Saturday, March 31, 2012

Nile River

A few views along the Nile...




 




Friday, March 30, 2012

Luxor Temple

Rob and I wrapped up our first day in Egypt by visiting the Luxor Temple. We arrived at the temple just as the sun was beginning to set which provided a great atmosphere as the stones seemed to glow. After a quick briefing by Gigi (our guide) we learned that this temple was built during the New Kingdom by Amenhotep III & Ramses II.















In the 14th century AD a mosque was built inside the complex and it recently was recently restored after having been on fire. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of everyday life as four colorful young women were chatting on a bench outside of the mosque.
 




After a walk through this end of the avenue of sphinxes we headed back to our boat for dinner. Meals were always plentiful on our boat (which is the #1 reason why I should travel on cruises!) and the views were always spectacular. The water was just a bit too chilly at night to take a dip in the pool...

...but the landscape of the west bank and the Valley of the Kings were well worth staying up a bit longer to enjoy!


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Karnak

Traffic in Egypt is the most crazy I've experienced...ever, but we'll save that for another post. Our first taste of Egyptian temples came on day one when we visited the temple of Karnak. This complex is about 2.5 km from the city of Luxor and it covers about 3 square kilometers. In other words, it's HUGE! We entered the site via the avenue of sphinxes which once connected this complex with the temple of Luxor that we visited later in the day. Our tour guide for the duration of the trip, Gigi, can be seen entering the avenue of sphinxes on the bottom right of the photo below (she's the one with the Egyptian flag under her arm).


I think Egypt looks good on us! The Egyptians made columns inspired by different plant forms, and my favorite were the papyrus and lotus varieties. Check out the capitals on the columns that Rob posed with.

After spending the past few months in Athens studying hieroglyphs with a few other students, I loved seeing them in person. The ankh that you see behind me (the hieroglyph that looks similar to a cross) means "eternal life."


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Changed World

We've made it back to Athens! It turns out that the posts I created and scheduled to post automatically while we were away didn't actually post. :( I forgot to complete the most important step in the process, actually pressing the PUBLISH button. Oops. I went ahead and published them anyway, but just know that those posts do not contain my own photos. My photos are yet to come...all 1650 of them!! Ok, so I'll have to whittle it down a bit, but I'll start publishing them tomorrow.

Our trip was an absolutely amazing experience. I can't quite find the words at the moment to describe how these latest travels have changed our perspective of the world, but be sure that they have changed. Over the past ten days we have caught a glimpse into the lives of the Egyptian people, these lives were very different than our own and we won't soon forget them. Check back tomorrow.


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Alexandria Part II

The itinerary today actually says "FREE DAY!" Because I am writing these posts before we leave for Egypt it's hard to say if today will actually turn out to be a free day or not. If so, I imagine that Rob and I along with others will explore Alexandria being sure not to miss such sights as Pompey's Pillar, the Roman Amphitheater (seen below thanks to http://i-cias.com/egypt/alexandria04.htm), and a cafe or two! At some point this afternoon we will venture back to Cairo for one final evening before returning to Athens tomorrow.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Alexandria

Our trip ends for some of our folks today, but the remainder of us opted for an extension to spend a few days in Alexandria. I'm very excited to experience the Mediterranean Sea from another perspective! Anyway, once we arrive by bus from Cairo to Alexandria we have a full day of sightseeing that includes: the catacombs, the Library of Alexandria, and Cavafi's house. I am most excited to tour the new library in Alexandria, knowing that the ancient library was probably the most significant library in the ancient world. Today's photo (http://www.greatsafaris.com) shows a promising city with a great coastline!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

A Day for Pyramids

Today should be a busy day as we expect to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the sites at Dahshur (bent pyramid), Memphis and Saqqara (stepped pyramid). We also expect to catch glimpses of the Khufu Ship and the Colossi of Ramses during our day. The Step Pyramid (taken from http://www.touregypt.net) was created by Imhotep around 2611 BC.


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Touring Cairo


Our hotel for the Cairo portion of our trip is actually located in Giza so we're sleeping far from the center of the city, although the itinerary today takes us to many sites in the center starting with the Egyptian Museum. This museum is the grand-daddy of all things Egyptian. It has many well known antiquities on display, and even more in the storerooms. It should be a fascinating experience. Following a stop at the museum we're headed over to the Citadel/Khan el-Khalili. The Citadel (pictured above; www.touregypt.net) is the location of medieval Islamic fortifications with many mosques and museums as well. I think it will be here that Rob will give his presentation about the Mamluks, who dominated Egypt in the middle ages. Khan el-Khalili (photo below from www.scenicreflections.com) is a major Bazaar that is sure to house many coffee and souvenir shops. I'm excited to see what Egyptian coffee is all about!





Friday, March 23, 2012

Abu Simbel

After breakfast this morning we are checking out from the cruise and making our way to the Aswan Airport where we will board a flight to Abu Simbel. Once at Abu Simbel we will visit the temples and re board a plane heading to Cairo. Today's photo (thanks to http://www.touregypt.net) shows the Great Temple at Abu Simbel which was relocated to the west bank of Lake Nasser after the building of the Aswan High Dam. It was built by Ramses II around 1265 BC and is dedicated to the gods Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun.



Thursday, March 22, 2012

Aswan High Dam

After arriving in Aswan last night we begin today's adventures with visits to the Aswan High Dam (which I will talk about briefly during my presentation to our group) and the Temple of Philae. After lunch on board we will have a short ride on a felucca to sail around Elephantine Island. The satellite image courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov shows the Nile River on the North while the huge (and artificial) Lake Nasser lies to the south.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Edfu


While in Edfu today we are scheduled to visit the Temple of Horus by a horse-drawn carriage! Following this, we will return to the cruise and sail to Kom Ombo and following lunch we will visit the temple of Sobek. Today's photo comes from sacred-destinations.com and shows the Temple of Horus built during the Ptolemaic era from 237 to 57 BC.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Valley of the Kings

Today's itinerary takes us to the West Bank of the Nile where we will visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the two Colossi of Memnon. Following those sites we re-board the boat and sail across the river while having lunch, cross Esna lock, and continue sailing to Edfu. The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (thanks to http://www.destination360.com) looks to be a highlight of the day!




Monday, March 19, 2012

Luxor

After our first night on the boat (which has not set sail yet) we woke up in the ancient city of Thebes, which is the present day city of Luxor. It is frequently referred to as the "world's greatest open air museum." Today we made visits the to the Karnak and Luxor temples as well as the Luxor museum. The photo below, courtesy of hightoursegypt.com shows the Luxor temple, built around 1400 BC by Amenhotep III.




Sunday, March 18, 2012

We're Off

Today we left for our Egyptian Extravaganza! Because we decided not to take along a computer I have written a series of posts and have scheduled them to appear automatically. This way you can still see what we've been up to each day, just know that any photos I post have been taken from the internet and are not actually mine.

This afternoon we leave Athens at about 5:00 pm and fly to Cairo for a short layover then re-board for a short flight to Luxor. (I'm secretly excited to see what kind of food Egypt Air serves!) Because our Nile River cruise boat will be ready upon our arrival in Luxor we will go ahead and board and try to get some rest for a fantastic first day of exploration on Tuesday. Copy and paste the link below to see more photos and a short YouTube video of the cruise boat we'll be using. 

http://uk.memphistours.com/Egypt/Nile-Cruise-Boats/Egypt-Nile-Cruises/MS-TuYa-Nile-Cruise/




Friday, March 16, 2012

Oinorama 2012

Today was the first of a four day wine tasting event being held in Athens. I must admit, I've never been to a bigger or more organized wine tasting....ever. There must have been 1000's of wines available and many very eager wine makers ready to assist. It was a fantastic day of learning and tasting. One of my favorite wineries, Palivou (pictured at left) had a fun new wine available for tasting that usually goes for around 100 Euro per bottle. It was made from three different varietals, two from 2005 and one from 2006. Delicious!

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Lost Internet

We've been without internet nice last Thursday night. The good news (or bad in our case) is that we haven't done anything too exciting over the past few days as we've been preparing our presentations for the upcoming trip to Egypt. We're about 5 days from departure and things are starting to come together. We've been receiving last minute itinerary changes, putting the final touches on our reports, creating handouts, getting "just in case" medicines from the pharmacy, etc. Thanks to my handy-dandy webcam I was able to sneak a photo of Rob working away at the Gennadious Library where his report materials are stored. 



Thursday, March 8, 2012

Museum Thursday

Today we had an in-house museum Thursday! Many of the Regular Members have been participating in a seminar that culminated today in an exhibition at the Gennadious library. Rob, myself, and many of our friends had an enjoyable time taking in the holdings of the American School archives.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Oinorama 2012


In the mail today Rob and I received our invitations to Greece's biggest and most important wine event of the year! This four day wine tasting event is set to feature thousands of wines from all over Greece. Unfortunately, we will be out of town for the final two days of the event but we intend to learn as much as possible in the two days that we will be able to attend. What fun!

PS- Note the spelling of my last name :)

Monday, March 5, 2012

A River on Aristodimou

There was a thunderstorm in Athens today and as you can see Aristodimou Street by the school turns into a river. It's actually quite a site and we'll  hear car tires spin as they attempt to go up the hill for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Victory Panathinaikos

Last night Rob and I were part of a group from the American School to get VIP tickets to a basketball game at one of the Olympic stadiums. We witnessed Panathinaikos (Athens) beat Paok (Thessaloniki). Although the game was entertaining, I must say that Greek concession stands stink! There were no hot dogs or nachos to be found anywhere so we settled for prepackaged turkey sandwiches. Eek.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Time for a New Do



After six months abroad without visiting a salon I decided it was time for a haircut. It was just in time for Spring, as the temps in Athens today reached about 65 degrees...it's about time!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Evia

On Wednesday I braved the cold weather and added another Greek island to my travels! I joined the Regular Members for their day trip to Evia, the second largest island after Crete, which is joined to the Mainland by a bridge. It was a great day filled with lots of interesting sites and fun people. Below, I am  posing for a self-portrait along the waterfront in Chalkida.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Museum Thursday

Museum Thursday took us to the National Archaeological Museum once again, but this time we were not in search of ancient Greek goods. Instead, we headed straight to the Egyptian Antiquities in preparation for our upcoming trip to Egypt!

The museum holds a nice collection of goods from the Old Kingdom of Egypt through the Roman period. The photo below shows a votive stela of Ramesuemsaetiupehsu for the deified Pharaoh Amenhotep I. It dates from the New Kingdom period during the reign of Ramesses II between 1290-1224 BC.

Rob and I are very excited about the opportunity to travel throughout Egypt. We will be traveling with 29 other people from the American School and plan to spend about 10 days total in the country. If you're interested in our itinerary, I'll post a draft below!

ASCSA Trip to Egypt, March 2012
                                                                                                             Night in:
March 18        Depart from Athens for Luxor via Cairo                            Luxor
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                

March 19        Temples of Luxor; Karnak Temple (Amon, Mut,
                        Khonsu).  West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Deir el Bahri
(Queen Hatshepsut’s complex), Colossi of Memnon         Boat

March 20        Sail on Nile; Esna Dam; Temple of Horus at Edfu             Boat

March 21        Sail on Nile; Temple of Sobek at Kom Ombo                     Boat

March 22        Arrive Aswan. Visit Temple of Isis at Philae,
                        Aswan Dam; Elephantine Island                                          Boat

March 23        Fly to Abu Simbel; visit Temple of Ramses II,
                        Nefertari.  Fly to Cairo                                                          Cairo
                                                                                                       

March 24        Egyptian Museum, Citadel/Chan el Halili                           Cairo

March 25        Dahsur, Memphis, Sakkara; Pyramids at Gizeh,
                        Solar Boat, Colossi of Ramses                                             Cairo

March 26        Bus to Alexandria                                                           Alexandria
                                                                                                        
March 27        Visit sites in Alexandria                                                        Cairo
Return to Cairo by bus ca. 5 pm                        

March 28        Bus to Cairo, depart for Athens                                          Athens/ASCSA