Robin's Adventures

There were many interesting statues and friezes on display as we wandered through the ruins. The first photo is the Memmius Monument which was built in the first century AD to honor Caius Memmius for his military contributions. The next photo is a marble relief of Nike, the Goddess of Victory.

The third picture is of a frieze on Hadrian's Temple which shows the story of the founding of Ephesus. Photo number four is the statue of Sophia, who represented wisdom. Sophia is one of the four statues on the front of the Library of Celsus. The last photo is of several of the many sarcophagi that were used in Ephesus.

The terrace houses are a group of luxury homes that were built on a slope overlooking Curetes Street in Ephesus. Many of the walls are painted with decorative frescoes and there is a large collection of elaborate mosaic floors. Excavation of the terrace houses began in 1960 and is an ongoing process.

When we originally booked the cruise, Egypt was not part of the itinerary. Alexandria and Cairo were added much later, after we had already set up our Egypt adventure for the first part of the trip. Since it was only for a couple of days, we decided that we did not mind the overlap and we would enjoy these two cities again.

In Alexandria, we revisited the Citadel of Qaitbay, The Alexandria Library, the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, and the Roman amphitheater.

In Cairo, we revisited the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

The city of Memphis was founded in 3,100 BC and was the capital city of Egypt from 2625 to 2130 BC. Excavations, which began in 1907, have unearthed an assortment of temples, tombs, and statues. Many of these items are currently on display at the Memphis Open Air Museum. Among the highlights are the huge statue of Ramses II and an alabaster sphinx of Amenophis II.

The next stop on our cruise was Ashdod, Israel. From Ashdod we traveled by car to Jerusalem. Along the way we stopped to enjoy the view from Mount Scopus. Mount Scopus, which is 2,710 feet tall, provides some wonderful views of the city of Jerusalem. Near the summit of the mountain is the campus of the Hebrew University and the Hadassah Hospital.

The holiday of Sukkot was being celebrated during our visit to Jerusalem. Sukkot is a Jewish holiday that lasts for one week and celebrates the fall harvest and the exodus from Egypt. One of the traditions of the holiday is erecting a sukkah, which is a temporary hut which has branches covering part of the roof. Another tradition involves the ceremonial use of the lulav (palm branch) and the etrog (citron).

As we drove through Jerusalem, we noticed many homes had a sukkah on their balconies. In addition, many people were seen carrying their newly purchased lulav and etrog.

Mahane Yehuda Market, also called The Shuk, is a popular marketplace with more than 250 merchants selling bakery items, fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, wine, meats, and cheeses. In addition, there are vendors selling clothing and household items. In the same general area, there are numerous coffee houses, juice bars, cafes, and restaurants.

When we visited, the Mahane Yehuda Market was bustling with lots of shoppers and tourists. There were wonderful smells and colorful displays of items for sale. We were fascinated by the halva. We have never seen so many different varieties or flavors nor have we ever seen it in large round wheels.

The next port we stopped at was Haifa, Israel. From there we took the train to Tel Aviv. The journey was about 60 miles and took about an hour and a half. Once in Tel Aviv we traveled to Jaffa and spent the day there.