Crete and Athens - the Finale

The final stop on our cruise before returning to Athens was the island of Crete.  Very picturesque arrival - clouds over the mountain tops but blue skies above.  It was also exciting as there were several sailboarders in the harbor.  One, in particular, seemed to dare the ship by sailing right in front of the ship's path.  He then took a spill and had a somewhat difficult time righting the sail as it was so very windy.  The ship's horn blared several times to signal the town of our arrival as well as to warn the sailboarders.  He finally did get the sail righted and skittered across the water out of the ship's path.

We took a short tour of the island and ended at an Olive Farm where a donkey was working an old olive press.  We had apple tea (delicious) and other olive treats.  I did break down and buy some olive paste.  How I'll use it is still up in the air but it was very tasty.

The town of Agios Nicolaos on Crete from a nearby hillside.  The picture doesn't do justice to the azure blue water or the beauty of the hills.

After just a few hours in port, we set sail for Athens, arriving the next morning.  How sad it was to pack our clothes and purchases - and to realize the trip was nearing an end.  We did have time for an afternoon of sightseeing in Athens and spent several hours at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.  The Mask of Agamemnon was on central display.

 

Lots of pottery in the museum.  I loved the design in the border and know this will end up in a quilt at some poing.

How graceful this is.  I love the swirls at the bottom of the feathered fan.  And while I've done several feathered fans on past quilts, the addition of the curls at the bottom is a new idea to me.

Other motifs that are so graceful and interesting.  Possibilities for quilting designs abound!

After a farewell dinner, we headed back to the hotel.  On a whim, we went to the rooftop dining room and bar at the hotel and had a wonderful view of the Acropolis.  The bartender was great fun - even giving us shots of Ouzo to commemorate our visit.  What a beautiful way to end a terrific vacation. 

Perhaps not the clearest picture - was this before or after the Ouzo?  But unmistakable is the Acropolis in the background and June's delight at being on the rooftop in Athens. 

Rising the next morning, we were sad to leave Greece and return home.  But the memories of a wonderful time with great friends will be treasured forever.  Thanks, June, Julie and Joan, for being such great travel partners and for asking me to go with you in the first place.

Cheers!
Margaret

Pyramids and the Sphinx

After a night at sea, we docked at Port Said in the wee hours of the morning to start the 3 hour bus ride to Cairo.  We were travelling in a convoy of 15 buses, had a spare bus "just in case," and each bus had an armed guard on board.  The goal was to make certain we felt safe, not that they anticipated any trouble.

Our guide, Hany, joined us for the ride and started a running commentary that lasted for the entire trip into Cairo.  A part time history professor, he had wonderful stories and insights into not only ancient Egypt but current day Egypt as well.  Now, ask me how much I remember - my brain was overflowing and much of it leaked out, I fear.  But he involved passengers on the bus in his stories and made Cleopatra come alive.  He also demonstrated, using a live model, how bodies were mummified - a very graphic lesson I'll not soon forget!

Upon arrival in Cairo, we went to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.  What a feast for the eyes!  The primary exhibit we viewed was the contents of King Tut's tomb, including two of the many sarcophagi protecting Tut's mummy.  There were also several papyrus scrolls that had been preserved.  Not only the writing but the embellishments on the papyrus were spectacular.  Photos weren't allowed in the museum so you'll have to search the internet for pictures of the treasures. 

Then it was time for a luncheon cruise on the Nile River.  During lunch, we were entertained by a Whirling Dervish and a belly dancer.  Both quite skilled in their respective acts, the Dervish encouraged some of the younger members of the group to try the whirling skirt part with interesting results.

A look up the Nile River.  We were escorted by a police boat for the entire cruise.

Not the best picture, but you get a sense of the size of the skirt that the Whirling Dervish kept in motion at all times.

 After lunch, it was on to the Giza Plateau, home of the pyramids and the Sphinx.  June and Julie opted to go on the camel ride and Joan headed into the tomb.  Although there was nothing to see inside the pyramid, just the experience of being INSIDE the pyramid was a thrill for Joan.  With my claustrophobia, I waited outside to see her emerge from the pyramid.

Joan emerging from Khafre's pyramid.  It is the one that still has a significant amount of the polished limestone exterior on the upper reaches of the pyramid.

June, Joan, me, and Julie in front of the Pyramid of Cheops.  You might be able to see that the top of this pyramid is flat - the cap stones having fallen (or been removed?) from the pyramid. 

It's all a matter of perspective - the Sphinx is much smaller than any of the pyramids.  It's actually not too far away from the three pyramids on the Giza plateau but it is down in elevation quite a bit.  You can see the stones around the Sphinx that come up almost as high as his body.

The city is built almost to the base of the pyramids and the Sphinx.  While they may have been quite a distance from the city at one time, they are now almost surrounded by urban development.

After our adventures at the Giza Plateau, it was back on the bus for the 3 hour ride to Alexandria.  Hany continued his commentary for much of the ride, but did take a rest as we neared Alexandria.  During the day, our ship had sailed from Port Said to Alexandria.  There was quite a bit of construction along the way.  The six lane highway was being doubled in size and housing additions dotted both sides of the highway - lots of land marked off for the development but not very many completed homes.

The sunset showing Alexandria in the background was absolutely stunning. 

Our tour of Egypt completed, we set sail for Crete.

Cheers!
Margaret

The Holy Cities

After a full day at sea, we arrived at Ashdod Port.  It was a short bus ride to Jerusalem and the garden of Gethsemane.  Another windswept location, overlooking the olive groves and the Church of All Nations, also called the Basilica of the Agony. 

From the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Garden of Gethsemane and the city beyond.

Windows in the Church of All Nations were striking in their simplicity and their message.

Interesting from the outside, it was even more impressive from the interior as the stained glass windows each had a cross as the central figure.  Constructed in the early 1920's, the name commemorates contributions made by many countries to its construction.

From that point, we went inside the walled city of Jerusalem to walk down the Via Dolorosa.  We didn't see each of the 14 stations of the cross but did stop at the markers for several of the stations.

Much of the Via Dolorosa wound through the alleys lined with vendor stalls on both sides.  Often their wares were hanging out over the streets, providing some shade on a very hot afternoon.

 

While this Station of the Cross had the Roman Number V engraved as a part of the building, others were brass plaques placed high enough on the building so they could be seen above the crowds.

Our walk ended at the Western Wall of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, destroyed in 68 BC.  I learned that the Talmud mentions that when the Temple was destroyed, all the Gates of Heaven were closed except for one that is the Gate of Tears - thus the Wailing Wall, where notes and prayers are stuck in the cracks.

Men have access to a large library housed below the Western Wall; women have a much smaller space in which to approach the wall. 

From here we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an elaborate church built by the Crusaders in 1149 over the empty tomb of Jesus.  While walking through the basilica, a group behind us held a short service that included chanting and prayers - something that goes on routinely throughout the day, apparently.

  

The final stop was at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem after a change of tour guides at the Israel-Palestine border.  It was quite moving but the crowds detracted somewhat from the atmosphere.  Regardless, it was thrilling to visit Jesus' birthplace.  In addition to the historical significance, look at what I found!     

The scrollwork in the square definitely has what we today would call a Celtic pattern.  But I was just as interested in the curls (think waves of the sea!) around the border.  This was a part of a mosaic in the floor that had been preserved and could be viewed by standing on a wooden catwalk above the excavated mosaic.

Isn't the ironwork on this window wonderful?  This will definitely become a quilting design!

Cheers.
Margaret

Swimming in the Aegean Sea

After leaving Istanbul, we sailed for Mykonos. We had a leisurely cruise back through the Dardanelles and reentered the Aegean Sea some time during the night. We arrived at Mykonos mid-afternoon. And what a beautiful site it was coming up to the island with the sun shining brightly on the town. The buildings were whitewashed with blue shutters or doors - very appealing. As we only had a few hours in the town of Mykonos, I decided to find a beach and at least stick my toes in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. The small streets of the town were filled with interesting shops and there were windmills all over the city as well as on one of the points jutting into the sea.

Windmills with the sails retracted.  It was blustery on that point of land.

The main shopping areas of Mykonos had very small streets - just two or three people wide.  The variety of stores was interesting with lots of hand crafted items for sale - jewellry, paintings, linens - as well as all of the touristy stuff.

 

Parts of the town built right on the shoreline.  Just think of the sea breeze you would get in these homes.

Walking toward the windmills for a closer look, I found a small sheltered cove in which there were a few sunbathers and a swimmer that I recognized.  It was Kassidy, the daughter of some of our traveling companions.  I joined Kassidy in the water, riding the gentle waves that washed up on the shore and reveling in the sun and refreshing water.

Swimming with Kassidy in the Agean Sea - wonderful!

Following our swim, Kassidy left with her parents for a dinner and I hiked through the small streets and up toward a windmill on one of the hills overlooking the town.  What a delightful view of the harbor and the city.  From that vantage point, I could also see the island of Delos, revered as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.  Although Delos had been a highly prosperous grain port, it is now primarily known for the grand temples that are part of the archaeological sites that have been preserved.

Even Mykonos has a traffic circle!  This is at the top of a hill where all of the roads seem to come together.  The homes and shops were well tended as were the roads and gardens.

Looking toward the sea is a beautiful panoramic view of the town.

Walking down the small paths leading back to the harbor, the smells of dinner were enticing, making me walk faster toward the dinner I knew was waiting for me back on board.  The food was delicious!

Cheers!
Margaret 

The Blues

Leaving Athens on our cruise ship was the start of an exciting adventure.  We left from the port of Pireaus, a suburb of Athens.  The sun was bright, the buildings of Pireaus shown white with the sparkle of silver tanks on their roofs, and the water was a deep blue.  It was gorgeous!  We cruised all afternoon through the multitude of islands that surround the tip of Greece and into the Aegean Sea as we made our way to Istanbul, Turkey.

At the entry to the Dardanelles passage is a set of three World War I memorials, a tribute to those who fought in the Gallipoli campaign.  June and I were still awake when we reached the start of the Dardanelles passage at midnight so went to the outer deck on our floor to get a better view of the memorial.  We met up with Wendy, my new friend from Australia who quilts!  Wendy's husband, Trevor, had a relative (great-uncle, I think) who fought in World War I and was buried at the cemetery there.  It was a moving experience, literally as well as emotionally.

Once through the Dardanelles, we entered the Sea of Marmara and sailed towards Istanbul, arriving there mid-morning.  On our way to the dock, we passed the Blue Mosque, the Sultan's Palace and Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom).  These were sites we'd visit during our tour.

Blue Mosque

Sultan's Palace

June, with the bridge linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul in the background

 After docking, we started our tour. Because there are so many good pictures available for the exterior of the buildings we visited, I concentrated on taking pictures of designs I found intriguing. Who knows - they may end up as quilting designs in my future. The graceful curves, interlocking designs and the colors were absolutely gorgeous. Take a look...

This was one of the tapestries in the Sultan's collection.  Yum!

This was in the Sultan's Library.  The leaves in the upper border as well as the variety of treatment inside of the ovals below were interesting.  May have to try these out as a background fill.

How's this for a beautiful scrollwork design?  I know the perfect type of quilt for this quilting design.  Add it to the list!

The deep blue in the medallion and rich reds are accentuated by the gold vine design.   With a little modification to the flow of the design, I can just see some version of the gold vine as a quilting design for a setting triangle.

Interior of the Blue Mosque showing the stained glass windows that contributed to it's name.  The thing that surprised me was the abundance of hanging chandeliers.  At one point, these would have been oil burning lamps rather than electric lights. 

Interior dome of Hagia Sophia.  While I'm sure the lettering surrounding the medallion has a message, I'm clueless!

After a full day of touring, including lunch overlooking the Sea of Marmara on the grounds of the Sultan's palace, we boarded the ship for our cruise to ....

Cheers!

Margaret

Where in the World???

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog and there's a reason!  Okay, there are two reasons.  First, I was getting ready for a vacation and second, I was on vacation.  Friends I've vacationed with for more than 25 years invited me to join them on a Mediterranean cruise.  How could I pass that up??

After our initial flight got cancelled due to severe weather in New York, we finally left a day late for Athens, Greece.  We arrived in time to visit the Acropolis and, after a quick night's sleep, we were then able to board our cruise ship.

Arriving in Athens, I was surprised at the landscape.  I expected it to be lush and very green.  Instead, it was semi-arid with lots of olive trees and scrub brush.  During the drive in from the airport, we passed one of the Olympic venues from the 2004 games.  After depositing our stuff, we went to lunch at Vasilli's, a lovely restaurant that had been recommended by our tour representative.  It was about two blocks from the hotel and had excellent food.  My first Greek Salad was delicious, with Feta cheese and lots of olives.  After that, we proceeded to the Acropolis.  The temperature was about 90 degrees - very hot but very dry.

June Hamblen with me in front of the entrance to the Acropolis.  It was a long walk up!

We agreed that we'd go up at our own pace and meet at a designated time to go to the next stop on our shortened agenda.   While I do have some pictures of the monuments and scenery, I also kept an eye out for possibilities for quilting designs.  I powered on up the walkway and was swept away by the scenery.  Literally!  It was quite windy on the plateau.  But it provided a wonderful view of the Acropolis.  Given the length of time the Parthenon has been standing and the destruction after being bombed by the Venetians in 1687, it still is impressive.

The Acropolis - undergoing repairs.  There's a five year project to restore and stabilized large sections of the ruins.

They had pieces of columns stored at various locations around the Acropolis.  In fact, most of the friezes and objects that could be removed from the temple had been taken down and replaced with temporary (?) substitutes.  Some were being restored and the remainder had been placed in the new Acropolis Museum.  We didn't make it to that museum but those that did said it was well worth the time to visit the museum prior to visiting the Acropolis.

 I particularly liked the ornamentation on this piece of one of the columns.  An extension of a feathered fan for quilting.  Can't wait to try this out on a quilt!

Theatre of Herodes Atticus added in the 2nd Century AD - still used today

On the way down, I took a side excursion and saw the  theatre of Herodes Atticus.  They were getting ready for a concert later in the week so there was music every once in awhile - great sounds! 

We also visited Hadrian's Gate and another temple site that was never finished.  Caught the bus back to the hotel, had dinner at the same restaurant and crashed.  It was a great start to a wonderful trip.

More quilting designs coming up!

Cheers!