Day 1 - May 16, 2007: The Honeymoon has begun!
Jonathan and I flew out of the Tampa International Airport at 7:15am. We arrived at JFK International Airport around 10am...and proceeded to WAIT until our 5:30pm transfer to Rome. We spent most of the day reading science magazines (Discover, Scientific American, etc.) and trading synopses of the interesting articles we had read and discussing how we felt about the various issues (the issues ranged from: 3D imaging, ectopic pregnancies, space travel, math, and autism). Trust me, it was fun. It was non-stop Jonathan and Meredith time, and for the most part, it seemed as if we were the only ones in the airport! After 5 hours of this, we began to tire...We went to sleep at 12am the night before, only to wake up at 4am to get ready to leave...so needless to say, we needed some rest. We hunted for our gate and discovered that no one else was there, so we scooted 4 chairs together to make a little hut where we could stretch out completely. I think we got an hour of sleep this way. After that, I decided we should convert some US dollars into Euros...so we did. Since it was getting pretty close to the departure time, I checked (for the millionth time) to see if our gate changed, and finally, it did.
We walk to our gate and immediately see hoards of angry, impatient people (ah, don't you just love airports?). Apparently, ALL of the gates had been changed and flights were cancelled due to some really bad weather in the midwest area. Even worse? This front was slowly moving into New York. *dum-da-dum-dum* By the time we are all boarded on the plane to Rome, Jonathan and I both sit down and finally say to each other (pretty much at the same time), "Man, I was scared our flight was going to get cancelled!" The flight attendants did their little schpeel about what to do in case of an emergency, etc etc...and everything was going according to plan. But for some reason, we weren't taxi-ing to the runway...Our captain eventually comes on over the loud speaker and tells us that a passenger had to leave due to an illness and that the airline was trying to locate his checked luggage in the bottom of the plane since it's illegal/unsafe to fly with someone's luggage without the person on the plane. CRAP! After what seems like forever, they finally find his luggage! YAY! So we await our taxi to the runway -btw, I'm like falling asleep at this point. I wake up an HOUR later to find out that we never took off...duh...While we were waiting for the luggage to be found, the front FINALLY moved into New York and they temporarily cancelled all flights! This didn't really bother Jonathan and I since we were too exhausted to really care; we slept for most of the time we waited on the plane. Two hours later, our plane takes off! This was Jonathan's first over-seas flight (it was 8 hours to Rome), but since it was a red-eye flight...it wasn't bad at all! We watched "Music & Lyrics" and got the song "Pop, Goes My Heart!" stuck in our head and then slept for most of the flight. (BTW, we had the most delicious plane food ever- it was spinach and basil ravioli, and it was seriously the best tasting stuff ever!)
Day 2 - May 17, 2007: "When in Rome!"
We landed in Rome at 9:45am (3:45am back home!) on May 17th, so we actually ended up losing a few hours from the previous day. Shortly after landing we went through customs, and were greeted by our tour guide, Irene. Irene took us to our car which was right outside the airport and we began our 8-hour tour of Rome. We drove through a gate through the ancient wall that still surrounds Rome, and Irene explained to us the street system in Rome- "all roads lead to Rome!" Our first stop was the Basilica di St. Paolo, which, since it was our first chance to view the ancient Roman architecture- was AMAZING! After this, we took a tour of the Catacombs, which is a giant underground cemetary where Christians were buried and where they would carry out secret masses (back when it was illegal to be Christian). Our next stop, which woke both Jonathan and I up (jet lag is the worst!), was the ancient Roman aqueduct....This was so cool to actually SEE after learning about it in school for so many years! Next we peeked through the keyhole in the door to the Knights of Malta Priory on the Aventine Hill, and saw a unique framed view of the dome of St. Peter's which was described in The Da Vinci Code- perfectly centered through the hole is the top of St. Peter's Basilica in the distance (apparently, this happened by accident!).
Since Jonathan and I were completely exhausted, Irene decided to take us to lunch at Antico Forno Marucci Ristorante to freshen up and rest for a bit. We ordered lasagna in a white wine/garlic sauce, and a canoli with tomato and basil sauce. Both were delicious, but the lasagna was OUT OF THIS WORLD! After lunch, which, by the way definitely helped wake us up!- Irene took us to where "Roman Holiday" was filmed (with Audrey Hepburn) where we saw people standing in line to stick their hand in The world's first lie detector, La boca della verita (“The mouth of truth”) in Rome. Stick your hand in legend has it, and if you are lying you will be bitten. Apparently monks put scorpions in there many centuries ago.
During the drive we continued to see multiple ancient ruins, castles, obelisks, statues, and columns. Next was a visit to Piazza Navona and Piazza del Campidoglio, the latter was designed by Michelangelo so that you are unable to see opposite parallel perspectives. In the center there is a statue of Marcus Aurelius on a horse. Piazza Campidoglio is also a common place where Italians get married- our tour guide took a picture of Jonathan and I pointing to "our names" of the most recent couples married there as a joke haha...After this we drove to Piazza Venezia which has a Victor Emmanuel Monument (on a horse). Interestingly, when they first opened this Piazza all of the important political figures of the time ate dinner in the horse's stomach! Across the street from this monument is the window where Benito Mussolini made his famous speech which was also pretty historically interesting to see in person. Across the street from this window there was a lot of construction; Irene told us that it was because they were extending the Metro to this location. However, they started this construction almost a year ago! This is pretty common in Rome since whenever they begin digging, they almost always find some ancient ruin which leads to them calling the proper archeological authorities in order to excavate the area to figure out if they should continue with the original construction! Often times, they don't!
After this, we drove to a high point so that we could view the entire Roman Forum and take pictures. This was BEAUTIFUL and our first taste of true, ancient Rome! I couldn't believe that the Coloseum was just in the distance! We learn about these things for so long in school, but when it's right in front of you- you have to pinch yourself! When we got in the car again, our tour guide drove us to the Coloseum (where we didn't have to wait in the LONG line for tickets!). This was incredible! It was so big, and the detail that is still on every stone is amazing! We learned that the ground level of the Coloseum is now worn away completely, so when you look down, you see the secret passageways that were available to gladiators, etc. We also learned about their common ship battles where they filled up the entire Coloseum with water (via their aquedcuts!) and then battled to the death. Also, I always assumed that the Coloseum was worn away due to time, but in actuality, after the Church became prominent in Rome, the Pope ordered that all of the gold and other materials used to build the Coloseum be taken out and transferred to his church and home. If this never happened, it would be in MUCH better condition...which I can't even imagine since what is left, is already so well preserved!
After the Coloseum we drove to the Pantheon, another famous site where I felt like I had to pinch myself! We saw the famous ocula and learned that due to the pressure inside, little rain gets inside the building. Irene then drove us to the Peoples' Square which is a site where local Romans go to celebrate holidays, such as New Years Eve. Fountains and statues surround the square. The last few sites on our tour included the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and ended with us driving to a hilltop where we could get panaramic views of the city. The Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps had so many people there it was difficult to squeeze in and get a picture! Both were amazing, but the Trevi Fountain is a personal favorite of ours! On our way back to the car, we bought a drawing of the Coloseum, Pantheon and Spanish Steps as a souvenir.
After all of the flying and sight-seeing...we FINALLY checked into our honeymoon suite at Hotel Dorica around 8pm. We had fresh flowers on our bed and a bottle of Sovini Cabernet waiting for us! We took a shower and collapsed in bed as soon as we were finished. THIS WAS A VERY LONG, BUSY DAY!!! (But well worth it!)
Day 3 - May 18, 2007: Exploring Vatican City
We slept in until 8am and then went down for breakfast- Italian coffee is not so hot, by the way. After eating, we went back to our room to finish getting ready and to grab the all important camera. Then we went out to explore downtown Rome by ourselves! We exchanged some U.S. dollars into Euros ($1 ~ 1.5€) and walked around/window shopped for a bit. We went back to our room for a quick nap, and at 12:30pm our taxi picked us up for our tour of Vatican City.
We met our tour guide (Marta) who had already been standing in line to get into the Vatican Museum for an hour and a half for us (since it was closed the day before, the line was longer than usual and wrapped around the corners of the Vatican wall!). We were lucky enough to jump in line with her and in ten minutes, we were buying our tickets! After going through security, we started the climb up the spiral ramp which leads to the beginning of the museum. At the top we entered the Cortile ottagonale (Octagon Courtyard) and saw Grecian and Roman statues and other baroque art. Everything was so completely ornate, even if it was a small room...it took forever to go to the next simply because each beautiful piece of artwork or craftmanship deserved its own minute of viewing! This held true the entire day! It was amazing! We learned that whenever that is "movement" in a statue it hints that it is baroque. After this was the Chiaramonti museum which has a beautiful ancient tile moasic floor...In the center of the room is a granite bath tub which belonged to the emperor Nero who set fire to the city of Rome. This room eventually lead back outside into the Cortile della Pigna (Courtyard of the Pinecone), named because there is a giant, bronze pinecone statue overlooking the courtyard. In this courtyard we sat with Marta where she began explaining the background of Vatican City, Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and (generally) the Italian Rennasance and Medieval time periods with respect to the Catholic church and art. From here we went back into the museum...we saw the Gallery of Maps which had tile mosaic maps of the different sections of Italy which were created thousands of years ago, and interestingly, are remarkably accurate. We also walked through the Gallery of Tapestries which has large tapestries (that look like frescoes on a wall) on both sides of a small corridor: The tapestries on the left have to do with the famous stories of Jesus and on the right, there are tapestries depicting stories of the most famous Popes of the past. There were many more rooms-- with more Grecian and Roman sculptures with frescoes covering the walls and ceilings of the galleries! We saw foot prints engraved in marble that was used as a "welcome mat" into a thermal spa in ancient Rome- it basically told guests to take off their sandals before entering, which was interesting to see! We also saw a tile mosaic image of a variety of foods that was used in ancient Rome as a menu for a restaurant - people would point to the pictures of the foods they wanted to order (fish, chicken, asparagus, dates, etc.)! However, ancient Rome did not have pasta or pizza-- pasta came when they began trading with China, while bread and tomatoes came from America at a later period. The Gallery of Candelabra was next which continued with more amazing frescoes. Then, it was time to enter the Sistine Chapel...We learned a lot about this room from Marta while in the Cortile della Pigna from earlier in the day (it is considered rude to speak in the Sistine Chapel, hence, why she gave us information beforehand). One interesting note has to do with The Last Judgment which is pictured on the wall that we entered the chapel from. In the bottom right hand corner of the wall, there is a man with donkey ears (it was BAD to be associated with a donkey in ancient Rome!) who has a serpent wrapped around his body and is eating his penis. This man was Biagio da Cesena, who was a cardinal who was strongly against the nudity in The Last Judgment; apparently this was Michelangelo's way of getting back at him! (Just so you know, The Last Judgment was eventually changed after Michelangelo died- all of the body parts are now covered.) Also, Michelangelo's self portrait is revealed in the skin held by martyr Bartholomew who is to the right, just below Jesus...
After the Sistine Chapel, we walked back outside and saw another HUGE line of people who were waiting to see the tomb of Pope John Paul II. We decided to stop in a shop where we bought a hand painted cross for us and a gold cross for Meredith's grandma. We continued walking until we found the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica. Now, I have to admit, we were expecting this to be pretty cool to look at and be inside of...but it was SO much more than that. It was honestly one of the most beautiful, amazing things I have EVER seen in my LIFE! Jonathan and I were both awestruck by the beauty of the sun pouring into the room....it was just amazing. Aside from the amazing statues and architecture, we also saw the "Pieta" ("Mercy") statue which was designed by Michelangelo and depicts Mary holding her dying son. However, it is now behind a glass wall (since the 1970s) when someone tried to destroy the statue (luckily, they were unsuccessful). Sadly, Marta told us ever since that first attempt, a few crazy tourists still try to destroy it every once in a while- the most recent attack happened two days prior to our arrival. After walking around St. Peter's Basilica, we headed outside to see the Swiss Guards standing outside of the entrance to the Pope's home. (I asked Marta how Rome felt about the new Pope, and she said, "We like John Paul II so much better!" I told her that the rest of the world probably agreed!) After taking a few pictures in front of the Basilica, Marta gave us directions to the nearest Metro station and we went our separate ways. Ironically, this was our first time EVER being on a subway. We had no problem walking around Rome and finding our way back to our hotel...When we got to our room, we uploaded all of our pictures from the day and relaxed until dinner time.
For dinner, we decided to go to a quaint little restaurant that we saw as we were walking back from the Metro. It was called "That's Amore," which we found to be appropriate since we are, afterall, on our honeymoon! I ordered the chef's special (pasta with pepperoni and zucchini- YUM!) while Jonathan ordered margherita pizza since we couldn't leave Rome without getting a slice! Afterward, we stopped across the street for some famous Italian gelato (Meredith got chocolate and Jonathan ordered tiramisu flavor, which were both DELICIOUS!) and then we retired for the evening.
Day 4 - May 19, 2007: Bon Voyage in Civitavecchia!
Jonathan and I woke up late and went down for breakfast again this morning. Instead of coffee, I ordered the cappucino this time --which was MUCH, MUCH better! We went back to our room afterward to finish getting ready and then hit downtown Rome again for some sight-seeing by ourselves. We checked out of our hotel at 11am and were picked up by our ground transportation to Civitavecchia an hour later. It took around an hour and a half to get to the Civitavecchia port which is way out in the middle of nowhere. During our drive to the port, we passed several little houses, restaurants, fields of sunflowers, vineyards, herds of sheep and a field with wild horses. The countryside was beautiful! Once we reached the port, we turned in our luggage, got our room keys, boarded the ship and went to lunch in the Windjammer Cafe! Afterward, we went back to our stateroom to look over the nightly events. Shortly after that we attended the mandatory, emergency drill with our life jackets and then went back to our room to unpack! We explored the ship, went into some of the shops and then went to the first show of the cruise and saw some acrobats and comedians. The main difference between this cruise and other Caribbean cruises that we've been on is the landscape (Caribbean cruises are flat with only ocean to the horizon, where this cruise has mountains, hills and small islands in the distance). We continued walking around the ship until we went to the dining room at 9pm where we had one of the most amazing dinners- (Meredith- herb crusted fish, Jonathan- shrimp ravioli) and we ended it with Sarivan (cake soaked in rum with banana cream, figs, and berries) and apple pie a la mode! Then we went back to our room where we hit the hay a little early so we could be well rested for the following day!
Day 5 - May 20, 2007: Day in the Mediterannean Sea!
Jonathan and I were greeted by breakfast in bed this morning around 9am...we ate in bed and looked out at the beautiful Mediterannean Sea view with the waves and small islands floating by (we were sailing through the Strait of Messina). So far this cruise has been surprisingly calm- we rarely notice that we're even on a boat! As of today we've travelled 375 nautical miles. When we were done with breakfast we went to the top deck where we got some sun, went swimming in the solarium (a covered, Roman style thermal bath), and hit the hot tub. Afterward we walked around and saw people climbing the rock wall and playing mini-golf-- two things we must do before the end of our trip! As we were laying outside today, I told Jonathan that I couldn't believe that our honeymoon has just begun-- we still have 12 days and yet it feels like we've been here forever! This is definitely the most amazing vacation we've EVER been on! After swimming, we went back to our room to shower and get dressed. We visited some of the shops on the ship and watched a lecture on what to buy in Mykonos, Greece.We relaxed for pretty much the rest of the day, which was a nice change!
Day 6 - May 21, 2007: Mykonos, Greece!
Today we got up, caught the early bird breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe and then went down to the Purser's desk to get our tender number (to go on shore). We anchored in Mykonos, Greece around 1pm; luckily we were on tender #2 so we didn't have to wait long to go on shore. Mykonos is a beautiful little island (~85 square miles in size), 94 nautical miles from Athens and is in the the Cyclades island group. It is characterized by their famous white buildings and churches built into the coast with contrasting blue sky and blue waters. We were lucky enough to be here on an absolutely beautiful day- sunny/partly cloudy and 78 degrees F. We checked out some of their local shops (they are known for their opal jewelry and greek key jewelry designs) and walked up and down the narrow streets taking pictures. We walked to the Paraportiani which is the island's most famous church-- it, again, is whitewashed and consists of four chapels. We went inside, looked at their hand painted icons and lit a candle. Its unique architecture is offset by its position on a promontory overlooking the Mediterannean Sea. After this, we walked along their famous pebbled beach, saw giant white pelicans begging for food and took pictures on a giant rock overlooking the sea. BEAUTIFUL! We continued the walk uphill where we visited the most famous Mykonos landmark- the windmills (which is located in a district known as "Little Venice" or Alefkandhra). Little Venice is full of trendy art galeries, high arcaded Venetian houses built right up to the waters edge, and restaurants. While in Little Venice we bought a few more souvenirs: a 12x18 photo of Mykonos, three Mykonos photo cards, four bars of organic olive oil soaps, and two decks of Mykonos cards. When we were done exploring the island, we boarded the tender, went back to our room and ordered a late lunch via room service! We watched "Happy Feet," and then played ping pong at sunset. The night ended after we went to the dancing under the stars party and midnight buffet where we ate, danced, and learned how to make ice sculptures!
Day 7 - May 22, 2007: Kusadasi and Ephesus, Turkey!
We woke up this morning and prepared for our first shore excursion in Turkey: a four hour tour of the Temple of Artemis, St. John's Basilica & House of Virgin Mary. We boarded the bus and met our tour guide (his name was Volkan, which means "volcano" in Turkish) and began our climb up the mountain as he lectured us on facts and information about Turkey. Ephesus is the most ancient city in the world, founded in 3000 B.C., it houses one of the best collections of remains dating from Roman and early Christian times. It was the second largest city of the Roman Empire and also thought to be the site of the Christian Shrine and is where St. Paul once preached. Kusadasi (koosh-uh-dassi) has a population of 50,000, while Turkey has a population of approximately 65,500,000 (Turkey is slightly larger than Texas). Our first stop was the House of Virgin Mary-- Tradition states that Virgin Mary accompanied by St. John (John the Apostle) came to Ephesus at the end of her life. In 1967 Pope VI claimed the site authentic and each year a traditional service celebrated by the religious clergy honors Mary's assumption into heaven. We drove into the mountains (the house is on the top of a hill), and saw olive trees, horses, and farms along the way. Once we reached our destination we were given ear pieces and radios which our tour guide spoke into to give us information about the site. We stood in line to walk through the old,stone house...candles were the only light inside while nuns guided the tour through the house and back outside. Inside the tiny house is a shrine with a statue of Mary, which was found when the ruins of the house were discovered. In front of the house there were fountains with holy water...The first fountain represented health, the second love, and the third wealth. Sadly, the third fountain was the busiest. Jonathan and I filled up our terra cotta pots given to us by our tour guide- we went for the health and the love fountains. Afterward, we walked along a stone wall that had notes, pieces of cloth, and tissues tied to it with various prayers for the Virgin Mary (left by visitors). Before we boarded our bus again, we bought a few souvenirs-- a glass jar of holy water, two silver charms of the Virgin Mary, and a wooden beaded rosary. Our next stop was St. John's Basilica which was on the bottom of the mountain. St. John's Basilica was built on a 2nd century tomb thought to hold the remains of St. John. We viewed various columns, baptismal pools, worship and funeral areas, including St. John's burial site. The remains were very reminiscent of the architecture we viewed in Rome...the site was absolutely beautiful with views of mountains, farms, and the city centre of Ephesus. Since the basilica is directly on a fault line, a number of earthquakes in Turkey eventually led to its destruction- The early Christians did not have enough money to maintain the site. The site also overlooked an ancient mosque which was interestingly named, "Lord Jesus Christ Mosque." We also saw what was left of the Temple of Artemis, which was built in honor of the Greek Goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility. The building site was chosen based on where a meteor had hit the town of Ephesus thousands of years ago. What is left of this temple is deemed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world- it is nearly four times as big as the Parthenon in Greece, and served as a market place, religious institution and the world's first bank. We boarded the bus to go back to Kusadasi where our tour guide made one last stop at a Turkish rug store. We learned all about the art of weaving Turkish rugs: some take as long as six years to complete! When the end threads of the rug are free, it means the rug maker is not yet married. When the ends of the rug are braided, it means she is married. Lastly, when the braided strands are tied together, it means she is a mother. Turkey is a mainly muslim country where arranged marriages are still common, so, when a girl is interested in a man, she will make a rug and show it to her mother. The mother will then show the father and the father will see if he approves of the boy. If he does approve of the boy, he gives the rug as a gift to the boy and his family (showing that if he were to ask for permission to marry his daughter, we would approve). After viewing and feeling the beautiful wool and silk hand-made rugs, we left the store to do some other souvenir shopping. We bought a beautiful hand woven shawl, a Prada bag and a Dolce & Gabbana bag (both for $125!). Then we went through security and boarded our ship again where we went up to the Windjammer for lunch. Turkey was so much fun- one of my favorite ports! After lunch we went back to our room where we relaxed for a bit and watched "Deja Vu" before catching dinner and the comedy/juggling show at the "That's Entertainment Theater." We played some ping pong afterward (we keep telling ourselves we'll get better!!!) and then retired for the night.
Day 8 - May 23, 2007: Rhodes, Greece!
Jonathan and I slept in until 9am, and then hopped off the ship to explore Rhodes, Greece by ourselves. Rhodes has beautiful beaches, jagged cliffs, lush mountaintops and a Medieval flavor. It is comparatively closer to mainland Turkey than Greece and is approximately 540 square miles-- making it the fourth largest Greek island. It is found in the southeastern Aegean Sea just off the southwestern coast of Turkey and is part of the Dodecanese group. The population of Rhodes is approximately 100,000 people with 45,000 inhabitants in Rhodes Town and the remaining 55,000 living in the 43 villages of the island. Greek is the spoken language throughout Greece...The language is probably the oldest in Europe with a 4000 year old tradition and a 3000 year old written tradition. The town of Rhodes is divided into two districts- The New Town to the north and west, and the Old Town, surrounded by medieval fortress walls. Almost everything of interest in Rhodes Town lies within these walls and its network of pedestrian streets and ancient alleyway is home to a host of souvenir shops, gold smiths and cafes. Since our ship was the largest in the port, we had to anchor farther away, which meant a long walk for us to see any of the ruins/famous sites. It was very, very hot and humid in Rhodes...We walked a mile or two to get to the Gate of St. Paul (an opening in the medieval fortress wall) where we took some beautiful pictures overlooking the Aegean Sea. Then we walked up the road to the Mandraki Harbor where we saw the site where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world)! Today, two pillars mark where each foot of Colossus stood. It is thought that the Greeks erected the Colossus of Rhodes...two thousand years later, the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem fortified the city, protecting its inhabitants from Turkish invaders. The Colossus was built to commemorate the victory of the island after the unsuccessful one year siege imposed by Demetrios. The monument, in honor of the sun god Helios, was made of bronze, was 30 meters high and took 12 years to complete. The monument was toppled by an earthquate in 227 BC after standing for 56 years at the harbor entrance. The remains were moved by the Saracens 800 years later to Asia Minor where they were eventually lost. Afterward, we visited the St. Nicholas Fort and Lighthouse which was a medieval fort that overlooked the Mandraki Harbor and Aegean Sea. Inside the fort we found marble and bronze cannon balls used for protection thousands of years ago. When we were finished, we turned around and browsed little shops that sold sponges, shells, and hand woven tapestries. After a long walk back to the ship (it was so hot!) we went to the Windjammer to catch some lunch and then went down to the internet cafe at Latte-tudes (the coffee shop onboard) to check/send e-mail. We relaxed for the rest of the time in our stateroom. At 7pm, we went down to catch a magic show and afterward we joined the Crown and Anchor Society for the Welcome Back Party for Platinum Members where we had drinks, champagne, and horsdeurves.
Day 9 - May 24, 2007: Limassol, Cyprus!
This morning we awoke in Limassol, Cyprus and gathered together in the theatre with our tour group. Cyprus is situated in the northeastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. The island is the third largest in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia with an area of approximately 3572 square miles. The currency in Cyprus is the Cyprus pound, however, by 2008 the new currency will be switched over to the Euro. With 9000 years of history, the island has a wealth of fascinating sites and incomparable natural beauty with mountains and cliffs that drop into the turquoise sea. Cypriot cuisine is a combination of Mediterranean flavors with Middle Eastern influences, and while we didn't stop to eat here, the food smelled delicious! Now a little background information on Cyprus: Due to the strategic location of the island, there have been numerous occupations dating back over 9000 years. The Persians, Egyptians, Athenians and Alexander the Great all laid claim to the Cyprus territory during the ancient period. Archeological finds along the north and south coasts of the island establish settlements during the Neolithic Age around 7000 B.C. Since 1974, the island is divided with the Greek Cypriot Government in the south and a Turkish Cypriot community in the north. Cyprus entered the European Union in 2004 making it the last remaining divided capital in Europe.
We boarded the bus with our tour guide Maria for a 4.5 hour tour of Cyprus including a tour of the Kourion stadium, Temple of Apollo and the Omodos Village. We began with a scenic drive through the vineyards and orchards of the Phassouri citrus groves to Kolossi Castle built by Crusaders in the 13th century. Then we continued until we arrived at the ancient ruins of Kourion to explore the impressive Greco-Roman site. We viewed the large theater stadium built in the 2nd century B.C. which is still used for performances. From here we had perfect views of the sea below! We also saw the remains of the Roman baths and mosaics. Next we drove to the Temple of Apollo. Apollo was considered the protector of Kourion and the sanctuary is the largest and one of the most important religious centers on Cyprus (Apollo is the Greek God of music and fertility). Afterward, we travelled to the Omodos village which is considered one of the most picturesque in Cyprus. We visited the Monastery of the Holy Cross (a Greek Orthodox Church) and saw their wood carvings and iconography lining the altar. After the church, Jonathan and I separated from our tour group and strolled the narrow streets. We browsed the shops famous for handmade pieces of traditional stained glass and eventually decided on and bought a handmade glass dish...it's BEAUTIFUL! After a 45 minute drive back to port, we boarded the ship and went back to our room to freshen up. Around dinner time we went up to the top deck to eat by the pool...Afterward we caught the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers perform a production entitled "Swing City." We drank a few cocktails in the Schooner Bar and then went up to the 11th floor where we got a few more drinks at the Viking Crown Lounge. At midnight we went to the dessert buffet in the Romeo & Juliet dining room and then went back to our room to eat by the moonlight.
Day 10 - May 25, 2007: AT SEA!
Today was a BIG relaxing day which we've needed after all of our exhausting sight-seeing! We mostly spent the day sleeping in... We played (and lost) bingo, but had fun doing so --which I guess is the point! Had some drinks by the pool...browsed the stores on the ship, etc...We eventually went back to our room and watched a few movies ("Hollywoodland," and "Catch and Release")...and that's pretty much it! It was like a REAL vacation where we did nothing! It was great! :)
Day 11 - May 26, 2007: Alexandria, Cairo and Memphis, Egypt
When we awoke this morning, it was like we were two little kids on Christmas morning! We spent all of yesterday saying, "Do you believe that at this time tomorrow we will be on our way to the pyramids/have seen the pyramids/driving away from the pyramids" all day long hehe! Needless to say, this was a very exciting port for us to visit! At 8am we started our 12.5 hour tour of Alexandria, Cairo and Memphis which was entitled "Cairo Pyramids and Tombs." Egypt is a mainly Islamic country- 85% are muslim while 15% are Christian. While it is not compulsary for women to be completely covered, most women we saw wore trendy shawls covering their hair which matched the rest of their outfit (usually a similar colored long sleeve shirt, and jeans or a long jean skirt). We only saw one women completely covered- she wore all black, black gloves, her face was covered (except for her eyes), however, she worse a sheer black shawl on top of her head as well to cover as much of her eyes as possible. Our tourguide explained that most people are "peer pressured" into covering at least their hair simply because it is the "thing to do" in this part of the world. While Islam is in their life, it did not seem to dominate their way of life completely. We departed Alexandria on our bus with our tourguide Minas who was absolutely amazing- very fun and informative at the same time! Alexandria was built by the Greek architect Dinocrates (332-331 BC) on the site of an old village, Rhakotis, at the orders of Alexander the Great (hence, the name). Ancient Alexandria was the site of the Lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, as well as the Great Library -another wonder of the ancient world. Alexandria lays northwest of the Nile delta and stretches along a narrow land strip between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Maryut (a salt water lake).
After learning about Alexandria, we headed to Cairo (Africa's largest city) which took about 2.5 hours. Cairo itself was founded in 969 by the Fatimid general Jauhar Al Rumi to replace nearby Al Qatai as the capital of Egypt. In the 12th century, Saladin ended Fatimid rule and established the Ayyubite dynasty from 1171 to 1250. To defend the city against Crusaders, Saladin erected the citadel (which still stands) and added many buildings of artistic merit, but the city declined after it was conquered in 1517 by the Ottoman Empire. In 1798 Cairo was captured by Napoleon Bonaparte's forces. British and Turkish forces ousted the French in 1801, and Cairo was returned to Ottoman control. Under Muhammad Ali's ruling from 1805 to 1849, it became the capital of a virtually independent country and grew in commercial importance. Today, Cairo is one of the largest communities in the world with 18 million inhabitants --approximately 1 million people are added to the population each year.
Once we arrived in Cairo, we immediately headed to the Giza Plateau where the only remaining wonder of the ancient world still stands!!! It was very surreal to be driving for such a long time and then look out the window to see a few pyramids peeking out between hotels, gas stations and other ordinary buildings! There is also a definite split in Cairo where the Giza Plateau starts and ends- there is an invisible line where the "green" city of Cairo lies where people grow crops like cotton and apricots, etc. and where the pyramids are which is very much a dessert- the exact opposite of where crops are grown! Very strange! So we proceeded to the plateau, when we got off the bus at the bottom of the pyramids, Jonathan and I were in awe...we stood there for a few minutes (probably looking like the idiot tourists we were!), but it just required a silent stare for a few minutes...we couldn't believe we were actually there!!! Of course, it was at this time when we were taken advantage of by the Egyptians trying to sell us souvenirs- they came up to us and started putting things in our hands and putting Arabian head wraps on us to help block the sun. It all happened so quickly and we were already in an amazing mood, that we just went with it when ordinarily we probably wouldn't have. We ended up getting two head wraps, twenty postcards, three statues of the Giza pyramids and many wishes of "a happy marriage with many babies!" Afterward, we took dozens of pictures at the base of Cephren's Pyramid and explored on our own. We also saw the Pyramid of Cheops which is the oldest and largest pyramid on the Giza Plateau- it contains an estimated 2.3 milllion blocks averaging 2.5 tons. Lastly, we saw the Mycerinus pyramid which is southwest of the two larger pyramids. A little background information on pyramids: as we all know, pyramids were built as musoleums to show the ancient Egyptians' belief in eternal life. They contained the Pharaoh's tomb, but were also storage places for treasures of solar barques (boats for transport in the afterlife). It seemed as if everyone was in a good mood there...it was like everyones dream was coming true and they were more than willing to help everyone get pictures together, etc. It was a strange and beautiful ambiance at the foot of the pyramids...everyone was so nice...it was just amazing- everyone should see the pyramids at some point.
We eventually boarded our bus again and drove down the valley to visit the guardian of the mortuary complex, the mysterious Sphinx. The Sphinx was carved almost entirely from one tremendous piece of limestone and is about 165 feet long and 73 high. Legend has it that it was engulfed by sand and hidden completely for years until the sun god Ra appeared to the man who later became Tuthmosis IV and offered him the crown of Egypt if he would free the Sphinx. We learned that a "sphinx" has a head of a male human and body of a lion, while a "sphing" has a head of a female human and a body of a lion-- both represent strength and power (lion) and intelligence/wisdom (human). We stood in line forever in the hot sun to be able to stand on top of a cliff directly overlooking the Sphinx to get pictures-- it was amazing!
After this, we made our way to the Mena House Oberi, a five star hotel in downtown Cairo for our lunch. (While we were driving we heard a bell ring in a town square which our tourguide explained was a sign that it was time to pray.) This hotel was absolutely magnificent- we're talking huge crystal chandeliers in the dining room and people to turn the sink on for you in the bathroom! It was beautiful and it was nice to have a rest after being in the sun all day! We listened to some traditional Egyptian music while we ate lunch and sipped on glasses of fresh red wine. Delicious! We also learned that most Egyptians skip breakfast and tend to have a late lunch (usually 4pm). Stores and restaurants are normally open 24 hours/day, and natives tend to eat dinner around 10-11pm.
After lunch, we headed through rural areas to get to Saqqara, the Valley Temple and the Great South Court. We took a short drive to one of the oldest, ancient cemetaries of Saqqara and viewed the world's first pyramid, the step pyramid of King Zoser, built by the famous engineer Imhotep. Again, amazing! How could something over 4000 years old not be incredible?! We got some really great shots here. Afterward we visited one of the Mastabas (funeral chambers) near by and saw the Ka Jmni tomb. here we were able to walk inside and see all of the ornate carvings on the wall. The drawings generally depicted daily life- obtaining water from the Nile, hunting, etc. This tomb was so well preserved because it was buried in sand and only discovered a decade ago. In some of the rooms we also able to see the dyes that they used to color the drawings- for example, their red skin, and black ducks, etc. This was one of the main highlights of our trip!
We saw a lot of poverty on the way there...lots of pollution as well. Our tourguide explained how ancient Egyptians worshipped the Nile River God and gave thanks for the flow of water that supplied all life in Egypt. Today, there are tons (literally) of garbage lining all of the run off canals from the Nile...it was very impressive and very depressing to see people throwing their garbage into their supply of water...in some parts, the brick wall that lined the canal seemed to be moving- the movement was the dozens of rats in the canal trying to get to the garbage. We also saw a few dead donkeys in the canal. Next to all of this, we saw women washing their clothes, men bathing and fishing for food, kids swimming and playing and animals going to the bathroom in it.
After Saqqara, we boarded our bus again, this time heading south to Egypt's first capital: Memphis. Here we explored the ruins of the Temple of Ptah and saw the colossal statue ot King Ramses II. Here we also saw the Alabaster Sphinx of King Amenhopis II, which is a smaller version of the Sphinx we all know. Afterward, our tour guide took us to The Papyrus Institute of Cairo where we learned about the process of making papyrus. We decided to order an Egyptian kartoushe- which is a pendant with your name in hieroglyphics that you wear on a necklace and also a piece of artwork on a sheet of papyrus. We did some sightseeing by ourselves and browsed some of the souvenir and fruit stands before boarding the bus again.
With that said, we didn't really "like" BEING in Egypt. We were there for about 12 hours, which was the perfect amount of time to see everything that needed to be seen, and if we had the choice, we wouldn't have stayed a minute longer! Our tour guide told us that all taxis are required (by law) to have meters in their cars, however...none of them work! You could be charged hundreds of USD/Euros for a 1 minute drive! Or sometimes they'll say it's a dollar to drive to the pyramids, but they don't tell you the exit cost which could be $100! This is the same way with camel rides, however, sometimes Egyptians will lead you into the desert in the middle of nowhere and leave you stranded! We talked to another tourist who said they were unable to leave the Sphinx exhibit because there was an Egyptian peddler telling them that they had to pay him in order to pass through the gates to get to the bus...Since she had no money (she left her belongings on the bus) she started crying- a Hungarian tourist eventually paid the way for everyone in the group so they wouldn't be left behind! We also saw a few fights break out between peddlers- I'm assuming because one of them "stole" a customer from them by giving them a better price. While we were on the cliff overlooking the three pyramids of Giza we kept trying to have our picture taken, but peddlers would step in next to us or in front of us and then try to get us to pay for them being in the picture! We had to have a police escort at all times, and we saw a few tour buses off the side of the road (that looked like they had been there for a while) with all of the windows broken out. Also, while they have traffic lights, our tourguide explained that they're more like a decoration than anything else! The sales people were the most persistent, hands-all-over-you type of people and it was a little unsettling, worse than anything I've ever experienced...Like I said, we had the perfect trip to Egypt, but we don't recommend anyone ever staying there which was why a cruise to this port was perfect for us.
Day 12 - May 27, 2007: AT SEA!
Today we did more relaxing around the ship! We started off by playing a nine-hole round of miniature golf outside. Afterward, we laid on the top deck overlooking the extraordinarily calm Mediterannean Sea. It was so calm, the water looked like glass! So, I decided today would be the best day for me to climb the rock wall (which is located at the back of the ship on the top deck). Since today was an "at sea" day, there were, of course tons of people in line waiting to try their hand at the rock wall. Luckily, waiting went by pretty quickly...I got my climbing shoes, helmet and gear on and before I knew it, I was 125 feet up from the surface of the water- the view was gorgeous! Apparently I was pretty good too because when I swung back down to the ground, everyone was congratulating me and telling me that I went so much faster than the "first-time" people. Anyway, it was fun and now my life is complete! hehe Later in the night we went to the "That's Entertainment Theater" to watch a Russian pianist perform...we sipped on some drinks and then we grabbed a bite to eat before heading to bed. Athens is tomorrow!!!
Day 13 - May 28, 2007: Athens, Greece!
This morning we docked at the port of Piraeus, Greece which is the port of Athens (both ancient and modern times). Throughout history Athens has been one of the most important and influential cities of the western world. The peak of this civilization ocurred during the 70 year Golden Age in the fifth century BC. It was during this period that great strives were made in architecture, literature, math, science, philosophy and medicine. History gave witness to some of the most celebrated men of our time including Sophocles, Euripides, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Despite its vast history, the Athens of the 20th century is a bustling modern city with overcrowded streets and traffic jams. There are approximately 10 million people living in all of Greece with about 4 million people living in the city of Athens alone (around 165 square miles)! Since the streets are so congested, cars with license plates that end in odd numbers are allowed to drive every other day, while license plates ending in even numbers are allowed to drive on the days in between. The city has been criticized for lack of overall planning during an enormous population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries,
We met with our tour guide (Yaysa) and immediately boarded our bus to begin the short drive to Athens. Upon reaching Athens we saw some of the famous sites such as the Temple of Zeus, The National Gardens (adjacent to Syntagma Square), Hadrian's Arch, The National Library, The Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office, the President's house (with the Greek guard standing outside wearing pom-pom clogs, short pleated skirts called a "foustanela," and pony tail tasselled hats), and the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our first stop was at the first modern Olympic Stadium (built in 1895) where we took some pictures and viewed the stadium that can hold approximately 69000 people. Our tour then headed to the crowning glory of Athens- The Parthenon (which attracts over 3 million tourists/year!). The Parthenon was built as a sanctuary for Athena (Goddess of War and daughter of Zeus) and a home for her cult image. It was designed by Iktinos and utilizes all of the architectural refinements to achieve an extraordinary and unequalled harmony. The Parthenon actually consists of four ancient buildings- The Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, The Erechtheion, and the Propylaea. The acropolis (meaning "high city"- once you enter Athens you can actually see the narrow hill standing high above the city) was built during the apex of the Greek Golden Age in the 5th century BC. Throughout history, it has served as a military fortress and religious center. The entrance is on the southwest side at Dionyssiou Areopagitou street. Once we reached the Parthenon, it started drizzling. We laughed because Athens turned out to be the complete opposite of Egypt- while Egypt was extremely hot and dry...Athens was cool and wet-- very wet! There is only one parking lot at the bottom of the hill, so our bus dropped us off and we began the hike up to the acropolis...in the rain! This was a little bit challenging since there were so many people. Also, climbing on wet marble proved to be pretty scary- all of the water from the top of the acropolis was draining downward so there were little miniature rivers of water threatening to sweep us away! We reached the top relatively quickly despite all of the people...we stood in awe of the ancient buildings while huddled under our umbrella and looked down on Athens from above. Despite the rain and the chaos of all of the people- this definitely was the crowning glory...very worth getting wet to see! We climbed back down and walked the cobblestone streets of Athens...browsing cafes and shops- we bought a Greek mask of a fawn to add to our collection of masks which we are very excited about! We eventually boarded our bus for the drive to Plaka which is the older area of the city located on the north slope of the Acropolis for some shopping. Afterward, we headed back to the ship (soaking wet!) where we grabbed some lunch and went back to our stateroom to change into dry clothes! We relaxed for the rest of the day...We ate dinner on the top deck with a panoramic view of the sea at sunset. Just as we were finishing, we were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins jumping into the wake of our ship! It was a neat angle to watch them, because we were so high, we saw them swimming underneath the water as well! Jonathan and I kept joking with each other about the infamous "white bellied porpoise" so it was really exciting to actually see some!
Day 14 - May 29, 2007: AT SEA!
We had another relaxing day at sea today…We sailed through the Strait of Messina and also passed less than a mile away from Sicily- both of which were beautiful!
Day 15 - May 30, 2007: Naples, Italy!
We met our tour group early in the morning once we docked in Naples. We boarded the bus and were taken to a store that specializes in making Italian jewelry- specifically, cameos. We watched two artists carve cameos out of sea shells and then browsed the store before boarding our bus again for the next stop—Pompeii.
Pompeii is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. It, along with Herculaneum, was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning 2 days on 24 August 79 AD.
The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash, and it was lost for nearly 1600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We walked through the ruins and saw different aspects of their everyday life- a winery, a restaurant (including a pizza oven!), their “red light district,” and even some personal homes. Inside one of the homes we were even able to view some frescoes that had (amazingly) been preserved! Sadly, we also saw the remains of some of the inhabitants- the ancient people of Pompeii were first killed by the fumes of the volcano. Afterward, a thick ash covered Pompeii which then hardened and preserved the form of their bodies. When Pompeii was discovered, archeologists found these remains. Since their physical body was obviously broken down over time, they cut open these hard casts that surrounded their bodies, and then filled them with plaster so they have an exact replica of how the people were standing or laying at the time of their death. It was really sad to see some of the people with their hands covering their nose and mouth to create a sort of gas mask because of the fumes…
After a four hour tour walking around the city, we boarded the bus again and drove back to the ship.
Day 16 - May 31, 2007: Transfer back to Rome; flight to JFK!
We left the boat around 7am and waited for an hour outside for our transfer to the FCO airport. As soon as we got on the road (all of the crazy drivers!), we knew right away that we were back in Rome! Our driver laughed and welcomed us to Rome and joked that the morning war has begun!…Then he added, “There’s also an afternoon war and an evening war!” 45 minutes later we arrived at the airport…this was one of the most chaotic airport experiences we’ve ever endured. Since we were there a little early (our flight left at 1:25pm) there was nowhere for us to stand. However, pretty much everyone flying to the U.S. came from our cruise so we were all standing in a line…in the way…with nowhere to go! After an hour or two if waiting we were finally able to check in. After that we had to go through customs which took another hour or two. By the time we actually got to our gate it was 12pm- apparently we didn’t get to the airport THAT early! We had our last Italian meal at the airport (margherita pizza) and browsed some of the stores- Emporio Armani, Gucci, Prada (they had REALLY nice stores there)! We boarded the plane at 12:45pm and took off exactly on time…Since we were gaining a few hours by going back to the U.S. it was sunny the entire time we were flying, which made it a little difficult to get any sleep! This flight, however, felt like a nonstop feeding frenzy! We had a yummy pesto pasta dish for an early dinner, vanilla ice cream as a mid-flight snack and margherita pizza as lunch during our 8 hour flight- which was a lot more than we were fed going to Rome!
We arrived at JFK at 5:10pm, which (to us) felt like 10:10pm! We went through customs and checked our luggage to our next flight to Tampa and then went to find our gate. It felt good to be back in the U.S.! We slept for the remaining part of our flight to Tampa and landed around 10:30pm (which felt like 4:30am- we had been traveling for 21 hours total from the time we woke up in Rome!). It’s so good to be back home! Thus ending our amazing honeymoon! This was definitely a dream come true!
