FLYING ON A WING AND A PRAYER TO EGYPT

PART ONE: My Egyptian Adventures





It was with some confusion and a certain amount of trepidation that I found myself at the check-in counter of Egypt Air in Toronto on March 13. There had been no clear advice on the meet-up so I got there 3 hours ahead of flight time and waited. I had no idea of who I was to meet but I spotted a young woman with reddish blond hair who was carrying a back-pack and talking on her cell. I figured she might be one of us, and she was. This was Linda, who was to be one of my travel companions on this special media trip to Egypt courtesy of Egyptian tourism.

We waited together at the check-out area, and when nobody else showed up, we decided to go through to the boarding gate. We sat a while and Linda made some calls to the Montreal office of the trip organizer. He assured us that our contact, Marko was on his way by car from Montreal. Trouble was, there had been white-out conditions in Toronto when I had landed the night before, and I knew by TV that the highways were choked with snow and traffic.

Then I spotted a gentleman carrying a back-pack and camera equipment. He looked like a journalist, so I asked him. Yes, he was Yves, from Quebec. And where were the others? There were supposed to be six of us and we wondered if any of the others had arrived.

Once on the plane, Linda got seated next to another man who was with our group. He said that one of the women had herself bumped to first class. But where was Marko?

It was still a puzzle as I stepped off the plane 11 hrs later. Would I be abandoned in the Cairo airport? (Some of my friends had expressed this worry before I accepted this trip!) But no, there they were: Linda. Yves, the illusive Marko and the other two journalists. We were met by a handsome Egyptian tourism rep., Peter, who escorted us to the visa office and then to the boarding gates for our ongoing Aswan flight.

An hour later we touched down in Aswan and from the moment I stepped off the plane I felt that, at last, my adventure in Egypt was more than just a dream.



ASWAN

We were met in the airport at Aswan by Hanan Eldeeb, an Egyptologist who would be our guide through all the ancient sites along the Nile River. First stop: to view the High Dam. This dam is one of the most important achievements in the 21^st century in Egypt. The Dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970. The Dam is 3,830 metres long , 980 metres at the base, 40 metres wide at the crest and 111 metres tall. About 11,000 cubic metres per second of water passes through the dam per second. The Nile valley and delta benefit from this because due to an absence of rainfall, Egypt’s agriculture depends on irrigation and the high dam at Aswan releases water into the irrigation canals so it has had a significant impact on the economy. I was amazed at the size of the dam which separates the upper and lower Nile. Before the dam was built the Nile River flooded every year in the late summer. The dam provides protection from floods and droughts and helps increase agricultural and electricity production and provides employment.

Unfortunately, the dam flooded a large area and submerged several archaeological sites. Over 100,000 people had to be relocated and some of the archaeological treasures were moved as well.

One of these important archaeological sites is the Temple of Philae.  Our Egyptologist guide suggested that we should rest up and have lunch and then we would visit this unique temple on an island in the Nile. But first, we stopped by the gravel quarries to see the enormous unfinished obelisk that lies in situ in the quarry. These gravel quarries produce all the red granite used in the building of many ancient structures.  The unfinished obelisk, left where it was because the granite cracked marring it, was discovered in 1922. It would have weighed over 2.3 million pounds making it the world’s largest piece of stone ever handled by man.

Before we left to board the boat that would be our ‘home’for the next three days, we stopped to see the monument of the Arab-Soviet Friendship that commemorates the completion of the Aswan High Dam. The monument is dedicated to the Soviets who provided technicians and heavy machinery in the building of the dam. The coat of arms of the Soviet Union is on the monument along with the coat of arms of Egypt. This towering edifice was the work of Russian sculptor Nikolay Vechkanov.



(photo by Yves Ouellet)

And so, we were here at last, in Egypt, and very soon would board the cruise boat that would take us on a memorable adventure down the Nile River.

NEXT: The Temple of Philae

 

 

I HAD A DREAM...



I had a dream, that one day when my novel Shadow of the Lion was published, I would go to Egypt especially to visit the city of Alexandria which I had done so much research about -- from it's beginnings and through the dynasty of Ptolemy Soter, Alexander's illegitimate half-brother who help build the city and brought Alexander's body there to be buried.



I've had this dream to visit Egypt for many years. As a youngster I knew about Egypt from Bible stories, and later through the research for my historical fiction novels. A friend and I had made a pact that once my novel was publisher and she had obtained her Master's degree, we'd hop a cruise ship in Greece and sail there, to Alexandria.  Little did I know then that suddenly one day I'd get a phone call from Montreal offering me a trip, all expenses paid for, to go with a travel writer's delegation. The purpose is to interest people in travel to Egypt and this 'gift' was given to me by the Egyptian Tourism.

 

The Valley of the Kings

 

It hardly seems real yet, that in just a few days from now I'll actually be sailing on the Nile and viewing all those magnificent ancient edifices that I've read about in history books and novels for so many years!

The itinerary is spectacular:  from a Nile Cruise to a visit to the Valley of the Kings, the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx as well as a few days at a luxury spa resort on the Red Sea.  And then a return to Cairo to view the museums and even visit Memphis. (Yes! I'm goin' to Memphis....Egypt, that is!)

 

And as a special treat for me, (because I happened to mention Shadow of the Lion and my research), they have arranged a two day escorted trip for me to visit Alexandria!

Cartoche with Alexander's name.

I can hardly believe it!  Will I wake up and find out this really IS just a dream?  For sure, it's a dream come true and I am so excited about this wonderful opportunity. I just know it's going to be one of the most magical mystery tours of my traveler's lifetime and I very grateful to the Egyptian Tourism, especially to Mr. Mostafa Sallam, the Consul director of Egyptian Tourism in Canada. Shukran, Mr. Sallam, I truly appreciate the special honor of going to your country to write the stories that will attract others who might have had the same dream as me!

VISITING ANCIENT GREECE

New Acropolis Museum

I can not understand people who come to Athens and fail to visit the Acropolis or the new Acropolis museum.  This museum is one of the most outstanding displays of artifacts and well worth taking the time to visit, even if you're not a history buff.  In my opinion, if you've come all the way to Greece on holidays, you should at least spare a little time to visit ancient Greece as this history is such an important part of the Greek culture and psyche.

The new Acropolis Museum is more than just a museum, it's a link between present and past. It's treasure include more than 50,000 pieces unearthed in excavations around Athens.  And one of the amazing things is about it is walking over the plexi glass floors and viewing below you several eras of Greek life from Byzantine, to Roman, to Classical and Hellenistic.  The way the exhibits are displayed is also a beautiful thing to see. As many times as I've viewed these exhibits in the old Acropolis museum, to see them in their new, modern spacious exhibition halls is breathtaking.
So, if you're in Athens, don't miss out on this experience. You won't forget it and it's impossible not to feel the positive energy around you as you come in touch with Athens past.

No visit here is complete without a visit to the Acropolis, the city's most iconic landmark.  Since my first visit to Athens back in 1979, to the present, I must have visited the Acropolis several hundreds of times, yet I never get tired of climbing the hill and wandering those sacred heights.  The restorations are still in progress and there is scaffolding around the Parthenon, but it's still as beautiful as ever. If you go, try to go early in the day or evening because it's a long climb up in the fierce mid-day sun.  But you won't be sorry you made the effort.

Temple of Olympian Zeus from the Acropolis

Theatre of Dionysus

There are sights to see below the Acropolis too. I love the little theatre of Dionysus, and if you get chance, go to a drama or music performance at the Herodian (Theatre of Herod Attica - Roman period). 

The Agora

And don't forget the agora -- ancient Athens meeting place.  One of my favorite temples there is the beautiful Temple of Hephaestion.  I never grow tired o browsing the pathways around the ruins or visiting the little museum in the Stoa of Atticus.  On my very first visit to Athens, when I let my feet take me walking, I found myself in the agora.  As I stood there, it was as if a curtain had been lifted and I saw it as it had been.  It was an overwhelming deja vu experience and I began to cry, overcome with emotion.  Since then I have had a special draw to this ancient meeting place, as if I had truly 'been there' in the past.  Maybe that's why, when I've written about it in my historical fiction novels, I can 'see' it so clearly.   These ancient monuments have a very special meaning tome and I'll never get tired of visiting them.

Today I went to the Benaki Museum mainly to look at artifacts from the Bronze Age 3200 - 1000 BC, the Classical period 5 - 4 BC) and the Hellenistic period 3rd C BC) 

Macedonian gold treasures at the Benaki

The Benaki also has an excellent Museum of Islamic Art that is worth a visit. While you're over there in Thission visit the Keramikos which is where the elite of ancient Athens were buried just outside the city gates. 

There's lots of museums and sights to see around Athens so when you come for a visit be sure an take yourself around. If you're pressed for time you can always hop on and off one of the tour buses or the little red train!
I'm going to visit the Bronze site of Mycenae and the ancient theatre and Asklepion of Epidaurus tomorrow.

SAMOS: The Island of Pythagoras

It's been some years since I last visited Samos Island, and that time it was only a day visit en route to Kusadasi Turkey. I'd visited once before during the time I lived in Greece in the 1980's and always wanted to return for a longer stay. I was heading there last summer with my sister and niece, from Naxos, but we mis-read the time for the ferry's departure and missed the boat -- ended up on Santorini instead. This time I won't miss the boat, because I've been looking forward to a return visit to this beautiful island.

Samos is the island of Pythagoras and the goddess Hera. The island is famous for its sweet wine. It's part of the Eaaster Aegean island group, close to the Asia Minor coast so there is boat service across to Turkey, mainly to the resort town of Kusadasi -- another place I've visited several times and hope to return to this trip.

The name "Samos" is from Phoenician, meaning "rise by the shore". It was a centre for Ionian culture in classical antiquity, renowned for its wine and red pottery. By the 7th C BC it was one of the leading commerce centres in Greece, leading their vast trading of textiles. It was a bitter rival of Miletus in Asia Minor and war broke out. This resulted in the creation of the Samian naval innovation of the trireme.

One of the major archaeological sites is the temple of Hera. It was connected to the city by a Holy Road (Hiera Odos) which was decorated with statues and votive offerings. The temple was built near the mouth of a river and for centuries it was the main place of worship on the island. Not much of it remains, other than one lone pillar.

My travel writer friend Inka and I plan to stop off on Samos for a day or two en route back to Turkey. There's a resort and village on the island where there is a folklore museum. My friend and I are hoping we can afford to splurge for at least a night's stay at the Doryssa Seaside Resort.
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One of the amazing archaeological sites on the island is this amazing tunnel that was constructed in the 6th C BC under Mt Kaslis, to build an aqueduct to supply the city with fresh water. This is the earliest tunnel in history to be dug from both ends. It has a length of one kilometre and is now regarded one of the masterpieces of ancient engineering. Named the Pythagorion, it is now part of UNESCO World Heritage Site


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