Southern Europe

May 26-29.   The southern coasts of Spain and France are popular vacation destinations.   Fashionable seaside towns, sidewalk cafes and moderate Mediterranean weather attract millions of vacationers, despite the gravelly beaches and poor water quality of the Mediterranean Sea.  It's a popular vacation spot for people in northern Europe, as well as many other places around the world.  Saudi billionaires build compounds here, and ordinary millionaires own condos and yachts.  Shops, restaurants and beaches are crowded.  There is no shortage of travelers, though for those holding weak currencies it's an expensive place.

We visit Marseille, considered the oldest city in France, founded by the Greeks in 600 B.C.   Population 850,000.  For thousands of years, various empire builders from Europe, Africa and the Middle East came to this area, behaved badly, and eventually relinquished control to newer empires.  From these waves of conquest, the people of Marseille share some common cultural heritage with parts of Spain that they do not share with northern France.  For our brief stop here, we drive through the city, unfortunately during their rush hour.  We drive past a large harbor, packed with private sailboats and yachts.  The streets are lined with sidewalk cafes, mostly empty during the late morning hours.  Eventually we get past the traffic, drive up and over some hills, and get a nice view of this seaside metropolis.  It's an attractive low-rise city set in a wide shallow valley.  There are major construction projects underway including seaside hotels, shopping malls, large entertainment facilities.  Will be nice in two more years, but for now it causes traffic problems. 

We drive to the small town of Cassis, another fashionable location for the yacht & cafe set.  Other travelers say it's similar to St. Tropez, though less crowded.  Again, an expensive town.  Bathroom stop is .6 Euro, or about one dollar.  Gasoline is around $9/gallon, compared to U.S. price of $3.80/gallon.  Some might recognize 'cassis' by the product Creme de Cassis, a sweet liquer made from black currant.  The town has a population of around 8,000 people.  The entire harbor is lined with sidewalk cafes, from which one can admire hundreds of attractive yachts.  There are charming old narrow streets filled with interesting shops, all expensive of course.  Sadly we are allotted just 1 hour here.  This is one of the disadvantages of bus tours for cruise passengers - sometimes there is just not enough time. 

We leave France and sail to Spain.  It is a warm, sunny day, no rain.  If there were rain, it would fall mainly in the plain.  We stop in Barcelona, population 1.6 million.  Archaeologists have found cave paintings here dating back 15,000 years, indicating a long tradition of art.   The first known empire here was founded by the Carthaginian general and brilliant military strategist, Hannibal.   He invaded Spain, found it too expensive, and left.

I take a shuttle bus into town, walk down one of the main streets, tree-lined with most of the space for pedestrians, only limited narrow lanes for traffic.  The place is packed with people of all ages, both tourists and locals.  Street vendors, artists, performers add to the color.  Some people are staging a protest - sitting in the street blocking traffic in the main square, singing songs.  Even more people line the sidewalks to watch the people sitting in the street, waiting for something to happen.  Nothing happens, so people go to get something to eat.  Lots of places to eat, lots of energy.  Then back to the ship.  In the evening a local dance group performs traditional flamenco dancing for the passengers.  Very colorful, fast-paced entertainment.

The following day, the Barcelona football team (soccer) defeats Manchester United to win a big important match, making them the new official champion of Europe.  Yea.

Third stop on this stretch of the Mediterranean is Malaga, Spain - birthplace of Pablo Picasso.  From this large touristy town we drive to the smaller though even more touristy town of Marbella, which is Spanish for 'beautiful sea.'  We walk around for a while, see the beach, shops, restaurants.  All very nice, very familiar.  Then to the more upscale Puerto Banus, which is Spanish for 'place of expensive yachts'.  Many huge yachts and very expensive cars everywhere.  Rolls Royces, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, etc.  Nice architecture, obviously some wealthy people hang out here.   I consider buying a yacht, but decide to buy a gelato instead.

Back on the bus then back to the ship.  We sail west through the strategic Strait of Gibralter, a sixty mile wide gap between Africa and Europe, separating the Mediterranean from the Atlantic.  This 'rock' and a small area around it is actually owned by the U.K.  Being close to Africa, it's a popular place for unemployed people from Morocco and nearby countries to travel to Europe, illegally or otherwise, seeking employment.  Around 9:30 pm we pass about 3 miles offshore from the famous Rock of Gibralter.  To the south I can see the mountains of Morocco, Africa.  Near the rock I see a small town and harbor.  There are many ships there, and I know that one of them is the sailboat my son is traveling on as he heads east into the Mediterranean.  Our ships pass in the night.  Too far away to wave, so I send an email.

(photo at top of page is street in Marseille)

Yachts in harbor of Marseille

Harbor of Cassis

View from hills over Cassis

Street in Marseille

Protesters block street in Barcelona

Lots of pedestrians in Barcelona

Phil's sailing vessel for his Atlantic crossing

Small plaza in Marbella

Yachts in Puerto Banus

Rolls Royce in Puerto Banus

Yacht berths in Puerto Banus

Italy

May 23-25, Italy.  We visit three ports in this ancient land, home to generations of great artists, inventors, and explorers.  The country of Italy is less than 200 years old, but the history of the place is over 3,000.  Today Italy is home to about 60 million people.  Less prosperous than their northern European neighbors, they are still a wealthy country, though they do face some challenging economic problems.  While some cities in Italy are in serious decline, there are still many beautiful places to visit, especially if you enjoy good food and good scenery.  It's also a nice place to shop if you're not price-sensitive. 

We enter the region by sailing through the Strait of Messina at night, between the island of Sicily and the mainland of Italy.  It is lit up on both sides and we see fireworks on the Sicily side.   We sail up the west coast to Sorrento.  It is a picturesque seaside town, post-card perfect with colorful buildings, sheer cliffs, old stone homes clinging to steep hillsides.   Europe has a strong sidewalk cafe culture, and Sorrento is typical in this regard.  We wander around the main square, then visit a small hillside farm that has been in continuous operation for about 120 years.  If not for the tourist industry, they could not afford to stay in business today.  We see their farm animals and taste some of their produce, olives, mozzarella, and a dangerously good limoncello.  The photo above is a demonstration of making mozzarella.

Next day we dock in the port of Civitavecchia, where we take a 1-hour bus ride to Rome.  In Rome I don't go on tour, but instead have lunch with a few other passengers, wander around the touristy Spanish Steps area.  Rome and the empire it ruled have a long and dramatic history.  As legend has it, two young brothers named Romulus and Remus were abandoned by their parents, suckled by a she-wolf, then raised by a shepherd couple.  The boys grew up poor, yet wanted a city of their own.  In 736 B.C., they founded Rome, and as they say, the rest is history.  Romulus went on to invent pasta, Ferraris and expensive shoes.  He eventually made a small fortune, retired and lived out his days in a sleepy village in the south of France.  His brother joined a yacht club and took up sailing.  The city they founded eventually became the capital of a famous empire.

To leave Rome, we negotiate a cab ride back to Civitavecchia.  We drive through narrow streets, past the Coliseum, challenging motorcyclists and pedestrians who narrowly escape the path of our cab.  We learn that the streets of Rome are designed like a bowl of pasta. 

Back to our ship, we continue north up the western coast of the Italian peninsula and stop in the even more picturesque harbor town of Portovenere.  There we board a small boat and travel near the coast to a series of small villages known as Cinque Terre.  Here it would be nice to find a synonym so I don't over-use the word 'picturesque'.   Each of the villages clings to steep hillsides, where for 1,000 years the inhabitants farmed the difficult terrain by terracing it, then growing grapes, olives, vegetables, other fruits.  The old-timers still work the land, but the younger generation now just works in the tourist industry or other non-farm jobs.  You can visit here and stay in a variety of hotels or B&B's, hike the many trails that connect the villages, enjoy the clean ocean along gravelly beaches, and of course spend lazy hours sipping cappuccinos in the sidewalk cafes.

After Cinque Terre, I return to the ship and sit outside to eat lunch.  I'm joined by two other passengers.  We so enjoy gazing at the beautiful harbor of Portovenere, watching the expensive yachts motor by, soaking up the ideal Mediterranean climate, that we stay there almost three hours.  Finally, it is time to move on to another country.  We leave Italy, one tiramisu wiser.

Isle of Capri

Sorrento

Portovenere

Houses cling to the hills of Cinque Terre

One small village of Cinque Terre

Largest village of Cinque Terre - pop. 800

Israel

May 18-20: Israel. Another day, another country, last stop in the middle east.  I spend three days in Israel, touring this thoroughly modern country with a thoroughly ancient history.  Lots of holy sites, biblical significance, and ruins of past empires.  Yet very modern, advanced technology, vibrant culture, democratic, strong economy.  Population is almost 8 million, land mass slightly less than New Hampshire.   Much of the land is desert, though they have turned it into very productive agriculture, pioneering efficient irrigation systems.  Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages, though English is widely spoken, taught in grade school, and written on many signs.  Twenty percent of the population is Arab, the rest are mostly what they call cultural Jewish, while some are very religious orthodox Jews.

Like all places that have been continuously inhabited by agrarian cultures for at least several thousand years, the layers of history are vast.  On tour we see a few selected highlights, hear a few selected stories.  As visitors we are interested in trying to understand the current politics, but that is beyond the expertise of our tour guide, beyond the scope of our brief visit.  I hear a story that back in the early 1970's, a senior U.S. state department official thought he figured out the solution to conflict between Israel/Palestine.  He went to Henry Kissenger, the then U.S. Secretary of State, excited to share his idea.  Kissenger immediately corrected the senior official by telling him that there is no solution to this conflict, and that the job of diplomats in that part of the world was not to solve these problems, but to manage them.

Our first day we visit the modern business city of Tel Aviv, its older neighbor Jaffa, and the ancient city of Caesarea a few hours north.  Tel Aviv is on the coast and has a very nice beach and a modern skyline.  Lots of construction going on.  Streets are clean, lots of people walking, sidewalk cafes are busy.  Nearly half of the population of Israel lives in this metropolitan area.  Plenty of high-tech industry.

In Caesarea we view ancient ruins of buildings and a harbor built under the rule of Herod the Great during the decades before Christ.  This pro-Roman general also expanded the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.  Unfortunately his tradition of great accomplishments ended when he died.  He was succeeded by his son, Archelaus the Not-So-Great.

On our second day we drive south, through the Negev desert.  We see vast expanses of farms, drive on a well-paved highway.  We arrive at the lowest point on Earth - the Dead Sea, 1,300 feet below sea level.  Previously known as the salty sea, this body of water is now named 'Dead' either because the water that drains into it from the Jordan river has no place to go but up (lowest point on Earth), or because nothing can live in this highly concentrated mineral water.  This sea is shrinking by about one meter per year, so it may not be around much longer. 

Some people go to the Dead Sea for therapeutic reasons, to bathe in the mineral waters or mud baths.  Others just go for the novelty of floating in water in which one cannot sink.  It's a weird feeling, being so buoyant that you cannot even force an arm or leg down into the water without another limb popping up into the air for counter-balance.  Some say that at such a low elevation, the atmosphere is too thick for the sun's UV rays to penetrate, thus removing the need for sunblock.  After the Dead Sea, we visit the nearby hilltop fortress of Masada.  There we learn of the heroism and tragedy of the Jews who fled the Roman army and escaped to this location in around 70 A.D.

On our third day, we visit Jerusalem.  It serves as the political capital of Israel and together with Bethlehem and Nazareth has many of the world's holiest sites.  Jerusalem is divided into four sections - Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Armenian.  It is an attractive city with low-rise buildings, generously landscaped and set among rolling hills.  All of the buildings by law must use the same Jerusalem limestone, which creates a visually pleasing homogeneous effect.  It is a vibrant place, lots going on, lots of people walking in the neighborhoods.

Because of its many holy sites, Jerusalem receives many visitors.  Nazareth and Bethlehem are the most popular as thousands try to trace the presumed footsteps of Jesus.  The iconic Dome of the Rock is in the old city of Jerusalem, marking both the spot where the prophet Mohammed ascended, and the location of the destroyed Jewish temple.  The western wall of the old city is known as the 'wailing wall', a place where Jews have prayed since destruction of their second temple long ago.  We visit the Holocaust museum, which is an extremely well-researched and well-designed facility that carefully conveys the story of those tragic events from 70 years ago, during WWII.  It is a heart-wrenching, yet important stop on this tour and helps to explain why the state of Israel was created in 1948.

On our drive back to our ship, we pass through the northern seaside town of Haifa.  Far from the political capital and without notable ruins, it is an attractive, modern city, with diverse people, known for getting along, not getting caught up in cultural conflicts.  Wish we had more time here, but like so many stops in interesting places, our visit ends too early.  We leave Israel, impressed with their ability to thrive in a challenging environment, interested in their everyday realities, curious about the future of this complicated place.

Tel Aviv

Ruins in Caesarea

Tram cables to Masada

View from Masada

Location where Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Local visitors to Wailing Wall

Wailing Wall has separate entrances for men & women

Wailing Wall

Street Festival in Jerusalem

Soldier carrying unloaded weapon home for weekend

Baha'i Garden in Haifa

Street in Haifa

Cairo, Egypt

May 17, Cairo, pyramids.  We begin our tour in Cairo with a visit to the Egyptian museum.  Appropriately, they have the largest collection of Egyptian antiquity in the world.  The building is somewhat in disrepair, though the collection itself is very good.  Unless you are an Egyptologist, the sterile nature of the museum yields an unmemorable experience.

After the museum we have lunch at a fancy hotel, then visit the famous pyramids of Giza.  They are basically across the street from the hotel, right at the edge of Cairo. 

There are three large pyramids and a handful of smaller ones.  There is a big parking lot on land overlooking the structures, and we stop there for photos.  This being modern Egypt, the area is crawling with opportunistic peddlers and scammers.  We get out of the bus to snap pictures.  Next thing I know, I'm on a camel with a scarf on my head, and some young Egyptian guy has my camera and is taking my picture.  They want money of course, though never ask for it.  I give each of the three scammers $5, total of $15.  They try to refuse the money, arguing it is not enough - camels are expensive to maintain, they need $60.   I unilaterally negotiate and they end up accepting the $15.  I return to my bus, simultaneously feeling sorry for them and annoyed at them.  Other travelers have similar experiences.

We drive closer to the pyramids, get out and walk around.  There is a line of people waiting to go into the largest one, but we don't have enough time to do this.  We walk the area, noticing the energy in the air, snapping photos, trying to avoid the pesky peddlers.  After a brief stop here, less than an hour, we get back on our bus to leave Cairo.  The visit to these iconic structures turns out to be gratifying in that we can all cross this item from our bucket list.  Yet the visit itself is anti-climatic.  Our guide does not explain the significance of these tall pointy buildings, and after nearly 72 hours of touring in Egypt, none of the passengers have the energy to ask.  I do notice that up close, the structures are crumbling.  They won't be around forever.

After the pyramids we visit the sphinx.  It is also decaying, though still retains some of its drama.  Today it serves as another photo stop for tourists and an opportunity for hawkers and scammers.

We get back on our bus and drive several hours to Port Said, named for one of the prominent men responsible for the Suez Canal, opened in 1869.  There we board our ship and leave Egypt, heading to Israel, our final stop in the middle east.

Cairo & Nile at night viewed from hotel

Streets of Cairo

Building burned by protesters in January 2011

Tall pointy buildings

Two camel scammers