Egypt....My Appetite is Whetted! (Plus an Invitation)

When I was a little girl I had ceramic horses prancing across my dresser as  I was sure I was going to be a horse rancher when I grew up.  But as I approached my "double digit" years I discovered Egypt and the Pyramids and a lifelong love affair with archaeology was ignited.  If I had a bumper sticker it would say  "I heart ruins."  And I have seen some of the best and most famous, including Machu Picchu, Ephesus, Greek and Roman ruins, and was even able to visit some not-yet-excavated ruins in Mexico when they were out in the middle of nowhere and we had to hike into them.  (Today they are excavated and on display in  the center of the country.)  

But I had yet to visit the Pyramids which is why I jumped on the opportunity to spend two days in Egypt earlier this year, one at Port Said and another at Alexandria.   Little did I know how much I would enjoy the beautiful city at the intersection of the Mediterranean and the Nile!  More about Alexandria in a minute....

You have probably seen a million images of the Pyramids at Giza so I will only say we were there on a day of horrendous smog and high heat, sorry I can't airbrush blue skies in, and really I am not intending to talk about Cairo anyway right now....as I had no time to see the best of it.  Yet despite the conditions, it was indeed a thrill to see the very

thing that originally stimulated my interest in archaeology, which caused me to want to travel.  You can even enter one of the Pyramids, if you are willing to bend way over as you walk down, down, down then back up to reach the chamber.  Not much to see, but at least you can say "I was in a Pyramid."   Also the shorter you are the better (for once.)




The following day we came to the port of Alexendria with superbly blue skies.  Known  for hosting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and its storied library, which tragically was destroyed by fire more than once (what a wealth of information it held, never to be replaced).  I visited a fort close to the port, (former) royal residences and the NEW library, which I consider a wonder of the current world!   Driving through the city itself is fascinating as much from its past has been preserved and it's well known that I am a history geek.

I won't show you much of the fortresses and castles as I thought the library was truly the best thing to see here.  So here are just a couple of images before we go on to the bibliotheque.

These two were guarding a former palace, now a hotel; I would have chatted with them but these two lions turned out to be Sleepy Cat and Scardey Cat.

The best part of my day was our time in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  Even without the knowledge and collections gathered inside, the building is stunning.  Add (naturally) books, several museums,  permanent and temporary exhibitions, a planetarium, galleries, research centers, shops and more and you have a vibrant, busy, interactive and thoroughly fascinating place to spend some time.  You would need a full day to see everything in depth.

When you come through the entry area/lobby and enter the main space, be prepared to have your breath stolen away!  To the right,  we are looking down toward an exhibition of very early printing presses.

One of the many galleries and exhibition areas.

 The design for this most unique structure won out over more than 500 entries and millions and millions of dollars were donated by various governments....the check from Saddam Hussein and Iraq cleared the bank just before he was overthrown.  The building is constructed at a slant with much of it being underground.  The natural elements of air, light and water were all incorporated.  Strolling around the building is fascinating.  When you arrive at the wall below, remember that the words and symbols imbedded in it are all incarnations of peace.

 The quick jump from the coast to Cairo/Giza only made me realize that I was seeing just a whisper of the treasures of Egypt,  and now I am longing for more. 

The commercial, with an invitation:   As a travel advisor, I frequently am invited to join webinars---online presentations---about a particular company, itinerary, part of the world, or what have you.   These are geared normally to travel professionals.   However if you are interested in learning more about Egypt travel, with impeccable accommodations and Egyptologists as guides and your safety as the utmost concern,  I can invite you to a webinar to take place at 5pm PST time Monday, the 6th (or 8pm if you are on the east coast, etc).   If you would like to see this one hour presentation, email me at anne@specialtycruise.com and I will send you the link.   This is with Lindblad, one of the top few of the expedition style companies and one I highly recommend.

A Charming Day from Seattle

OK here is a little poll....how many of you have visited, or live in, Seattle?   Raise your hands so I can get a count!   Hmmmm.... 14, 17, 20, 37, 42....lots of you, a majority of you I'd say.

Now, how many of you have visited the grave of the great Chief Seattle?  Oh oh.  I see only a few of you wiggling your fingers up.  And how many of you went because I made you?  I see my relatives' hands!

You don't see much about Chief Seattle (which is not the exact pronunciation as the white people were incapable of duplicating the sounds of the coastal natives' languages) in the history books, but he was a great chief who wanted peace, united various tribes, and did much for the "pale faces".  He was also a visionary because, when the earliest settlers arrived, he understood the scope of their numbers and that change was inevitable.  He was a friend to the people who named their city after them, and  beloved by both his people and mine.

Chief Seattle is buried in the modest graveyard of the Suquamish Indians, located adjacent to a tiny Catholic church in the town of Suquamish.  To get here from Seattle, drive onto the Bainbridge Island ferry (a favorite tourist ferry ride, Bainbridge itself is worth the visit.)  After docking at Bainbridge the road you exit onto will take you across the island to the Agate Pass bridge to the Kitsap Peninsula.   Shortly after crossing the bridge you will see the Clearwater Casino and Resort on the left, and here you will look for the signs on the right pointing to Chief Seattle's grave.   Look sharp, they are small!   A few minutes and a few turns  later you will see the church on the left so park in the lot, and enter the modest yet heartfelt cemetery.  You will immediately know where to go....

as this is really the only monument of note.  He was originally laid to rest in a simple plot but in 1890 a group of Seattle pioneers, who had known the chief, erected the inscribed monument over the grave.   In the 1970s, the grave was marked with four posts with sidebars  shaped like the canoes used by the local tribes.  You could physically walk up to the monument within this framework.  Recently, the grave has been surrounded by a low cement wall with imprinted phrases attributed to Seattle in both English and Lushootseed, his language.   Work is ongoing at the cemetery.         

My first visit was years ago when I was driving to visit relatives on the Olympic Peninsula.   I saw the very small sign and was curious.  What I found was a tiny corner of the world that was beautiful, peaceful, and honored a fine man.  I noticed that gifts were left, from flowers to shells to little stuffed animals to whatever someone wanted to leave.  So now I bring something too. 

Every August, his tribe honors him with a ceremony during Chief Seattle Days, started in 1911 by tribal members and civic leaders from Seattle.  Besides a graveside memorial, the festivities include an Indian Salmon bake,  canoe races, native drumming and dancing competition and much more.  Next year will be the 100th celebration.  True Indian salmon bakes used to be a staple in this area but are dwindling.  Sockeye baked over alder...there's nothing like it.   With eight children, there are still many descendants of the chief in the area so perhaps I'll go next year and hope to meet them!

The rest of the small cemetery is interesting to explore, with some markers fascinating in their simplicity.  And there are a few other things that might interest you nearby. 

Turn left from the parking lot and you will be in the town of Suquamish in about 10 seconds, perhaps have a bite to eat, but mostly so you can see the breathtaking view across Puget Sound to the high rises of his namesake city in the distance over Bainbridge Island.   The burly snow covered  Mt. Rainier further south makes the view even more of a treat.  You will have also seen signs pointing toward Old Man House, almost a pocket park, where stood the massive home where Seattle and his family lived along with a number of other chieftains.   Part residence, part potlatch site, this building was erected using traditional coastal methods sometime before 1800 but no longer stands.  The little park is on the water along Agate Pass, close to Suquamish, and has  informational signs illustrating both the ecological and historic importance of the area.  Nearby is the Suquamish Museum.  The House itself probably covered over an acre and must have been easily spotted by early explorers.  Chief Seattle said he met Captain Vancouver during his childhood,  a distinct possibility.

This is a wonderful less-than-a-day trip if you have a car.  Best to go on a sunny day as views are quite spectacular.  In the winter when the leaves are down, they are even better. Other stops can be made, too.   Although I am not a casino person, the Clearwater complex  is nice, and  the resort and the grounds are lovely with lots of Native American art displayed throughout.  Do make time to stop in Winslow, near the ferry terminal on Bainbridge.  My personal favorites are Cafe Nola,  the Bainbridge Bakery for peanut butter and jelly pull-aparts (ask them to be heated up!),  locally made ice cream at Mora's, and a while spent browsing at Eagle Harbor Bookstore, but all of the businesses here are a treat. 

My commercial: offseason travel is always a bargain.  You won't want to be doing your walking or biking tours then...but museums, cultural events, and just shopping and dining can allow you get to know places in another way.   Visiting the Christmas Markets along the Danube in Germany by riverboat,  going to concerts and shows,  and just doing some of the "indoorsy" things you wouldn't be doing during warmer months are all advantages of traveling when rates are low.  Check with me for business class air and famed hotels at (relatively) bargain basement prices.   anne@specialtycruise.com or call me at 888-857-7379 9-5 PST.

The Dark Underbelly of Stockholm

If you haven’t been to Stockholm yet, you probably imagine a beautiful waterfront  city with gorgeous, healthy ,  happy looking people crawling all over the place.  You are right.   But I discovered the dark underbelly.   I loved it.  And…I even had a free tour of it.

Is it seamy, smarmy, or smutty (one of my Swedish grandmother’s favorite words)?  Are there nefarious goings-on occurring  in backstreets and down dark smoky alleys?  Want to hear more?





Gotcha!   Underneath this amazing (I hate that overused word, but it really is the right one) city they have adorned their subway stations with some wonderful art, and if you purchase a subway ticket you can have a free guided tour covering some most interesting installations. (Note, these tours take place during the summer for certain non-Swedish languges and only on certain days, so check the website. They run year-round if you speak Swedish)  Our guide was knowledgeable and made great suggestions as to other stops to visit.     



The art itself is widely varied,  and as always,  the beauty of it is in the eyes of you, the beholder.  Tile work, wooden  cutouts,  paintings, 3-D sculptures…there is so much.  Some of the art was made elsewhere and installed, and some stations are basically rock caves completely covered by glorious painting  (see photo left).  Some is downright scarey, some breathtaking and some worth some time to study.    



From the right  



I think my favorite had to be the sports murals,  wide rectangles where the scene is completely different if you look from the left side vs. the right side.    If you stand dead center its a confusing hodge-podge of colors.    



From the left....



 The subway system of Stockholm has trains running constantly during daytime hours.  The cars are clean and you get where you want  PDF.  Pretty darn fast.   My Stockholm wish list had one site that was not close to the downtown area and it made it fast and convenient and easy to get there.  We were even able to use our pass to make a bus connection to our final destination that day.  And,  there was a stop very close to our hotel in Gamla Stan, the oldest part of the city.  Of the 100 stations, 90+ have an artistic installation of some sort or another.



Writings of Strindberg (see his head in the background?)



Please visit this link to metrobits, where you can see more spectacular (professional) photos of some of the installations, and general background info.

Plan ahead!  They don’t take reservations so be sure to carve that time out of your schedule for this treat.  It leaves from the central downtown station.  I was on a three- day pass and visited a number of other stations after the tour to see more art. 



I thought I’d love Stockholm.  My Minnesota born Swedish grandmother, Anna Albertina Hanson,  longed to visit and never did, so this visit was for her.  But it stole my heart and rocketed toward the top of my favorite cities list.   

Now for my commercial:   If you have sailed on Crystal Cruises, lucky you.   If not, this line receives top cruise line accolades annually and is a tremendous buy now.  I have a certificate good for $500 off of a 2011 cruise (most are available) which is good through Friday, November 5.   If you are interested in this, it is applicable to new bookings only, and you can reach me at 888-857-7379, or 425-454-1250.

Ahhh, Alberobello

Move over pristine whitewashed, picturesque, to-die-for-beautiful-blue-doors-and-colorful -hanging-baskets homes in the Greek Isles. Yes, you are photogenic, and iconic. But you’ve got some  competition!

Italy has many charms with cities like Venice, Rome, and Florence and the trendy (for obvious reasons) regions of Tuscany and Umbria. The Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre lure plenty of guests too. But there is a charming and fascinating smallish village waaay over on the other side, near the Adriatic shore as you head south on the heel of the boot. You know, an area where fewer tourists go. It’s mentioned in the book with the many places to put on your bucket list, and UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site.

The town of Alberobello is full of trulli, white circular homes built with limestone just picked up around the area, originally without mortar. This method of building goes back nearly unchanged to prehistoric times (but now of course they have indoor plumbing and electricity!) On top of the white houses go a conical, black stone roof typically peaked by a pinnacle of some sort. The charming story I heard from a local was that in “days of yore” there was a tax on completed homes. (Sound familiar?). When word got out that the tax assessor was on his way, the residents would quickly dismantle their roof and viola, an incomplete, tax-free house. Bye-bye taxman, hello to re-stacking the stones atop the white limestone.

The town looks white and gleaming in the sunlight and the word “quaint” could be defined by this place. Strolling around, popping into the little shops for local products, visiting the church, and maybe even being invited into a home to see the inventive ways they have been modernized make for a most interesting and satisfying day. I left with a bottle of luscious thick almond liqueur (the area is a major almond producer) shaped like a trullo (singular.) Nummy nummy!

I visited Alberobello on a day trip from a port call in Bari, the port of call in the region, but if visiting by land a trullo may be available for rent.