Spain

The day before arriving in Spain, Lara, Kathy (UVa librarian and Curry pride graduate), Marianne (linguistics professor), Eileen (asst. librarian), Pati, and I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving feast on the ship. True, the mashed potatoes and stuffing weren't anything like Mom's, but the turkey, rolls, and cranberries were more than adequate. The company was fabulous; you'll notice the turkey centerpiece courtesy of Pauletta's visit to Turkey (no pun intended).

Our first day in Cadiz, (pronounced Cadith) Spain, the oldest city in Western Europe, was spent wandering around its churches and cathedrals.

I loved the gargoyles on many of the old edifices; so many of the buildings were erected during the time when sea travel was done only by the likes of Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci. I'm glad I waited for the luxury of the MV Explorer.

That evening Lara led a FDP, or Faculty Directed Practica, trip to Chiclana and I came along. After watching a bloodless "bullfight" demonstration with a bovine that was neither mature, male, or aggressive, we enjoyed a flamenco dance demonstration. Flamenco dance originated with the Andalusian gypsies and involves a lot of clapping and steps that are neither shuffles nor stomps. It was a beautiful exhibition.

After the demonstration one of the dancers selected me to join them. Buoyed by the sangria at my table and more aware of the attention I would call to myself if I didn't dance, I joined in. While all signs point to finishing the dissertation and giving up any dreams of professional dancing, flamenco was a welcome change from the line dancing that had been plaguing us in the faculty staff lounge.

The next day I met up with Jeannie, one of my roommates from graduate school in Charlottesville, and we headed to Sevilla. Jeannie is living in Valencia, Spain, this year, teaching Spanish to UVa students studying abroad there and English to two classes of Spanish students who are also enrolled.

Legend says that Hercules was the founder of Sevilla and we arrived there after a two hour bus ride. Our time in Sevilla was spent enjoying wonderful tapas, sangria, wine, and baked goods...so delicious. Jeannie found us a comfortable hotel with vaulted ceilings, antique furniture, and classical decor for a more than reasonable amount of Euros. We enjoyed eating our way through the city.
We did make time for a visit to the Alcázar Palace, an old Moorish fort that was expanded in major ways over the centuries, first beginning in 1364.

Given its Moorish background, the design was largely Islamic; its architecture known as mudéjar a well-known style under Christian rule.

The palace houses beautiful gardens, tile work,
and intricate detailing in its tower and steeples. Several monarchs have added their own additions to the Alcázar and it was fun to see what royals were responsible for what. One of my favorite spots was a huge fountain overarching a massive outdoor garden.

And what visit to Spain would be complete without a horse, of course? Jeannie and I sprung for the horse drawn carriage tour of the city. our steed did not disappoint!

cathedral and Giralda tower


After learning to barter and maneuver throughout several Asian countries, resembling the good ole US of A in neither infrastructure nor culture, visiting Spain was such a snap. I honestly found myself thinking, "Really! Really? Spain, is this the best you can do?"

While I know this sounds arrogant, I say this not because I didn't have an amazing time in Spain, or appreciate what it had to offer, but for a different reason entirely. Exploring a country where so many people spoke English and so many people in our group spoke Spanish meant an acculturation and acclimation that was much more seamless than my experiences in countries like Egypt, India, and Vietnam.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a beautiful walled city overlooking the Adriatic, a popular summer beach vacation destination for many Europeans.

Our trip to Croatia in November meant the city was neither beachy nor bloated with tourists. In fact, our stay in Dubrovnik was really quite chilly and many of the historic landmarks and museums were closed when we arrived.

Many of our students headed north to the town of Split or even further north to the popular Zagreb region, tired of Dubrovnik in only a day or two. I had neither the inclination nor the restlessness to leave Dubrovnik. Even in the cold and the rain, the city’s status as a historical and cultural gem was apparent.

Many of the streets were made of cobblestone, the squares with marble and the main thoroughfare of the old walled city was lined with baroque buildings and beautiful churches. It was hard to imagine that the city had been hit by some 2000 shells in the civil war raging the former Yugoslavia (1991-92), but off the beaten path, piles of rubble, presumably from decimated homes and churches, were undeniable.

We visited Saint Saviour Church, constructed between 1520 and 1528, one of the few structures to survive their major 1667 earthquake;

viewed the Clock Tower, which originated in 1444; and the beautiful Onofrio Fountain, built in 1438. We even observed a candlelight processional by hundereds of town children to the St Blaise’s Church, which was a memorial to war victims. By far my favorite experience was a walk on the city’s walls, built around 1200, modified with 15 forts in the mid 13th century, and then modified in the 1400s to prevent attacks from the Turks. The walls, which stretch 2 km around the entire Old City and stretch up to 25 meters high in some places, are quite impressive.

They are larger on the land side, 6 meters, but run between 1.5 and 3 meters on the sea side.

We entered through the Plie Gate, which acts as a drawbridge and was constructed originally to be pulled up and the key handed to the prince every night. The views of the town and the Adriatic were breathtaking. It was so peaceful watching the waves crash into the rocky coast, look down at all the little red roofs, the nuns tending their gardens, and taking tons of photos.

And, of course what vacation stop would be complete without good food? We ate our way through Dubrovnik….stuffing ourselves with gelato, delicious seafood, including the world’s best calamari (Katrina this would be your favorite!!), pizza, and garlic. One of the professors on the voyage and his wife love garlic so much that they host a garlic themed party at their home every year, for the past 27 years! Since the weekend Professor Budd and his wife, Suzanne Sherber, normally host the soirée they were in Croatia, they invited many faculty and staff members for a dinner at a special restaurant that promised (and delivered) tons of fresh garlic.

Our last day in Croatia was spent on a leisurely walk with Lara. Both of us brought our laptops--me to work on the dissertation and her to work on cover letters. After we found a secluded little spot near the sea, we ran into my work neighbor (he works in Information Technology in the Computer Lab and my office is right next to his). His reaction to me doing school work was akin to Abby and Sarah's when they discovered I had once spent a large portion of a weekend on a visit to see Pauletta at Duke at Duke's library. Listen!!! I never claimed to be cool!

Istanbul and Ephesus

Semester at Sea’s arrival in Istanbul, Turkey dawned cold and rainy. Standing on the ship’s deck as the vessel moved into port meant that I could no longer deny that it is fall in many parts of the world. It was as if someone flicked a switch and turned fall on for Semester at Sea. We went from sweating at the Pyramids to shivering in the cold rain of Istanbul (I know everyone is feeling appropriately sorry for me), to taking refugee in the warm Starbucks, oh-so-conveniently located across the street from our dock. In addition to crisp, fall weather, also waiting for me in Istanbul was Pauletta, who had secured time off from Everyone’s Favorite Judge and fellow Wahoo, Justice Steele, to make the journey. (Everyone also knows that Roylene is really the person who reads my blog in that courthouse so I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due.) Pauletta is a good friend and Delawarean who owns the house where I reside in C’ville. Her extremely kind landlord ways (which make no financial sense for her whatsoever) make such things like Semester at Sea possible for me. My first visitor from home, we headed out to eat our way through Istanbul since the food warnings provided to us by the ship’s medical team in our logistical preport meetings were significantly reduced in Turkey. Tired of eating Pepto chalk, we lived on the edge and I gorged myself on salad (the ship has nothing on Arch’s salads) and delicious desserts, including a warm, molten chocolate soufflé the size of a small swimming pool. After a most enjoyable dive into the vat o’chocolate, we checked into our hotel, before confirming plans for our cruise up the Bosphorus the following day.

Since our visit to Turkey fell during the off-season, there was only one daily cruise up the Bosphorus, although in the summer there are numerous jaunts up the river. Despite the nippy weather, Pauletta, and two of friends of mine from the ship, Lara and Laura, decided that we had to see what all the hype was about riding up the Bosphorus strait from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. (We are kept from actually venturing into the Black Sea by the Turkish military’s oversight of that channel, although they did make their military presence known on our cruise!)

Our ride stopped a six, quaint little piers along the way,

in addition to providing us views Dolmabahce Palace (a highly decorative Baroque palace that is a tribute to the Ottoman rule)

and the Fortresses of Europe (1452) and Asia (1396-7). Built fifty years apart, these fortresses were constructed in anticipation of invasions into Constantinople. At the end of the cruise “line,” we were able to grab lunch at this funky fishing village known as Anadolu Kavagi, where the Genoese Castle from the 1300s provided us with a beautiful view of the Black Sea.


Istanbul is a unique city in many ways, with a rich and varied cultural and religious history. Perhaps most famously, Istanbul is an enigma, straddling both Europe and Asia; the Bosphorus bridge, constructed in 1973, serving the first physical link between European and Asian straits. This is perhaps even cooler than keeping one foot in Delaware and the other foot into Pennsylvania. You be the judge!
After another dinner of delicious salad and fruit juices, (I never thought I could be so excited about lettuce!) Pauletta and I hit the bus station for our 11 PM departure to Ephesus. After two bus transfers, a breakfast of white bread and your choice of olives, butter, or jam, and nine hours, we arrived in Ephesus. The hotel/rug shop Pauletta where Pauletta had made our reservations was so charming in its décor. (By the way, the Turkish are famous for their rugs and somewhat infamous for pressuring tourists to buy said rugs; our inn keeper was no such pressure salesman.) The friendly owner of Hotel Bella (www.hotelbella.com) advised us to take naps before heading to the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, a Byzantine-era tomb. Legend has it that this necropolis is the final resting place of seven Christians who fled to the caves to escape religious persecution, only to be sealed into the cave for two hundred years under the orders of their persecutor. Just down from the grotto, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of savory vegetarian crepes and chocolate banana crepes, positioned on floor cushions at a very traditional restaurant while American hip-hop music reverberated against the walls.

Like the chocolate and bananas, it was a pleasing experience mixing two very different parts of life—ancient civilization with modern hip-hop. I think the ancient Romans would have approved.
Tummies hanging out, we pressed on and headed to Ephesus’s biggest tourist attraction, the ancient ruins. Despite the coolness of Istanbul, we were able to walk around this ancient city, known as the best-preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean region, without jackets. First established as a Greek urban center in 1000 BC, Ephesus became well-known as the hub for the worship of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess. The ruins we visted came later, from a 4th century Roman city, established by the Roman general Lysinachus, Alexander the Great’s successor, whose Roman rule helped make the city the number one port on the Aegean.

Although silt buildup led to Ephesus’s decline in prominence as a port center, this urban area is still known for hosting two councils of the early Christian church in AD 431 and 449.

Many believe that the Virgin Mary spent the days before her death in the area and that St John the Evangelist cared for her there.

Incredibly, only 20% of the city is believed to be excavated, but we still needed the entire afternoon to wonder through the city’s ruins. Particularly impressive was the Gymnasium of Vedius complete with pools, toilets, exercise rooms, and baths (the model for the modern ACAC, Sarah????);

the theater with the capacity for 25,000 persons, painstakingly cut into the side of Mt Pion during the Hellenstic period and later renovated by the Romans, still used occasionally for performances today;

and the Gate of Hercules, believed to date to 4th century AD and marking the entrance to Curetes Street, well known for its statues of civic leaders.

My absolute favorite part of the ruins was the Library of Celsus, though injured by the Goths and later, by an earthquake in 1000, was restored to its splendor.

The Curry School has nothing on this library! Beautiful replicas of the original statues of Sophia (wisdom), Ennoia (intellect), Arete (virtue), and Episteme (knowledge) are in nestled into the building’s front; the real statues are in Vienna as the Austrian Archaeological Institute was responsible for the library’s restoration.

This early bibliotheca, constructed by Celsus Polemaenus’s son in memoriam of this Roman governor’s death in 114, held 12,000 tomes with a one meter gap between the inner and outer library walls to protect the books from heat and humidity.

Once again, I was all set to finish the dissertation under the watchful eyes of Sophia, when I was pulled away for dinner and rest at our hotel.
After visits to rainy Selcuk, the Ephesus Museum, the remains of the Ephesus Byzatine church, and the Basilica of St John, believed to contain the tomb of St. John, we headed back on our bus to Istanbul.

On our last day there, we visited one of Istanbul’s main tourist attractions.

The Blue Mosque derives its name from the tens of thousands of blue Isnik tiles covering the mosque’s interior. This architectural wonder, known as the most famous religious building in the world, was created under the orders of Sultan Ahmet between the years of 1609-16. The mosque’s multiple domes and semidomes are adorned with beautiful painted mosaics, and while the original Venetian colorful stained glass windows are long gone, the replacement glass covering the mosque’s 260 windows allow for magnificent lighting in the mosque’s central prayer space. The mosque’s creation was controversial because of its six minarets, viewed by many as a blasphemous attempt to rival Mecca’s architecture.
A trip to Istanbul wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Aya Sofya, (aka Sancta Sophia for you Latin scholars out there) Istanbul’s most well-known monument. Completed in 537 under the orders of Emperor Justinian to restore the splendor of the Roman Empire, it was known as the highest Christian church until it was converted into a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453; in 1935 Ataturk declared it a museum. The Christian mosaics in the upper level of the museum were really exquisite in their colors, but just stepping into the interior of the huge dome with its intricate and ornate interior was completely awe-inspiring.


Truly, a must-see!
Low on funds and slightly fatigued from sight seeing, I decided not to pay the ten New Turkish lira required for entry into the Basilica Cistern, but Pauletta would have none of it. A visit to the cistern had come highly recommended to her from a friend who made her way on a previous visit so there was no arguing. Although a third of this aqueduct system was bricked up in the 1800s, touring the underground water cistern was absolutely worth the trip. Dimly lit with classical music permeating its walkways, its architectural strength derived from its 336 columns, each over eight meters high, this network of underground tunnels was created under Justinian in 532. The Ottomans did not even realize its existence until a century after they’d captured Istanbul. My favorite part of the self-guided tour, besides watching the huge fish (large in number and in size calling the aqueduct home) were the two columns resting on stone Medusa heads, one upside down, the other turned on its side. Supposedly, these bases are a result of the Byzantines thievery of previous moments and are considered a memorial to water nymphs. They were really just so cool. For those of you who have lived with me, think of my hair when I first get up in the morning for an apt visual.

Purchasing blue “eye” charms as is Turkish custom to ward off evil spirits, and going back to the ship with every cent spent, as is Alexis’s custom, Pauletta and said our goodbyes and drank Starbucks one more time in celebration of her birthday. Happy Birthday, Pauletta!

Egypt

As if passing through the Suez Canal wasn't enough (pictures from either side of the canal above) I rode a camel at THE pyramids. Not just the pyramids, but THE pyramids. My experience in Egypt was truly once-in-a-lifetime for me and even though we arrive in Croatia tomorrow, I still am trying to wrap my head around all that I saw there. Yes, I know, I am behind on updating my blog, and will need to spend some time thinking up all I want to share about Turkey, too, but my five days in Egypt refuses to be hastily digested. A two day sail to Turkey after Alexandria and Cairo was not enough time for me to truly reflect on the rich history of Egypt. Throughout my time in Egypt, I was repeatedly reminded of just how good I had it growing up having to learn U.S. history. The poor Egyptian schoolchildren have a far more arduous task of learning their nation’s past. The Egyptians and the Romans before them had been hard at work building cities with vibrant cultural and economic identities, as well as strong government and religious bases; their efforts began long before the pilgrims sailed to Plymouth Rock or the American Indians had to worry about sharing their land. As a result, this blog entry is made more dense than past entries given all of the historical info I’ve included. Don’t worry! It’s good for you to know these things.

My first day in Egypt began with a visit to the ship’s medical clinic—7 AM clinic hours when we are in port. Despite all of my prior best efforts to steer clear of the bubonic plague, I admitted defeat gracefully, was given a nice stack of drugs, and sent on my way. By the way, the ship’s doctor and nurses are some of the greatest women I’ve ever met. Perhaps it is because they are all from Alaska, where it is technically illegal to reside and not be cool (many of us are already scheming about how to finance future visits there for King crab leg feasts.) Due to the plague, I laid low, took some supplemental Vitamin C, finished the rest of the horrid, terrible Deylsum cough medicine (thanks, Mom!) and prepared for my early morning departure to Cairo the following day.

I traveled to Cairo on two air-conditioned bus with 65 Semester at Sea students and Manal, our superdooper guide, who has forgotten more about Egypt than I will ever know about her country. In Egypt, in order to be a guide you must have a college degree in Egyptology and after two days with Manal, I could see why. She told us everything we wanted to know about her country; a small history lesson for you follows: Cairo was founded in about 640 BC and became the capital of Egypt under the Fatimite caliphs. In 1517, the Ottoman Turks captured and ransacked the city. Napoleon-led French forces occupied Cairo between 1798 and 1801, then the British until 1922, when Egypt became an independent kingdom. In 1952, Egypt became a republic. Easy enough, right?

After driving through Al Qahira, Africa’s largest city, we arrived at the oldest Egyptian cemetery, Sakkara. The Step pyramid of King Zoser, masterfully constructed by the legendary Imhotep almost 5,000 years prior, stands here. According to Manal what made this pyramid so incredible was that it wasn’t made with perishable materials as so many of other previously-built tombs (msataba) and temples had been constructed. This tomb wasn’t just an architectural marvel because of its unprecedented structure as a pyramid but because it was made with hewn stone. This pyramid ascends upwards to the heavens in six steps--a height of about 60 meters—a wonderful warm-up for the next day’s journey to the pyramids of Giza.

One of the absolute greatest highlights of Egypt and my entire Semester at Sea experience occurred at our arrival at the National Archaeological Museum in Tahrir Square, where the broadest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world is housed. I LOVED being in the museum, taking in eleven well-preserved mummies from the Royal Mummies Hall. Pharaohs and queens during their time on Earth, these mummies were meticulously preserved right down to their hair and fingernails. As to not disturb the mummies, talking above a whisper was strictly forbidden. Many of the essential artifacts deemed necessary for the individuals in the afterlife were included in the museum; I would probably include such essentials as Bess the dog, aka Shnoozums, Mikey the horse, frosting, and perhaps a couple of cell phones so I can communicate with all of you in the afterlife.

What you may have guessed to be the most spectacular exhibit in the museum absolutely was. The Tut Ankh Amun collection was breathtaking. Not bad for a king whose short reign of nine years was considered to be of little historical significance. Tut was only nine when he ascended the throne, a time when the children of today would be training for future mixed synchronized swim team competitions (see Sea Olympics entry below for more details). I admit that I had some mild anxiety about the collection since I’ve heard that King Tut is on tour in the Windy City, but as our guide said, “Only small pieces of the collection are in the States now. Propaganda, it is!” (Sorry Betsy and Mark!) We only got to spend two hours in the museum, but I could have spent two days. King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922 by an English archaeologist, an earlier find unlikely due to the presence of a much more lavish, and more pillaged tomb of the nearby King Ramses VI. Many contemporary archaeologists believe that 80% of King Tut’s treasures were actually made for his predecessors, but at the time of Tut’s death all of their accoutrements were thrown in with his.
There were 1700 pieces in the Tut galleries alone, including two lifesize statues of him, a wig box, a throne covered in sheet gold, semiprecious stones, numerous golden statues to protect Tut in the afterlife, a clothes collection that would make any fashionista jealous and intricate gold jewelry laden with semi and precious stones. Talk about bling! What I really, really loved was Tut’s astonishing solid gold death mask, which covered the mummy’s head and was set inside a series of three sarcophagi much like a nesting doll. The 11kg mask was an idealized portrait of the young king; similar inlay comprises the 110 kg smallest coffin. The medium sized coffin is made of gilded wood, while the outermost sarcophagi and the mummified Tut remain in Luxor at the Valley of the Kings. The detail, design, vibrancy of the gold and jewels of the two innermost coffins were unlike any artifacts I’ve ever seen. Tut’s sparkle makes Dorothy’s ruby slippers in the Smithsonian look like Payless specials.

After a lovely stay at the Hilton Cairo where God (or was it King Tut??) smiled down on me and secured a single room for me, we rose with our 4:15 AM wake-up call. Perhaps even more impressive than lucking out with an odd number of trip participants and nabbing the single room, was the fact that all of our students rose with the call as well. Nobody wanted to miss the chance to ride camels at sunrise over the pyramids at the Giza Plateau. The last existing Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza are the world’s oldest tourist attraction, built by generations of families. When Jesus Christ was born the pyramids were already 2500 years old! Since our group was a tour group and only tour groups are allowed in before the pyramids officially open, we were extra lucky to have the opportunity to climb aboard a camel.

Since we had to ride in twos, my friend, Meagan, didn’t have time to think before a camel guide approached us and hoisted us up on his camel. Our camel, whose name was Mickey Mouse, soon joined the pack of other camels, who we later found out went by such names as Cassius Clay, Donald Duck, George Bush (glad we didn’t ride that one), and Michael Jackson. I think the sunrise pyramid pictures speak for themselves. There is NO way I will ever forget riding a camel at the pyramids. Ariane, Nicole, Les, and Kathryn note the good form--heels down, toes up. Equitation over fences on camels at WEF, anyone?



Archaeology tells us that it is most likely that the tens of thousands of men who built the pyramids were organized farmers, supported by the uncovering of a workers’ settlement. How the placement of all of the stones were exact done to the millimeter, I cannot wrap my brain around it! These pyramids were constructed in accordance with the Egyptian belief in the power of the connection between the Earth and the divine; the pharaoh was the conduit for the people’s connection to the gods. The pyramid shape was chosen because it’s similarity in shape to the sun’s rays. Each pyramid had a funerary temple attached to it where people could worship the king long after his death. Originally, all of the pyramids were covered in polished limestone that would have made them shine like the top of the Chrysler building. By now, the limestone has been stripped away.

The Grand Pyramid of Khufu is the largest pyramid in Egypt and the oldest in Giza, standing 146m high (reduced by 9 m after 46 centuries) and completed in 2570 BC. About 2.3 million limestone blocks, each weighing 2.5 tons, were used to build the pyramid and all of them, ALL OF THEM, were precisely positioned.

The quarry for the limestone was not located particularly close by so how they got these 2.5 tons blocks there is unfathomable to me. Scaling the pyramids, though a popular tourist adventure for centuries is no longer allowed. A Semester at Sea student was actually killed doing this forbidden activity years ago.

The pyramid I actually went into initially seems larger than Khufu’s pyramid, but at 136 m, only appears that way because it is on higher ground and its tip is coated in limestone. The pyramid is not hollow inside as I expected, but, in fact, were largely solid stone. No cathedral ceilings here! A small entrance tunneled down to the burial chamber where Khufu’s sarcophagus still rests. In the distance, outside the pyramid were three smaller pyramids known as the Queen’s Pyramids, the tomb of King Khufu’s wives and sisters.

In addition to visiting the Citadel of Salah al-Din,

where we visited the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt, seeing the Sphinx was another highlight of the my trip/life. This feline man was labeled a sphinx by the ancient Greeks because of its physical resemblance to a mythical winged monster with a female head and lion’s body. Think of this creature as Batman’s The Riddler, killing anybody unable to answer his riddles.

Constructed from the rock found near the Pyramid of Khafre, it is believed that the Sphinx was actually constructed during King Khafre’s reign. Somehow between the 11th and 15th centuries, his nose was hammered off, although there are stories that Napoleon was responsible for the deed. The Sphinx’s head is noticeably disproportionate to the rest of his body, prompting the offering of an infinite number of explanations through the generations.

Part of his fallen beard was pillaged by British visitors and is now on display in London’s British museum. While the Sphinx is actually being eaten away from the inside (pollution? Rising ground water?) and some recent restoration efforts have only further contributed to the damage, I found it most remarkable to be visiting such a recognizable figure. I loved seeing him in the flesh.

The final highlight (and there were many others: traveling down the world’s widest river, the Nile, on a river cruise boat; shopping at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, open for business since the 14th century; attending the ‘Son et Lumiere,’ a sound and light show projected in the evening sky onto the Pyramids and the Sphinx; visiting the Catacombs of Kom El-Shuqafa, a spectacular three-level funerary complex dating back to the 2nd century BC; walking the perimeter of the summer residence palace of the late ex-king Farouk, overlooking Mediterranean) was visiting Bibliotheca Alexandria during our last day in port. Alexandria is the largest port in the Arab Republic of Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. This city enjoys the legacy that comes with all of the responsibility and privilege afforded to the ancient world’s cultural, intellectual, and economic Mecca. For all you Latin scholars (Bueller? Bueller? Stacy? Connie? You know who you are!), this is the scene of the dramatic interaction between Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, and Octavia. Bibliotheca Alexandria, built on the same grounds where the famous Library of Alexandria, established by Ptolemy in 288 BC, was located was intended to be one of the most architecturally magnificent structures of the modern world.


The library was opened after seven years of construction in 2002 and has eleven different levels. While not the world’s largest collection of books (555,555 are contained within) it is a truly magnificent architectural design, including unbelievably refined computer search engines and one of only two printing presses in the world that can reproduce an entire book in 20 minutes—the world’s fastest press. This is a bibliophile’s idea of heaven, for sure!

I was just about to sit down and finish my dissertation, when our taxi beeped and we had to head back to the ship. Our driver, who spoke limited English, asked us “where from?” and when Paul and I said, “America,” he replied, “George Bush no good” (insert thumbs down gesture).” “Americans good” (insert thumbs up gesture). No doubt, I’ll be back to Egypt. Who’s coming with me?

Happy Birthday, Bestest Slap!!! I hope your birthday is great!