January 24, 2007
Cairo, Egypt
To continue with the story from yesterday, while Brad was busy making friends with his Egyptian pals on the beach, the rest of us, Ambrice, Jess, Ann, myself, Sam, and Chris all decided to order hamburgers. After 45 minutes they had not arrived and by that time we were all getting pretty antsy. Eventually the servers came out with plates of club and tunafish sandwiches, which of course we had not ordered. They looked annoyed at us for refusing the food, but it was not even close to the right order. After nearly going out of our minds with hunger, the hamburgers arrived. None of the burgers matched our specifications for condiments, etc, but by then we were so hungry that we scarfed them down anyway. Nothing remained on our plates afterwards. From 5:00 to 5:10, and that was it. All of our hamburgers had gone.
Soon after we had finished Brad entered the hotel and proceeded to tell us about his conversation with the Egyptians. Since they did not speak much English, most of what was said consisted of hand gesturing and broken fragments. What he did find out was that the Egyptians liked Americans, disliked Bush, loved soccer and WWE, and were VERY interested in American girls. On that topic, Brad wisely decided to play dumb, but he said it was a very enlightening experience.
After that, we went to the happy hour at the restaurant, where we ran into a British gentleman who was very nice and told us all about how much better Egypt was than the UK, where everything was “bloody expensive”. We couldn’t help but agree. He gave us drink recommendations (Dinah Washington) and told us that the next place he was moving to was Zambia, where he could live next door to elephants and his wife could teach at an English school. He was also a teacher, and taught everything, “before the schools got bad”, and said that living in Egypt was a wonderful experience.
After politely excusing ourselves, we went and sat with the group and sipped our cocktails and hung out until later, when we went to an internet café to (finally) send emails and post to the blog, went back to the hotel and listened to this awful Egpytian woman sing “No woman I cry”, upon which I went to the small gym and tried to work out using Kilos, a kind of trial and error experience, and went to bed
Today we were roused bright and early, grabbed a huge breakfast (this was the first appetite I had for breakfast since I had gotten sick) and headed back to Cairo. The bus ride was fun, getting to bond with the group and discussing the prospect of future adventures.
We arrived in Cairo and went straight to the Egyptian museum, which features the funerary mask of king Tut. I was amazed to be standing inches away from a likeness of the young king. And was equally amazed at the vast array of wealth in his tomb. All of his jewlrey seemed to feature bird feathers inlayed on small pieces of gold, and strung together in ever-larger arcs. The coffins were wonderfully designed and decorated, and there were three nesting coffins of gold in the museum. Everyone was so intricate. The whole body of one was comprised of this elaborate feather pattern, with wings extending over the body’s shoulders, and a huge necklace and hieroglyphics everywhere. Absolutely stunning. I cannot believe how much craftsmanship must have gone into everything, and Tut’s tomb was supposedly one of the most impoverished of them all. He had not lived for more than about 10-15 years as pharaoh.
We also got to see some sculptures from the reign of Akenaton, the grandfather? of Tut. This guy was kind of a maverick in Egyptian history. He tried to overthrow the power of the priests of Amun and start his own cult, based upon the energy of the Sun Disk, ATON. He moved the capital to Amarna, and allowed artisans an unprecedented amount of artistic freedom. As a result, portraits of him show him as a kind of potbellied, androgynous figure with a distended head. Not a very pretty picture. This Amarna style is extremely distinctive, and was immediately reversed when Akenaton was assassinated and the priests of Amun placed Tut and later the priest Ay on the throne. But it is interesting, considering so much of the rest of Egyptian art is uniform.
Our tour guide took us through the rest of the museum, pointing out some distinctive statues and telling stories. However, by then most of us were so tired and hungry that we simply wanted the trip to be over. We were in the museum about four hours, with very little time to look and formulate ideas for ourselves. I hope that we have more opportunities to view things SLOWLY during the rest of the trip.
Upon returning to the hotel in Cairo, we finally got to go to the pool! We could only feel a kind of pity for everyone else back home, who at about 5 pm Cairo time, were just entering their 10 am classes. Many of us spent a long time in the hot tubs, sauna, and steam rooms, not to mention a short swim for me in the pool. I was sore from lifting the previous day, however, and did not swim long. After that, it was a dinner at the pizza place we had been to before. We tried to go to a local Egyptian place—one of the ones that has booths that are really low and more couch-like, low lighting, and heavy amounts of flavored tobacco wafting in the air—but the restaurant was full, and instead we made reservations for the following night. TWO nights in one hotel. We haven’t done that in a while and I cannot wait to actually LEAVE my stuff in my room for once.
After dinner, we came back to the hotel and a group of us played music and talked and joked and hung out. I am glad that the group is bonding as well as it is, although I am anxious to get to know people better. I feel like I haven’t really opened up to anyone yet, and being able to let my guard down will be kind of a relief. Brad, it turns out, has quite a good chill music collection, and I am making a mental note to borrow some music from him at some point. Change from my collection would be nice. Anna Marie too, although hers seems more like eclectic old school stuff than chill music, to me.
That’s all for now, goodnight.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Alexandria
January 23, 2007
Today was another day of grand adventure. We had a wake up call at 5:30 this morning so that we could get up and drive to Alexandria. We had an early early breakfast, during which I did not quite feel well enough to eat a lot, which I ended up regretting a LOT later in the day.
If I haven’t mentioned already, Dr. Toumazou is a crazy, eccentric man. He is incredibly brilliant and knows tons about ancient art and culture, but he is often impatient, paranoid, and a chain smoker. As a result, he is never hungry and wants to go go go! We hardly eat lunch until well after 2 pm, and with breakfast as early as 6 am, its difficult to keep going.
Here’s how the day went:
Drive to Alexandria, during which we watched the film Alexander, which I was able to follow since we had been required to read Plutarch earlier that day. We talked and tried to sleep and when we got to Alexandria we immediately went on to the next activity. First we visited a catacomb, which on the reliefs on the walls depicts scenes that mix ancient Egyptian and Greek symbols and artistic styles. Walking down the circular set of stairs into a deep dark limestone crypt. Niches along the side walls hold places where tombs used to be. We walked along these boards that hovered over the surface of the ground, because at the lowest level the niches are filled with seawater. It felt like a scene out of a horror movie, and the dim fluorescent lighting only added to the creepy feeling.
The second place that we went to was the Pompeii pillar. In actuality it was dedicated by Diocletian to the city, and is flanked by stolen Egyptian statues that came from elsewhere, one of which belonging to Ramesses II, probably originally belonged to someone else. Surprise, Surprise. We got to visit the remains of the temple there, where there was a cult statue of the sacred bull, Apis. This was another limestone shaft cut into the bedrock of the acropolis on which the pillar stood. The ground is completely made of these limestone rocks, and crawling around on the surface felt like walking on Mars. Everything was dusty and rocky, and there were no plants. However, this was just a spot of grey in the middle of the city of Alexandria; outside of the enclosure in which the pillar stood there was a market and shops and apartments. The juxtaposition of old and new here is very funny.
Finally, we went and visited the new library at Alexandria. This building consists of a large semicircular wall of a white stone, on which is inscribed words in various foreign languages; a library of Babel. The courtyard of the library had an open view to the ocean, and white sculptures and a round disk of a planetarium framed the scene of sparkling water. This is probably the nicest part of Alexandria. Going inside of the Library was incredible as well—walking through the inner foyer the space is fairly intimate, with wide windows along the entrance wall and slick clean surfaces along the inside. Then we walked along the passage to the main part of the library where the space took my breath away. The small intimate corridor opens up to a large domed space, punctuated by tall concrete pillars that flared at the top. The roof is patterned with a series of skylights reminiscent of airplane wings, and from the balcony we stood on we looked down to the shelves of books. Above us more balconies continued, rimmed in a smooth metal surface. I looked at this building and thought that this was the type of thing that I wanted to do. I only hope that it will be possible. The library is a stunning piece of contemporary architecture. The next time that I get internet access I want to do a little bit of snooping as to who designed it and how they decided upon the dome shape.
Although we were supposed to eat after the Library, Toumazou decided instead to press on so we went to an amphitheatre. We sat in the semi-circular steps and listened as Katie recited poetry. Mostly I just sat and absorbed the sun and looked at the bleached out ruins of the buildings, and tried to forget about my empty stomach.
We finally got to the hotel, a Marriot which opened directly onto the beach. The accommodations included a suite for Ambrice, Jess and I and for most of the other rooms. Because by now we were STARVING—it was 4:00 and we hadn’t eaten a real meal since breakfast at 6 am, we decided to go straight down to the lobby and order the nearest food we could find. Our whole table ended ordering hamburgers. Brad forwent the food and instead went down to the beach, and our table was situated with a view of him. We waited for our food and as we sat watching him we noticed he got approached by an Egyptian man who seemed to be gesturing widely, and who eventually crouched down to sit next to Brad on the beach. As we sat waiting for our food, 3 more Egyptian men joined him and they seemed to be enjoying conversation.
... TO BE CONTINUED
Today was another day of grand adventure. We had a wake up call at 5:30 this morning so that we could get up and drive to Alexandria. We had an early early breakfast, during which I did not quite feel well enough to eat a lot, which I ended up regretting a LOT later in the day.
If I haven’t mentioned already, Dr. Toumazou is a crazy, eccentric man. He is incredibly brilliant and knows tons about ancient art and culture, but he is often impatient, paranoid, and a chain smoker. As a result, he is never hungry and wants to go go go! We hardly eat lunch until well after 2 pm, and with breakfast as early as 6 am, its difficult to keep going.
Here’s how the day went:
Drive to Alexandria, during which we watched the film Alexander, which I was able to follow since we had been required to read Plutarch earlier that day. We talked and tried to sleep and when we got to Alexandria we immediately went on to the next activity. First we visited a catacomb, which on the reliefs on the walls depicts scenes that mix ancient Egyptian and Greek symbols and artistic styles. Walking down the circular set of stairs into a deep dark limestone crypt. Niches along the side walls hold places where tombs used to be. We walked along these boards that hovered over the surface of the ground, because at the lowest level the niches are filled with seawater. It felt like a scene out of a horror movie, and the dim fluorescent lighting only added to the creepy feeling.
The second place that we went to was the Pompeii pillar. In actuality it was dedicated by Diocletian to the city, and is flanked by stolen Egyptian statues that came from elsewhere, one of which belonging to Ramesses II, probably originally belonged to someone else. Surprise, Surprise. We got to visit the remains of the temple there, where there was a cult statue of the sacred bull, Apis. This was another limestone shaft cut into the bedrock of the acropolis on which the pillar stood. The ground is completely made of these limestone rocks, and crawling around on the surface felt like walking on Mars. Everything was dusty and rocky, and there were no plants. However, this was just a spot of grey in the middle of the city of Alexandria; outside of the enclosure in which the pillar stood there was a market and shops and apartments. The juxtaposition of old and new here is very funny.
Finally, we went and visited the new library at Alexandria. This building consists of a large semicircular wall of a white stone, on which is inscribed words in various foreign languages; a library of Babel. The courtyard of the library had an open view to the ocean, and white sculptures and a round disk of a planetarium framed the scene of sparkling water. This is probably the nicest part of Alexandria. Going inside of the Library was incredible as well—walking through the inner foyer the space is fairly intimate, with wide windows along the entrance wall and slick clean surfaces along the inside. Then we walked along the passage to the main part of the library where the space took my breath away. The small intimate corridor opens up to a large domed space, punctuated by tall concrete pillars that flared at the top. The roof is patterned with a series of skylights reminiscent of airplane wings, and from the balcony we stood on we looked down to the shelves of books. Above us more balconies continued, rimmed in a smooth metal surface. I looked at this building and thought that this was the type of thing that I wanted to do. I only hope that it will be possible. The library is a stunning piece of contemporary architecture. The next time that I get internet access I want to do a little bit of snooping as to who designed it and how they decided upon the dome shape.
Although we were supposed to eat after the Library, Toumazou decided instead to press on so we went to an amphitheatre. We sat in the semi-circular steps and listened as Katie recited poetry. Mostly I just sat and absorbed the sun and looked at the bleached out ruins of the buildings, and tried to forget about my empty stomach.
We finally got to the hotel, a Marriot which opened directly onto the beach. The accommodations included a suite for Ambrice, Jess and I and for most of the other rooms. Because by now we were STARVING—it was 4:00 and we hadn’t eaten a real meal since breakfast at 6 am, we decided to go straight down to the lobby and order the nearest food we could find. Our whole table ended ordering hamburgers. Brad forwent the food and instead went down to the beach, and our table was situated with a view of him. We waited for our food and as we sat watching him we noticed he got approached by an Egyptian man who seemed to be gesturing widely, and who eventually crouched down to sit next to Brad on the beach. As we sat waiting for our food, 3 more Egyptian men joined him and they seemed to be enjoying conversation.
... TO BE CONTINUED
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Karnak and Pyramids
January 22, 2007
Luxor, Egypt
Yesterday we visited the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor. They are truly a sight to see. The Karnak temple complex spans an area of about 60 acres, being gradually added on to over time. The first entrance pylon is huge, but it is only the beginning. After you pass in the gate between these areas, you see a huge square that is lined by giant pillars. And even further in the distance is what is called the grand hypostyle hall, supposedly the biggest hall of pillars in the world. The central pillars are so thick that it took nine of us students to fit around the outside, and they were so tall! They were covered all around the outside with reliefs, which Hashem proceeded to explain to us, and how the ancient Greek graffiti ended up over 10 feet high on the columns. It turns out that for a long time this temple complex was covered with a great amount of sand, and where they were writing was actually at ground level. I could not believe how much the sand shifted, but today when they talked about the sphinx being completely covered up to the neck in sand I could believe it. You see evidence of the shifting sand everywhere.
We wandered through the thick forest of columns, marveling at their size and impressiveness. It was as the tour guide said, everything that the ancient Egyptians built was both large and elegant. But especially large. We exited the court and entered into the only area in Egypt where there are two obelisks standing. One belonged (or was finished) by Ramesses II, who tended to take a lot of credit for things that he did not actually build, and the other by Queen Hatshepsut. The most impressive things about this building is that they were made of one single piece of granite, which was excavated in Aswan and then shipped up the river to the site on Luxor.
We walked throughout most of the temple complex, going outside and to the sacred lake, where the water was moved in by canals to this part of the temple. The water was used for purification, but in this setting it looks like a welcome oasis from the scorching looking brown sand and stone. The oddest part of the whole experience was the stares that we got from the Egyptian men. Our tour guide told us that they were perfectly harmless, but they kept asking to take pictures with us! I don’t know why they would want a picture of American tourists, but some of us humored them, much to our own awkwardness. The Egyptian vendors are so forward, and persistent. They will approach you and not leave you alone until you either buy something or escape to a bus. Its all rather exhausting.
We went to Luxor next, which is the smaller of the temple complexes, but looks to my mind more complete because it two huge statues of a pharaoh guarding the entrance. If you look on the sides of the temple inscribed are pictures of the pharaoh taking people captive, and smiting them down with a huge club. The rest of the temple is much more delicate seeming than Karnak, but no less impressive, especially since it seems to have been in continuous use by a number of religions. Just inside the entrance pylons is the foundations of a Coptic church, which is actually about 12 feet in the air at the level of the older foundations of the building when the Luxor temple was submerged in sand. A mosque has been placed on top of that, and near the back of the temple is the remains of the apse of a catholic church, complete with frescoes of saints, laid right on top of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Alexander the Great also inscribed himself here, and his cartouche and sculpture can be seen in the inner sanctuary of the temple.
The rest of the day I spent feeling really sick. I don’t know if it was something I ate or drank or perhaps a virus, but I am still reeling. The plane flight from Luxor to Cairo was horrific and the only enjoyable part was watching the boys on the trip play Frisbee with the security guards in the airport, who were quite amused. They clapped whenever someone dropped the disk and even joined in the game, with the result of breaking a smoke detector. Ah well.
So last night the only thing I did was go to the fabulous hotel, which is intricately decorated with middle eastern looking architecture, and sleep.
Cairo—the Pyramids and the Sphinx
When I woke up this morning I felt like I had been hit by a train. I could only stand up for short periods of time, I felt dizzy and my stomach hurt and all I wanted to do was sleep. It was only by sheer force of will that I made it down to breakfast, and even then my eyes and my stomach rejected everything I saw. But, we were going to the pyramids today. There was no way I would miss that.
Luckily for me, our bus was broken down, and we had an extra hour before we had to leave. I went back to the room and slept, and woke up feeling much better. I could survive the pyramids after all.
The pyramids themselves emerge out of the dusky skies at Giza like a mirage. We are driving along the highway, looking at these dirty mudbrick apartment buildings, and like a dream of the past, they appear. They dominate the entire skyline; three huge ghosts. We get there, and I cannot believe it. The PYRAMIDS! They are so massive it is hard to stand at the base of them and see edge to edge. Now more than ever I cannot believe that these were constructed without the help of modern technology. The blocks are massive. The only thing that marred the experience for me was the vendors, who would try to trick us tourists into buying things by saying “no charge, gift from me” and then once you had taken the item would ask for money. Or they would offer to take a picture of you on a camel, which happened to Stewart, and then the camel would stand up and ride off and you would have to pay for the ride. They conned 25 pounds off of Chris and Brad, and Brad almost got lifted onto a camel against his will. That is the one crazy thing about Egypt. No one is upfront about pricing.
We got to go inside the second pyramid, down to the burial chamber, which is located deep within the bedrock. The trip is very eerie. You enter this small passage which is only about 4 feet high, and crouch, gripping the side rail for dear life, as you find your way down into the heart of the pyramid. At times the passage would expand to standing height, but by and large it was cramped and hot. The air smelt old and felt like it was lacking oxygen and by the time we entered the large tomb area we were glad to be able to breathe. How the Egyptians carved, let alone brought the sarcophagus and goods into the chamber without fainting I cannot imagine. I felt like I could have been trapped there and entombed along with the Pharaoh himelf. After a cramped and too long climb, we reached the surface, grateful for air and light, and it was back on the bus and to the sphinx.
The sphinx is set into a depression in the land, so at first glance it seems to be much smaller than it actually is. Once we entered in the temple complex next to the sphinx we could truly appreciate its size. The valley temple itself is impressive—constructed of massive blocks of granite, it uses no mortar but instead interlocks the stones to keep the building from falling apart. These blocks had to be carted all of the way from Aswan to the Nile delta…
And the sphinx itself looks rather worn. The nose was believed to have been shot off by Napoleon Bonaparte, and people have dug into the body of the sphinx looking for some mysterious hidden treasure. Still, the size and majesty of the thing is astounding.
What a day! After returning to the hotel, we journeyed to a small pizzeria close by and split a large pizza. Ambrice, Jess and I decided that we were going to shop for scarves, so we wandered our way into a local shop and managed to find some beautiful ones. Scarves and jewelry seem to be the best products that Egypt makes, and at the exchange rate of 6:1 anything that we bought was relatively cheap. Although I think we probably could have bargained for a better price, all three of us were sick of haggling, and were happy to pay the inexpensive price that the woman working there was willing to offer us. One of the gentleman in the shop introduced himself as a doctor, and talked to us about where we were from and what we were doing in Egypt. Ambrice was on a mission to find a hookah smoker, and the man showed her how to work the thing. These types of tobacco smokers are all over Egypt. Continuing on our way, we ran into the oddest side street. It looked like a strange scene from a movie—clothes hung on garment racks, on the doors and in the windows of the streets, and in the streets. There was nothing else for sale except for these western style clothes. It was a massive goodwill store that had been turned inside out. As we walked, us three very American girls got stared at in all kinds of ways, and since none of us could read the numbers since they were Arabic, we simply wandered until we got too nervous about the impending darkness and headed home.
It is almost impossible to cross the street in Cairo. You have to step into oncoming traffic and look hard at the approaching car and hope that it stops in time not to kill you. Used to cross walks and lights etc, we shrieked as we ran across the three lanes of traffic on each side. Luckily, we made it home safe and sound, did our homework, and fell asleep.
Luxor, Egypt
Yesterday we visited the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor. They are truly a sight to see. The Karnak temple complex spans an area of about 60 acres, being gradually added on to over time. The first entrance pylon is huge, but it is only the beginning. After you pass in the gate between these areas, you see a huge square that is lined by giant pillars. And even further in the distance is what is called the grand hypostyle hall, supposedly the biggest hall of pillars in the world. The central pillars are so thick that it took nine of us students to fit around the outside, and they were so tall! They were covered all around the outside with reliefs, which Hashem proceeded to explain to us, and how the ancient Greek graffiti ended up over 10 feet high on the columns. It turns out that for a long time this temple complex was covered with a great amount of sand, and where they were writing was actually at ground level. I could not believe how much the sand shifted, but today when they talked about the sphinx being completely covered up to the neck in sand I could believe it. You see evidence of the shifting sand everywhere.
We wandered through the thick forest of columns, marveling at their size and impressiveness. It was as the tour guide said, everything that the ancient Egyptians built was both large and elegant. But especially large. We exited the court and entered into the only area in Egypt where there are two obelisks standing. One belonged (or was finished) by Ramesses II, who tended to take a lot of credit for things that he did not actually build, and the other by Queen Hatshepsut. The most impressive things about this building is that they were made of one single piece of granite, which was excavated in Aswan and then shipped up the river to the site on Luxor.
We walked throughout most of the temple complex, going outside and to the sacred lake, where the water was moved in by canals to this part of the temple. The water was used for purification, but in this setting it looks like a welcome oasis from the scorching looking brown sand and stone. The oddest part of the whole experience was the stares that we got from the Egyptian men. Our tour guide told us that they were perfectly harmless, but they kept asking to take pictures with us! I don’t know why they would want a picture of American tourists, but some of us humored them, much to our own awkwardness. The Egyptian vendors are so forward, and persistent. They will approach you and not leave you alone until you either buy something or escape to a bus. Its all rather exhausting.
We went to Luxor next, which is the smaller of the temple complexes, but looks to my mind more complete because it two huge statues of a pharaoh guarding the entrance. If you look on the sides of the temple inscribed are pictures of the pharaoh taking people captive, and smiting them down with a huge club. The rest of the temple is much more delicate seeming than Karnak, but no less impressive, especially since it seems to have been in continuous use by a number of religions. Just inside the entrance pylons is the foundations of a Coptic church, which is actually about 12 feet in the air at the level of the older foundations of the building when the Luxor temple was submerged in sand. A mosque has been placed on top of that, and near the back of the temple is the remains of the apse of a catholic church, complete with frescoes of saints, laid right on top of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Alexander the Great also inscribed himself here, and his cartouche and sculpture can be seen in the inner sanctuary of the temple.
The rest of the day I spent feeling really sick. I don’t know if it was something I ate or drank or perhaps a virus, but I am still reeling. The plane flight from Luxor to Cairo was horrific and the only enjoyable part was watching the boys on the trip play Frisbee with the security guards in the airport, who were quite amused. They clapped whenever someone dropped the disk and even joined in the game, with the result of breaking a smoke detector. Ah well.
So last night the only thing I did was go to the fabulous hotel, which is intricately decorated with middle eastern looking architecture, and sleep.
Cairo—the Pyramids and the Sphinx
When I woke up this morning I felt like I had been hit by a train. I could only stand up for short periods of time, I felt dizzy and my stomach hurt and all I wanted to do was sleep. It was only by sheer force of will that I made it down to breakfast, and even then my eyes and my stomach rejected everything I saw. But, we were going to the pyramids today. There was no way I would miss that.
Luckily for me, our bus was broken down, and we had an extra hour before we had to leave. I went back to the room and slept, and woke up feeling much better. I could survive the pyramids after all.
The pyramids themselves emerge out of the dusky skies at Giza like a mirage. We are driving along the highway, looking at these dirty mudbrick apartment buildings, and like a dream of the past, they appear. They dominate the entire skyline; three huge ghosts. We get there, and I cannot believe it. The PYRAMIDS! They are so massive it is hard to stand at the base of them and see edge to edge. Now more than ever I cannot believe that these were constructed without the help of modern technology. The blocks are massive. The only thing that marred the experience for me was the vendors, who would try to trick us tourists into buying things by saying “no charge, gift from me” and then once you had taken the item would ask for money. Or they would offer to take a picture of you on a camel, which happened to Stewart, and then the camel would stand up and ride off and you would have to pay for the ride. They conned 25 pounds off of Chris and Brad, and Brad almost got lifted onto a camel against his will. That is the one crazy thing about Egypt. No one is upfront about pricing.
We got to go inside the second pyramid, down to the burial chamber, which is located deep within the bedrock. The trip is very eerie. You enter this small passage which is only about 4 feet high, and crouch, gripping the side rail for dear life, as you find your way down into the heart of the pyramid. At times the passage would expand to standing height, but by and large it was cramped and hot. The air smelt old and felt like it was lacking oxygen and by the time we entered the large tomb area we were glad to be able to breathe. How the Egyptians carved, let alone brought the sarcophagus and goods into the chamber without fainting I cannot imagine. I felt like I could have been trapped there and entombed along with the Pharaoh himelf. After a cramped and too long climb, we reached the surface, grateful for air and light, and it was back on the bus and to the sphinx.
The sphinx is set into a depression in the land, so at first glance it seems to be much smaller than it actually is. Once we entered in the temple complex next to the sphinx we could truly appreciate its size. The valley temple itself is impressive—constructed of massive blocks of granite, it uses no mortar but instead interlocks the stones to keep the building from falling apart. These blocks had to be carted all of the way from Aswan to the Nile delta…
And the sphinx itself looks rather worn. The nose was believed to have been shot off by Napoleon Bonaparte, and people have dug into the body of the sphinx looking for some mysterious hidden treasure. Still, the size and majesty of the thing is astounding.
What a day! After returning to the hotel, we journeyed to a small pizzeria close by and split a large pizza. Ambrice, Jess and I decided that we were going to shop for scarves, so we wandered our way into a local shop and managed to find some beautiful ones. Scarves and jewelry seem to be the best products that Egypt makes, and at the exchange rate of 6:1 anything that we bought was relatively cheap. Although I think we probably could have bargained for a better price, all three of us were sick of haggling, and were happy to pay the inexpensive price that the woman working there was willing to offer us. One of the gentleman in the shop introduced himself as a doctor, and talked to us about where we were from and what we were doing in Egypt. Ambrice was on a mission to find a hookah smoker, and the man showed her how to work the thing. These types of tobacco smokers are all over Egypt. Continuing on our way, we ran into the oddest side street. It looked like a strange scene from a movie—clothes hung on garment racks, on the doors and in the windows of the streets, and in the streets. There was nothing else for sale except for these western style clothes. It was a massive goodwill store that had been turned inside out. As we walked, us three very American girls got stared at in all kinds of ways, and since none of us could read the numbers since they were Arabic, we simply wandered until we got too nervous about the impending darkness and headed home.
It is almost impossible to cross the street in Cairo. You have to step into oncoming traffic and look hard at the approaching car and hope that it stops in time not to kill you. Used to cross walks and lights etc, we shrieked as we ran across the three lanes of traffic on each side. Luckily, we made it home safe and sound, did our homework, and fell asleep.
LUXOR
January 20, 2007
Luxor, Egypt
Today was a very exciting day, and one that I never expected to happen but am very grateful that it did. All day long I have been pinching myself to make sure that I am REALLY in Egypt. But the smells and the heat and the dust were real enough, so I managed at last to convince myself that I was actually there. I was in EGYPT.
The morning actually started off on a bad note. We woke up at around 7:30 to the sound of Jessica, one of our roommates, puking in the toilet. Uh oh. Something’s wrong with the water here, we thought. We had already been warned not to eat raw fruits or vegetables or to drink the water. Maybe the food on the plane had been poisoned? In any event, Ambris and I looked at each other from our cots and prayed that we would not succumb next. I had eaten the plane food too.
However, we walked from our hotel-villa to the lobby to be greeted by the most wonderful breakfast menu ever. The whole wall of the building was covered with all kinds of food you could imagine. Sausages, omelets, figs, some strange type of yogurt, meats, cheese…. I tend to usually stay pretty close to the familiar items for breakfast so instead of getting what looked like the local fare I would stick with cereal and eggs. Still, it was a pretty good choice, and knowing at 7 that we were likely to have a very late lunch I ate a lot.
Then we loaded the bus and were introduced to our tour guide, Hashme??? He told the story of the history of the Nile and of Egypt in a kind of mythological way. He was a gifted speaker, and we all enjoyed his interesting and informative speeches. He talked about the three colors of Egypt—green, brown, and blue, and talked about the life giving aspect of the Nile. 95 % of Egypt is desert, and the land of the Pharaohs would not exist without the annual flooding of the Nile every year. There was a very clear strip where the green of the crops and the irrigated region just stopped, and desert began.
And then we went to the Valley of the Kings. This site was used in the New Kingdom as a method to deter tomb robbers from stealing out of the kings graves. It is a dry, barren place, the brown of the rocks burns against the blue of the sky. Underneath the rock formation of a natural pyramid, the kings built passages carved directly into the limestone rock. There, our tour guide told us the story of the mythological origins of Egypt, explained the myth of Isis and Osiris, and told us what to expect in the tombs. Nothing, however, would prepare us for the magic of stepping into these respositories of the kings.
The first tomb we visited was the Tomb of Thutmose III? This was the steepest of the passages—we lowered ourselves down a long narrow crevice of the earth that was initially just chipped limestone. However, we reached the bottom and it turned into a plastered, hallway lined with images. All of the script on the walls was simple black and white pictograms—hieroglypics if they were to be reinvented with a modernist feel. The figures were spare outlines; people on boats, fantastic animals, and of course the gods.
We saw two other tombs from the Valley of the Kings. The other two seemed more elaborate. In addition to being carved, these tombs had reliefs cut into their walls, and contained many side chambers for the storage of items needed in the afterlife, among which included a sailing ship, food, and other goods. The antechamber was absolutely amazing on the second tomb. Huge paintings of Isis, Osiris, and Anubis flanked the doorway, and along one wall was a fantastic painting of a Winged God—I am not sure which—brilliantly painted and decorated.
The third tomb was also incredible—it had to turn to avoid colliding into a previous burrow in the ground, but was similarly carved and painted. This passage appeared to be very long, but it was blocked off by rock falls within the tunnel, and we could go no further.
On the way back, we passed vendors hawking their wares. Ambris and I looked at some of the beautiful scarves and necklaces, and the vendors would approach us and shove the items at us and say “cheap price”, all of the while shouting a price that was probably 5 times the price of the product. We said “no” and they would follow us, saying “ok 50, ok 40, ok…” hoping that we would make the purchase. That is the way that you do things in Egypt. Overwhelmed, we headed back to the bus.
Next stop was the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who was one of the 2 queeens buried in the Valley of the Kings. Her temple, much restored, is said to represent the 3 stages of life, and the massive ramps, and 3 storied collonade are quite impressive. This temple is also carved into a rock cliff at the opposite side from the valley of the kings, and it was magnificent to walk around. Off of one corner was a chapel devoted to Hathor, and the capitals of the columns had cow’s heads in her honor. The size is something that is almost impossible to imagine, and the elegance of the entryway was amazing. Much of it is restored to its present state, but imagining it with all of its painting and sculpture intact, it would have been quite a sight.
ON the way out, Ambris and I decided to buy some scarves as souveneirs, but were so caught up and overwhelmed by the haggling that we actually delayed the bus! The vendors are so persistent it is hard to leave the shop when you realize the item is something you no longer want. And, having no idea of what an item should actually cost did not help us at all! We were rescued by Toumazou and left as soon as he came.
Finally, we went to the tombs of some artisans, cramped, but no less beautiful tombs. Unlike before, some of these tombs showed scenes of domestic life, and women with the aromatic cones on their heads. So much work for something that will never be seen in life!
Then, hungry and tired—we went to a restaurant that had quite good Egyptian food. Its hard to describe—some meat and potatoes, grilled vegetables, all very soft and slightly spicy, but very good. We ate around 4 and by then were so tired from the sun and the walking (or climbing) into the tombs that we went back to the Hotel and slept.
Luxor, Egypt
Today was a very exciting day, and one that I never expected to happen but am very grateful that it did. All day long I have been pinching myself to make sure that I am REALLY in Egypt. But the smells and the heat and the dust were real enough, so I managed at last to convince myself that I was actually there. I was in EGYPT.
The morning actually started off on a bad note. We woke up at around 7:30 to the sound of Jessica, one of our roommates, puking in the toilet. Uh oh. Something’s wrong with the water here, we thought. We had already been warned not to eat raw fruits or vegetables or to drink the water. Maybe the food on the plane had been poisoned? In any event, Ambris and I looked at each other from our cots and prayed that we would not succumb next. I had eaten the plane food too.
However, we walked from our hotel-villa to the lobby to be greeted by the most wonderful breakfast menu ever. The whole wall of the building was covered with all kinds of food you could imagine. Sausages, omelets, figs, some strange type of yogurt, meats, cheese…. I tend to usually stay pretty close to the familiar items for breakfast so instead of getting what looked like the local fare I would stick with cereal and eggs. Still, it was a pretty good choice, and knowing at 7 that we were likely to have a very late lunch I ate a lot.
Then we loaded the bus and were introduced to our tour guide, Hashme??? He told the story of the history of the Nile and of Egypt in a kind of mythological way. He was a gifted speaker, and we all enjoyed his interesting and informative speeches. He talked about the three colors of Egypt—green, brown, and blue, and talked about the life giving aspect of the Nile. 95 % of Egypt is desert, and the land of the Pharaohs would not exist without the annual flooding of the Nile every year. There was a very clear strip where the green of the crops and the irrigated region just stopped, and desert began.
And then we went to the Valley of the Kings. This site was used in the New Kingdom as a method to deter tomb robbers from stealing out of the kings graves. It is a dry, barren place, the brown of the rocks burns against the blue of the sky. Underneath the rock formation of a natural pyramid, the kings built passages carved directly into the limestone rock. There, our tour guide told us the story of the mythological origins of Egypt, explained the myth of Isis and Osiris, and told us what to expect in the tombs. Nothing, however, would prepare us for the magic of stepping into these respositories of the kings.
The first tomb we visited was the Tomb of Thutmose III? This was the steepest of the passages—we lowered ourselves down a long narrow crevice of the earth that was initially just chipped limestone. However, we reached the bottom and it turned into a plastered, hallway lined with images. All of the script on the walls was simple black and white pictograms—hieroglypics if they were to be reinvented with a modernist feel. The figures were spare outlines; people on boats, fantastic animals, and of course the gods.
We saw two other tombs from the Valley of the Kings. The other two seemed more elaborate. In addition to being carved, these tombs had reliefs cut into their walls, and contained many side chambers for the storage of items needed in the afterlife, among which included a sailing ship, food, and other goods. The antechamber was absolutely amazing on the second tomb. Huge paintings of Isis, Osiris, and Anubis flanked the doorway, and along one wall was a fantastic painting of a Winged God—I am not sure which—brilliantly painted and decorated.
The third tomb was also incredible—it had to turn to avoid colliding into a previous burrow in the ground, but was similarly carved and painted. This passage appeared to be very long, but it was blocked off by rock falls within the tunnel, and we could go no further.
On the way back, we passed vendors hawking their wares. Ambris and I looked at some of the beautiful scarves and necklaces, and the vendors would approach us and shove the items at us and say “cheap price”, all of the while shouting a price that was probably 5 times the price of the product. We said “no” and they would follow us, saying “ok 50, ok 40, ok…” hoping that we would make the purchase. That is the way that you do things in Egypt. Overwhelmed, we headed back to the bus.
Next stop was the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who was one of the 2 queeens buried in the Valley of the Kings. Her temple, much restored, is said to represent the 3 stages of life, and the massive ramps, and 3 storied collonade are quite impressive. This temple is also carved into a rock cliff at the opposite side from the valley of the kings, and it was magnificent to walk around. Off of one corner was a chapel devoted to Hathor, and the capitals of the columns had cow’s heads in her honor. The size is something that is almost impossible to imagine, and the elegance of the entryway was amazing. Much of it is restored to its present state, but imagining it with all of its painting and sculpture intact, it would have been quite a sight.
ON the way out, Ambris and I decided to buy some scarves as souveneirs, but were so caught up and overwhelmed by the haggling that we actually delayed the bus! The vendors are so persistent it is hard to leave the shop when you realize the item is something you no longer want. And, having no idea of what an item should actually cost did not help us at all! We were rescued by Toumazou and left as soon as he came.
Finally, we went to the tombs of some artisans, cramped, but no less beautiful tombs. Unlike before, some of these tombs showed scenes of domestic life, and women with the aromatic cones on their heads. So much work for something that will never be seen in life!
Then, hungry and tired—we went to a restaurant that had quite good Egyptian food. Its hard to describe—some meat and potatoes, grilled vegetables, all very soft and slightly spicy, but very good. We ate around 4 and by then were so tired from the sun and the walking (or climbing) into the tombs that we went back to the Hotel and slept.
larnaca and ruins
January 19, 2007
Neolithic Site and Amathus, Cyprus
Luxor, Egypt
Today we woke up pretty early and went downstairs to a nice Greek breakfast which consisted of some cold cut meats, cheese, tomatoes, and (luckily for me who enjoys none of these things for breakfast) some cereal and hard boiled eggs. After getting ready, we took the bus to a Neolithic site on Cyprus, where we hiked up a mountain trail to visit the sites of these houses called tholoi, small round structures with flat roofs. I was struck at the similarity between these and some Indian sites that I visited this summer. What is it about the circular shape that attracts people? And the use of ledges near the top of the building for storage and sleeping. One interesting thing that Dr Toumazou mentioned was that the dead were usually buried underneath the floors of these buildings, which caused the ceilings to be raised after several generations. But the most impressive things about this place were the very impressive views from the top.
The next stop was the bronze age site of Amathous, which was settled on the top of this big hill, very close to the sea. As we made the hike to the top, amid rocky arid terrain, the views got more and more spectacular. Rolling mountains plunged into the ocean, and the browns, greens, and greys contrasted spectacularly with the limestone ruins. The agora of the ancient site was situated below, and the acropolis above. The top was a ruin of rocks and pillars, and some of the sites had the etchings from where they were placed in the ancient temple, as perfect as could be. We could see a big city from the top of this mountain, as we ourselves were cut out in brilliant silhouettes against the sky. I loved the feeling of the sun and the dry air as it blew against my face. To one side of me I could see Brad also basking in the perfect Mediterranean atmosphere. I could see Amberis sketching away, and everyone else was taking mad amounts of pictures.
On the top of the mountain, one of the friends who had accompanied Toumazou stopped and picked up a piece of pottery. Casually he said “6th century, Corinthian”, and labeled a one-inch piece of terracotta with white and black loops. I was stunned. No one is allowed to remove any pieces from the site, but you can stop and pick up a piece of pottery just about anywhere.
From there, we went to a lovely little Greek restaurant and had a wonderful lunch of Sifado. Which was a hearty beef thing that kind of tasted like pot roast, with potatoes and this wonderful rice and a small salad of greens and tomatoes. YUM! After that, it was a short stop at a Mosque and we were on the plane to Cairo, and then a change to Luxor. I should mention also that while at the Mosque we noticed a rather large caravan of black vehicles with flags mounted on the front. On the way out, we ran into the Syrian Speaker of the House, who introduced himself, asked where we were from, and took a picture of us. It was really quite a surreal experience, all of us just happening to run into this really important guy from a country that the United States was not particularly friendly with. But he smiled and did the diplomatic thing, asked us where we were from and seemed impressed at us young archaeology students. It felt like it was straight out of Indiana Jones.
The hotel is really nice, each room is like a small villa and there is a metal detector at the door (kind of scary). But the atmosphere is wonderful, there is a pool that I have not sampled yet, and EGYPT to be explored tomorrow.
Neolithic Site and Amathus, Cyprus
Luxor, Egypt
Today we woke up pretty early and went downstairs to a nice Greek breakfast which consisted of some cold cut meats, cheese, tomatoes, and (luckily for me who enjoys none of these things for breakfast) some cereal and hard boiled eggs. After getting ready, we took the bus to a Neolithic site on Cyprus, where we hiked up a mountain trail to visit the sites of these houses called tholoi, small round structures with flat roofs. I was struck at the similarity between these and some Indian sites that I visited this summer. What is it about the circular shape that attracts people? And the use of ledges near the top of the building for storage and sleeping. One interesting thing that Dr Toumazou mentioned was that the dead were usually buried underneath the floors of these buildings, which caused the ceilings to be raised after several generations. But the most impressive things about this place were the very impressive views from the top.
The next stop was the bronze age site of Amathous, which was settled on the top of this big hill, very close to the sea. As we made the hike to the top, amid rocky arid terrain, the views got more and more spectacular. Rolling mountains plunged into the ocean, and the browns, greens, and greys contrasted spectacularly with the limestone ruins. The agora of the ancient site was situated below, and the acropolis above. The top was a ruin of rocks and pillars, and some of the sites had the etchings from where they were placed in the ancient temple, as perfect as could be. We could see a big city from the top of this mountain, as we ourselves were cut out in brilliant silhouettes against the sky. I loved the feeling of the sun and the dry air as it blew against my face. To one side of me I could see Brad also basking in the perfect Mediterranean atmosphere. I could see Amberis sketching away, and everyone else was taking mad amounts of pictures.
On the top of the mountain, one of the friends who had accompanied Toumazou stopped and picked up a piece of pottery. Casually he said “6th century, Corinthian”, and labeled a one-inch piece of terracotta with white and black loops. I was stunned. No one is allowed to remove any pieces from the site, but you can stop and pick up a piece of pottery just about anywhere.
From there, we went to a lovely little Greek restaurant and had a wonderful lunch of Sifado. Which was a hearty beef thing that kind of tasted like pot roast, with potatoes and this wonderful rice and a small salad of greens and tomatoes. YUM! After that, it was a short stop at a Mosque and we were on the plane to Cairo, and then a change to Luxor. I should mention also that while at the Mosque we noticed a rather large caravan of black vehicles with flags mounted on the front. On the way out, we ran into the Syrian Speaker of the House, who introduced himself, asked where we were from, and took a picture of us. It was really quite a surreal experience, all of us just happening to run into this really important guy from a country that the United States was not particularly friendly with. But he smiled and did the diplomatic thing, asked us where we were from and seemed impressed at us young archaeology students. It felt like it was straight out of Indiana Jones.
The hotel is really nice, each room is like a small villa and there is a metal detector at the door (kind of scary). But the atmosphere is wonderful, there is a pool that I have not sampled yet, and EGYPT to be explored tomorrow.
national gallery and brit museum, larnaca
I am composing this in the hotel room in Larnaca, Cyprus. Its only 930 here and already my eyes are so tired that I fell asleep doing my assigned reading. I struggled through, but only just barely. This experience has already been an incredible whirlwind tour its crazy to imagine that I will actually be able to stay awake for the next 4 months.
Tuesday we went to the National Gallery in London. Suffering from a transatlantic flight, and lacking all sorts of sleep, we struggled to stay awake as we went through the art museum. But it was worth it. I focused mostly on the Renaissance stuff, because I knew that the Renaissance folks had a great deal of interest in the classics. I was surprised, however, at how many of the images I discovered I had studied in my Survey of Western Art class. It seemed like almost every room had something jump out at me, and I would stare in awe at those paintings and artists I had heard so much about. I saw the Arnolfini Portrait, Paolo Ucello’s Battle of San Roman, which is one of the first renaissance works to use perspective. I saw a really cool painting that was an imitation of a roman frieze, but with the addition of orange-yellow marble patterning in the background that looked almost like fire. The subject was the introduction of Cybele to the Romans, but I saw parallels to the paintings I like to do—my Nike adjusting her sandalstrap (still in progress) reflects this tendency. I saw a painting by Bottecelli who also painted the Birth of Venus, and actually recognized his work. The paintings were wonderful, and awe inspiring. I was Reubens, who did a version of the Judgement of Paris. I saw Velasquez and Picasso and Monet and Van Gogh. It was absolutely incredible. Even though I got really tired in some instances, just sitting and staring at these works was enough. And I didn’t even see the whole thing.
Dinner we ate at the restaurant, a buffet that we absolutely demolished. Then it was phone call to the parents, and sleep by 10. The walk to the National Gallery must have been a few miles, and we were all exhausted. Walking is something we will have to get used to on this trip.
Wednesday we woke up pretty late, and walked (a much shorter distance) to the British Museum, home to TONS AND TONS of Greek, Roman and Egyptian Antiquity. The most famous of these are the Elgin Marbles, sculptures taken from the Parthenon when Greece was still occupied by the Turks. Judging by the size of the pedimental sculptures, the actual Parthenon must be enormous. And the sculptures are absolutely breathtaking. One of my favorites is the one of the two lounging goddesses, I love the positions of rest and repose, as well as on the opposite pediment the sculpture of the river god Illisos (Illysos? I am not sure). The metope sculptures were amazing also, and HUGE.
The other ancient sites that we saw included a frieze from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae, and a small selection of sculptures from the Mausoleum, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now, very little of it still exists, but what does, exists in the British Museum. We also saw a large collection of ancient Greek pottery, and some Egyptian stuff.
A lunch of Tapas broke up the day and a 5 pm when we left the museum my roommates for the hotel and a few other girls elected to do some walking around London. We were originally going to ride the tube, but when we discovered that each leg of the trip would cost 4 pounds, or around 8 dollars, we elected to walk. And walk we did. We started out going 2 blocks in the wrong direction, corrected ourselves, and took a meandering route about an hour down to the waterfront, past St Pauls Cathedral, and to the Tower. Both of these sights were very impressive. The Cathedral more for its sheer imposing height—the doorways dwarf the human proportions, and the Tower for its massive sturdyness and age. This tower was not messing around, it looked squat, solid and imposing. I have no problem believing that the English kept their prisoners here. It was also the place where Anne Boleyn was beheaded. I can only imagine how many ghosts must haunt the place. But none, except for a small red fox, bothered us as we gathered outside to take pictures.
On the way back we stopped at a Pub, ordered some treacle sponge (a distinctively Brit dessert), which was actually quite good, sipped a Mai Tai pitcher, and rested our legs from another VERY long walk. I think we probably walked 5 or 6 miles each way, because the walk took us at least an hour each direction. And then, with the prospect of waking up at 4:45 the next morning, we went to bed. Probably a little too late.
After too little sleep, it was on the plane again to Cyprus. The town of Larnaca is close to the coast, and is a maze of very tiny streets and narrow sidewalks. The shops have items that spill out of the doors and onto the road, and everything looks like it has been finished in stucco. At the center of the town, a little ways from our hotel, is the Church of St Lazarus, an originally eastern Basilica that has been converted many times into a mosque, a Catholic, and now into an Eastern Orthodox church.
The inside of the building is positively gilded, and the images of the saints with the gold disk halos around their heads are everywhere. Old Corinthian capitals from an earlier building are embedded in the walls, and the ceiling holds the remains of what used to be 3 huge domes. Later, the domes were destroyed and a spire erected instead; the church is a mishmash of architectural styles and time periods. We witnessed the end of a service there, which was sung in a sing-songy ancient Greek, which struck me as very similar to the way Catholic services are held. The bones of the saint are entombed there, and people stopped to kiss the box that held them on the way out. This feels about as far away from London as I can imagine. But it is only the beginning.
Tuesday we went to the National Gallery in London. Suffering from a transatlantic flight, and lacking all sorts of sleep, we struggled to stay awake as we went through the art museum. But it was worth it. I focused mostly on the Renaissance stuff, because I knew that the Renaissance folks had a great deal of interest in the classics. I was surprised, however, at how many of the images I discovered I had studied in my Survey of Western Art class. It seemed like almost every room had something jump out at me, and I would stare in awe at those paintings and artists I had heard so much about. I saw the Arnolfini Portrait, Paolo Ucello’s Battle of San Roman, which is one of the first renaissance works to use perspective. I saw a really cool painting that was an imitation of a roman frieze, but with the addition of orange-yellow marble patterning in the background that looked almost like fire. The subject was the introduction of Cybele to the Romans, but I saw parallels to the paintings I like to do—my Nike adjusting her sandalstrap (still in progress) reflects this tendency. I saw a painting by Bottecelli who also painted the Birth of Venus, and actually recognized his work. The paintings were wonderful, and awe inspiring. I was Reubens, who did a version of the Judgement of Paris. I saw Velasquez and Picasso and Monet and Van Gogh. It was absolutely incredible. Even though I got really tired in some instances, just sitting and staring at these works was enough. And I didn’t even see the whole thing.
Dinner we ate at the restaurant, a buffet that we absolutely demolished. Then it was phone call to the parents, and sleep by 10. The walk to the National Gallery must have been a few miles, and we were all exhausted. Walking is something we will have to get used to on this trip.
Wednesday we woke up pretty late, and walked (a much shorter distance) to the British Museum, home to TONS AND TONS of Greek, Roman and Egyptian Antiquity. The most famous of these are the Elgin Marbles, sculptures taken from the Parthenon when Greece was still occupied by the Turks. Judging by the size of the pedimental sculptures, the actual Parthenon must be enormous. And the sculptures are absolutely breathtaking. One of my favorites is the one of the two lounging goddesses, I love the positions of rest and repose, as well as on the opposite pediment the sculpture of the river god Illisos (Illysos? I am not sure). The metope sculptures were amazing also, and HUGE.
The other ancient sites that we saw included a frieze from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae, and a small selection of sculptures from the Mausoleum, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now, very little of it still exists, but what does, exists in the British Museum. We also saw a large collection of ancient Greek pottery, and some Egyptian stuff.
A lunch of Tapas broke up the day and a 5 pm when we left the museum my roommates for the hotel and a few other girls elected to do some walking around London. We were originally going to ride the tube, but when we discovered that each leg of the trip would cost 4 pounds, or around 8 dollars, we elected to walk. And walk we did. We started out going 2 blocks in the wrong direction, corrected ourselves, and took a meandering route about an hour down to the waterfront, past St Pauls Cathedral, and to the Tower. Both of these sights were very impressive. The Cathedral more for its sheer imposing height—the doorways dwarf the human proportions, and the Tower for its massive sturdyness and age. This tower was not messing around, it looked squat, solid and imposing. I have no problem believing that the English kept their prisoners here. It was also the place where Anne Boleyn was beheaded. I can only imagine how many ghosts must haunt the place. But none, except for a small red fox, bothered us as we gathered outside to take pictures.
On the way back we stopped at a Pub, ordered some treacle sponge (a distinctively Brit dessert), which was actually quite good, sipped a Mai Tai pitcher, and rested our legs from another VERY long walk. I think we probably walked 5 or 6 miles each way, because the walk took us at least an hour each direction. And then, with the prospect of waking up at 4:45 the next morning, we went to bed. Probably a little too late.
After too little sleep, it was on the plane again to Cyprus. The town of Larnaca is close to the coast, and is a maze of very tiny streets and narrow sidewalks. The shops have items that spill out of the doors and onto the road, and everything looks like it has been finished in stucco. At the center of the town, a little ways from our hotel, is the Church of St Lazarus, an originally eastern Basilica that has been converted many times into a mosque, a Catholic, and now into an Eastern Orthodox church.
The inside of the building is positively gilded, and the images of the saints with the gold disk halos around their heads are everywhere. Old Corinthian capitals from an earlier building are embedded in the walls, and the ceiling holds the remains of what used to be 3 huge domes. Later, the domes were destroyed and a spire erected instead; the church is a mishmash of architectural styles and time periods. We witnessed the end of a service there, which was sung in a sing-songy ancient Greek, which struck me as very similar to the way Catholic services are held. The bones of the saint are entombed there, and people stopped to kiss the box that held them on the way out. This feels about as far away from London as I can imagine. But it is only the beginning.
i'm here!
Hi Everyone!
I am composing this email in my hotel room at the Royal National Hotel, in London. We got here at about 11:30 London time, which is 6:30 AM Eastern. It was a surreal night. Yesterday morning was full of meeting and catching up with (and also saying goodbye to) some friends at Davidson, running some errands, and madly trying to calm my churning stomach. At about 2:15 yesterday my friend and the occupier of my room at 527 Watson St dropped me off at the guesthouse, suitcase and all, and I stood in a nervous crowd of people saying goodbye to friends and family. This whole experience so far feels a little bit like a dream—I am waiting for the real abroad trip to begin.
At 2:30 we left the guesthouse, and took a van to the Charlotte Airport, where we stood around until 5 to wait for the rest of our party to arrive. 6:30 was dinner at Tequileria in the airport, with ridiculously expensive prices. Two of the guys in our group had margaritas that cost $15 each. And then the wait in the airport, boarding the plane, and the LONG, cramped and generally uncomfortable plane ride into London Gatwick, which arrived promptly at 8:30 (ie 3:30) London time. 3 train rides later and a LONG walk, we ended up at the hotel, where we checked in, ate, and showered. It feels good to finally be in one place! And although I only managed to sleep a few hours on the flight, I am convinced that I will be better able to acclimate if I force myself to stay awake on this first day.
We ate at a small sandwich shop just off of the main road that our hotel is on, and speculated on what the trip would bring. In 30 minutes we are off to the National Gallery Museum, and tomorrow it’s the British Museum before flying briefly to Larnaca, Cyprus, and on to Egypt.
No mishaps so far except for Dr Toumazou almost leaving his coat in the van that took us to Charlotte along with his passport, a bag that was 15 pounds overweight, and a little bit of confusion at the train station. Everyone seems really cool and I am totally excited to get underway!
I love you all and will miss you very much.
Nicole
I am composing this email in my hotel room at the Royal National Hotel, in London. We got here at about 11:30 London time, which is 6:30 AM Eastern. It was a surreal night. Yesterday morning was full of meeting and catching up with (and also saying goodbye to) some friends at Davidson, running some errands, and madly trying to calm my churning stomach. At about 2:15 yesterday my friend and the occupier of my room at 527 Watson St dropped me off at the guesthouse, suitcase and all, and I stood in a nervous crowd of people saying goodbye to friends and family. This whole experience so far feels a little bit like a dream—I am waiting for the real abroad trip to begin.
At 2:30 we left the guesthouse, and took a van to the Charlotte Airport, where we stood around until 5 to wait for the rest of our party to arrive. 6:30 was dinner at Tequileria in the airport, with ridiculously expensive prices. Two of the guys in our group had margaritas that cost $15 each. And then the wait in the airport, boarding the plane, and the LONG, cramped and generally uncomfortable plane ride into London Gatwick, which arrived promptly at 8:30 (ie 3:30) London time. 3 train rides later and a LONG walk, we ended up at the hotel, where we checked in, ate, and showered. It feels good to finally be in one place! And although I only managed to sleep a few hours on the flight, I am convinced that I will be better able to acclimate if I force myself to stay awake on this first day.
We ate at a small sandwich shop just off of the main road that our hotel is on, and speculated on what the trip would bring. In 30 minutes we are off to the National Gallery Museum, and tomorrow it’s the British Museum before flying briefly to Larnaca, Cyprus, and on to Egypt.
No mishaps so far except for Dr Toumazou almost leaving his coat in the van that took us to Charlotte along with his passport, a bag that was 15 pounds overweight, and a little bit of confusion at the train station. Everyone seems really cool and I am totally excited to get underway!
I love you all and will miss you very much.
Nicole
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