Included in the artifacts we saw at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization were a pair of ornate torah cases, three handheld harps, and the coffin of Sennedjem who was a craftsman who worked on the decoration of the royal tombs.
Following a flight from Cairo that took just over an hour, we checked in to the Hotel Grande Bretagne where we would spend one night prior to boarding our cruise ship. Although this did not give us much time to sightsee, we had been to Athens before and were happy just to wander and linger in this beautiful city.
Some of the familiar icons of Athens that we saw included the Acropolis, the Parliament building, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Panathenaic Stadium.
We met up with our friends, Eli and Ruth, and boarded the Oceania cruise ship, Nautica, which would be our home base for the next 11 days.
Santorini is a scenic island with steep volcanic cliffs, beautiful whitewashed houses with a splash of blue domed roofs, and breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea.
One of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, which took place about 3,600 years ago, did much to shape the island. It formed a deep underwater caldera and lots of volcanic ash.
Our tour bus drove us up the steep switchback road to the town of Fira, which is about 850 feet above sea level. Once there we wandered through the streets of this quaint little town looking through shops and galleries and enjoying the views with a cold drink at one of the small cafes.
Getting back down, however, was quite an adventure. The walk was only 1.2 miles, but it was on very uneven steps and was considered to be a moderately challenging hike. Donkeys were available to take the same route. Robin had ridden the donkeys down this route in her much younger days, but was not keen on doing it again. Steve did not like the idea of the donkeys either.
The only other option was the cable cars which brought you back to sea level in a quick three-minute ride. Unfortunately, everyone had the same plan, and the line for the cable cars was just over an hour and a half long. Had we known how long the wait was and how slowly the line would move, we would have toughed it out on the hike.
Mykonos is a small island of only about 33 square miles. The whitewashed buildings all have blue, green, or red doors and windows. This dates back to an old tradition of sailors painting their doors blue, farmers painting their doors green, and everyone else painting them red.
In the early 1900s, Mykonos was also a popular destination for pirates to drink, sing, and blow off steam before heading back out to sea.
While in Mykonos we had probably the best ice cream we have ever tasted. It was hand crafted and very flavorful and creamy. It was a wonderful conclusion to our adventures on Delos and Mykonos.
Delos today is a major archaeological site. Excavations, which were begun in 1872 by the French School at Athens, are still being carried out today.
While the tiny 1.3 square mile island was believed to be inhabited since about 3,000 BC, Delos took on a new significance in the nineth century BC when people began to make pilgrimages to the island believing it to be the sacred birthplace to the gods Apollo and Artemis. By the fifth century BC not only was the island purged of all gravesites, but also a decree was issued that said no one could give birth or be buried on the sacred island.
Later in its history, Delos became an important port and center of trade and for a time there was also a thriving slave trade. Archeological evidence shows many homes, churches, baths, a theater, and some aqueducts that date between the first and sixth centuries AD. It appears, however, that Delos has been uninhabited since the eighth century.
We arrived in Delos following a short 30-minute ferry ride from Mykonos. Our tour took us all around the island and we enjoyed wandering through the ruins. Some of the noteworthy sights included the Terrace of the Lions, some ancient mosaics, columns of the House of Dionysus, the amphitheater, and the statues at the House of Cleopatra.
Istanbul, which is the largest city in Turkey, is the only city in the world that sits on two continents. The Bosporus strait, which is the dividing line between Europe and Asia, runs right through Istanbul.
Istanbul, which has more than 15 million residents, is considered to be Europe's most populous city. As a result, the city is filled with numerous mass housing compounds and a fair number of illegally constructed squatter dwellings. What really stands out, however, as you look at the view of the city is the numerous mosques. There are more than 3,000 mosques in Istanbul and their unique style and tall minarets definitely make them easy to spot.
