AEGEAN SEA - LANDS OF ANTIQUITIES - Summer 1995
Before our 14 DAY CRUISE IN THE AEGEAN SEA to the Lands of Antiquities, we stayed for two nights at The Plaza in NEW YORK CITY. We saw the opera Les Miserables, walked along the streets to Rockerfella Plaza, Times Square, Central Park. We took the tour boat around the island, saw the Statue of Liberty, and spent several hours in the New York Metropolitan Art Museum. To get me in the mood for our odyssey, I was reading Homer's "The Odyssey" during this "exposition" (as Winnie The Pooh would say)!
We flew to ATHENS, and saw the sound and light show at the ACROPOLIS, then walked the Plaka where we ate mousaka, drank Ouzo, and danced to Greek music. The next day we toured the Acropolis, then boarded the Stella Solaris.
The following morning we cruised to THESSALONIKI, where we saw Alexander the Great's father Phillip II's bones, and diadems of ancient arts in a museum.
We awoke with the "rosy fingers of dawn" (per Homer) greeting us, and sailed past the clashing rocks on our way to ISTANBUL (CONSTANTINOPLE). We visited the HAGIA SOPHIA (holy wisdom), the BLUE MOSQUE of Suleiman, the site of the Hippodrome, and the TOPKAPI PALACE with its treasures of emeralds, golden thrones, and diamond-studded general furnishings.
The following day we arrived in KUSADASI, and took a tour to EPHESSOS; along the way we saw one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, a pillar of the Temple of Diana. Ephessos was one of my favorite sites, with hot weather, magnificent structures with carvings still visible, its amphitheater, ergo-dynamic public toilets, one of the world's first public libraries (with a tunnel underneath going to the brothel across the street).
We cruised on to RHODES, and took a tour of the old medieval city of the Knights of St. John, and visited LINDOS and saw the temple of Athena. We had time to enjoy the beach and observe the beautiful topless women. The shore was rocky, and it was easier to crawl to the water than to walk!
We went to KNOSSOS in CRETE and saw the ruins of the Minoan civilization and the labrinynth.
Our next stop was SANTORINI, which is where they believe the lost city of Atlantis was. When Santorini blew its top, or "got it's rocks off", the resulting water wave is what wiped out the civilization on Crete. On the back of the island they were excavating an ancient city, from about 3000 BC, which had running water from the second floor sinks and toilets!
We next visited MIKONOS and DELOS, with more fascinating ruins, then returned to ATHENS to start our second leg of the tour.
We departed for RHODES again, where we swam in the ocean and built a pyramid. Two stunning topless women happened to be near where we laid our beach towels. Young men were all around them on their blankets, but too scared to approach them. George started talking to the ladies, having a difficult time keeping eye contact. We all got along wonderfully, as my husband is very socialable and fascinating. So there were all these young man so envious of the attention my husband was getting!
Then we sailed for ALEXANDRIA, and went in a convoy of busses with military protection fore and aft, to CAIRO. Natives would run out of their houses to cheerfully wave at us both in the countryside and in town. We stayed one night at the internationally celebrated MENA HOUSE OBEROI HOTEL and casino. We could see the Great Pyramid of Cheops looming over us from our room, and while swimming in the swimming pool. The pyramids looked so close, but it was actually about ten miles away! The hotel is spectacular! The main building has rooms that would make Louis XIV jealous! That evening we went to the sound and light show at the PYRAMIDS, down by the SPHINX. The next day we went to the Egyptian Museum, with treasures from 3000 BC, and saw King Tut's treasures. We visited the Citadel of Saladin and the mosque of Mohammed Ali before we returned to the pyramids by way of camel! Many pyramid stones were over 5 foot square. Cairo was wonderful to visit, except for the aggressive vendors.
We met our ship at PORT SAID at the beginning of the SUEZ CANAL, and sailed on to ASHDOD.
We rode busses to JERUSALEM, walked the Via Delorosa, prayed at the Wailing Wall, and visited the Church of the Sepulcher where they claim Jesus died and was entombed. We also visited BETHLEHEM, and the site they believe Jesus was born: in a cave used as a stable.
We continued our sailing to PATMOS, where St. John had his Revelations. After walking up a craggy small hill was an entrance to a cave which went downward. Beautiful gospel music echoed through-out the caves from the practicing church choir. In these caves were many rooms, one a chapel, and one where St. John lived and worked. We then traveled back to Rhodes for more swimming and building of sand pyramids.
We returned to ATHENS, then had a 25-hour flight back to Midland, Texas.
It was a trip of a lifetime! One of many that George took Teresa on.
Aegean / 1995 / Mayan / 1997 / Europe / 1998 / Baltic / 1999