After a welcome day at sea, we
arrived for a 2-day stop at Alexandria. Egypt has a population of over 100 million, but remains very poor. It also
suffers from significant corruption so getting in and out of the port had its
challenges, not least a €30 ($AUD50+) for a 1km taxi journey from terminal to
gate. Wherever we went, we were followed by suited gentlemen with less than
subtle semi-automatics tucked under their jackets. An organised bus tour took
us to “Pompey’s pillar”, which is on the highest point of the city.
This was followed by a visit to the catacombs. These were fascinating but overrun with visitors. Some organisation of crowds (eg in and out routes and control of numbers entering) would have made the experience a little more pleasant. I was impressed by our driver’s ability to negotiate the traffic chaos and the undamaged bus was in stark contrast to almost every other vehicle.
We then headed to the Roman/Greek
museum which was brilliant. There were two standout displays. The first was a
range of Amphors (jars) which have two handles on the neck and a pointed base.
These held olive oil, wine, grains and the like and were used throughout the mediterranean
with each area having their own unique design.
A similarly fascinating display
were coins. The history of each was described with both sides easily viewed.
For our second day we had a
private tour as Kate and Alan were back from their very long day to the
pyramids. Our guide was excellent and took us first to the gardens in the east
of the city. A common sculpture was sleeping lions to encourage people to relax.
The garden includes a magnificent palace. The browns and
yellows of the building are a wonderful contrast to the blue sky and irrigated
green grass. Unfortunately, it is largely unused although there are plans to
open up some rooms for those who can afford it!
After a wonderful lunch
overlooking the harbour we walked across to the fort. This has been
refurbished. Large parts used stones built from one of the first ancient
wonders of the world - the lighthouse built in 280BC. This was increased in height over many
years and reached some 100 metres when it was destroyed by an earthquake and priorities changed from saving ships to fortifications.
We then started to cruise North
and stopped at Limassol in Cyprus. We took a trip into the hills and a small village that was focussed
on maintaining old traditions. We were greeted by bread making and each of us
had to undertake some kneading and making our own rolls. These were them baked
on outside ovens with the doors sealed with clay. Here Mum is assisted by her
two sons.
A second oven had been used for
our lunch including vegetables and some melt in the mouth goat meat. However,
while our bread baked we were whisked off to see the local village.
The church which served the population of 180 was unusual in
one aspect. The seats were specifically for leaning or sitting – there was no
kneeling. Not seen that before.
We also called into a see a local
dish being made from Rose water, flour and sugar. The mixture took many hours
of stirring before almonds individually strung in a long necklace were dipped,
coated and dried. Fortunately these were not ready so we did not spoil our
appetite for what was to come as we headed back to our bread, goat, salads,
dips etc etc!
It was a sumptuous lunch – I forget how many courses and
dishes we went through. As we headed back to the ship the thought of dinner had
very limited appeal.
We woke the next day to Rhodes (Greece) and had a trip which
started with a quick call into a ceramics shop. The speed of making this jar
was impressive. After using a wire to detach the pot from the wheel the
potter immediately cut it vertically so we could see how smooth it was inside (albeit then rendered completely useless!)
Of course we lost Helen in the shop and when eventually an appearance
was made – well the bag and pleased look said it all…
Our tour took us for a quick
viewing of the acropolis at Lindos. What a spectacular location. We had to view
from afar given time constraints as the walk was at least half an hour each way
not to mention exploration time.
Lunch beckoned. A more idyllic
location than the “Argo” restaurant would be hard to find. The
blues, whites, flowers and breeze were a heady atmosphere in which to enjoy
some homemade moussaka and Greek salad.
Mind you, conditions are not
always so benign. There was a picture outside of a storm in March 2005. Our table
was located on the left edge of this shot. I suspect our furniture was not the same as that in use in 2005 as the restaurant was lucky to survive, never mind the contents.
Rhodes is spectacular with the town woven into the
fabric of the castle with rounded stone (edge up) cobbled streets amongst huge
bastions and inner walls. It now mainly needs to manage (rather than repel) crowds
of tourists in the lower areas and noisy motor scooters in the upper areas.
The squares were designed with
hot summers in mind. The shade in the Jewish Martyrs square from interlocking manicured
Mediterranean Cyprus trees provided a very comfortable micro-climate.
Our fifth continuous port day (sea
days are something to look forward to) was at Bodrum (Turkiye) where some morning tea in a grassy
garden surrounded by chickens and cats was followed by some carpet making. The
wools are all died using local produce and hence the villages where each carpet
was made is known. Here the predominant colours ere various shades of brown.
These ladies use a double knot
and must memorise the pattern. Although they were very fast operators most
carpets take a least 6 months to make and in some cases several years.
We have more than enough Turkish carpets – but apparently Alan
did not and ended up ordering his own bespoke design.
We then headed to an olive oil factory. The variety of
flavours made choosing rather hard – so we left empty handed!
Out final stop was the auditorium. I wonder how many shows
have been held here?
The thought of a day at sea passing through the Dardanelles had particular appeal after this segment of activities!
