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.

A Warm Wexford Welcome

Wexford-Soroptimists-web

Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

Photo: Joy, Jean Ruddock, Eleanor Doyle, Eileen Hurlihy and Mary O’Gara.

Once again Don and I were the grateful beneficiaries of the hospitality of Soroptimists – this time in Ireland. On Friday, May 4, former Soroptimist Ireland National President and Wexford Club member Eileen Herlihy and several Wexford Soroptimist Club members broke away from their work days and hosted Don and me for coffee and scones on the terrace at the Ferrycarrig Hotel. The setting on the river was gorgeous and the ladies made us feel right at home. Our lively conversation ranged from politics to pensions to health insurance and more. Eleanor, whose family is an old Wexford family, helped Don develop some leads to his family roots in Wexford (watch for Johnstown Castle blog).

Besides acting as a local historian, Eleanor is a farmer; Jean is a relationship counselor; Eileen is a retired maths teacher and manager of a school of music, which she founded and operates; and Mary is also a retired teacher.

The Wexford Club is 25 members strong and meets monthly. The club has most recently organized two gowned balls to raise 31,000 € for Special Olympics (that’s about $42,000 US).

This year’s club projects are a local women’s shelter and also the National Rehabilitation Center (DUN LAOGHAIRE) which provides treatment for people with traumatic brain injuries.

The Club also sponsors a young woman in a Soroptimist All-Ireland public speaking competition. the competition was started 25 years ago to encourage public speaking skills in young women and to help heal the rift between Northern and Southern Ireland. There is a winner from each, who then share accommodations at the Soroptimist Ireland Conference.

Eileen says they make a point of balancing good works and good fun. In the summer, instead of having formal meetings, they host social gatherings for club members in their homes –– which Eileen described as good fun and a good fundraiser.

They have paired up with the Avignon (France) Soroptimist Club and are getting ready to host a small group from that club.

Thanks so much to Eileen and the other Wexford members for another great Soroptimist memory.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge 114

Originally uploaded by Joyz Life.

Over 5,000 years ago, the people who lived in this part of England somehow conceived and built this place now called Stonehenge. Thanks to the tour we booked, we had access to the stones, which is limited to tour groups of 26 and only after regular hours. We had plenty of time to take pictures and the tour guide offered the theories of why and how Stonehenge was built.

We are on the run again, so for now, just enjoy these photos.