb with just the burial chamber decorated. Ramses III who had the longest burial chamber and Ramses IX who has the best preserved tomb.  This is the first time we have seen whole walls of hieroglyphics and carvings with their colouring still showing.,  Absolutely spectacular!  I’m finding the hieroglyphics to be quite addictive and feel quiet pleased with myself when I’m recognizing different symbols and gods.

We left the Valley of the Kings for the Queen Hatshepsut Temple.  Again this was something completely different with a 3 level temple carved into a rock-face.  It was just about destroyed by her successor as she was not considered to be a true Queen as she was ruling on behalf of her 7yr old stepson and obviously he didn’t like her because she refused to hand over the throne when he became old enough to rule.  The Temple construction has been partly restored but there is only one mural left of the story of trading with Somalia.

Queen Hatshepsut Temple

After this visit we were really feeling the heat but ½ hr bus ride revived us enough to visit the Temples of Karnak on the East Bank.

Wow, this was the biggest complex we had come across having been built and extended by 8 Kings. This was the first time we had seen the ram-headed god statues lining the walkways.   A huge complex that they are painstakingly restoring and just mind-blowing for its architectural and artistic beauty.

Temple of Karnak

Temple of Karnak

Middle of the day and absolutely dripping with sweat we called it a day and headed back to the boat.  All other passengers have disembarked and we are on our own until the new lot appear this arvo.  Took the opportunity to have the pool all to ourselves followed by a leisurely lunch and Alan is off having a massage while I update the Blog.

Very quite evening on the boat as there are only 3 of us left and not all the return leg passengers on board yet.  This ship holds 120 and we had less than 60 on our leg and the return journey will only have 21 on board. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed the cruise but have to go pack for the next leg.

Aswan cont...

Aswan cont

High Tea at the Movenpick was a bit disappointing as the usual venue was under repair so we were placed on a very hot roof courtyard.  Regardless we woofed down a couple of sandwiches and scones and departed to our very comfortable room.  Alan was exhausted from lack of sleep the previous night and the morning’s very hot excursions so both flaked by 7pm and didn’t wake until our wakeup call at 6am the next day.  Alan’s exhaustion had turned into a runny nose and Cairo belly.

We transferred from the hotel to the ship the MS Giselle.  The ship is old-fashioned in decorations with lots of wood paneling and big high-back chairs – very much an English Manor theme and extremely comfortable with spacious rooms, no complaints about the quality here.

MS Giselle,

Soon as we dropped our bags we were off on a felucca ride which was lovely as no motor and just gliding down the Nile with a pleasant breeze.  Stopped at a Nubian village.  The village was relocated onto Elphantine Island when the Dam was built.  The Nubians are a darker skinned Egyptian (you can see the African in them) who have their own language and way of life, primarily they are farmers.  All the buildings are colourful as they paint them in bright colours with lots of murals on them.  Crocodiles play a large part in Nubians lives as they raise them in their houses until they are about 1mtr and then release them behind the Dam wall. The village was lovely and we were lucky enough to go into a house and see the way they live, where of course you were shown lots of handmade things you could buy.

Nubian house

Felucca

Back to the boat via a motorized launch past the botanic gardens with our guide pointing out different plants and birds.  Had a brief stop on the banks of the Nile, which we waded through to touch the sands which are the start of the Sahara desert.  

Once back on the boat Alan took himself to bed for the rest of the day.  The boat departed Aswan and headed downstream towards Luxor. We stopped at Kom Ombo to visit the Temple of Sobek, which was fascinating as here you see the hieroglyphics of medical instruments used and stories of operations.  Fascinating as you can see where our modern instruments have evolved from and some look to be exactly the same.  This temple also had some parts with the original colours still showing.  They would have been spectacular in their day!

Temple of Sobek

On the way back to the ship I ran the gauntlet of the hawkers but I needed to buy a galabaya (kaftan) for the Egyptian themed dinner.  Got one for Alan as well so now he has a ‘mantan’ to wear around.  Certainly far more comfortable  than shirts and trousers.  As usual paid far too much but still very cheap and now just need a fancy dress to wear our finery again,  Alan arose from the dead to don his mantan and off to dinner and party we went.  Lovely evening and off to bed where I slept really well again.

EDFU

This morning we had a 6.45 start to beat the other boats to the Temple of Horus.  We departed the ship in a horse and carriage thru the town to get to the Temple.  Temples are starting to all look the same but again we found differences in this one as it was in pretty good condition.  The ceilings were intact but all blacked from fires lit by persecuted Egyptians camping in the temples in the time of the Romans.  Again very interesting and pleasant as we beat the crowds, enjoyed our visit and were back on the boat for an 8.30 breakfast.

Temple of Horus

Temple of Horus