The Only Reason to Visit Egypt

Cairo 071a

Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

One of the ports of call on our cruise was Alexandria, Egypt, with an overnight stay to give us plenty of time to go to Cairo — a 3-hour bus ride. I have always wanted to see the pyramids and was so excited at the prospect.

Let me tell you — seeing the ancient treasurers of the pharaohs is the ONLY reason to go to Egypt. (Even the tour guide admitted that Cairo is an ugly city.)

As soon as you step outside the port gate there are men there aggressively hawking souvenirs or their services as guides. One woman I talked to who ventured out — in a group of 6 — was pestered for blocks by a man who actually went inside a store they had just frequented to claim his “cut” for “guiding” them there. Another told me that she and her husband went for a walk and she was verbally harassed by men in the street — despite being conservatively dressed.

At the pyramids and the sphinx, there are men everywhere trying to part you from your money. Some of them are selling souvenirs, some of them are riding camels and if you want to take a photo, you have to pay them. Sometimes men try to step into your photo frame so they can claim payment.

The poverty is pervasive, and I understand that the economic and political realities have created this situation. I can’t comment on the status of women here except to tell you about our tour guide. This young woman was an educated engineer for whom there were no jobs except tour guide.

Craux Castle, Genestelle, France

Chateau of Craux 010Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

Whew! Can’t believe I went a whole week without Internet access. Thanks to one of Don’s colleagues who offered the use of his “mountain home,” I spent the time in a mountainous area in middle-southern France called the Ardeche. The town I stayed in is called Antraigue-sur-Volane (roughly translated that’s Antraigue on the volcano). The town is perched on a ledge of volcanic rock. Just like the area north of here, En Velay (see Le Puy entry) volcanic activity formed many of the mountain peaks. Some rock outcroppings are old lava flows.

A few days ago I visited Craux castle built in the 14th to 17th centuries outside the town of Genestelle that was actually built in the crater of an extinct volcano. What a beautiful setting! Really old chestnut trees (In Medieval times, in this region chestnut trees were cultivated, harvested and the nuts dried, ground and used as flour.) are on the site and the exterior of the castle is in pretty good condition. It is undergoing restoration — the interior is empty and “off-limits.” Remnants of what was probably walls around a garden lie downhill from the castle structure.

What was really incredible was having the site all to myself to explore. This area is a bit remote — the castle is on a single-lane road — and I visited on a Friday. They certainly don’t see many Americans here – mostly French and some German tourists. What was unique to this last phase of my sight-seeing was how many of the sites I visited there were few or no other visitors. A nice change from the hordes of tourists we encountered at our cruise stops.

Love Portugal – Part 1

5th of April BridgeOriginally uploaded by Joyz Life.

After Morocco, Don and I headed to Portugal. We flew to Casablanca to catch a connecting flight to Lisbon. We had no idea we would end up being the only passengers on a 19-passenger plane!We were especially lucky on this trip. Not only did we enjoy the hospitality of one of Don’s business associates, Joao Galveo, but his sister, Margarida Rezende, is a Soroptimist. She and fellow club member Maria Gruner were gracious enough to drive us to some very special places, as did Joao. (Watch for Part 2.)Lisbon is located near the coast in central Portugal on the Tagus River. The Tagus is many times wider than the Seine giving ocean-going ships access to this important port. The 5th of April Bridge, designed by the same company that built the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.Lisbon is a very culturally rich and economically dynamic city. Fado is the national folk music described as a very melancholic, emotional expression of longing for something that cannot be recaptured. Everywhere we turned it seemed there was another construction crane and there is a modern financial center full of glass and steel towers. However, there are also many buildings that have not been maintained as the result of an onerous rent-control law that leaves building owners with insufficient income to make repairs.My favorite place in Lisbon is Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle of St. George). At the very top of the highest hill in Lisbon stand the restored stone ramparts and towers of a 10th & 11th century castle. Built by the Moors, the castle was captured by the first king of Portugal, Alfonso I. There are inviting, shady places all around the castle and the views of the city and the river from here are magnificent. Portuguese explorers were the first to navigate and map routes to India and the New World (North America and South America) back in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Marine Museum is a must-see with its statues of the explorers, ship models, ancient maps and fabulous river barges used by Portuguese kings and the Queen of England during her visit in 1957. (Camera failure this day — sorry no photos. ) We were very excited to make our own discovery – the tomb of Vasco de Gamma in the Jeronimus Church.
 

There is a beautiful boulevard called Avenue de Liberdad. It could be compared to Champs Elysee in Paris — before that street was invaded by chain stores and fastfood restaurants. There is a central parkway with trees and the pattered sidewalks. Small white and black squares are laid out in intricate patterns on city streets in this area.  

We’ve Been Cruising!

Cruise-MykonosOriginally uploaded by Joyz Life.

I’m way behind on my blog entries but how can you blame me? We – along with more than 2,000 other people — are enjoying a 12-day cruise of the eastern Mediterranean on the Norwegian Jewel. Right now, we are at sea heading to Corfu and it is our first day of less-than-perfect weather, which is why I am posting blog entries instead of lying on a chaise lounge soaking up the sun!

Our ship left from Istanbul, Turkey and our itinerary takes us to ports in Turkey, Greece, and Egypt. We end up in Athens on Thursday, where we will be spending a couple days before flying back to Paris.

The only ship excursion we signed up for was to Cairo to see the pyramids and a couple other sites in Egypt. All other ports we simply joined with other people to share a cab to see the sights or just stayed onboard to relax.

Here are a few photos from our stop in Mykonos, Greece.

 

Marrakech, Part 2

Jemaa el Fnac 014Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

Morocco, Part 2

Although an Arabic-speaking Muslim country, Morocco is not in the Middle East – it occupies the northeast corner of Africa, with both Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans coastlines. Prosperous Moroccans rent or own homes on the coast where they go to escape the summer heat. The proximity to Europe makes the resorts popular with Europeans.

The marketplace we visited is called Jemaa el-Fnac and has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We were there at the worst possible time of the day – in the heat of mid-day, when most of the locals had the good sense to be inside somewhere. So the marketplace itself was fairly empty – just a few intrepid snake charmers (that’s me with a live snake around my neck), Berbers in full native costume and fortune tellers looking to make some money off the tourists. It costs you to take pictures of them or have your picture taken with them, you see. The fellow who “charmed” us wanted 200 Dhurhims (about $20), but had to settle for 100. On top of that, Don was not happy about having a snake draped around his neck. In the cool of the evening, the Jemaa el-Fnac comes alive with entertainment and traders.

People dress in both traditional Moroccan clothing as well as Western. Some women wear Western clothing from head to foot. Others can be seen in many different interpretations of Muslim attire: simple headscarves worn with Western clothing, headscarves with Moroccan clothing and a few fully-veiled. Men were more likely to be in Western-style trousers, but others wore the hooded garments typical of Morroco or caftans.

Let me tell you – if you can drive in Morocco, you can drive any where. You must have nerves of steel to deal with the cars, trucks, motor scooters, buses and even the mule-drawn carts converging from every direction at intersections and in the traffic circles, all vying for a break in traffic. Lane markers and stop signs are just a suggestion, unless there are traffic police in evidence. We have seen a lot of aggressive driving styles in our travels – notably in Paris (where driving is referred to as the “National Sport”) and in Lisbon (where high speed tail-gating is the norm) – but Marrakech trumps them both.

There is both prosperity and poverty in Morocco. Domestic help is inexpensive and prosperous Moroccans will have a staff of several people. We saw signs of development everywhere in Marrakech, evidenced by huge construction cranes building or refurbishing hotels and new housing developments featuring beautiful mini-mansions as well as apartment buildings. We also saw mule- and horse-drawn carts carrying people and goods down the narrow streets of the medina (old town) and wide boulevards. There is always a man “in charge” of parking in any stretch of street or parking lot. He helps you find a space then collects a few cents from you when you leave. These caretakers make sure your car is safe while you are gone.

Marrekech, Morocco, Part 1

Koutoubia Mosque Tower

Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

During our travels in France, Don and I met a group of women from the Marrakech Soroptimist Club at a Soroptimist Conference. They were great fun to talk to and very proud of their club project, a boarding house for girls from the poor, rural areas. Their objective is to offer a chance for these girls to attend school in Marrakech. The Club bought the land and built the boarding house, which will ultimately hold 200 girls. At present, they have funds to support 55.

They invited us to come see the project and with a personal invitation from Leila Binebine to stay at her home, we decided to make Marrakech one of the stops on our Grand Tour.

Morocco was a French Protectorate until the 1920s and the French influence is very evident. Most of the residents speak both French and Arabic and the street signs are in the two languages. Marrakech is the third largest city in Morocco and primarily a tourist destination. Huge hotels line the streets in the “Hotel Zone” which features beautifully landscaped wide boulevards.

The medina – the old walled city – is where a great deal of the city life goes on. The Koutoubia Mosque and Tower occupy one corner of the medina. The Tower is a major landmark, at 230 feet in height the tallest building in the City. It was constructed of pink gueliz stone in the 11th Century and locals are justifiably very proud of it.

Don’s Family Castle

Johnstown Castle 042aOriginally uploaded by Joyz Life.

The primary reason for our trip to Ireland was for Don to look up family connections. His maternal grandfather was an Esmonde, a prominent family that lived in Wexford long ago, and he remembers a photo his grandmother had of a castle. On the back of the photo was written “The Esmonde Family Castle.”

We took the train from Dublin to Wexford (after an aborted attempt at renting a car) and hopped in a taxi to get to our hotel. On the way to our hotel, Shane, our driver, chatted with us about the sights of Wexford. Among them is Johnstown Castle, the very one Don remembered from his grandmothers photo!

The original Castle was built 450 years ago in early Norman times by the Esmonde family. The castle was confiscated by Oliver Cromwell (boo, hiss) from the Esmondes (who were Catholics) in the 1600’s and given to Lieut. Col. Overstreet in settlement for arrears of pay. (England sure must have owed him a lot of money.) The castle was in private hands until 1945.

The original castle is gone and the present castle is a fine example of 19th century Gothic revival architecture, the original style that emerged in Norman times in Europe. Because the interior is not safe or suitable for tours, the castle itself is not open to visitors but the gardens are, as are the 19th Century former stables and carriage house, which was turned into the Irish Agricultural Museum. We stopped by the museum and the curator gave Don a copy of an article about the history of the castle. The 19th Century gardens have been preserved and we were so lucky to have a bright, sunny day to enjoy them.

Wexford holds a world-class annual opera festival in June and the castle estate is hosting the 50th anniversary festival this year in a huge tent while the new opera house is being finished.