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GREECE



ITALIA



EGYPT



RUSSIA



CROATIA



NORWAY

From my bedroom window I can look out to the ocean. It's a comforting view, one that brings peaceful images to mind...images of sunrises and foreign soil, of familiar faces, of waves crashing alongside the ship beneath us...can it be true that a week has passed since I've been back in the states? My body is uneasy on the land...I miss the gentle rocking of the sea. My mind is in a state of confusion...I belong back there, with my companions; surely you know their names-excitement, enthusiasm, exhuastion...we've left each other's side for awhile but I know I will see them shortly...when I return abroad...in five days. Oh India...you don't seem real. I can't believe the life I'm living...it's everything I desired so deeply and for so long...and yet I'm sacrificing a lot for this...I know India will be an earthquake within my mind, my body, my spirit...I'm anticipating all the pollution, the poverty, the chaos. I'm anticipating getting extremely sick, cursing my naivety and feeling guilty for my privileged existence. Constantly. But I don't want to stay in the box that is America! I want to see and grow and cry and laugh...I'm as ready as I can be for the extremes that await me in India. For despite the frustration and discomfort that I will surely feel, these experiences will shape me in becoming the person I aspire to be. I aspire to be stronger and wiser and India will be the greatest teacher of all. My dream has always been to be her pupil.

Yesterday was a day of complete laziness. I'm a pretty pathetic picture right now, listening to Bon Iver's cd "For Emma, Forever Ago," on constant repeat, staring at the hundreds of pictures I took, believing if I look at them long enough the scenary will replace where I am now. I'm trying to digest everything and yet I'm attempting to prepare for India all the same...I miss the people who spent the summer with me tremendously...they are the only ones I can truly talk with about my travels...for they were there with me experiencing the same sensations, emotions, ....

My flight for India leaves on the night of September 3rd. I think it will be about 11 or twelve hours. I know in India, it will be September 5th when we arrive. I'll be heading for some orientations in NY on the 2nd...so I have now just about a week. I took my first malaria pill last night...I feel like the moment should have been photographed or something. Surely having contact with malaria meds is something special. Okay...I'm going to go do some Hindi, watch the Namesake, read Holy Cow...call the credit card companies, find a place in CT to find a salwar kameez....hmm, that might be hard.

Back in the States

How quickly things have disappeared. The touch of the wind, the sound of the waves, th excitement, the anticipation. The connections, the laughter and the awe...it has all been replaced with this emptiness...in all the ten countries I visited this summer, I have never felt this out of place. I was one of the first to walk off the gangway (all a's-yes!) and there waiting for me with flowers stood my mother, and together we rode off towards the life I had previously known...seeing art exhibits (Hirschorn) and art films (man on wire)...seeing events (Lion King at the Kennedy Center)...reading the paper and stopping at starbucks....and yet, it all felt so odd...after living on a ship for near 70 days, the land seemed alien. Not any land, but American soil. It didn't help that the boyfriend figure decided to break it off indefinitely because of my now past and future travels abroad. After a summer of waiting to see him, eh-whatever, it's not worth it to discuss. I mention it only to support the fact that my short time back has not been marked by feelings of relief but rather anxiety. Now, more than ever, I am ready to go to India. I spent $70 yesterday at the bookstore ...big surprise there. I've decided to cut my visit here in DC short and so I've bought a flight back to CT where I'll stay until I head to India. INDIA! Ah...it will save me.

I'm going to try to upload some videos from this summer. So stay tuned!

In less than a week, I will be returning to the States. In less than two weeks after that, I will be traveling to India to spend a year living in Bangalore. People gasp when I say I have about 10 days until I leave again but the closer I’ve come to “home,” the more 10 days seems like too much. I can’t imagine going back to America to live the life that most of these students onboard will return to. Before this summer, my body ached to explore new sensations and my mind yearned for fresh stimulation. There was not a day that passed on this journey that those yearnings were not fulfilled. But they are more powerful than ever, taking control over my body, like a disease of urge…propelling me forth to experience what I have not felt or seen before. This summer was a collection of contrasts…of immaculate beauty in the landscape of Norway, the dilapidated apartments on the outskirts of St. Petersburg-remnants of a Communist past, the enveloping veil next to my own bare skin…and even in the city of Dubrovnik, a scenery of mixed realities…of enchanting streets that hide evidence of the Yugoslav wars.
Growing up within the bubble that is America, there is a certain detachment that has been bred within our identities…so that while I diligently read the international sections of the Times and Post each morning, I would often forget about the sufferings of others as I basked in the comfort and ease that steers our American lives. We become so preoccupied with our own trivial problems which in return, prevents us from appreciating everything we are blessed with. To be honest, this truth always floated around my conscious and there were times when I felt overpoweringly guilty…about what I have, about what other people lack…but now, I can’t return to the States…to the isolation…the seclusion. Not yet, at least.

Concepts of Clothing in Russia and Egypt

Here is a paper I wrote for my women's studies course:


After observing gender relations in ten different countries across Europe and North Africa, two images remain powerfully inscribed in my mind: first, the sensual, promiscuous and exposed Russian woman walking down the street and secondly, the eyes of the Egyptian Muslim female peering out from behind her hijab. Despite the two distinct pictures, the females are bonded by the patriarchal, male dominated societies in which they live and also through the expectations and priorities of their sex in general. That is, to be a mother and uphold the family ideal. And yet, regardless of the fact that these women share similar destinies, the role clothing plays in guaranteeing that destiny is quite different. Clothing is a very powerful tool for it “inscribes bodies with gender, class, status, ethnicity, race, religion, and age” (Cinar 55). Thus, the differences in clothing style between the Russian and Egyptian woman is reflective of the differences between the two cultures.
First, let us begin with painting a picture of the Russian female. She is young, beautiful, and dressed in the latest fashion. As her high heels click down the street of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, she passes by woman after woman who look exactly like her. During my observances, the majority of women were slaves to their stilettos, all remarkably well dressed, and looked right out of Vogue’s latest issue. No matter where I went in Russia, I felt underdressed and frumpy. For here there was no lack of skin tight jeans, makeup, and individuals who looked more like mannequins than actual women. When I began to talk to these walking mannequins about their role in Russian society, it became a little clearer. They were not defined by simply being unique individuals, but as mothers. It was to be someone who raised a family and took care of children and her husband. Regardless of whether or not she was also a career woman, marriage came first. Young women, some 21 or younger, explained to me that many of their friends were already married. And truthfully, weddings seemed to be non stopping events during the five days I spent in Russia. If I asked about what made Russian woman distinct from other European women, they would say, “Russian women care more about the home. We love the hearth, our mothers, we love to take care of the house.” Despite the changing status of women across the world, the priority in Russia is still to be with a man and to have a home. One middle aged woman seemed to say it all when she declared, “we are nothing without men.” It is true that the younger generation may not see it exactly like this, but her statement still holds some truth. But in a country where divorce rates are reputedly very high, maintaining the family household doesn’t seem to be as important as just getting married.
Clothing is a useful tool used in forming those marriages. In St. Petersburg, Russia, exposed skin and the latest trends are directly correlated with the priority of women to have families. For the clothing is an attracting device, one meant to lure the attention of others, specifically, men. In this case, female bodies are used to overemphasize femininity and to keep the identities of male and female separately defined. Thus, clothing, or lack thereof, reinforces the ideal of Russian women in society. Together, the Russian women are bonded through their similar expectations and concepts of body. But on a larger scale, the nation is unified through their appearance. As one scholar notes, “ the building of a state and the creation of a nation involve different interventions and inscriptions upon the body ,whether through the regulation of clothing, the creation of an order of bodily aesthetics, or the assignment of carefully forged rules, such as mother or soldier, all serving on way or another the formation of a sense of nationhood ” (Cinar 53).
In Egypt, clothing was even more tied to nationhood. As I meandered through the streets of Alexandria and Cairo, I witnessed more than 90% of the women covered with the hijab. Like in Russia, the importance of motherhood is never forgotten. One anthropologist notes, “the ideal woman is a wife and a mother, she is a woman who raises a new generation of Muslims, wears the veil, guards her modesty, obeys her husband, and expresses her views only through her husband” (Bahira 9). If we twist the opening of this statement in a slight way to say, “the ideal women is a wife and mother, she is a woman who raises a new generation of Russians,” most women in St. Petersburg would see that as valid. And yet the latter part of the declaration is what divides theses two cultures, and it has to do mainly with clothing. The veil has a powerful and ubiquitous presence in Islamic society. It cannot be forgotten that for different people, even within that society, the veil is worn for different reasons. Some women say it is their personal choice, while others are forced to cover themselves by their fathers or husbands. One woman I encountered, who was an Egyptologist, professed to me, “I am Muslim and I will never cover my hair!” Still, her views represented an extremely small percentage of the population. Half of the women seemed to be wearing full burkas, covering everything but their eyes, while the rest only wore headscarves and modest clothing. Modesty is the key term. Unlike the Russian women who were proud to share their bodies, Egyptian women felt the opposite. Whereas the Russians used clothing as an attracting tool, Egyptians used clothing to repel attention. And yet both help signify to men that they are
“wifely” material. In Egypt, covering one’s self demonstrates to the public that that woman is modest, respectful, and pious. In Russia, like in most other Western countries, clothing is used to exhibit our beauty and even personality. We make clothing entirely unique and customized, but use it also as a way to showcase our bodies. But for the women I saw in Alexandria and Cairo, “their veiled wife represents, symbolically, a traditional, conservative, pious woman. Even though gender roles may be changing within the intimate boundaries of family life, men can broadcast that they have chosen this particular woman because of her morals and strong faith, as can be seen in her choice of clothing” (Bahira 12). So here, clothing is not only an indication of a woman’s morals but also her religious views, views which most of the time, reinforce the patriarchy.
And yet the same thing is happening in Russia, where views of clothing were the complete opposite. A society where there is so much emphasis on a woman’s body and appearance is naturally linked to the institution of patriarchy. Whether it be in Russia, where clothing and the body are used to attract notice, or in Egypt, where they are used to resist it. In addition, these are both cultures where the ideal woman is directly connected to the concept of motherhood. A woman must be first, a family member, and second, an individual of her own choosing. She must think of being a mother and supporting a husband first before pursuing a career, if that’s even possible. Of course, women are almost always drawn to bearing children and having a family. But, in Russia and Egypt, the society expects that women follow this model, whether they want to or not. The culture and politics of the state creates this priority for each female, regardless of the individual’s personal desires. Despite such a similar environment for women to live in, the attitudes towards body and clothing are at the polar ends of the spectrum.
Still, the reason for these disparities is quite obvious. They are, without a doubt, the result of political, religious, and cultural establishments set in place. There’s no question the recent phenomenon of veiling is a consequence of the Islamic revival in the Middle East. The politics, which are intrinsically bonded, only support the hijab. If there is an exception, it would be the highly secular state of Turkey. And yet, that the expectations and priorities for women are the same in countries completely separated by political and religious circumstance, demonstrates that the social status of women around the world is more similar than we think.

Back to life at sea

Hello all! Let me give you an update on our shipboard life. Since we’ve left Croatia, most of the time has been spent writing papers and taking classes. Finally, we have a day off. But of course, this day will also be spent writing papers. The first one I wrote was about comparing sacred spaces in three distinct countries and how access to those spaces is not the same for each location, and that difference is reflective of the differences in politics, society, and culture. I talked about St. Isaac’s in St. Petersburg, Our Lady Cathedral in Antwerp, and Morsi Abu El-Abbas in Alexandria. Since we’re so busy, it’s been hard to digest everything that’s happened this summer. And besides, we’ve had some distractions. Last night was the Crew Talent Show and it was amazing. We’ve had two talent shows already for the rest of the shipboard community, and neither of them compared to this. Let me just say first that the crew has been wonderful this summer. I had heard rumors before the trip on face book groups that the crew did a great job but I had no idea how sweet, considerate, and helpful they all are. Most are from the Philippines and travel onboard each semester. Each morning when I go to breakfast, the crew working in the dining halls cheerfully greet us. Everyone happens to think that their steward is the best (yeah, no one’s got anything on crispin). We’re all sort of used to our rooms being cleaned every day and our beds being made. Some days, I’m guessing today will be one to of them, we tell our steward he doesn’t need to clean our room…because honestly, it’s not always necessary. But they are just fantastic. And honestly, the talent show was just as exciting as pulling into a port…they sang, they danced…wow…it was so entertaining, everyone loved it. I took a lot of videos so I’ll try to put something together to give everyone an idea…I’ve been making videos for each country but I don’t have the internet time to upload them…so when I get back to the states I’ll definitely put each one up…until then, I would highly recommend checking out this website: http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/current-voyage/summer-2008-photos-and-blogs.php. They have a great collection of slideshows with audio prepared by our very own photo mike on board ship. My favorite one is about Egypt…specifically because they have the audio of when we found out we were going to Alexandria…my eyes teared up when I heard it again…it was such an exhilarating moment…

I’d like to give everyone an idea of what life on board the MV Explorer is like. By now, everyone is used to the currents of the sea and not many people experience much seasickness anymore. Then again, we’re going to be on the Atlantic again so hopefully it will be calm. I don’t think I can emphasize the feeling of unity among our shipboard community enough…there is such a strong bond between us all, and it has made this trip all the better. Okay-so here’s a little bit of a schedule of my day when we have classes: wake up maybe around 7-730, head to breakfast, check email, do some reading, Global studies class (mandatory for all students, there are two sections) from 9ish till about 1030, then walk about 4 minutes to another classroom, where I have Ritual and Belief for an hour and fifteen. That brings me to about 12pm and it’s time for lunch. Then, I head back to my room to do work, maybe take a nap…until I have my third and final class, Women in Cross Cultural Perspectives, which is in the late afternoon. Each night we have “community colleges” which are a series covering a wide range of topics. I actually think I’ll be heading to one tonight, lead by one our professors from Charles University in Prague. OH! I didn’t really keep my blog up to date about all our interport lecturers we had, who were great and very informative, but remember I mentioned Masha Lipman? Who was from Russia? A couple days ago, CNN interviewed her about the crisis between Russia and Georgia. As our Global Studies prof said, “you heard it first at Semester at Sea.”


Okay that’s it for now! Today we had to wake up before 10 because of a lifeboat drill…the 600 students onboard were less than happy. But Saving Private Ryan is on so I’m procrastinating on doing work and watching this instead. Oh well. Talk later!

It’s a surreal feeling…being finished with my summer explorations, my moments of enlightenment and epiphany, the emotions of excitement and anticipation. I have never had two months go by quicker than these past ones. Part of me is still clinging to the rail of the 7th deck with enthusiasm, seeing our first port of Bergen in the horizon, waiting for us. Everything since is a blur. Everything since is an unawakened dream of wonder unveiled, a masterpiece of magnificence. If I remember myself that morning, I cannot help but smile at my childlike eagerness…it was as if I were about to enter a whole other realm of existence. Today marks the departure of that realm and for now, I am ready to go home, because in a couple of weeks, I will be headed to another one, in the Far East.

Fully recovered from my festivities of the past night, I awoke early and took the tender to shore. I immediately caught a bus to take me down to Old Town for the last time. I had planned to visit a gallery called “War Photo Limited,” which I had read about in one of my guidebooks. Opened in 2003 by a New Zealand photographer, War Photo Limited showcases war photrographs from various conflicts around the world, including Afghanistan, Liberia, and of course, the war here in the early 90s. At the entrance of the gallery is a sign that displays their mission: It is the intent of War Photo Limited to educate the public in the field of war photography, to expose the myth of war and the intoxication of war, to let people see war as it is, raw, venal, frightening, by focusing on how war inflicts injustice on innocents and combatants alike. The current exhibit focused on the child soldier and was shown on the first floor. The second had photographs from previous exhibits and also tv screens showing slideshows. I stood in front of these for at least a half an hour, unwilling to take my eyes away. Perhaps the most shocking photo was of a man holding up a decapitated head, very close to the photographer’s lens, I might add. The pictures themselves were beautifully photographed, but very chilling. The majority of the photographers I had never heard of. There was a quote by one photographer, named Noel Quidu, which particularly caught my attention. As a photojournalist who has done a lot of work in Liberia, he wrote,
“I have always been fascinated by mysterious Africa, a continent haunted by misfortune. I want to believe that my images can ‘make a difference.’ Africa scared me, and it is always necessary for me to return to the source of this fear, this land of huge reservoirs of plundered raw materials, and of manpower condemned to fighting wars or retreating to exile. We have to denounce violence, to call spade to spade and to make our images a document, a relentless protest against these wars, that are a permanent plague of this too often forgotten continent.”

Another thing that stopped me in my tracks was a picture of a young female Maoist rebel, who was wearing a Britney Spears t-shirt. The image was striking…here she stood, with two comrades of hers, all of which had guns in their hands, looking fierce and at the centerpiece is none other than Britney. For three years, this girl was a part of the Maoist Guerilla Movement of Nepal and had no idea who the pop star was. As the photographer took the picture, she recited to herself, “loves makes people weak, while sadness makes them tough.” She sure looked it. There were so many other photographs that made me gasp or sigh…all of which leaving a strong impression. I bought a poster of this picture, which I am looking forward to hanging on my wall (photograph taken off the website).

Besides climbing the walls, visiting this gallery was my favorite activity in Croatia. It’s off the beaten path but a definite must see…especially for those interested in photography and art. The museum itself was very well maintained…I really had forgotten I was in the Old Town. I even wanted to ask about the music playing…it was wonderful. I would encourage people to visit their website to at least view some of the images I saw today.

When I was finished with that, I found a nice bookstore to peruse and actually came with away with a new book, titled Nobody’s Home by Dubravka Ugresic, a Croat. The book is a collection of travel essays which I thought was very appropriate. I then continued to walk around, and ended up buying a pair of earrings from a girl named Mirna Hodonj. They are unlike anything I have seen before! She told me the editor of Elle in Croatia actually contacted her about the designs. Take a look, her website is www.mirnahodonj.com. And that was about it! I knew my day would be short but I need to get started with my papers. We have so many…and our first on is due on Tuesday…which doesn’t leave much time for procrastinating. At least not with our schedule.

Well, today was an interesting day. Last night a bunch of my friends and I went out to celebrate my birthday and we ended up hitting an Irish pub in the old city. They generously bought me quite a few drinks and a few hours later, I was pretty drunk and pretty sick. This morning was so horrid that I didn’t end up getting out till the mid afternoon…and even that was a little difficult. But I would have been very upset with myself if I had stayed on the ship, despite being ill. So I headed out to see more of the old city, and discovered that the usual buses we took weren’t running, so I did some walking and picked up another bus to take me to Pile Gate. The buses are ALWAYS soooo crowded…most tourists rely on them for transportation, and of course, the locals do as well. So once I got to Grad, the first thing I did was check out the Franciscan Monastery and Pharmacy, right near the entrance to the city. The Pharmacy is thought to be perhaps the oldest pharmacy in Europe, dating from the early 14th century. The Pharmacy is in the current museum, which holds religious artifacts such as paintings, basins, jewelry, etc. My favorite artifacts were the old books and manuscripts the monks kept…they are pieces of artwork in itself! All those images of how medieval books used to be…large, with incredible script and decoration…those images came to life here in the museum. I wasn’t able to take photographs but they were truly stunning. Right next to the museum were the peaceful and intimate cloisters…a setting that I always love to be near. There is something so gratifying about cloisters, perhaps it is the serene and intimate atmosphere which seems happy to embrace every visitor.

After visiting the monastery, I continued on to see a long term exhibit in the Sponza Palace, which is free to the public. It is a memorial to the Dubrovnik Defenders, about 300 men who died defending the city in the early 90s. Walking along the picturesque Stradun, it’s really difficult to remember that a war occurred here less than 20 years ago. The city is so rich in beauty that makes the thought of war incomprehensible. But it did occur, when in 1991, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Yugoslav National Army attacked the city. The memorial was simple and yet very moving. Black and white pictures of the men who died lined the walls, and so many were very young. There was also a slideshow of pictures taken during the siege…which was really touching because the same damaged sites shown in the photos were the very places I had been exploring…and then I remembered seeing damaged houses during my walking tour yesterday around the walls-and I should have made the connection then but honestly I was so overtaken with the amazing views…my mind was only thinking of how incredibly striking the scenery was. But this exhibit made a lasting impression on me and after I exited the palace, I saw Dubrovnik in another sense…a city that is still healing…it’s uncanny to me how people would want to bury this city…how individuals would want to destroy such magnificence …
After the exhibit, I went in search of a pizza slice since I hadn’t eaten at all yet. I was easily satisfied and then actually hit up the cutest smoothie place…had a refreshing drink, brought a present, and headed back to the ship. Naturally I’ve decided to stay in since I still feel a little under the weather, and just tired.

Tomorrow is our last day in port…not only in port but our last day in our last country! And I know this sounds crazy, but I’m not planning to spend too much time in Dubrovnik and the reason being is I have a million papers and field reports to write…and I’m getting a little stressed. Actually, everyone is. So I will try to head out in the morning, hit up the close grocery store (I did stop there on my way back today to start stockpiling food…we will have I think 12 days at sea? I wasn’t the only one doing this) and maybe do some last minute souvenir shopping. I can’t get over how beautiful Croatia is, and the old town of Dubrovnik especially. And luckily, if there was a time and place to get sick and have to stay in bed most of the day, it would be here-only because the old town is small and I did most of the sightseeing yesterday. But out of every place we’ve visited, I would love to come back and spend a week here, just relaxing. Yes, indeed!

Dubrovnik, Croatia!

Dubrovnik is the most beautiful city I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. It is the pearl of the Adriatic, an awe inspiring haven of history and charm, a refuge for romance. It is an awesome and grand port with its city walls covering the Old Town, but also a cozy and intimate location with the streets contained within. I cannot imagine a better choice for our last country. It’s so different than any place we’ve discovered. So many people had told me Croatia was lovely, but seeing it first hand overwhelmed my senses.

This morning I woke up around 7ish, and prepared to disembark the ship in a way unlike we’ve ever done before. Since Dubrovnik is basically the coolest place ever, there are too many cruise ships alongside the port, so we are actually anchored in Gruz Harbor and have to take the tenders to shore. We had never done this before so it was a tad exciting and still is, a little. This morning it was packed but on our way back there were only a few others on the boat. When our feet finally touched Croatian soil, we found a place to exchange money and looked to get on a bus to get to Stari Grad, or Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were told we could take 1 of 4 buses to get to Pile Gate, one of the entrances into the city walls. It was extremely crowded on the bus and we got to the Gate about ten minutes later. The first thing we did when we entered the Old Town was bought some waters and head to climb the city walls. This was one of the most fun things I’ve done this entire trip and provided us with perhaps the most beautiful views. It cost us about 12 dollars and took around 1 hr and a half to walk the whole wall. The whole city was crowded with tourists and since the walls are the most popular thing to do, we were never alone. And the sun! I have never been hotter! We were all sweating horribly the entire time! Goodness gracious….so hot. I really can’t imagine senior citizens doing this walk and on this day…honestly, if you visit Dubrovnik (which everyone should!!!!!!!), do not go in August. The place is bombarded with tourists and heat. The whole time I was walking the city walls, I imagined coming back in fall…how lovely it must be that time of the year…the walls are 1,940 meters long and date from the medieval period. In the city, there are two great fortresses, four forts, 12 towers, and five bastions. I think my favorite part of the walk came at the end, when we climbed the highest vantage point, Minceta Tower. We could see the entire walled city and it was wonderful. All the roofs are this wonderful reddish hue and it unites the city in a remarkable way. I forgot that I was in the Croatia, or in Europe at all. This place was something else…something that belonged in a fairytale or surreal dream. Something that lived within the history of the past…I was enamored. When we got back down (after I embarrassed myself in front of all these tourist by running into the side of the wall, I have a large bruise on my leg to prove it) we were right in front of Onofrio’s Fountain, which dates from 1444 and still provides water (I filled my water bottle up here). From here, the main street is Stradun (also known as the Placa), which starts at the Pile Gate and leads to the Sponza Palace. The Stradun is the usual main street of a touristy location-lots of restaurant and shops. Also at the end of the street is the large Clock Tower, first built in 1444 as well. Right beside is Rector’s Palace, somewhere I have yet to visit but look forward to seeing. This area is known as the Luza, the main square of the area. In the middle is Orlando’s Column, a place were people met, declarations were read, and criminals were tied. The statue is actually of Roland, the legendary knight. Very close is the Cathedral, but we were less impressed with what we saw. There wasn’t anything spectacular about this church and honestly we could have skipped it. But it was free and open to the public so a peek didn’t hurt. What was nicer was the Jesuit Church, finished in 1725 and at the top of a grand staircase. The Church is also known as St. Ignatius of Loyola and is particularly interesting for its four side altars. It was also nice to get some shade for a few minutes-which was actually the best part. We had lunch at a great little restaurant called Oliva Pizzeria, which was recommended to us by a fellow SASer. I had an AMAZING pizza…

After lunch we headed to the Dominican Monastery, near the Ploce
Gate and built in the 1300s. My favorite section was the 15th century cloister that greeted us when we first walked in. There was a museum attached, which we briefly visited to see the religious paintings. All in all, we were there for about 20 minutes. Honestly, you may be able to see all of Dubrovnik (Old Town) in one day. Besides walking the City Walls, there isn’t much to do. But it so amazingly wonderful just walking around, sitting down to a café, watching the world go by…besides a few other sites, that’s all I have planned for the next day or so. Tonight we’ll go out to celebrate my birthday and try to find the Olympics playing somewhere…okay, that’s it for now!

Birthday!

So today we are sailing to Croatia and it is my birthday :) I would like to say thank you to all the people who made this day special for me and even surprised me with a wonderful birthday cake here onboard!!!!: Helena, Momoko, Ryan, Beth, Danielle, Eric, Annie, Sarah, Alex, David, Alli, and Travis. Thank you!!

August 6, 2008

Today was our last day in Greece and I’m about to crash (I think part of that has to do with the fact that I just hit my head on the corner of my bed…so clumsy!). I woke up a little before eight to catch breakfast and then my two friends, Alex and David and I headed to the station to get the metro to take us into town. We transferred at Omonia to get to Panepistimio, which is where the University of Athens is located. There was a Starbucks right there and I took the opportunity to bond with fellow baristas and get a pomegranate peach frappucino, which I’ve never seen in the States. Maybe it’s new this summer. We’ve seen Starbucks EVERYWHERE. Obviously, it’s not like New York or DC but there are a lot in Athens, which is interesting.

The three of us wanted to get to the top of Lycabettus Hill, which is the highest peak in Athens (277 meters). It’s visible from many parts of the city and I was particularly intrigued when I saw it from the top of the Acropolis. We had heard about a funicular going up but decided to hike it instead. I’m still debating in my mind whether this was a smart thing to do or not. Luckily, it was in the morning so it was not as hot as it could have been. However, it was still really, really, really, really, really, really warm (get the picture?). Seriously. I wore this big flowy dress I bought a couple of days ago and thank goodness it was light and airy (and large too…one size for all kinda thing). It was a really steep climb but like always, the view was totally worth it. At the top of the mountain stands the 19th century Chapel of St. George, which is very small but cute. I, of course, went in to kiss an icon or two. It was a really amazing panoramic view of the entire city. The Acropolis looked even more remarkable from up high. I’ve seen so many awesome views on this trip…collectively, they have been probably my favorite sightseeing activities. The mountain is such a peculiar shape and right in the city of Athens…it seems completely out of place! And in fact, as the myth goes, Athena supposedly just dropped the mountain there (naturally there’s more to it but I forget the rest of the details). Perhaps the most peculiar part was the difference in the scenery of the actual mountain itself…all around the base of the mountain were amazing pine trees but about halfway up, everything became arid.
Before we headed back down, we walked over to where Likavitos Theater is but weren’t able to go inside. It’s a completely modern outdoor theater now, and shows still go on here. When we climbed back to the bottom, we came to Syntagma Square. Syntagma Square is a hub of activity, where many protests often take place (the Parliament building is right there) and where transportation is readily available in various forms (metro, tram, buses, trolley buses, etc). Syntagma Square is also near many of the big touristy locations, such as Lycabettus Hill, the Acropolis, the Agora, the Plaka, the National Gardens and so forth. We didn’t feel like walking so got on the metro to take one stop to Akropoli. After getting off, we walked around a bit, and stumbled upon the Arch of
Hadrian, which like many other things in the city, is made completely of marble. It is thought that the Greek citizens constructed the arch in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Not much else to say, it was a nice arch.
Athens is wonderful because it’s easy to find ruins of historical or ancient significance almost anywhere you go. One can just be walking along and bam! Right before your very eyes is a ruin you have only seen in history books. For a history buff, it’s spectacular. After a quick picture, we continued on through the Plaka, stopping at shops along the way, and making it back towards Monastiraki station. I bought some souvenirs and gifts and my friend David actually bought armor! By the time we were done, all three of us wanted to go back to Piraeus. The heat and walking up Mt. Lycabettus exhausted us. On the way back from the station, we even took a bus back towards our ship. There was still so much I didn’t see in Athens but I’m quite sure I’ll be back soon enough.

I can say without hesitation that I enjoyed the city of Athens more than any other city we’ve ported in. Bergen was charming and quaint, St. Petersburg intrigued me right off the back, Antwerp was a funky little location that had spunk, Naples was just…I don’t know how to describe Naples, compared to other cities there aren’t many fine marks or positive adjectives I can use…Egypt was simply the best three days of the trip…but Athens felt like home. Greece felt like home. Even though I can speak only a little of the language, (SIGH) everything was so familiar. The sounds, the faces, I had all seen them before. I was more comfortable in Athens, as if it were a city I know well, like DC. After using the metro for several days, I feel confident that I could have gotten anywhere in the city I wanted to go with particular ease. Athens was not the cleanest, nor the prettiest, perhaps not even the friendliest city I’ve encountered, but it felt right to me. I really think I could pack my bags and move there. It felt like an enclave from the rest of the world. All the history, the pride-there were more flags flying here than in any other country we’ve visited (like the States). But I just loved it. The only thing that could have made it better is if I were with my family or Greek friends…but that will be for another time. It’s hard for me to write down impressions like I do with the other countries…because so much I found here I had already encountered…the culture is the complete same. There’s a joke that Greek Americans are even more “greek” than the Greeks themselves. And there’s definitely some truth to that. Because there were no eurekas for me here, no surprises. I think the main thing is I just came away feeling even prouder of my heritage (which I didn’t think was possible) than before. I want to go back so badly…and stay longer. Four days was not nearly enough.

Poros, Hydra, Aegina

So today I did a full day excursion with SAS to three of the Saronic Islands: Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. My alarm clock went off a little later than I anticipated, so I only had enough time to grab a pastry and get on the bus. We took the bus around the port of Piraeus to board our ferry for the day, which supposedly could hold up to 500 passengers. There were about 130 SASers on board, so the rest were other tour groups. I met up with my friend David and we actually spent the whole day exploring the islands together. It took about to hours to get to our first island, Poros. We had been sitting up on the top deck and the sun was so, so strong! I must have applied sunscreen three or four times. It was a relaxing ride for the most part; I had brought my Herald Tribune from yesterday so I read that and later on I picked up today’s copy and had it for later (omg, how I love newspapers). I actually read two articles about a very bizarre and tragic murder on the island of Santorin (the Herald Tribune, which is the Global Edition of the NY Times, also includes an English version of a local paper…Athens puts out the Kathimarini which the Herald includes). Supposedly, some guy murdered his girlfriend and the girlfriend’s dog and beheaded them! He then proceeded to carry them around the town but was caught, thank goodness. Just goes to show there are crazy lunatics everywhere. On a lighter note, the under 18 basketball team from Greece beat Lithuania in the EU championship Sunday night. YAY. I learned all this and more on the two hour ride.
As we were approaching Poros, I became very excited upon seeing the picturesque center of town-all the houses were cream colored with tan/orange roofs (orange is too extreme a description…) and they were all made on the slope of a hill. Like Hydra where we were going to next, Poros was very hilly and mountainous. Supposedly, although I didn’t know this when we were on the island, Poros is actually two islands, Sferia and Kalavria. The island has about 4,000 inhabitants, most of them living in the town of Poros, which we briefly explored for about 40 minutes. Since we had limited time, we just walked around, looked in shops, took
pictures, etc. The first thing we had done was climb up to the clock tower, which dates back to the 1920s. It was a lovely, quiet, sweet town that I only had a brief taste of. I think I would like to return one day, and maybe spend a weekend. We reboarded the ship and spent a little more than an hour traveling to Hydra. During that time, we had lunch and unfortunately, it wasn’t traditional Greek food…I was bummed. But when we got to Hydra, I fell in love with the area. It felt larger than Poros but has a population of only 2,000 ish. The main port area is crescent shaped, and as one would expect, is filled with restaurants, cafes, and shops. We had a little more time here, but it was spent the same way: walking the streets and exploring the landscape. Hydra is an extremely rocky place, but it was awesome! When we got there, we walked along a path/street right on the ocean…and we were stunned at how beautiful the Aegean waters are…the colors are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before…blues, greens…for lack of a better term, it’s completely magical. We walked for about a half an hour and came to another townish area, and then ran into an English guy who showed us a path that would take us back to the port area but not on the sea. We followed his advice and walked through lovely paths in between beautiful white washed houses with the blue doors…all the typical Greek colors and architecture…through areas no tourists were (yay!) . My friend David ended up buying some things in the shops we went into but I decided to wait until we got back in Athens (aka tomorrow here I come!). Hydra was without a doubt my favorite of the three islands. Poros probably would have been second. They both felt more authentic than Aegina, our third island we visited. On our way there from Hydra, we sat with a life long learner named Pat and engaged in wonderful conversations. I love our vintage vagabonds…they have been absolutely everywhere and led such fascinating lives. They have traveled more than anyone I know…actually, our professors too, have traveled more than anyone I’ve met back in the states. It’s just awesome to be around people who have the same desires as you…who appreciate the diversity of culture, language, religion…simply fantastic. Around 4pm we got to Aegina, the largest of the three islands. In the past, Aegina used to rival Athens as THE place to be. According to Herodotus, Aeginaii was the first capital of modern Greece. Like many other Greek islands, Aegina has an extinct volcano which comprises most of the island. When we
first arrived, we saw a small church called Ai Nikolas, named for the patron saint of sailors. Very tiny church, more like a squared, 1 room building. One of the first things we did was stop for a snack at a place called Kanellas, and I had some kantaifi, which was very good. One thing I’ve repeatedly noticed in Greece. The majority of restaurants and cafes have areas to sit outside and the outdoor furniture is REALLY nice. Seriously…REALLY nice. Every single place! Very chic. So, we did the whole walk around thing, met some random people, more walking…finally found a beach area and went in to wade…it was the warmest water I have ever been in!!! I was so sad I didn’t have my bathing suit on…or else I would have gone in for
a dip! Instead my toes were just the happy parts of my body. If feet could smile, mine totally were. Seriously. I wish we had time to the Temple of Aphaea, or the Monastery of Agios Nectarios but honestly, we didn’t really know how to get to these landmarks, and were worried the boat leaving. On the other hand, it was nice to just walk around and take everything in. I’ve been puzzled lately about why I haven’t been doing as much “sightseeing” here in the Mediterranean compared to in northern Europe. I feel like I see a whole lot, but not many of the landmarks. At least that’s how I felt in Italy and Greece but I think I’ve figured it out. It is so DAMN HOT here! We are out baking in the sun the whole day…and we get dehydrated and very tired. I don’t have the energy to go out even if I wanted to! Really…it is so hot. 97 today in Athens. Weee. In Norway, Russia, Denmark….even Holland and Belgium, I always had a jacket with me. I never left without one. But here, it’s the complete opposite. And you know what’s funny? I’ve felt hotter here in Greece than I did in Egypt, and in Egypt, I was wearing much more clothing! So …that’s my explanation. Everything’s so much more chill here anyways.

Tommorrow, last day in Greece! I’ll get back on the metro and go to Athens…should be fun!

Athens Day Two

August 4

I’m sorry my blogs have become a little less informative as of late…sometimes its so difficult to retain all the information we learn and more than that, to find the time to write everything down. I’ve decided to stay in once again tonight and get a good night’s rest. We have four channels on our television which play movies…usually they are movies for classes and the four films of the day play over and over again…toady one of the channels is playing the older version of The Diary of Anne Frank and after visiting the annex, I’ve been desperate to reread the book…so instead, tonight, I’ll enjoy the movie. Today we woke up for breakfast and spent another leisurely day in Athens. We once again got off at Monastiraki and our group decided to split off. Two of my friends, Ryan and Matt, came along with me to see the Agora. I think everyone reading this should check out Ryan’s version of Semester at Sea, at http://ryanleavy.blogspot.com. We tag along a lot on our trips so it might be interesting reading a different perspective!

Anyhow, the three of us walked the short distance to the Agora, where I went in without paying, again! Yesterday, at the top of the Acropolis, I saw the beautiful Thesion (Temple of Hephaistos and Athena) below and looked forward to visiting. Now, the Agora is an area that not only has the Thesion but also the Stoa of Attalos, a 2nd century building which was reconstructed in the mid 20th century. There is now a small museum on the bottom floor, which has various artifacts. The coolest piece had to be an old, Spartan shield…it was huge! I can’t imagine how heavy it must have been! Whenever I go to museums, I feel bad because I’ve attained a sort of nonchalance towards the various pieces…I’ve seen so many of the same things over and over and over again…everything is beautiful, naturally, and I’m happy to see it…but I don’t spend as much time perusing the museums as I would in the states. But then again, I don’t have as much time. There’s always something more to see. After seeing the Stoa of Attalos, we went back towards the Temple to have a closer look. The Thesion was constructed in the 5th century BC and is absolutely beautiful. From the top of the Acropolis, it looked like true sanctuary. In its time, the Agora was the commercial center of the city and the birthplace of democracy. According to the museum in the Stoa of Attalos, the Agora was the seat of administrative officials and the judiciary, home to a number of social and cultural activities, as well as the religious and cult center. The Panathenaic Way ran through the area, a road that connected the main gate of Athens to the Acropolis. Also was the West road where many important public buildings stood. Several other roads once existed and now the Agora is full of a mishmash of ruins. It was hard to picture how important this place used to be…how different it was then! And yet, if I stood still for a moment, the atmosphere changed from touristy to sacred, mysterious, and mystical. Something deeper existed in these ruins and the more I stayed, the more I felt the presence of the past alongside me. But alas, we had to meet up with some friends for a lunch so we continued on. For a little bit, the three of us wandered and found a beautiful church to sit near, underneath some shade. For about 20 minutes, we relaxed and listened to some music, just enjoying the breeze. After, we made our way back to meet the friends. Throughout the past two days, we walked several times through the Plaka, perhaps the most well known district of Athens. This seems to be where all the touristy action takes place, and is on the eastern side of the Acropolis. Since its thought of to be a historical district, few cars pass on the streets, which makes for a nice walk! The streets are lined with restaurants, shops, cafes, etc. We had lunch at a place called Savas and my souvlaki platter took me right to heaven! We had planned to go take the tram up Mount Lycabettus, a rather large hill in the northeast part of the city that supposedly has great views and also the Chapel of St. George. But, after lunch, we got caught up with shopping and after buying some delicate souvenirs, decided it would be best to take them back to the ship. That’s about it for today. Tomorrow I’m going on a SAS trip to the islands of Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. I’m so excited! Hopefully I’ll be able to update tomorrow!

ATHENS!

August 3

After only one day at sea, we arrived in Piraeus, Greece! Piraeus is the port area right next to Athens and is only a short metro ride away. On Sunday morning, we had our usual diplomatic briefing before heading off the ship to where Greece awaited us! When we departed the ship, we wandered the streets to find the train station, and after a 20 minute walk, we found it. It took us about 3 minutes to get a ticket and then we were off to town! Let me just say the metro here is amazing. It’s without a doubt the easiest metro I’ve used in Europe and is even better than the T in Boston and the subway in New York. It was seven stops to Monastiraki station, where we planned to get off and shop in the flea markets. As we walked the streets, we saw tons of things we wanted…bags, jewelry, dresses, you name it! I restrained myself for the time being and the group I was with decided it was time for lunch. We enjoyed our meal at a restaurant called Tabepila, and they even gave us a free desert and 10% discount since we were in a group! The spanakopita was amazing…I was really impressed. Our next stop was the
National Archaeological Museum, or just the National Museum, which we took the metro to get to. This museum, according to the brochure, was actually built in the 19th century to house antiquities and is the largest archaeological museum in Greece. It was, in fact, very large and had Prehistoric, Sculpture, Egyptian, Vases, and Bronze collections which were all captivating. I particularly enjoyed the Sculpture collection…during this trip I’ve gained a newfound appreciation of sculpture in general…I think I’ve seen more of it than anything else. But the vases were beautiful, of course, and also a delight to see. I think if I had not just visited Egypt, the Egyptian collection would have been my favorite part…it really holds a significant amount of artifacts including jewelry, mummies, pottery, and statues, among other things. The museum in general was fantastic. Probably besides the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, it was the best well kept museum I’ve been to. Clean, accommodating, well staffed, air conditioning , (this is huge! The archaeological museum in Egypt did not have air conditioning and we all melted) etc. I suppose being in DC provided me with unrealistic expectations. OH! The best part of the museum was that since I was 19 and younger I got in for FREE!!! That’s right! And I’ll just go along and say that I also got into the Acropolis for free and the Agora! Rock on young age…I swear. My birthday is in three days though…we’ll be at sea sailing to Croatia…I’ll give myself the present of taking lots of naps. Okay, back to the first day. After the museum, we jumped back on the metro and got off at the Acropolis station to see the most well known historical space in Greece. For those who don’t know, the Acropolis is the hill that the Parthenon and the other ruins stands upon. After I happily passed the Beule Gate without paying, we first saw the temple of Athena Nike (Athena of Victory) which was built in 424 BC. Nearby is the Erechtheion, which was built for a king of Athens named Erechtheus and has the very pretty Caryatids, which are the carved figures that hold up the temple. We also saw the Theater of Dionysos and the Sanctuary of Asclepios. And of course there is the Parthenon, which is the highlight. The temple was dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens and apparently was only for priests and some special visitors. Over the past few years and undoubtedly continuing on into the future, there has been restoration projects going on so a lot of what you see is right next to construction. The views from the top of the Acropolis were wonderful! I now LOVE climbing up to higher peaks for a good view. As a visitor, it puts so much into perspective and to see the city as a whole is priceless. The trek up the hill was pretty tiring and it was SO hot. Thank god they had water fountains at the top because I would have become dehydrated otherwise. I haven’t been doing a good job of drinking enough water this trip (ahh mum don’t be mad!). I’m just grateful I didn’t get sick from the food in Egypt…a LOT of SASers including my roommates got sick…poor things. Anyway, after spending about an hour doing the Acropolis, we were all exhausted and very warm. We decided to go back to the metro and head back to Piraeus. The night was quiet (I know, I’m such a dork) but I was happy to relax. This trip has been likened to trying to drink water from a fire hose…I really can’t think of a better way to describe it. Four days ago I was in Egypt. In four days I’ll be in Croatia. It’s insane. So at the end of the day, going out is tempting but difficult for the mind and body (at least mine).

Thoughts on Egypt

Egypt was the most fascinating place I’ve ever been. To be sure, I was mesmerized by everything around me. The burkas and veils, the desert, the men smoking, the people staring, everything. It was all I had anticipated, all I had envisioned. Here are some of my impressions, in no particular order:

1. Hookah: On every street, in every café, there were men smoking hookah. It was everywhere. Not twenty seconds passed without seeing a group of men sitting and smoking. In my whole time in Egypt, I didn’t see one woman with a hookah, but that wasn’t surprising. When I volunteered with the International Rescue Committee, I actually brought my hookah over to the apartment of the Iraqi refugees I was working with, and we had an amazing time just relaxing. But the women didn’t smoke, and it wasn’t a proper thing to do. One of the females said she would smoke with her father but that was it. In public it would never be acceptable (I hate that! Who determines that? The men!). Regardless, there were hookahs for sale and I even saw the shisha I had bought in the states. Even the exact flavor. We weren’t allowed to buy water pipes and bring them back on the ship…oh well.

2. Traffic: I know this is becoming redundant, but it’s so pervasive and so different than what we encounter in the states. If you continue reading my blog when I go to India (eleven days after I return from SAS!) I’ll definitely be comparing what I experienced in Egypt to the traffic in Bangalore. Anyhow, it was crazy. But I was surprised at how quickly I got used to it and I can say that it’s crazy, but if I were on the road right now in Alexandria, it wouldn’t be unsettling. Luckily I didn’t have to do much crossing of the street so I had a very different experience than in Naples, but in Italy, I hardly was in moving vehicles. So two different ways of experiencing the traffic and I can say that they were equally irksome. Although in Naples, I really did think I was going to get hit by a car time and time again. In Egypt, for some reason, I trusted the drivers. I trusted the honking. But, I wouldn’t advise an American ever to get behind the wheel in Egypt.

3. The Muslim Culture and Gender Relations: I have been no stranger to the veil. In the past year, I was always near people wearing a headscarf or veil, and honestly, it wasn’t that foreign to me. And even in Egypt, it didn’t feel completely different to me that 90% of women covered their hair. And of course it was, but I didn’t have powerful reactions to it. I would say about 20 % of the women wore the full burkas, only with their eyes shown. But everyone else wore headscarves. Well, almost everyone. My tour guide proudly stated to us “I am Muslim and I will never cover my hair!” She of course, was very “western” and her name actually translated to “revolutionary” in Turkish. Since the age of three, her mother had spoken to her in English. She was actually one of the only women I interacted with Egypt. I felt completely disconnected with most of the women, because my contact with them was minimal and my interactions with the men were so considerable. And the main difference that laid between us was our dress. In our logistical preport, we were advised to dress as modestly as possible so as to not attract more attention than we wanted (being told we are worth 100 camels, so on -which happened regardless) . Dressing modestly was difficult at times simply because of the heat! Undoubtedly the warmest place we’ve been thus far, wearing long skirts and shirts was not fun, to say the least. But still, we stuck out wherever we went and even though my legs and shoulders were always covered (and I always had a scarf on me) I felt peering eyes at me all the time. The women, from underneath their veils, seemed to be critiquing us with their at times unfriendly body language, whereas the men looked at us like we were meat. I’m completely serious. In Italy, if you remember, I remarked that I didn’t feel that the men were looking at us with crude thoughts running through their minds, but in Egypt, it was clear that they were. Simply because we had some skin showing, the men would make obscene gestures and facial expressions repetitively. But with the men I actually talked with, they were a lot more polite. Although some would try to kiss my cheeks and grab us a little too tight when we took pictures, I never felt that uncomfortable around them. Actually, I bonded with a lot of individuals. I would spend maybe 20 minutes talking with one or two Egyptian men about life in general and traveling. I encountered no anti American sentiments but I heard from others this was not the case for everyone. One of my roommates told me that she said she was from Canada and many Egyptians were satisfied that she wasn’t from the states. Some went as far as to say Americans were unwelcome there. But of course, they all hated American foreign policy and Bush especially. No surprise there.

4. Tipping/Money: Egypt is a culture where tipping is very important but it became a little extreme during our stay. Men wanted money all the time. Everywhere we went, if someone even said two sentences to you, they wanted money. In the Egyptian museum, we asked an employee where the exit was, and after showing it to us, he wanted a tip. At one of the pyramids, a guy started talking to me (telling me I looked Egyptian!) and after a few moments of conversation, he then asked me for money, “for his luck,” he said. He wanted me to give him 50 Egyptian pounds, or 10 USD! Seriously…it became ridiculous. And that’s quite sad, because it deterred me from speaking with more Egyptians, for fear of them asking me for money. They would be so nice until you left. And in the bazaar, as we walked, every man would shout out “you are beautiful!”, “I love your smile!”, or in one case, some guy said to me, “excuse me, I love you…” and I laughed and he replied “no, you don’t know what you’ve done to my heart…” Truly, I heard more compliments in the bazaar than ever before. But they just wanted us to come into their shops to buy something. In a way it was fun, dozens and dozens of people paying you attention, one after the other…it was an experience I had never had before. What was interesting is that they learn how to say these compliments in multiple languages, so Momoko was hearing the same phrases in Japanese (even though my girl momo chan is indeed beautiful and the guys probably sincerely believed everything they said).

Hmmm…that’s it for now. It’s almost 10 pm and I want to get a good nights rest before my first day in Greece tomorrow! The homeland! Finally! I’ve decided I’ll be spending the majority of the time in Athens, with a SAS trip to Poros, Hydra, and Aegina on the third day. I wish I could write more I think I need more time to digest everything.

Al Qahira-Cairo

July 31

When we found out we were heading to Egypt, our field office scrambled to get together a field program for us and I must say, they did an amazing job. Since I hadn’t planned for Egypt, I thought it would be best to do an overnight trip through SAS. And it turned out to be the best tour of the entire summer! I am so grateful I was able to do it…I didn’t have to worry about anything, everything was already planned out and it was fantastic. There were almost 300 people who went on the trip…that says how popular it was! I woke up before seven and we were on the bus by 8 traveling to Cairo. There were about 12 buses, I was on bus 8 and we had an amazing tour guide, a woman named Nevian whose grandparents were Turkish. For the duration of the trip, she called us group “sunshine…” ……we would be in the middle of the street and she would yell “SUNSHINE! SHAKE A LEG!” It was fabulous. For the 2.5-3 hours it took to get to Sakkara, our first destination, Nevian taught us some Arabic and shared with us the history of her ancient culture. We took the desert road to Cairo, the most popular way to get to the city. Sakkara is home to the oldest ancient Egyptian cemetery, where the Step Pyramid of King Zoser stands. This is not one of the pyramids that most people know, but is roughly 5,000 years old! I couldn’t help but think this is where all the shows on the history channel are filmed! We were right in the middle of the desert and right before me stood the world’s first monumental stone building! Very close by are the Mastabas, which are tombs. From the outside, they look like a house but underneath they are much more than that. We couldn’t bring our cameras in, but there were beautiful hieroglyphics all along the walls depicting daily life in ancient Egypt. (some people took pictures…made me upset…why do people think the rules don’t apply to them?). Apparently Egyptians are still buried in mastabas today and follow the ancient Egyptian traditions, instead of the Islamic customs.

For lunch, we headed to a hotel called the Mena House Oberoi, which used to be a palace! The ballroom where we were served lunch had the most amazing décor and was easily one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever eaten in. Afterwards, we headed to the National Archaeology Museum in downtown Cairo, more commonly known as the Egyptian museum. The place was crowded with tourists and had no air conditioning, which made the visit a tad uncomfortable. Our tour guide took us through all the highlights but unfortunately, we weren’t able to go into the mummy room because it was extra. But we were able to see the treasures of King Tutankhamen, including his famous gold mask. There was a really great jewelry room, some of the pieces were so elaborate! We left after about an hour and a half of observing the artifacts and got on the buses to go to the Meridian Pyramids, a five star hotel where we would be staying, right across from the Pyramids. It took us at least an hour and a half to get there…the traffic in Cairo was just insane! It was bumper to bumper for the duration of the ride BUT it allowed us to wave to all the Egyptians in the cars beside us. Every single child would wave at us….the Egyptian children were adorable! I wanted to take them all home with me! It wasn’t just the children who would wave to us, almost every man would and some women. I didn’t mind the traffic…it was nice to exchange a smile here and there with strangers. The roads were so very busy but it was fun in a sense. Just watching everything, seeing so many people…all the noise, the animals, …anticipating what’s to come next, so much fun! When we finally arrived at the hotel, we found our rooms (very nice!) and had a wonderful buffet dinner. There was a marriage reception going on, where two brothers had married two sisters. The headscarfs and dresses were so beautiful, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I had never seen such elaborate and striking gowns. Luckily, I was able to find a Herald Tribune and our room had BBC and CNN so I definitely was able to get my news fill. Before we knew it, we were heading to the Giza Plateau around 8:45 to see the
sound and light show, “Son et Lumiere” in the English version. This was the closest I had gotten to the Sphinx and pyramids thus far and to see them illuminated in such colors as blue, red, and even green was an incredible sight to behold. PLEASE do yourself a favor and see this when you go to Egypt. It was a wonderful show sharing the rich history of Egypt against the backdrop of the most amazing monuments in the world. And the colors…goodness, so awesome!! We got back after 10 and I got to sleep around 11. We had an interruption at around midnight which was really unsettling (Momoko answered the door, supposedly they were a bunch of our tour guides checking the rooms and what not) so I didn’t sleep very well after that.

A few hours later, we woke up at 4am to get ready and check out of the hotel. And then, we traveled to the pyramids to see the sun rise! The pyramids don’t usually open until 8am to the public so we were the only ones there. It was a beautiful thing to watch and something I will treasure for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, it was somewhat cloudy so the skies weren’t as vibrantly colored as we had hoped. On the other hand, it made the whole atmosphere a little more eerie, which was appropriate. A couple hours later we got to ride camels! There had been another SAS tour offered, called the camel ride and jeep safari and participants on my overnight Cairo tour worried we wouldn’t be able to ride camels as well. Luckily, our tour guides organized it for us and it costed 10 dollars. We were so grateful our guides took care of it…we heard stories of paying men to get on camels and then not being able to get off the animal without paying even more money. Thankfully, we didn’t have to worry about that. When it was our turn, Momoko and I got on the camel and we almost fell off when it was standing up! My God, it was such a bumpy ride! And at first, very uncomfortable! But as we rode on towards the pyramids and realized once again where we were and what we were doing, the thought of comfort vanished. Here we were, in front of the great pyramids of Giza, in the middle of the desert, riding camels! It was unreal!!! I still cannot believe I actually did it…one of the most magical experiences in my life, without a doubt.

After riding the camels, we went closer to the pyramids to take some pictures before heading to see the Sphinx up close. Following that, we got back on the buses and drove through Cairo to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, which was the most amazing, lively place in the city! The bazaar was a maze of
narrow alleyways, filled with a variety of merchandise and tinted with a myriad of colors and sounds. There were shops selling hookahs, jewelry, leather, spices, scarves and dresses, coffee and treats. It was a city in itself, an atmosphere that hypnotized the senses. It was the exotic middle east that has always been romanticized with Arabic slipping off the tongues of sellers, and the smell of shisha and spices lingering in the air. I will write more about my interactions with the people later. I ended up buying some souvenirs because everything was incredibly cheap and haggling is easy to do.

The majority of Muslims are Sunni in Egypt but there is a small Shiite population. Right next to the bazaar was the most important Shiite mosque in the city, named after the grandson of Mohammad. Right when we were leaving, one of their prayer times started…it was an amazing experience to be right outside the mosque as people were swarming the area and the call to prayer was resonating in the square. I was able to take some video footage which I hope to put up on the site sometime later.
When we were finished in the area, we went to our final activity in Cairo, which was a boat cruise along the Nile for lunch. It was a great way to end our tour, a time for relaxing, enjoying the food, and traveling along the most famous river in the world. Towards the end, we had a whirling dervish and belly dancer performance which was entertaining. After, we boarded the buses for the last time and took the 2 and a half hour trip back to Alexandria and the ship. Since we had been up since 4ish, everyone crashed on the way home (aka to the explorer). We got back around 530 but I didn’t get back on the ship until closer to 6ish…it takes a LONG time to get back on the ship because of the security measures we have in place. I slept until 11 this morning! But I’m still very tired…we had our Sea Olympics today…the ship is divided into seas, I’m in the yellow sea and I think we might have gotten third place? There were tug of war competitions, lip sync, synchronized swimming, among other activities. I didn’t sign up for any and I’m SO HAPPY because I don’t think I would have had the energy…right now is our cultural pre port for Greece but seeing as I’ve lived within the culture my whole life, I’m only watching it through the TV in our cabin. And I would like to continue sharing my thoughts on Egypt, now that I’ve written about my sightseeing.

When Someone Says Alexandria-Mikhail Alekseevich Kuzmin

Here's a poem about Alexandria written by the Russian author Mikhail Alekseevich Kuzmin:



When someone says: "Alexandria,"
I see the white walls of a house,
a small garden row of gillyflowers,
an autumn evening's pale sunlight
and hear the music of distant flutes.

When someone says: "Alexandria,"
I see stars above the hushed city,
drunken sailors in dark quarters,
a dancing girl performing the "wasp,"
and hear tambourines and the noise of fights.

When someone says "Alexandria,"
I see a pale purple sunset above the green sea,
the flickering of furry stars
and the light grey eyes beneath thick brows
that I see even when
no one says: "Alexandria!"

The Pearl of the Mediterranean-Alexandria, Egypt

Egypt…how can I begin to describe you? At the moment my mind aches from the noise, the sun, the bustle, and yet my heart is smiling. I am living in my travel dreams…and none of it seems real. This whole summer hasn’t felt real. I exist in a state of excitement and awe mingled with moments of disbelief and omnipresent exhaustion. I cannot believe I am here, and then my body reminds me. The visitor fatigue has outstayed his welcome…but if I push him out, so will go the others…all the wonder, all the chaos that is traveling. I am writing this at about 8:20 pm and I would be more than happy to fall asleep right now. But I have to pick up a souvenir in about an hour, perhaps smoke a hookah with some locals, or maybe drink some chai. When will I have the chance again?

Until then, I will describe my first day in Egypt, spent in the seaside city of Alexandria. Alexandria was of course, founded by Alexander the Great in322 BC and it was here that the famous Pharos Lighthouse once stood, one of the ancient seven wonders of the world. It is the second largest city in Egypt, with a population of about 8 million, which increases to 13 million during the summer months. Out of 22 ports in Egypt, Alexandria is the largest and is known as the “port of good wind.” When we disembarked the ship, we were naïve to think we could walk to most of the sightseeing locations. This would have been absolutely impossible. Even if they weren’t miles apart, I doubt we would have been able to navigate ourselves around the city. And of course, the traffic was insane (which we are beginning to feel as normal) but unlike the other cities, Alexandria had donkeys, horses, sheep, and goats in the road. I had read an article in the Times a couple of months ago about the noise in Cairo, i.e the incessant honking, etc. One of the things we immediately noticed was that EVERYONE honked ALL the time…our taxi driver would honk for no reason it seemed like…but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Like I said, when we got off the ship, we really didn’t have a good idea of how the city was laid out. Honestly, after a full day of sightseeing, I still don’t have a good idea. Usually in every port, there are tons of taxis lined up with drivers asking us where we need to go, what we want to do…most of the time we walk on right past them. But one individual, a short man probably in his 70s, wouldn’t stop talking to us. We finally asked if he would take six of us to the catacombs, and that would be it. What we originally wanted was just one drive. Instead, we ended up staying with him the entire day. He took us EVERYWHERE in Alexandria, for only $20 each person (we all tipped him pretty generously). Immediately, our entertainment began. Just being a passenger in the traffic is a completely different experience in itself. And there weren’t really seatbelts, so good thing we never did get in that accident…which almost occurred 10 times. Before I traveled to Naples and Alexandria, I really couldn’t fathom how bad the traffic was. I had no idea. So let me explain to those who think that driving in NYC or LA is difficult. There are lines here but NO one follows them. It really is a free for all. You know how when we pass toll stations and there is that 2 second period where everyone is trying to get into the lanes before there are any? Okay, that’s what its like all the time. At one point, a car from the opposite direction was coming straight at us…and then another car from our direct left…not to mention the speeding cars to the right of us…really, it’s amazing there aren’t a million accidents…so add a couple donkey’s pulling carts, pedestrians walking through the streets with tons of children, the sound of a honk never leaving your ear, and you’ve got Alexandria. Cairo, I’ve heard, is ten times worse. So we’ll see. And yet, I never felt unsafe. Funny, isn’t it? I think it’s because we were all used to Naples, and St. Petersburg before that. But goodness, if someone put me in that same taxi two months ago, I would have fainted. Instead, I just enjoyed the ocean breeze. Goodness, how I’ve already changed.
Our first stop was the Catacombs of Kom esh-Shawqafa, which took us about 15 minutes to get to. When we got there, we found the entrance to the circular staircase which took us down to the 2nd century CE catacombs, which have three levels (the lowest inaccessible). They were the coolest things ever. Photography was prohibited which was unfortunate…I would have loved to take pictures!!! We felt like we were in the movie Tomb Raiders…there were so many compartments and place where bodies rested…the main part had the central tomb with bearded serpents on the wall…it was just very eerie and totally the Egypt I imagined that is always romanticized in movies. We just wandered around the rooms…it was like a small maze…some of the tombs were filled with water…interesting. We were there for about 20 minutes…it isn’t that large and since we were on our own with no guide, staying longer wasn’t necessary.
When we got back our trusty taxi driver was sitting across the street in a café, having some chai and sitting with a man smoking (hookah, naturally). The six of us went over and hung out with them for a little bit, before continuing on to our next location, Pompey’s Pillar. Considered the largest ancient monument in the city, Pompey’s Pillar is like a mini Washington monument…but a million times cooler because it also has two sphinx statues and an underground library beneath it! Apparently it mistakenly named by Crusaders…there was no connection to Pompey (the Roman). Instead it was a part of the ancient Temple of Serapis and constructed to honor Diocletian, the Emperor. At first, I felt a little apprehensive of going there. After all, it’s just a pillar. But it felt so much more than that when we were there.

(rest of this written Aug1)
I know this may sound silly, but the spot made felt genuinely Egyptian…the thought of sand comes to mind, of a sphinx, and it was there along with the pillar. It was very cheap to get in, maybe about two or three dollars (10-15 Egyptian pounds). When we were finished, we got back in the taxi and passed the Roman Amphitheater, in the area of Kom Al-Dekka. It was really interesting….this Roman relic stuck right in the middle of everything else…it almost looked out of place. We continued driving and went through some really fascinating parts of the city…we went on this one street where they sold live animals…chickens, pigeons, rabbits…we actually saw a rabbit being skinned, it was traumatizing. There were goats and donkeys everywhere, even sheep from time to time. Our next stop was the New Alexandria Library in the Shatby districted, which was opened in 2002. It was about 2 dollars to get in, and we spent maybe twenty minutes inside. The architecture was very modern and it was fun to see but not much else to see but books and computers. However, that doesn’t stop the place from being mobbed with tourists. Our handy driver was on the scene ready to take us to our next location when we were done. At one point, he stopped on the side of the street, told us to hold on, and got out of the car. At first we were a tad perplexed and actually thought the situation a little sketchy but in five minutes, he came out with six bottled waters for us! It was the nicest thing ever…seriously. We then headed to the Montazah Palaces and gardens which were absolutely beautiful! It took us at least twenty minutes to get there but the road we took was right on the sea and the beaches were mobbed! Everyone in Alexandria seemed to be at the beach! And the waves were rough! On the other side of the road there were so many shops and restaurants, I even spotted a Starbucks and yes, a Chilis. Of course, most of the places were not American. But fun seeing, nonetheless.

Soon enough we were driving in the Montazah gardens, which are somewhat of a resort area for the Egyptians. What a contrast it was to go from the streets of Alexandria to these gardens…it seemed impossible that they were right next to each other! The Montazah gardens included the Shallalat gardens, Nozha gardens, and Antoniadis gardens. The Palace is now one of the President’s houses and is located right by the side of sea but during the summer, it’s vacated. We were able to drive right up to the gate and take a couple pictures. By this time, our stomachs were beginning to grumble but we decided to wait until we got back on the boat for lunch at our pool deck. We still had a couple more places to see. As we were driving, we passed the Unknown Soldier monument, close to Tahrir Square. We stopped at Qaitbey Fort which is where the old Alexandrian lighthouse once stood. The fort is rather large and houses the Naval Museum as well as a mosque. Perhaps the most exciting places to see came last. We came to an area where four mosques stood, the most prominent being the Mosque of Morsi Abu El-Abbas, which is the largest mosque in the city and also holds the tomb of Abu el-Abbas himself. It was an incredible site…a perfect example of Islamic architecture with the domes and minarets. We went in for a couple of minutes (men and women are always separated and shoes taken off!) which I’ll write more about later. But this was without a doubt, the most beautiful mosque I’ve ever seen. If you’re ever in Alexandria, make this your first stop. You won’t be disappointed.

We headed back to the ship a little later, bid farewell to our driver, and went directly to buy food on the 7th deck and take a quick dip in the pool. Afterwards, we headed back out to do some shopping in the vendors right near our ship. My friend (and bodyguard! ) Ryan and I immediately became friends with several of the Egyptian men working in the shops…they even let me try the shisha they were smoking and offered tea and coffee. I wasn’t planning on getting anything…at that point, I just wanted to see what was there. We stayed longer at the second shop and ordered some necklaces with our names in hieroglyphics. We also tried on some dresses just for fun (yes, tons of guys bought dresses and wore them) but I ended up getting mine for free!! I tried on three different ones and the last one was particularly nice…but I wasn’t sure I would ever wear it enough…he was offering me good prices but I was still hesitant…and then, he gave it to me for free. I couldn’t believe it. At first I thought I misunderstood him but I hadn’t…he was just giving this to me for nothing at all. I felt so bad!! We told him we would come back in a couple of hours to pick up the necklaces and sure enough, we went back out later and shared tea and coffee with our new friend Nasser Mohamed Mahmoud. Another friend came along as well so the four of us just sat and talked for at least an hour (and I went away with a headdress and scarf for free too!!!). It was great just relaxing and learning from one another…sharing each other’s cultures, ideas, opinions about the world…there is nothing like that exchange…and underneath the night sky of Alexandria, it couldn’t have been better.

So my first day in Egypt was absolutely incredible! I just got back from spending the past two days in Cairo and all I can say is, they were amazing. I am, unsurprisingly, exhausted. We woke up this morning at 4 am to catch the sunrise over the pyramids, so I’m about to crash (its almost 10). Tomorrow is “Greek day” slash sea Olympics = NO CLASSES! Which is a huge relief because I don’t think I could wake up at 8 anyways. BUT tomorrow I’m determined to write all about my experiences, so check updates tomorrow!