Underwater Explorations

Someday I'm going to learn how to scuba dive, but for now I get a kick out of snorkeling.  I started in Hawaii a few years ago, and then last summer got the adventure of a lifetime checking out the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas, Australia.  The coral bleaching was pretty bad, though. I was so saddened by what we saw compared to the vibrant pictures I'd studied in school.

I wasn't sure what to expect in Soma Bay, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt.  I'd seen great reviews but not a ton of pictures online.  I had a few days to check it out before leaving Egypt.  And wow, was I impressed.

This was definitely on par with what I saw in Australia, and probably even better.  There were a lot more fish, and more varieties.  The corals had more colors.  And while not as big, the reef definitely stretched as far as I could see underwater.  It was the perfect setup, really- walk down a long pier into the water and then climb down a ladder and you're right on the reef.  The water was comfortably warm, a bit of a shock when you first fall in but warm enough once you get used to it.

I got a few 'dives' in during my stay, exploring both north and south of the pier.  I felt like I was breaking every rule in the book, swimming by myself in the open ocean, but there were enough people around that I didn't feel like I'd wash out to sea unnoticed if something went wrong- which it didn't! I could rent equipment from the dive center next to the hotel for under $20 a day.  I was staying at the Sheraton Soma Bay, which itself was a lovely spot on the beach with spectacular sunsets across the bay.

Ancient Egypt Explorations

After Cairo I flew to Aswan, the start of a three night Nile Cruise.  Which was, again, a private tour.  What the heck, Internet.  Anyway, I stayed one night at a hotel before being picked up in the morning by my guide and taken down to the Aswan damn.  The guide in Cairo had said that the dam controlled flooding so that people could live by the river but that it also meant the desert was creeping in.  This guide acknowledged that but also said it provided year round growing seasons which enables Egypt to meet the food needs of its growing population.  As we drove around I definitely saw dates, sugar cane, corn, and cabbage being grown.  The dam itself was big, and it was nice to see so much hydro power.  Yay, environment!


Next was a stop at the Temple of Isis at Philae, which had been moved from its original location  after the dam was built to preserve it.  It now sits on a higher island nearby.  You could see the water lines on the walls where it used to be flooded, and there were holes in some reliefs where boats used to moor.  Oops.  The temple itself was amazing.  It was my first taste of the scale of construction in Ptolemaic Egypt.  The pylon (big outer wall with gate in the middle) had massive carvings of Isis and the other gods.  They'd been scratched out by Christians who turned the building into a temple, sadly.  But the figures were still clear even if the faces were gone.  They stood towering over the human visitors.  Inside there were rows of columns, some with lotus flower tops, some with papyrus, some with the face of Hathor with cow ears.  I've been so trained as Ionic, Doric, Corinthian, it's easy to forget that before any of that, there were these Egyptian styles.  The temple is laid out in a line, so that the most sacred rooms are in the back.  They had no windows but walls completed covered in carvings showing offerings to the gods.  WOW.


After the temple, we checked into the boat, had lunch, then in the afternoon took a boat ride down river to the last Nubian village.  The rest had to be relocated after the damn and people drifted away.  It was OK.  Mostly a tourist trap, not worth the money really.  We also went to a botanical garden that was pretty.  Sunset on the boat ride was pretty too.  Oh, and we rode over the remains of the first cataract- it's just a little gurgle in the river now, not a waterfall.  Stupid dam.  Once back on board, we had dinner and then crashed after a busy day. 


Day two started at 4 AM, for a 4:30 departure down to Abu Simbel.  These huge temples of Ramses II are another casualty of the dam, moved inland and up from the water level.  It took about 3 hours to reach them, as we drove nearly to the Sudanese border.  Once there, we walked around to Lake Nasser to get the full effect of approach- and wow.  It's incredible that ancient people were able to build statues so large.  It would be a challenge even today.  Four huge kings sat guarding the entrance to this once southern stronghold of the pharoah's power.  You weren't allowed to take photos inside, but there was a large hypostyle hall (that means columns) and sacred chambers in the back.  The carvings showed Rameses making offerings to all of the gods.  Sometimes you can tell what he's offering easily- like bread.  Sometimes it's trickier.  Sometimes the pictures look like something else like the incense that looks like a Slurpee or the image that looked like falafal in a pita (or a meatball sub...).  Next door was the temple for his wife, Neretari.  It had smaller statues outside, but there were more of them.  Inside was just as grand.  There were some restorers painting a sealant over the carvings to preserve the colors, which was fun to watch. 


After driving back and having lunch, the boat left. We stopped at dusk at the Temple to Sobek at Ko Ombo.  Crocodile God!  It was my first time seeing a temple lit at night, which was cool.  There were two awesome carvings here- one that was a calendar of the festivals, which tells so much about the annual ceremonies of the people, and another showing a collection of medical supplies from the time.  Awesome, awesome stuff.  There was also a crocodile museum with lots of creepy mummified crocodiles.


They also had a huge Nilometer.  What's that?  Basically a well that measures the depth of the Nile in order to calculate taxes.  Water too high or too low was a threat to crops and meant difficult times ahead.  Taxes were lower in these cases.  The sweet spot was in the middle.  Oh, man, can we please had something like this in the US?  It would solve so many problems.  High taxes in times of prosperity, lower in times of need?  And easy to measure fluctuation? 


In the morning, we woke near Edfu, site of a huge temple to Horus.  It was set up like many of the other temples, with a pylon, open court, columns, and inner sanctuary.  The carvings were again magnificent and plentiful.  You can always tell Rameses II's work because he ordered his carvings to be deeper than the others, so they couldn't be chipped off by later kings and replaced.  He wanted his legacy to last (and it did...).


Most of the day was spent on the boat.  It was very leisurely, and had good pasta and chicken for lunch.  Watching the Nile float by was very peaceful, until we reached a coal plant.  The sting of pollution hung in the air for miles. 


We arrived at Luxor around 4, and I was the first off the boat, no lie.  We raced to the car and then took off for Karnak.  Just north of the city, Karnak temple was HUGE.  It has the largest hypostyle hall in the world.  Seriously, the biggest.  They still aren't sure how it was built, but they said the obelisks were added top down.  The tallest obelisk in the world at the time is here.  As is the empty pedestal where the obelisk from Istanbul once stood.  Above the columns you could still see the painted ceiling, with its brilliant blues and yellows.  I loved the colors!


Our last stop of the day was the temple of Luxor, all lit and pretty.  Its magnificence surpassed any other Temple we'd seen.  Sitting parallel to the Nile, a double line of sphinxes edged the road from Karnak to Luxor.  Huge statues of Rameses guarded the entrance, and another grand obelisk stood outside the entrance.  Inside were columns after columns after columns.  You could trace the evolution of pharaohs as they each worked to add more.  The carvings were larger than life, showing victories in battles, religious processions on boats, and rows after rows of heiroglyphics extolling the pharoahs and gods.  The temple's biggest function was in the Opet festival, when the statue of Amun came down the river from Karnak. 
In the morning, I crossed to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings.  I saw 2 huge states of Rameses II at an active excavation near his memorial temple, and the temple of Hapshepsut, the first female pharaoh.  As for tombs, you can enter 3 in the Valley Kings, on a rotating basis.  I saw three Rameses, III, VI, and IX.  What I wasn't prepared for was the paintings!  I've seen touches of color surviving on the exterior of the temple walls, but buried here in the tombs, all of the color remains.  It was like walking into the Sistine Chapel.  Ceilings and walls were covered in colorful art.  Some was writing, others were the important funerary scenes to help the pharaoh reach the afterlife.  You could see all of the offerings and read the accounting of what he brought to his afterlife.  I don't know that I can even put into words how much more this was than I'd expected.  It was Ancient Egypt come to life, in a way I've never experienced with other historical sites. 
After the Valley of the Kings, we visited two other sets of tombs.  One was for the high priests, and were decorated with carvings not paintings.  They were unfinished in Ramonhotep's tomb, so you could see some of the process.  Artists create a grid, then transferred the images.  Artists specialized in one part, and did that part on each figure.  So where it was undone, men had ears but not eyes or mouths.  In another area you could see the red and black drawing lines to show where to carve.
My favorite, though, were the tiny workers tombs.  Not subject to grave robbers, they are absolutely pristine.  The men who painted for the pharaohs of coursed used their talents for their own final resting places.  The tombs were tiny holes with arched ceilings, and fully decorated.  You can't take pictures inside, and there aren't any online either.  It feels like this was a secret treasure- put in the effort to comb here and climb down underground, be rewarded. 


I definitely feel like I won the historical lottery with this trip up the Nile.  I'm completely in love with Ancient Egypt and on the quest for more reading material.  Would I return?  Absolutely.  One lifetime isn't enough to see it all. 

Cairo

My introduction to Cairo was a traffic jam.  I think that's pretty representative of the city. 


Actually, that's not true.  I landed at the new terminal in Cairo and asked at information about buying a SIM card.  I was told there was no place because it was new.  So I walked outside, over to the other side of terminal 2, thinking that they might have them there.  No.  Then I tried to go back into the arrivals hall and found you weren't allowed to enter there.  I had to go through a security clearance.  While doing so, and getting my Altoids tin searched again, the guard told me that Terminal 3 had cell phone booths and gave me directions to walk there.  So I left terminal 2 arrivals, walked to Terminal 3, convinced the guards to let me in there by saying "Vodaphone"? and got in line for a SIM card.  Which I got, but not before a ton of men pushed past me in line and the woman behind the counter helped them first.  Once I had a phone, I called the transport company, moved up the pick up time, and waited outside.  See, I'd booked the pick up for 18, not 16, because I remembered the 4 from 14.  Yeah.  24 hour clock wins again.  Anyway, the transport guy called, but didn't speak English, so a few minutes later an airport employee called, said he was with the driver, and "I am standing with me arm over my head!  Yes, you see me!"  Moral of the story: men who work at Cairo airport are awesome and helpful.  Women, not so much. 


So, traffic.  It's everywhere in Cairo.  There are no lanes.  There are no rules.  There are no pauses or stops or reason.  It's just chaos.  And that chaos at rush hour is exceptionally slow.  So the ride from the airport was long, but the driver was awesome- he moved into the right lane when he saw me taking pictures of the Nile from the bridge, and he pointed out the tops of the pyramids seen from the road just as the sun was setting. 


The hotel was awesome, which was good, cause that stomach thing from Jordan returned in full force the night I arrived.  I was out of commission for the next day.  On Tuesday, though I had booked a pyramids tour, which turned out to be a private guide and driver.  I'm still not sure how that happened, I was sure I was getting a seat on a bus.  But it was nice.  We started in Memphis, with the remains of the great temple of the Old Kingdom, and then moved on to the Step Pyramids, the first of their kind.  While at the site we went into a tomb of a princess with amazingly well preserved artwork.  It made me think of the rooms at the MFA in Boston, only ten times bigger and with much better art.  I was also able to go into a Pyramid.  It was a long steep walk down, and you had to bend in half to walk through the tunnel.  The inside was hot from the lights and not large.  The ceiling was decorate with stars and hieroglyphics carved on the wall extolled the virtues of the dead king.


After that, we drove back to Giza to visit the pyramids.  We walked around the base of the Great Pyramid and visited the solar boat museum just beside.  I'm not sure how to describe the pyramids.  You lose the shape up close and they look like never ending stone staircases.  The stones were massive- bigger than me- and I wasn't surprised after seeing it to learn that they were not built by slaves.  Only a master craftsman could create structures that big and that everlasting.  The other two are a little distance away, so we drove to a viewpoint to take in the three, and then walked close to the third pyramid, which still has its granite exterior at the base.  Included in the entrance ticket was a camel ride, so I got to take some fun touristy photos riding a camel in front of the great pyramids.  The last stop of the day was the Sphinx, which was interesting but, well, not as cool as the pictures would lead you to believe.  Maybe it was because I got body checked by some Spanish tourists while there. 


I had a great lunch of salads and grilled meat with the guide, who let me pick his brain about life in Cairo.  He said the mood is very grim, because people are struggling.  They had so much faith after the revolution, but when the military took over again all hope was lost.  Most people can't pay the bills, the education system is a disaster, and the only concern of the government is keeping power, not helping the people.  He worked 2 jobs and his wife worked too- the first time I'd heard of a married woman working during my time in the Middle East.


That evening, I took a taxi to a row of restaurants opposite the pyramids.  I was able to watch some of the sound and light show from the rooftop terrace.  It was pretty but very hokey.


My last day in Cairo I went to the Egyptian Museum.  WOW.  The place was like a garage the night before a yard sale, just stacks and stacks of artifacts, some with signs, some mysterious.  It would take decades to study everything there.  The amount of time the artifacts were from was staggering, the quality of the preservation pristine in many cases, and the number of questions that I had afterward infinite.  I am now craving learning more about Egypt.  They also had mummies.  Lots of unwrapped mummies.  It was fascinating, creepy, morbid, enlightening, and just... overwhelming.  I've seen the dead preserved bodies of Mao and Ho Chi Minh, and it was sort of like that.  This is the actual person who was a great leader, and now they are in a glass box.  I don't know that there's an emotion for that.  But I usual settle on "thanks for all we've learned from you, sorry your eternal rest was disturbed".


So.  Cairo is loud and crazy.  The huge apartment buildings are made of concrete and brick, with satellite dishes, air conditioners, and laundry hanging off the edge.  Uber is awesome to get around.  The people were very friendly, though the taxi drivers are really aggressive.  The history here surpasses anything else in the world in terms of age and preservation.  I feel like I found the start of history in a dusty museum case with a typewritten label, like a secret that is open for the world but everyone is afraid to come find.

Jordan

Jordan, you tiny little country filled with amazingness.  How have you been hiding in that mess of the Middle East and not at the top of everyone's travel list? 

Everything about Jordan was awesome.  Ok, not the stomach bug, but everything ELSE about Jordan was awesome.  I loved the food, the people, the history, the natural beauty, everything.  I did more in Jordan than I thought I physically could, I was frequently surprised by the history, and I had great conversations with our driver, a devout Muslim man with wonderful perspectives into the lives of modern Muslims. 

My week started in Jordan, where I arrived in a nondescript street by bus from Israel.  The driver picked me up- yes, driver.  My friend had a coworker who frequently worked in Jordan and recommended hiring a driver.  It was a great decision- Yousef was more than transportation.  He was interpreter, guide, photographer, food critic, security, everything.  He helped me to get a SIM card for my phone and took me to the hotel and lunch (schwarma!) before getting Julie from the airport.  I was so happy to see my best friend!  No more traveling alone!

Our first night we ate falafel downtown and then walked around through the markets.  We saw the amazing Roman ampitheater and forum.  WOW.  I had no idea the impressive remains that are still scattered around Jordan.  Amman was the historic city of Philadelphia and the degree of preservation on their sites surpassed much of what I've seen in Europe. 

Roman Amphitheater, Amman

Day two we went to the biggest site, Jerash.  It was as good as Pompeii for imagining you actually lived in the city.  You could see the wagon ruts on the road and hear the echo in the theaters.  The massive central plaza with its huge colanade was as impressive today as it must have been in Rome.  Walking the streets that have been trod for thousands of years was humbling.  Climbing the steps to the Temple of Artemis and seeng the tiny studs of silver that once reflected on the walls was inspiring.  You could easily imagine how glamorous it was in its hayday. 

Jerash

But that wasn't the end- we also went to Umm Quays, a site waaaaay up north near the Lebanese/Syrian/Israeli border.  The museum there had beautifully preserved mosaics from the houses, and the view of the surrounding countryside showed by the temples and later churches there lasted so long.  Our final stop was Pellas, one of the oldest sites in Jordan.  Near the Jordan river, the remains are more simple but have yeilded more information about life and trade in the region than any of the other.  They dated from prehistoric occupation to Ottoman construction. 

On the third day, we headed south.  On the way to the Dead Sea we stopped in the city of Madaba, famous for its many preserved floor mosaics.  I love mosaics.  I love that they use patterns and themes still sold in rugs and tiles today.  Go to Pottery Barn or Home Depot and you'll find designs the same as on the ancient floors.  We saw beautiful florals, animals, myths, and even a map in churchs and museums throughout the city.  The colors were a little muted but still more lively than you usually think of ruins.

We stayed in a resort on the Dead Sea for one night, just to get a taste.  It really is a beautiful body of water and I can imagine the ancient traveler's disappointment when they found a rancid, salty, chemically tainted lake instead of refreshing drinkable water is appears to be.  You really do float!  It's hard to roll over even.  You can't even touch the bottom if you want to.  It also stings a lot if you get it in your eyes.  I don't recommend that.  The hotel had mud pits you could coat yourself with, since the mud is supposed to be restorative.  I did not like the mud. 

After a good night's sleep, it was on to Petra.  We stopped at Karnak castle on the way.  Built by Crusaders and later occupied by Ottoman rulers, the castle was pretty much in ruins- and we got to climb all over it!  Part of me feels guilty, like I was contributing to the erosion of a site.  The child in me was in heaven!  Duck through dark doorways, peer into mostly caved-in rooms looking for treasure, climb crumbling stairs until you emerge into sunlight on what was once a roof- then walk along a thin embankment to read an even higher point- SO MUCH FUN.  It was one of those "Americans wouldn't let you do this" kind of thing.   Did I learn much?  Well, even in daylight, castles were pretty dark.

We got to Petra at sunset so didn't get to go in until morning.  We stayed just outside the park in Wadi Musa.  The hotel was... fine.  Worn but convenient.  In the morning, we went early into the park to beat the bus rush.  We walked through the Siq to the Treasury, the famous Indiana Jones temple moment.  It's actually a mausoleum but whatever.  It was awesome.  Minus the bedouins trying to sell you donkey rides and the smell of camel poop. 

We decided to climb to the high sacred place, and man.  That was a lot of stairs.  It was exhausting.  And then we had to get down.  It took hours, and it was hot, and I think I might have died out there a few times.  Seriously, this was pushing the limits of what I can do physically.  I'm not in great shape.  But I did it!  And it was worth the sore muscles and sunburn.  We had lunch and then trudged out of the park to rest.  We returned that night for Petra at night, seeing the Siq and Treasury all lit up while Bedouin played music and told stories.  It was fine, but cold, and sitting on the group with tired muscles was unfun. 

Treasury at Petra

On the second day in Petra, I wasn't feeling great.  Julie wanted to do another climb and I just couldn't muster the energy, so she went while I chilled in Petra city. Then we did the Royal Tombs, another series of rock cut mausoleums dating from Roman times. 

Wadi Rum was our last destination- we went by taxi from Wadi Musa to the entrance and then were picked up by a guide.  Riding in the back of a pickup with benches on the sides, we rode through the desert.  The rock formations were beautiful.  There were several arches, massive boulders, a balancing rock (they called it a mushroom), and huge cliffs.  We climbed and scrambled up several, through a siq and onto an arch.  Sore muscles ached, I was braver than I could have imagined and jumped between boulders hundreds of feet off the ground.  I'm not sure where the courage came from! 

We stayed the night in the desert, at the RumStars camp.  Dinner had been cooked underground and was delicious.  We played cards and Uno with people from Italy, France, and Malaysia in the longhouse style tent with a fire in the middle.  We didn't see stars, but the huge full moon made it hard to mind.  After breakfast in the morning with yummy homebread crepe-like bread, they drove us back.

Sadly, our driver was late for pick up but he did get us back to Amman to see the Citadel and have dinner on Rainbow St at a place recommended by the Italians in our camping group. One last meal of falafel and hummus.  The next day Julie flew home and I left for Egypt.

Overall things in Jordan were fantastic.  It was a little more expensive than I'd anticipated but well worth the money for what we got.  I'm going to be advocating for people to visit for a long time.  If you're curious about the Middle East at all, go to Jordan. 

Making Tea in Wadi Rum

Jerusalem

I failed Jerusalem.  I fully admit that.  I had planned to have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday in the city.  Howevever, I was so thrown off by the Hebrew in Tel Aviv (yes people spoke English, but little was written in Latin characters) that I decided to take a tour that would drop me in Jerusalem on Wednesday.  Then I booked a tour on Thursday that included the Temple Mount and Old City.  I expected to have Friday to visit the museums and then Saturday I'd head to Amman via the Sheik Hussein border crossing.

So the tour took all day Wednesday, in Nazareth and Galilee.  Then on Thursday, the tour was super crowded.  They had to add a second group.  And will all of that commotion, and confusion, we got in line for the Temple Mount at about 12:30... and didn't get in.  Two hours to move about 100 yards up the road, standing in the blazing sun, all wasted time.  Apparently there was a group in front of us who didn't know the security regulations and took a long time to search.  Either way, I was heartbroken.  The Temple Mount is closed on Friday and Saturday.  I'd lost my chance to see the Dome of the Rock, and wasted most of my day on a tour that I could have done on my own much faster and cheaper.  The only upside is that I met some great people in the group.  We had drinks after and then I went to the cool food markets by the hostel for dinner with one of the other travellers. The guide was really sweet and tried to make up for it by showing us other sites, like Mt Zion and an overlook so we could at least see the Dome.  I'm still bitter about this weeks later. 

As for the next day... transit in Israel shuts down midday on Friday until sunset on Saturday.  which meant no getting to Amman on Saturday from Jerusalem.  The only solution I could find was a bus from Nazareth on Saturday morning at 8:30, which meant I needed to be in Nazareth on Friday night.  There was only one bus, at 12:45.  So in the morning, I checked out of the hostel in Jerusalem and went to the bus station, to get my ticket to ensure I was on it! 

The whole thing was just sort of a bust all around.  In the end I had one day in the city and didn't get to see many of the sites.  I'm sure I'll be over the disappointment someday enough to go back and see the rest, but right now it's just a bitter pill that I failed so spectacularly at scheduling that I missed so much of this important historical city. 

as close as I got to the Dome of the Rock

Crusader signatures in Church of the Holy Sepulcher

symbolic tomb of Jesus, Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Tel Aviv

I got to Tel Aviv and I just crashed.  I think I slept for two days straight.   Tel Aviv was beautiful,  and my hotel over looked the beach.  The beach sand was like baby powder and the water the most beaitiful aqua gradient.  It was the perfect place to slow down for a while,  to get back to grocery shopping and eating cheap, to catch up on tv and emails.  There was real American tv. I was in heaven. 

That's not to say that I didn't see any sites.  Unfortunately the Museum on the Diaspora was undergoing renovations.  The Ha-Carmel market was fun to walk through,  but if you have seen one market you have seen them all.   The pomegranates were fresh and plentiful.  I also got to Rabin Square to see the memorials there,  and wandered through downtown.  It was really hot and humid so it was easier to stick to the beach.  

One day I got down to Jaffa, the old part of the city.  It is one of the oldest ports in the world.   I took a free walking tour that had a lot of people but good information about the history, from Biblical references to Greek myths to Ottoman and even Napoleonic times.    It was amazing to see the huge expanse of influences.  There were even Egyptian ruins.

Overall Tel Aviv was a perfect break.  I probably could have done more,  but the rest was well needed. 

An Unexpected Long Weekend in Italy

At least it was Milan.   If anything could have improved my last minute disappointment at being barred from Turkey, it was being in Italy.   From the moment I stepped up to the window at customs and greeted the officer in easy Italian, my whole body relaxed.  This was familiar.  I could do this.   Even missing the validation box on the train platform didn't phase me.  (I had looked.   I later realized it was by the up ramp,  not the down.  Go figure)

I arrived late,  but could walk to the hotel from the train station.   In the morning (breakfast included!) I walked to the metro and set off for my first destination: Sforza Castle.  I knew exactly what I wanted to see in Milan, and top of the list was Michelagelo.  I'd stopped at Sforza castle seven years ago,  but didn't know the Rondinini Pieta was there!  Getting to go back and see it was a real treat, and checked one more statue off of my life list of Michelagelos.  Only two more to go.  Beyond that,  the castle was fun to explore,  with diverse displays and just knowing the famous people who roamed the halls made it exciting.    I'm sure Da Vince once looked out the same windows.  

Second on my list was the La Brera Pinacoteca, Milan's greatest art museum.   Their Mantegna collection was phenomenal.   I got the last audio guide and really enjoyed wandering through the paintings.  

After that,  I indulged in a delicious pizza and Pelligrino lunch,  then just wandered through the Brera neighborhood for the afternoon.   Before returning to the hotel,  I bought a train ticket for the next day.

Because Sunday,  folks.   Sunday was for Florence.  There was no way I was going to be that close and not go.   No way.   And it was worth every ridiculous penny I spent in the ticket. My dome welcomed me to the city I think of as a second home.

The new Museo della Opera del Duomo is spectacular.  I loved the layout,  the touch panels, the video interspersed with the exhibits.   It was closed two years ago and I am just so impressed with the renovation.   I walked from there to the Bargello, for a quick visit with a few masterpieces,  then ate lunch nearby.  Pizza and wine, yum.  It wss so nice to walk freely, no maps or directions, just memory.  I went to Piazza della Signoria, then got in line for the Uffizi.  Oh,  Uffizi.  I missed you.   The renovated Botticelli room was great,  though I miss the benches.   The 16th century rooms are wonderful,  and the da Vinci restoration was eye-opening.  I'm glad I could see the special exhibit.  

The only thing left was gelato (Neri!) and free time to wander.  From the Arno banks to the Leather Markets, the city had changed a little.   You couldn't sit on the steps of the Duomo any longer (so sad, it was my favorite way to spend an evening) and the big flower pots were lovely in the street, disguising ptotection from runaway trucks.  But it was still teeming with life and tourists and art everywhere.  Leaving was hard, but my energy had returned from a day in my favorite place.  On to Israel.

Uzbekistan 3: Samarkand

My fascination with Samarkand began the first time I heard of it.  I was in college,  studying ancient trade routes,  and it sounded like the most exotic place in the world.  As I got older and learned more,  through teaching the Mongols and Timur,  Samarkand jumped to the top of my "someday I'll go there" list.  I even looked up plane tickets a few times- very expensive and long layovers from Boston!

However,  if I had a year to travel,  I was gong to go there.  It was the last stop on the Uzbekistan tour and did not disappoint.  We arrived by van from Bukhara at sunset,  just able to see the dome of Timur's  mausoleum peeking above the trees.  The large statue of him sat regally nearby. After dinner we walked over to see it lit up at night.  It was magical!  Like something out of a fairy tale.  

In the morning we returned,  to visit the tombs inside and walk through the complex.  I couldn't believe I was seeing the cursed tomb I teach about every year.   The tiles were so beautiful on the gate and on the done.  Standing at the grave of such an influential world leader was humbling.   This man shaped the world in the 1300s. 

Next up was the famous Registan, where three huge tiled madrassas faced a massive  open square. Each had its own unique tile patterns, with fantastical animals and floral motifs.  I could have stared at the tile for hours.  I took a lot of photos.   From there we walked to the Bibi Khanym mosque which has-- wait for it-- more tiles and turquoise domes. You'd think I would be sick of it,  but it was just too pretty. Much of this site was still unrestored, but some parts were cry impressive,  especially the huge dome. 

After lunch we went to the market, to see the dried fruit,  nuts,  cheese,  candy,  and fresh produce available.   It was fun to walk around.   Our last stop of the day was a necropolis, the Shah-i-Zinda.  The guide promised the ultimate example of tiles,  and he was not wrong.  Huge mausoleums lined the street up the hill in dazzling walls of blue and teal.  Every time you thought you had  seen the best,  another corner led to more beauty.  In the late afternoon sun,  it was spectacular. 

That evening,  we walked up to see the Registan at night.  It was lit beautifully.  They also had a short light show about the history of the region.  It was really well done,  Disney quality!  It highlighted a lot of the themes I teach. 

Our last day in Samarkand we saw some smaller sites.   We visited the history museum with incredible frescoes showing foreign visitors to the city.   We walked up to the old city,  now a deserted field since the Mongol invasions.   We went to the site of the astrological observatory and saw the small museum there.   After lunch,  it was just shopping and then boarding the train back to Tashkent.

Overall I loved my time in Uzbekistan.  I had a great group and guide,  which helped,  but everywhere people were friendly and helpful.  The food was delicious,  the sites powerful and pretty,  and the accommodations much better than expected.  It was a dream come true to go, and my trip will be a treasured memory forever.