Thursday, December 16, 2010

Valetta, Malta 12-01-10

Today, our ship visited the island of Malta.  This is Fort Rinella and is one of the fortifications we passed as we entered the port of Valletta. 
It was immediately apparent that there was a lot of history to this island.
 This appeared to be bomb damage to fortifications, probably from WW II.
 Malta, which calls itself "The Gate of the Mediterranean" due to being halfway between Gibraltar and Cyprus,  has fishing as a means of commerce.
 More fortifications.
 Lynda is waiting to go ashore.
A shopping district with restaurants on the pier where we docked. 
 A typical building in the business district.
 A war memorial in the downtown district.
 An entryway to the old part of town.
Like most European cities, there is a clock tower present. 
 One of the main avenues through the city.
Their fishing boats are painted with vivid colors. 
 All their boats have eyes painted on the bow which is supposed to help look out for the devil.
Lynda does some local shopping. 
 Then its time for sampling the local cuisine.
A food vendor along the docks. 
 Many plots of land on the island are divided by rock walls for gardening purposes.
 This is the famous Blue Grotto that is major tourist destination on the island.
 This one of the megalithic temples on the island.  Built around 3,500 BC, the island has been inhabited since 5,200 BC.
We visited a small church on the coast, the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. 
 The coastline from behind the church.
While we were at the church, some local residents came there with falcons. 
 One of the residents getting ready to release his falcon.
The president's palace, Verdala, which is surrounded by the only forest on the island. 
 The city of Mdina (the Silent City) from a distance.
We visited the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, or the Masta Dome church. 
 It has two clock towers on the front.
The one on the left is actually a calendar. 
 Like most churches in Europe, it is adorned with numerous statutes.
The inside of the church. 
This is the Rotunda of Masta and is the third largest unsupported dome in the world.
A look at another part of the ceiling. 
 On April 9, 1942, during a German air raid, a bomb was dropped that pierced the dome and fell on the congregation during evening mass.  It did not explode.  This is a replica of the bomb.
The event was considered a miracle through the protection of their patron saint.  This display documents the event. 
 A cannon located outside the church.
 Driving by the old city fortifications on the way back to our ship.
The shopping area on the pier next to our ship. 
 Lynda is headed back to our "floating home".
This is truly a charming island. 
Back on board, its time for reading the Kindle. 
 As the sun goes down, the island lights up.
Some of the old fortifications lit up at night. 
The port area as the ship is leaving.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cairo, Egypt 11-29-10

To start our second day in Cairo, we visited the Mosque of Mohammad Ali (no, not the boxer). 
 Might not want to try stealing any antiquities.
 The Mosque is a very imposing structure.
 A sign outside one of the doors.
 You are not allowed to wear shoes in the Mosque, so you go in your socks.
A pagoda in the courtyard, which houses a stairway to an underground spring. 
 Inside the Mosque.
 The ceiling was very ornate.
 I caught some shafts of sunlight coming through stained glass windows.
 Another look at the ceiling.
A view of Cairo from outside the Mosque, which is on the highest point of the city. 
 Looks like a couple who are happy to be in Egypt, that is until we caught Amenhotep's revenge.
 This Mosque is one of the holiest shrines in the country.
It doesn't look like these police officers have much to do! 
 Transportation in some parts of Egypt haven't changed in a thousand years.
This is the entrance to the King Djoser's step pyramid complex at Memphis. 
This step pyramid was the first one built, and the oldest structure of stone ever built. 
 The remains of an old building near the step pyramid.
 The digging at the excavation continues.
This gives you an idea of the scope of the complex. 
Even camels have to rest occasionally. 
 We were able to enter some burial tombs here.
Some hieroglyphics on the inside of one of the tombs. 
 It's amazing how the colors are still prominent after 4,000 years.
 What can Lynda possibly be looking down at?
 Why its the statute of Ramses II at Memphis.  It is carved out of red granite and is over 40 feet long.
A sphinx carved from a single piece of alabaster. 
Another statute on the grounds. 
 This sphinx is 13 feet high, 24 feet long and weighs 80 tons.
 Lynda is ready to go to......
 the pyramids at Giza.  This was one of the biggest reasons for our making this trip.
 From the left to right are the pyramids Cheops, Kafrhe and Menkarua.
 Lynda in front of the pyramid Kafrhe, the second largest of the three.
 This is the base of Cheops, which was completed around 2,560 BC.  It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 
 Looking up from the base.  Cheops was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
 I know this is a typical scene from Giza, but it really wasn't all that hot when we were there.
Here we are in front of the Great Sphinx
The Sphinx with Kafrhe in the background. 
 As awesome as the pyramids were, the Sphinx was just astounding.
The pyramids were put together block by block, whereas the Sphinx is the largest monolith statute in the world and was carved from a solid block of stone. 
Is that Indiana Jones standing on top of that hill?  No, it's me taking of picture of 
 the Sphinx with Cheops in the background.
 How colossal this statute is can only be appreciated in person.
After leaving Giza, it's back to the boat at sunset.