PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG

I was able to blog on our world cruises regularly, but, then again, we had days on a ship between ports with plenty of time.  With the schedule we received from A&K, I would not have had at least two hours a day to dedicate to writing a blog and posting pictures so I decided to write one after we returned home.

I am not a historian and have no intention to write about the Old, Middle or New Kingdoms of Egypt or describe in detail any of the 32 pharaonic dynasties in Egypt unless I refer to something specifically of particular interest.  Nor will I be explaining the complicated state of Israel or referencing Biblical verses.  I will, however, be including links to the various sites I write about so, if anyone is interested, just click and do your own reading.

Like my own website, www.idontgetit.us, I write about politics, society and culture and enjoyed my interactions with our guides while sharing our thoughts on those subjects.  I like asking questions and none of the three guides seemed to mind my “interrogations” and were more than happy to provide me with information about their country’s politics, society and culture. I took lots of notes and filled two notebooks with information and I hope the information I provide here will be accurate from my notes and my and Michael's collective memory. 

I have written this blog not only to share information, but to also remind ourselves of our experiences, thoughts and feelings.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FEBRUARY 19 - PETRA

Image
When we booked this tour with A&K, there was no hesitation when we had the opportunity to add Jordan and Israel Ancient Wonders to Egypt & the Nile.  After over 500 days of cruising, two world cruises and visiting over 70 countries, Petra was Michael's favorite place.  How could we go all the way to Egypt and not visit Petra again?   We had visited Petra on our 2016 World Cruise and I wrote about that visit in my blog for that trip. I do have to correct some information contained therein.  We were definitely misinformed back in 2016 - the city was NOT carved out of camel bone.  We were told, this time around, that iron chisels were used and hammers.   Regardless, besides the pyramids in Egypt, this is a MOST impressive city and has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.  Again, if anyone has any interest in learning more about this Nabataean wonder, you can always search on the internet.  A great article can be...
Read more

FEBRUARY 15 - SAQQARA

Image
We were very excited about visiting Saqqara , after reading the article, " The Secret Tombs of Saqqara ," in the Smithsonian magazine.  In ancient times, Saqqara was a huge underground cemetery on the west bank of the Nile across from what used to be the capital of Egypt, Memphis.  Some of the tombs located there date back to the 1st Dynasty - 3000 to 2800 BC.  Netflix also had a documentary, "Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb." Absolutely fascinating place.  But, first, breakfast in the Hotel's dining room:   We had been looking forward to our visit to Saqqara because this is where Ahmed said we would comfortably be able to go inside one of the pyramids and we did!         Today, we had a security guard with us.  We're not sure why security is with us on some trips and not others but we were never concerned about our safety.  I felt safer throughout the Middle East than I would be walking in Seattle today.     ...
Read more

FEBRUARY 21 - BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA

Image
A review of today's itinerary promised to be a very busy and exciting day.   With a meeting time of 9:30 a.m.,  we headed to the Obelisk Restaurant near our room for breakfast.  While perusing all the amazing culinary delights available to us, a young man suggested the milk bread pudding which contained almonds and raisins and called " ummali " that was absolutely delicious.   In the top photo, right in the center (click on the photo to make it larger)  was a unique way to display donuts.  Unfortunately, there were no plain old fashioned donuts that Michael loves.  This morning, we visited Bethany Beyond the Jordan, known as the place of Jesus's Baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist.  "This UNESCO World Heritage Site features Roman and Byzantine remains and is a place of pilgrimage for many." On the road, we learned that more than 40% of the Jordanian people had been vaccinated and 20% received a booster.  Although a peace treaty was reac...
Read more