Crossing the Pacific
- At December 03, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
0
Hope all is well with you, especially our fellow Californians. Sending you sunny thoughts and dry humor.
We had a one hour time change last night so got an extra hour of sleep. This is a much more palatable way to deal with time change….slow and steady.
Thanks for all the positive feedback and requests for photos. Not much to photograph yet because we’re somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The weather is sunny and mild. Just beautiful.
Did you know the Pacific Ocean is 64 million square miles? It’s twice the size of the Atlantic, a third of Earth’s surface, 46% of the world’s total water surface, and as deep as 35,797 feet deep at the Mariana Trench.
Here’s where we are currently:
After breakfast and morning yoga, Eberhard went for his bridge lesson and Jessica went for her Wellness Analysis at the Spa. The Age-Less Spa package was a Christmas present from Eberhard. Jessica was hooked up to a dozen or so electrodes. Her hands and feet were stationed on mirror-like panels. The whole get up looked like something between a lie-detector test and Frankenstein’s annual check-up. The pages of computer results were impressive. We’ll spare you the details but her Wellness Score was 93 out of 100. The handsome Swede, Thomas, who analyzed the results said most people score between 60 and 70%. I bet he says that to all the girls and, yes, he got a big tip.
Spa hot tub:
Then we went looking for the shops to buy Jessica an exercise outfit. There were plenty of Scandinavia ski sweaters but no Lululemon.
Jessica and her new found friend/bridge partner Peggy Bossie (that’s really her name although Jessica is much bossier than she is) have now come in second in the duplicate bridge tournament two days in a row.
We had an early dinner of gravlax sandwiches at the bar because we’re going to a 6:30 lecture about human migration patterns. Never a dull moment!
Honolulu, Hawaii
- At November 26, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
Aloha Family and Friends,
A special call out and mahalo* to our dear friend who is housesitting while we're gone and got more than she bargained for. Apparently, the house is leaking like a sieve. Where is Al Hammond when you need him?
Many of our fellow passengers are getting cabin fever after a week at sea. One said he felt like Noah (forty days and forty nights). Not us! Love the floating life. If we were rich enough we'd be tempted to buy a yacht. But then we'd be worried about the price of gasoline, the cabin steward or, worse, the chef quitting. There's something nice about those being someone else's problems.
Today we went sightseeing in Honolulu. We've been here several times before. But we had never been to the Bishop Museum so we went there.
"Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai'i and other Pacific island cultures. Today, Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state and the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific."
And, for those of you dying of suspense, we did find a Lululemon.
After a late lunch on the ship, we relaxed a little then went to the gym for an hour followed by a good steam bath and hot tub soak.
We will end today's missive with a Hawaiian poem:
*"Mahalo" is a Hawaiian word meaning thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards, or respects.
Greenwich, England
- At November 12, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
Greenwich, England from the sea
We anchored off Greenwich, England this morning waking up to a beautiful day. Leaving shortly for our last excursion: Shakespeare's Globe Theater.
Alas, after four months the cruise portion of our trip is coming to an end tomorrow. We'd like to counter some misconceptions about this type of cruise.
1. Cruises are Sedentary
Actually, cruises can be quite strenuous. When in port, we are usually out and about for at least 8 hours. We regularly logged 10,000+ steps. On At Sea days there's the gym, walking on the deck, exercise classes, and the pools. In fact, the only negative experiences related to other passengers really not up to the activities who slowed the group or irritated us with their complaining.
2. Cruises don't afford enough time in each port
Viking did a great job of planning the time in each port, usually 1-3 days. Never did we feel our time was cut short.
3. Cruises are cramped and uncomfortable
The pampering and luxury is beyond expectation. The staff is amazing.
4. You gain weight from all the food
Before our Covid quarantine, where we basically sat in bed for five days, we had both lost weight despite all the proffered food.
It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
FUN FACTS:
Distance Travelled (LA to London) 28,341 miles
Cookies consumed 168,000
Eggs consumed 180,000
Filet Mignon consumed 17,000
Wine consumed 10,000 bottles
Toilet tissue used 35,300 rolls
We didn't go to a single evening show, preferring to retire to our room and read. We read 22 books, many taking place in the locations we visited. The lectures were fabulous, especially those by a speaker called Russell Lee, proving a great speaker can make any subject interesting - even wool.
We learned so much about the world, and how everything interconnects, about the senseless wars and aggressions throughout history, and how people everywhere are the same at their core.
Dover, England
- At November 05, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
Chalk, the same stuff teachers used to use on blackboards (before there were "smart boards"), is what makes the Dover cliffs white. It seems the smarter the boards get, the dumber the pupils become.
There are still tunnels underneath the cliffs from when Napoleon invaded England.
A visit to nearby Canterbury was such a lovely surprise.
It's like Nantucket but the original. (Think Disneyland vs. Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.) It is famous for The Canterbury Tales and many buildings, pubs, and inns are named for Chaucer's stories.
Canterbury was founded by the Romans over 2000 years ago. They built a light house, city wall, and Amphitheater. They pushed North to found the Roman capital of England - Londonium.
The Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in Canterbury cathedral in 1170. Henry II thought he had too much independence. Beckett became a martyr and Canterbury became the
Mecca of England. It still gets over 100,000 pilgrims per year.
Christopher Marlowe, who it is said to have co-authored Henry V with Shakespeare, was a native of Canterbury. He perished in a pub fight at the age of 29.
Also in Canterbury we saw St. Augustine's Abbey, founded in 597. The Pope sent Augustine to rechristianize England. St. Martin's church is where Bertha, the wife of King Ethelred, is said to have worshipped. If you haven't watched The Last Kingdom, it's a terrific series about the founding of England.
After Canterbury, we visited Walmer Castle, where past wardens of the Cinque Ports lived. It was built in the 16th century as a fortress by Henry VIII.
The Warden is a ceremonial position. A few of the illustrious past wardens were the Duke of Wellington, William Pitt, and the Queen Mother. Currently, the post is vacant.
The most interesting part of the castle were the creatively sculpted ancient Yew hedges.
We passed through the Village of Deal on the North Sea with its picturesque beach huts.
Then we passed through The Hamlet of Ham on the way to the Town of Sandwich. Seriously! Lettuce entertain you some more....
FUN FACT: Famous founding father and author of Common Sense, Thomas Paine, came from Sandwich.
Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
- At October 27, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
One of antiquity's best-preserved cities, Ephesus offers yet another look into the lives of the ancients. Many of its ruins have endured from the time Ephesus was one of the largest metropolises of the ancient world. Excavations reach back to the 10th century BC, when this city contained one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Temple of Artemis.
With a wonderful private tour guide recommended by friends, and glorious weather, we started our day at Ephesus. We visited the towering facade of the Library of Celsus.
The three faces of Medusa on the top protect the library. Medusa's "evil eyes" are believed to kill evil spirits. Apparently, it didn't work. All the scrolls were burned in the 4th century AD by invading Visigoths. Prior to that, it was the 3rd richest library of Ancient World with 12,000 volumes for 200 years. (The first was in Alexandria, Egypt with 200,000 volumes.)
Then the massive amphitheater - The Conrad of Yesteryear -that once sat 25,000 spectators:
250,000 people lived in Ephesus at the time. Only ten percent could afford tickets for the special events, Greek plays, and concerts. The flat part was the orchestra "pit," behind which was the stage. Recently, concerts starring Sting, Elton John, Yanni, and others have been staged there.
And next recently uncovered private two story residences adorned with frescoes:
Ephesus also holds an important place in Christianity. Here, St. John is said to have preached and Mary to have lived out her final days in a tiny stone house, although Mary's residency has never been proven.
British engineer John Turtle Wood discover the Temple of Artemis and, with in, Ephesus in 1869 while building the first railroad in Turkey for the Ottoman Empire. Like so many other ancient treasures, it was exported by the British and the Temple of Artemis now resides in the British Museum in London. The Turkish Government is fighting to get it back.
Speaking of the Turkish Government, national elections are on May 14th and the Turks we have spoken to are praying Erdogan gets the boot.
Back to Ephesus....only 1/3 of the site has been excavated. The finds are amazing. What a glimpse into history....again!
There is a clear theme emerging, a procession of Empires that rule the world for while, only to fall and diminish or disappear. The Egyptians, The Greeks, The Romans, The Ottomans, The Brits, with spurts from the Phoenicians, Persians, etc., etc. Are we programmed to self-destruct?
Our guide picked us up at the ship at Kusadasi port at 8:30 AM. En route to Ephesus she explained how the River Meander, the main source of fresh water at the time, brought silt to the area where the Sea had receded four miles creating naturally reclaimed land. Due to global warming the sea levels are expected to rise and cover this developed land with water in the future.
By the way, the River Meander is long and twisty with a slow water flow. It is the origin of our English verb to meander.
Kudasudi has a population of 150K. Seljuk, next to Ephesus, has 30K. The economy does not rely on tourism but on farming. The soil is very fertile from the rich silt deposits left by the River Meander. They grow mulberry trees to feed silk worms for rugs. Seljuk was part of the Silk Road. Chinese monks smuggled cocoons into Turkey and sold them to the Turks. So much for ascetic monks.
The wealthy Seljuk family is where Osman I was from. In 1299, Osman I founded the Ottoman Empire.
Many of you know this but Ertugrul: Resurrection was by far the best television series we have ever watched. It is about the history of the Turkish tribes and how they evolved into the Ottoman Empire. A Must Watch!
Ephesus is a Greco-Roman site. First built by the Greeks but completely destroyed by two earthquakes in 17 AD and 102 AD, respectively, it was completely rebuilt by the conquering Romans in 129 BC until the 3rd Century AD.
The city that exists today, with a few exceptions, is all Roman ruins. Classic Roman arches, standing solid thanks to gravity alone, abound.
Roman baths, both common for the social life of men only, and in the home for women, relied on clay pipes for running and heating water.
The public baths were comprised of three rooms:
The Tepidarium or warm section; the Caldarium or hot steam; and, the Frigidarium or cold section Tepid and frigid are both English words derived from Latin and the latter is the root for refrigerator.
In the 6th century, the Persians invaded and destroyed everything in their path. Then sickness, floods, earthquakes, and fire, finished the town off.
At the end of the 7th Century AD 80 percent of the population died from Malaria. Ephesus was abandoned. Later earthquakes destroyed the Roman constructions. Silt from the River Meander covered everything until the ruins were discovered by Wood in 1869.
The City Hall sits next to an amphitheater for meetings of Parliament (originally called the Bouleuterion or Place of the Bull = place of power.) Place of the Bull as a seat of government might have a different connotation now.
There were 450 senators. Ephesus was appointed the Roman capital for Asia Minor by Caesar Augustus in 27BC.
All of Ephesus was built by Egyptian slave labor.
Greek Gods and Goddeses were adopted by the Romans who gave them Latin names.
Hestia = Vesta
Artemis = Diana
Vestal virgins were nuns who protected the Temple of Hestia/Vesta.
There was a first century AD hospital with treatment rooms, needles, tweezers, and an inscription over its portal: "Death Cannot Enter."
And here is Fortuna, whose image has been made ubiquitous by Starbucks.
We bought out half the figs (for Eberhard) and halva (for Jessica) in Ephesus. Then visited a carpet factory for making those famous Turkish carpets. (Don't worry - we didn't buy any.)
Only Turkish carpets have double knots. A wool rug takes 4 months to weave. If silk 1.5 years. 420 knots per sq inch. Silk is 2nd strongest natural fiber in the world after spider webs. A silk caterpillar produces one mile of silk in two days to make his cocoon. 1 mile per cocoon.
Silk was invented 3000 years ago in China and produced since the 5th century in Turkey.
We ate a fabulous late lunch with local wine at the Seven Sages Winery. We ate like domuz = pigs in Turkish.
Jordan, Part 3 – Petra Continued
- At October 22, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
The Roman Theater seats 4,000
We also saw The Colonnaded Street from Roman times, the Great Temple, The Lion Triclinium with a head of Medusa at each end. The Monastery dates to the early second century but was converted to a church by the Christians during the Crusades, hence the name.
We doubt anyone wants a Part 4 but there is much, much more. Petra is a place not to miss!!
Israel, Day 2 Jerusalem
- At October 15, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
Some Fun Facts about Israel:
- The cherry tomato was developed by the Agriculture Faculty of The Hebrew University
- Israeli banknotes have braille markings on them
- Hebrew is the only dead language ever to be revived and spoken by an entire nation
- Neither Jews nor Arabs allow cremation. There are lots of cemeteries in Israel, including The 600 year old Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It is the oldest, continually used cemetery in the world. It is close to but outside of the Old City. It is said that when the Messiah comes those buried in Mount of Olives will be the first to be resurrected and the first to enter the third temple.
The Old City is not a ruin but a vibrant place with lots of people still living there. Jews are not allowed to live amongst the dead, which is why the cemeteries are outside the cities.
The walls of the Old City were built by the Ottoman Turks 500 years ago. We like this picture showing the wall, the Israeli flag, and an Ottoman minaret. Note the crescent moon on top.
After breakfast, which included more halva, our first stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian Quarter.
This is where Jesus was crucified. A cave next to the crucifixion site was his tomb. His body was laid out on a slab called The Rock of Anointment that still exists, where Christians pray, and rub, and touch convinced that by doing so a part of Jesus enters them.
Jerusalem, Israel's capital, is rich in history, religion, culture and diverse peoples. Jerusalem is the spiritual epicenter for the world's three major monotheistic religions- Judaism, Christianity and Islam. During a walk through the Old City, the heart of Jerusalem for guests of all faiths, one can hear Jews praying at the Western Wall, church bells ringing from Mount Zion, and the wail of the muezzin, the Muslim call to prayer, from the El Aksa Mosque (El Aksa = the Edge). (There seems to be several ways to spell this. This spelling is Arabic.) This is the mosque that has been in the news of late as the site of recent troubles between Arabs and Jews.
Throughout the generations, empires have battled to become Jerusalem's gatekeepers. A visit to Jerusalem is like a walk through history books of humanity. The labyrinth of underground tunnels reveal secrets of the past.
Every alleyway seems to have a story, mostly about Jesus's journey to the crucifixion site.
The New City houses The Knesset, Israel's parliament, the surrounding government buildings, high-tech parks, renowned universities, luxurious hotels, chic cafes, award-winning restaurants, and state-of-the-art museums, all contrasting vividly with the Old City.
The Old City of Jerusalem, formerly a British mandate then, after 1948, Jordanian, was occupied by Israel during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and later annexed, a move not recognized by much of the world. The international community largely believes the old city should be given back to the Palestinians as their capital and the Israelis should get the new city. Not gonna happen and we saw why....the most sacred monuments to all three religions are basically, and sometimes literally, on top of each other.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is just the latest battle over ownership and land in a city that has been invaded and captured scores of times in its history.
Even a small monastery on top of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built in multiple phases beginning in 325 AD by the mother of Constantine the Great, St. Helena. Ethiopian Copts and Egyptian Monks are fighting over ownership, sometimes violently. This bit is from today's New York Times.
To keep the "peace," a Muslim holds the key to the church.
There are four "quarters" in the Old City. Christian, Armenian, Muslim, and Jewish. The Muslim Quarter is the largest. It looks like one big souk.
The Armenian Quarter is small. If you're wondering why the Armenians are included at all among the big three it's because they claim to be the first country to accept Christianity 301 AD. The Egyptians claim the same.
The Jewish Quarter
Four Jewish Sephardic Synagogues were built in the 16th Century but were destroyed along with the entire Jewish Quarter by the Jordanians in 1948. These synagogues were restored after 1967. The cantor sounds like a muezzin, very different from Ashkenazi cantors, since the Sephardic took so much from their Arab cultures. Men and women were segregated and separated by a screen. The rabbi and cantor face the men and have their backs to the women.
The Western Wall aka the Wailing Wall is among the most holy places to Jews. The Western and Southern Retaining Walls of King Herod's second temple were destroyed by the Romans. The Muslims built The Dome of the Rock in 692 AD on the exact spot where both Soloman's and Herod's Temples once stood. The Dome of the Rock is the third holiest site to Islam after Mecca and Medina.
The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed all night and was arrested. (Will send picture tomorrow)
In his will, Oskar Schindler directed to be buried in Israel. His grave is the one listing to the right.
Still digesting all the info heard and sites seen today. It is a privilege to experience so much history.
Sicily, Italy
- At October 08, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
We have arrived in Italy! Arrivederci Halva, ciao Cannolis!
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, famous for its wealth of
orange, lemon, and pistachio trees and, of course, olive groves .
To those White Lotus and/or Godfather fans the island is no stranger.
We docked in Messina on the Southern tip of the island. Messina is famous for the competition between allied generals during WWII to liberate Italy and, eventually, Europe. Patton won by a few hours. After 38 days of fighting the good guys were in.
In 1908 Messina was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami. 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed and the disasters claimed 60,000 human victims.
The area is famous for its seismic activity. There are five active volcanos in the south of Italy, including Mt. Etna, Stromboli, and Vesuvius. The latter is the one that wiped out Pompei.
Taormina, about an hour from the coast, was named by Greece when they first colonized Italy in 734 BC. It was moved to its current location in 358 BC because Syracuse decided to conquer all the Ionian islands and destroyed the settlement on the sea.
Syracuse, in Sicily, was the birthplace of the great inventor and mathematician Archimedes. The "Archimedes Claw" lifted Roman ships right out of the sea as they attacked. Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier. As he was dying he said, "don't disturb my circles."
The Taormina Greek theater was first built in the 3rd century BC. Because the theater was long abandoned, a family built a house next door during the 16th century and used the ruins as its garden.
Native people lived here who were conquered by the Greeks, the the Greeks by the Romans. In 550 AD, Sicily was conquered and ruled by the Byzantines.
In 827 AD, the Ottomans conquered Sicily. Then the Franks and a few more in between the Spanish.
From 1309-1713, the Spanish controlled Sicily. Does all this conquering sound familiar?
These conquering influences can be seen in the architecture in Taormina.
There are Arab domes and moorish details on many buildings. Lava stone in contrast with white is known as the Sicilian Baroque style. In Catania, there's a whole street paved in black and white stone called Sicilian Baroque Street.
Sicily has a dark history of organized crime. Every cloud had a silver lining, in this case a silver screen. Without the Mafia we wouldn't have The Godfather movies! Or The Sopranos!
In Sicily, there is definitely an Italian coffee culture. No cappuccino after noon. So at 11:45 am sharp we sat down for the best cannolis ever and cafe latte to wash it down.
We then took a long drive up to the top of 10,000 ft. high Mt. Etna for a late lunch and, you know, go with the flow.
May-August is swordfish season when the Mediterranean is peppered with Felucca boats and fishermen.
The wine is fabulous in Sicily. It turns out lava ash is great for growing wine grapes. Who knew?
On this day in 1874, Guglielmo Marconi, son of an aristocratic Italian father and an Irish mother, was born in Bologna, Italy. In 1901 he sent the first radio signals across the Atlantic, ushering in the era of wireless communication. It could be argued that without Marconi you would not be receiving this message.
Ok. Who doesn't love Italy? Right, no one. Well, maybe her.
Con amore!
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- At October 01, 2023
- By Jessica
- In Travel
- 0
For those of you who don't keep up with Muslim traditions, it is Ramadan as well as Easter. While we gorge ourselves with chocolate bunnies, provided by room service, our hosts are fasting. Viking has warned us no food or drinks while we are on land in Saudi Arabia.
We were also warned no touching (imagine us not being allowed to hold hands?), dress modestly, no porn (seriously?), etc. The ship cannot serve any alcohol while in Saudi waters.
As we pull in to port, the vast oil wealth is immediately obvious. Everything is modern, spotless, state-of-the-art. Not a scintilla of trash in the water.
Saudi Arabia's second-largest city, Jeddah has played a dual role throughout its history. Located on the eastern shores of the Red Sea, it was a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes starting in the seventh century. It also became a historically important gateway for Muslim pilgrims arriving by sea on their journey to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, a role that continues to this day.
A modern multicultural city, Jeddah's heritage is evident as we took in the distinctive Red Sea architecture in the historic Old Town, Al-Balad. Surprisingly, there were no skyscrapers. Almost every building was the same height and beige, beige, beige. The city reminded us of one huge sand castle.
We were told Jeddah Tower, under construction, will be the "world's tallest" building, we saw the "world's tallest" flagpole, and the "world's largest" fountain. Frankly, underwhelming. Largest and tallest are not synonyms for best.
We drove along the Corniche, billed as the Champs Elysees of the Middle East. That's a stretch. It's a man made resort area with hotels including a Ritz-Carlton that looks like a Sultan's Palace.
Jeddah's history can be traced back to the Stone Age. We visited an old home that is now a museum, a mosque with a coral stone minaret that is 1,400 years old, and walked through ancient streets still part of everyday life. Jeddah was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1500, surrendered to the British Forces in 1916, then became independent in 1917.
About a week ago, Viking offered us a women-only tour. We were led to believe we would visit an authentic home to see how Saudi women live. Jessica went and, as she expected, it was a propaganda tour. The guide repeated points about how free Saudi women are, how they have equal rights to men, etc., etc. multiple times. When asked direct questions she was either evasive or misleading. A simple Google search confirmed that what she was telling us was concocted. This was a big disappointment. Although, in general, we found Jeddah fascinating.
At the end of the day we are left with two conclusions:
- Saudi Arabia is the most foreign place we've ever been.
- Saudi Arabia Halva is the most delicious we've ever eaten.
