Reset search
The Ancient History Tour
  • Beth Vogelzang

The Ancient History Tour

A trip to Egypt, Greece, Italy, Crete, Malta and Turkey. Read more
+4
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    May 8, 2019
    Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    Today is the day!

    May 8, 2019 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Thank goodness for Helen, finding out we needed an International Driver’s License! Fortunately, the NRMA at Castle Hill we’re able to issue one on the spot, so got it this morning, in the nick of time.

    Flight at 21.45 this evening, and John has very kindly offered to drive us to the airport! I’ll post again at the airport, for our usual lounge pre-flight photo!

    Almost getting into vacay mode - have disabled work emails on all my devices!!! Woo hoo!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    Quick stop in KL, en route to Macau.

    May 9, 2019 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    So far, so good. Gonna be a long day today (surprise, surprise !)
    Having a Starbucks break. We have a day in Macau exploring, before the long trek to Cairo. Yes, we do it the long way, but I can't fly more than 9 hours at once!Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    HKG to DXB

    May 9, 2019 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Next leg of the outward bound journey, that was always going to be long.. Hong Kong to Dubai... Flight takes off 00:35 hours. We will definitely sleep this leg.. We've walked 20,000 steps on about 3 hours sleep, and we are feeling it. We've so far done two planes, a ferry, and a train!Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    A day in Macau

    May 9, 2019 in Macao ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We broke up the trip by a 14 hour layover in Macau. We'd not been here before, so it was interesting. It is the Las Vegas of Asia, with 38+ casinos, many replicas of Vegas, including the Venetian.

    There is some very interesting architecture here, with some very quirky buildings, which I'll post some pics later...    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    In Dubai for a minute!

    May 10, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Nothing to report, last stop before Cairo! Gratuitous selfie while PeeVee seeks EGP, ready for the tipping.

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    2Paul contemplates the Sphinx
    Flying over the Suez CanalTouching history...Surreal standing before one of the Pyramids

    Cairo & The Pyramids of Giza

    May 10, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    An amazing day...finally made it to Cairo. Flying over the Sinai Peninsula was quite surreal. There is a photo of the Suez Canal. The water was stunningly blue amid the dun colour of the vast desert.

    On arrival, we negotiated a taxi to the hotel. No mean feat. In the car (battered for reasons later learned), it was about a 45 minute drive to our hotel. The architecture is polar opposite to Macau - people live in buildings that have been unfinished (for decades, it seems!). There is no colour, likely due to the sand and dirt that would blow in. Everything is a dun colour

    To my surprise, our hotel was bathed in the shadows of the Pyramids of Giza. Security is a major theme here. The hotel has a security scanner before you can enter, though it appears like something that was bought from a second-hand store as a used model many many years before. After a hot shower, we fired up the walking shoes and hiked to the pyramids. Simply amazing, and definitely on our bucket list. I absolutely had to touch what I could to soak it in, and we clambered up some where we were allowed. We hiked the entire site, and fended off the hundreds of offers for horse and buggy or camel rides (literally hundreds, and they do not like “no” for an answer). I felt sorry for these poor animals, especially the tough little horses. They slide down the paved roads on their way for another load of lazy tourists! They look like they’d get shot if they fell. They camels were a lot tougher, but it is all such a gimmick. ‘Specially when we learned many are imported from Australia!

    We ended the hike with The Sphinx, and as you can see, Paul put on his enigmatic face to contemplate the riddle! It is the stuff of legends, and I guess the same is true when you meet someone famous, or see the Mona Lisa for the first time. You think: I thought it would be bigger... 😜, but it is sensational.

    We are just settling into a local meal in restaurant. Think El Jannah chicken,and lamb kofta kebab. It is the first week of Ramadan, so the days are quieter,and the evenings are busy, as the people out to eat! We are bemused by a huge intersection below us. There is no belly-dancing during Ramadan, but this was entertainment enough. It is a case of anything goes, and the traffic lights seem to be there just for the pretty colours.

    Our view at dinner is the Pyramids, and amazing traffic!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Between the Great Pyramid, and the Pyramid of Khufu
    Dinner with a viewA camel caravan in the distance1

    More photos of Giza...

    May 10, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    So, here I am, it is now 3am and I’m wide awake. We crashed at 9pm, it was the latest we could last after more than 64 hours without being horizontal, but damn this body not allowing my more than 6 hours sleep!

    Anyway, what to do, but upload more pics. Can only do six at a time, but it is enough.    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    A bust of the boy king, Tutankhamun
    I couldn't resist touching the glyphsOne of the stools of Tutankhamen's tombThis is a huge bust of HatshepsutMummies!

    The Egyptian Museum

    May 11, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We both woke super early this morning(see my earlier post!), so had a leisurely morning over breakfast and coffee. We then packed our gear, and the hotel stored it for us, then we hit the street. We negotiated a driver, Ibrahim, a toothless wonder, to take us to the Egyptian Museum. The new museum, being built across the road from our hotel, will unfortunately not be ready til next year (at least). It will, however, be worth it. Recommend anyone planning to visit Cairo wait for it to open! The building is massive!

    So, the drive was about 30 minutes, and asJill will attest,they are mad, but amazing drivers! We arrived to the Museum at 9.30 am,and Ibrahim went to find a spot to sleep, to come pick us up at 4 pm. All that for 150 EGP (about$12).

    The museum is amazing, but everything is jam packed in. There has not been much care of the artefacts, and most of the display labels are so old they’re barely readable. But, the artefacts themselves are mind blowing. There were two royal mummy rooms that we paid extra to see, but photography was not permitted. Ramses, Hatshepsut, all the Thutmoses and Akhenaten were there. Very surreal to see the bodies of these Pharoahs I studied in high school. It almost is sacreligious - I’m sure this is not what they planned their after-life to be. Other mummies still are stacked up on shelves, three and four high!

    Tutankhamen had his own room, with artefacts I studied at school, the gold throne, the gold mask. Unfortunately,I did not see the ‘no photography’ sign, and I was made to delete the great photo of the mask I got. Oh well! It is in my head, and was amazing.

    We wandered through the museum for about 5 hours. Too early for Ibrahim, we decided to walk to the Nile,and cross a couple of bridges. It was quite warm at this stage, so the walking was hard. We took our life in our hands, and crossed the road a few times. This is no mean feat - there are no traffic lights with pedestrian signals, and certainly no zebra crossings! Somehow it works, and we didn’t die. A great achievement, I think! There are no lanes, so there an be 6 cars across what is essentially a 2 lane street. In between that, pedestrians run across the road. It is chaos,with the beep beep of car horns, motor scooters with three people on ( the rider, his wife in her galabaya side saddle across the back, and at least one child sandwiched between, or perched in front of the rider. They weave in and out of the cars. , who miss them, and each other by centimetres.

    The afternoon was very hot, so we went to the Ritz- Carlton for drinks by the pool. It was bliss. We are both a bit jet-lagged today, after a very busy couple of days, so at 3.30, we Called Ibrahim to come get us.

    We got back to the hotel, collected our bags, and persuaded Ibrahim to drive us the one hour to the airport. He took us by way of Old Cairo, which was very interesting. We passed the tomb of Anwar Sadat, guarded by soldiers.

    So, now here we are, awaiting our flight to Aswan, ready for more adventures tomorrow!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    Abu Simbel

    May 12, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    Today we had one thing planned - the trip to Abu Simbel. We were collected by our driver, Ramon, a young man of few words, but very efficient. The drive to Abu Simbel is 3 hours and 280km through the desert. There are a number of military checkpoints to cross, and it was only until recently that you had to get a military escort to get there. Most tourists leave at 4.30 am to go on the drive. Given we only arrived to Aswan after midnight, we opted to leave at 9am, and it was a brilliant decision because there were only about 6 other tourists the whole time we were there!

    The drive was long, through the Nubian desert and Paul & I both dozed. We got to the temple just before 12, and purchased our tickets. 200 Egyptian pounds each for us, and 300 pounds extra to take photos inside the tomb. The site is on the edge of Lake Nasser, and when you consider the whole site was relocated several hundred metres vertically in 1964 to 1968 when they were creating the dam, it is an amazing engineering feat.

    They created to rock face to mount the temple, and proceeded to carve it up, with 4mm slices. It was then relocated piece by piece high above the water.

    The temple was built by Pharoah Rameses II and his wife Nefertari in 1264 BC. It depicts his victories, and it is believed that the size of his likenesses was to ward away the enemies from the north. It is very interesting, as we saw the mummified remains of Rameses II at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo!

    Enjoy!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Cartouche of Cleopatra...

    Philae, Aswan, Egypt

    May 13, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Today, we were collected at 9am from the hotel by our guide for the next 4 days, Hany. Hany took us to the Aswan High Dam, a very important site, built in 1960s, above the low dam built in 1902. It created Lake Nasser, the source of fresh water for Egypt, and is 500km long.

    Next, we went to a marina,to catch a little ferry to the island of Philae. The was the site of another temple relocated entirely to higher ground due to the dam. It was partially under water for many years, but they built a coffee dam around it, before carving it up and raising it to a small island where it now sits.

    The Temple of Isis is interesting because there is much Greek influence here, by the columns, and some of the glyphs. The early Christians defaced much of the carvings,as you can see in some of the photos. The cartouche spells out the name of Queen Cleopatra.

    Hany then took us to our boat, the MS Amwaj where we checked in to our room. We decided, because the temperature had hit 40 degrees, that we would forego a planned trip to a Nubian Village,and relax by the swimming pool, which was lovely. We had a peaceful afternoon, catching up on some much needed sleep. This evening,we had a buffet dinner and a few drinks, before a Nubian dance show. There was lots of drumming, and dancing by males. We have noticed that there are no women working on this boat that we have seen yet, which is interesting...

    The ship departs Aswan in the early hours, and we are meeting our guide Hany at 6am for a tour to a temple, then back for breakfast. We feel fortunate, in that we have Hany to ourselves. There is a big group of 40 or more people (Americans and Brits), and we are glad not to be with them. We did meet a young lady who was so excited to hear our accent - she was in one of the big groups with all older Americans, so she was very happy to talk to us!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Our boat, the MS Amwaj
    The colours remain after over 2500 years!Women on birthing chairs, and surgical instruments!Cure to increase sperm count, advertising from 2.5K years ago!The waters are amazingly still, and the river not wide...A felucca on the Nile

    Kom Ombo

    May 14, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    This morning we disembarked at 6am, and the boat had moored in front of this temple. Kom Ombo means Mountain of Gold, and the people gave up their agricultural crops to mine gold. Unfortunately, many then starved as there was nothing to eat!

    Hany , our guide, told many stories depicted in the hieroglyphs which was very interesting! You can still see many of the colours which adorned the walls, after two and a half thousand years. The paint was made from coloured minerals, set with egg white! The lack of rain would also help (it rains here once every 5 years!)

    Back on the boat we had a leisurely breakfast, while the boat set off again. We feel bad for Hany, as he is fasting for Ramadan. It must get very difficult when the temperature rises in excess of 40 degrees predicted today...

    I will post again after our next stop in a few hours!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Us on the horse and buggy - these are tough little horses that work really hard in hot conditions
    Hany,our guide at The Temple of HorusThis is Horus!Hany explaining some hieroglyphsShrine to Horus - highly polished granite and boatIn the lock at EsnaFollowed into the lock by these sellers, plying their trade!

    Edfu - The Temple of Horus

    May 14, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

    In the afternoon we were placed on a horse and buggy, and driven through the streets of Edfu to go to The Temple of Horus. This experience was exactly how I’d pictured the Middle East! The sights and sounds of wild traffic, the rush rush of people, the bazaars, the women in full hijab, the men in galabayas and headdress, kids on donkey carts, it was amazing!

    The temple was built by Ptolemy between 237 and 57 BC, and is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god son of Osiris and Isis. It was really interesting, and our guide Hany explained many of the hieroglyphs and stories associated.

    The inner sanctum had a highly polished granite crypt, so polished it looked like silver,that used to house a golden statue of Horus. There is a wooden boat before the shrine, that would have taken the statue of Horus out on procession to be worshipped.

    Back on our boat, we continued up theNile, through a lock at Esna. These small wooden boats squeezed into the lock with us, to try to sell their wares. Towels, shawls, galabeyas - they toss them up on to the boat, and people would start to barter with them. Quite funny asthma people would often throw them back, and at times they’d miss and land in the water.. not daunted,they’d pick them up and try again!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Blowing up the balloon...at 04.30Fertile Nile valley in one direction1Valley of the QueensThe Temple of Hatshepsut1Sunrise over the Nile

    Valley of the Kings

    May 15, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

    This morning was very special. We got up at 3.15 am to go ballooning over the Valley of the Kings. All I can say is “wow”!

    We were in a basket with a bunch of giggling Japanese girls, some Brits, an Aussie and a delightful Brazilian guy.

    Our balloon was the first one up, and we soared high above the other balloons, then rotated to view the Nile and the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Hatshepsut’s Temple was large and spectacular.

    Watching the sunrise over the Nile was surreal.

    We landed in a desert region just before 6am, and the process of the team to pack up was amazing. Little boys came surging toward us on donkeys, but our ballon pilot warned us not to give them money, as they would start fighting if they all didn’t get some...

    We were collected by Hany and our driver, and had our packed breakfast in a cafe, with hot sweet mint tea, which was delicious! Then, off to our next adventure...    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    Part two: Valley of the Kings

    May 15, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

    After breakfast, we headed to the Valley of the Kings. So called because over sixty Pharoahs were entombed here. The day was very hot - at 6.30am is was already 36 degrees, so we had to pace ourselves. We entered three tombs here, unfortunately the tomb of Tutankhamen was not one of them.

    The first tomb was of Rameses IV, it was very colourful and short, as he died not long into the building of the tomb, which starts on their day of accession, until 70 after their death (the length of time of the mummification process). Some of the tombs are larger, and deeper with lots of elaborate glyphs and colour.

    Tutankhamen ‘s tomb was undiscovered until 1922 due to having a later pharoah’s tomb built on top. His mummified remain are inside, the only ones left in situ. Photos are not allowed inside, even with the exorbitant photography pass!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang

    Part three: Temples of Luxor and Karnak

    May 15, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    After the Valley of the Kings, we headed back to the boat to rest up and eat as it was very hot - 40 degrees by then. The first stop was the Temple of Luxor, started by by Amenhotep II in 1400BC, and continued by Rameses II. It is an amalgamation of many cultures, with Egyptian, Roman, Muslim and Christian influences. One big feature is the large obelisk on the left as you enter. The identical twin was taken from here, and we have seen it years before - it is at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, apparently a gift by the ruler of Ottoman Egypt in 1833. There is a big statue of king Rameses II here which is very impressive. There is a long avenue of sphinxes leading toward the Temple of Karnak 3km away.

    From Luxor we went to the Temple of Karnak. This is a shrine to Amun-Ra, the supreme god of Egypt, and is a huge area. There is a 3km Avenue towards the Temple of Luxor, and they are in the slow process of restoring it. The avenue of sphinxes here are different, in that instead of a human head on the lion’s body, there is a ram’s head. There is another impressive obelisk here, dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, who crowned herself Pharoah of upper and lower Egypt. The carving of the hieroglyphs on this is so precise and clear, it could have been laser cut recently! The obelisks are fascinating, in that they are cut in a single block from the ground, horizontally, and lifted into place by a series of sand and mud ramps. Amazing!

    By now ‘twas 43 degrees, and we all, including our guide Hany who is fasting for Ramadan had had enough, and headed back to the delicious airconditioned boat...    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    The margharita pizza was good!

    Athens Airport - en route to Naples

    May 16, 2019 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    An exhausting day - train from Luxor to Cairo, a five hour wait for plane to Athens, then Athen flight to Naples, arriving to our hotel very close to the Piazza Garibaldi. Fortunately, they let us check in early, then we went exploring.

    It was delightful to be in much cooler weather - it was about 22 degrees (bliss!).

    We wandered around the cobbled streets, and frankly did not feel unsafe at all - after Cairo, it is practically Switzerland!

    We were very tired, and footsore, so we decided to retire for pizza and beer at a local restaurant on the piazza, and then we crashed for the night, for a well deserved 12 kip.    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Paul serving in the taverna. Missed his calling...BacchusSkeletons only found in 1980, tried to escape the pyroclastic flow... BuriedThe frescoes are still bright!1Gorgeous mosaic!

    Herculaneum

    May 18, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The train trip to Herculaneum was uneventful, and we found there were far less tourists who made the trip after Pompeii. We decided against going up Vesuvius, as it was completely cloud bound.

    We found Herculaneum more compact, but more complete than Pompeii. It too was covered in the fallout of the eruption of 79AD, up to 20 metres. It is evident how far, when you see the buildings which now surround the site are so much higher than what was excavated.

    It is quite different to Pompeii, and we both preferred it. The mosaics were still vibrant, and the evidence that it was a richly decorated city abound. The frescoes while somewhat faded show how brilliant they must have been. There was evidence still of the effect the earthquake of 65AD had, with one mosaiced floor completely misaligned and almost a crater inside.

    It was only in 1980 that several boat store rooms were discovered, full of almost-fossilised skeletons, which remain intact.

    I particularly liked the cheeky statue of Bacchus!

    We meet some young Aussie girls, and we each savoured the opportunity to chat to friendly accents! They’d just been to a family reunion in Ireland, and were finishing off with a European tour, heading to Barcelona next. They hadn’t heard of the Sagrada Familia, so we were able to impart “must see” to them!!! They told us the election result, and then we parted ways!

    We left the site at 6 pm, and headed back to Napoli. Showered, changed and a quick bit of laundry done, we ventured out for dinner. Paul chose a scalloping, and I had spaghetti with fruit mare. Amazing clams, mussels, tiny pippis prawns and shellfish I know not the name. All very fresh and tasty!

    Another big walking day, we headed back to our hotel to rest up for the journey to Sorrento tomorrow. Only an hours trip!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Look at those mosaics! So much colour!See the ruts from cart wheels?The cart wheel ruts very evident here...

    Pompeii

    May 18, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Today we set off by Metro using our Campania cards, which gave us free travel and museum entry in the Naples area. We took the train headed toward Sorrento, as instructed, but unfortunately we got on the wrong line. Along with two other sets of tourists, a father and son and a couple, we decided to all get off together, at what we then found was a largely abandon station! Anyway, the correct train eventually arrived, and we arrived at the correct station, and headed to Scavi Vesuvi - the ruins of Pompeii.

    Pompeii was quite a large city, with a big amphitheatre and 25 brothels! There are many taverns, bakeries and temples surrounding the forum and the basilica.

    It must have been a very malodorous city, with the inset cobbled roads with ruts of cartwheels intact (see photo) , and raised stepping stones intermittently to protect the feet from the sewage that must have flowed in the streets!

    The casts of the bodies found were eerie, but very interesting. We spent several hours here, along with many many other tourists (it was a very busy Saturday), then headed towards our next stop, Herculaneum.    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Out on the pier at Amalfi
    Note the black sand. Not a beach lover's paradise!The water is crystal clear and gorgeous blue!The volcanic cliff faces are sheer, and they use it all!Obe of the dozens of fabulous alleyways of shops and restaurantsHi from a glorious cathedral we found through a tiny alleyway

    Amalfi

    May 19, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today we arrived in Sorrento,and dropped our bags off at our hotel. We were early,so we planned to catch a bus to Amalfi through Positano. What a wonderful, if perilous drive that was!

    This is the lemon capital of Italy,and every inch of space on the side of volcanic cliffs are filled with either limpet-like buildings clinging to the sides, or lemon tree groves.

    The skill of the bus driver was impressive,as the roads are incredibly narrow and winding. Cars squeeze past and motor scooters zip by.

    Amalfi is only 26 km from Sorrento, but it takes an hour and a half to get there! Once arriving, we had a great day wandering with the thousands of other tourists in town, it was Sunday after all.

    In the late afternoon, footsore and weary, having walked 25000 steps (again), we boarded the bus back home. We got to our room,in the base of an old light-house “Il Faro”, and found it had a balcony inset into the volcanic rock that was the cliff face. Showered and changed, we headed out for dinner, and found a delightful little restaurant. Salt and pepper shrimp, cooked and eaten whole - so fresh and tender. Paul took a big risk and ordered lasagna, safe today, it was not as good as mine, but it was worthy. I had a lovely piece of sea schnapper gratinato - topped with lovely crunchy breadcrumbs, and roasted baby potatoes. Yum! Paul was given a “man-sized” beer - looked like a litre and a half, and I drank a whole bottle of wine. We finished off with ice cold limoncello,of course. Suffice to say, it’s lucky we were close to our hotel, because I cannot remember getting there! Haha!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    The port of Sorrento. See the little beach huts? The sand is volcanic black2

    Sorrento to Capri

    May 20, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Sorrento is a delightful town, clinging to the volcanic cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea with Vesuvius in the distance. Lemons are huge,and as attested last night, their I on cello is to die for!

    This place must've a nightmare I the summer with tourists, it was very busy yesterday with 3 cruuse ships in harbour. Today less so as noships, but still lots of people . It was very cool today, only about 16 degrees, but some intrepid (Aussie) girls we met decided t I swim on the black sand beach.

    The township has lots of wonderful little alley ways to explore,and great little stores. We bought a ceramic plaque with house numbers that's cute, and I had to pick up a top or two...

    Right now, we have just boarded a ferry for the Isle of Capri, and I will post more this evening. Ciao!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    The Grotto Azzura
    Sunset leaving CapriCapri marinaMount Vesuvius refused to come out and playCapri - our hotel behind1The Blue GrottoOn our walk...

    Capri to Palermo

    May 22, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We checked out of our lovely hotel, parked our bags and went exploring. We caught one of the tiny buses to Anacapri. The buses are necessarily small because of the road being so narrow and windy, but more people stand than can sit. Not a pleasant experience!

    From Anacapri, we wandered through gorgeous little alleyways filled with very ritzy stores. We decided as the day was lovely, we’d walk to the Grotto Azzura. 5 km later, through gorgeous laneways and lovely properties, we reached the grotto, but regrettably due to high seas, we couldn’t see in. Normally, boats nose in to the cavern, and the colours are amazing.

    We had beautifully fresh squeezed lemonade, and caught a bus back up the hill to Anacapri. Another wander up top, we caught the bus back to Capri, and caught a ferry to Naples. We had to wait a while on arrival to board our ferry to Palermo, Sicily.

    It was a large ferry, taking about a dozen semi trailers as well as other trucks and many cars.

    We met a young French man, a nurse, who had taken a year sabbatical to cycle Europe. He’d left his home, north of Paris in March, and was heading to Sicily. He had a long way to go. Once aboard, we stowed our gear in our stateroom, and went and found our young friend and bought him a couple of beers. He was sleeping on a couch in the bar, so was very appreciative of the chat and the beers. We bade farewell, and we went to dinner.

    We had a fitful nights sleep (the beds were hard), but sleep we did. The ship left at 8.15 pm, and arrived about 7.30 am to the Port of Palermo. Our hotel was not far away, so we left our bags and went exploring.

    Palermo is very interesting, with lots of small alleyways and interesting old building around every corner. The Cathedral dates to the 1100’s, and inside is quite beautiful. The royal palace was huge, and the gardens and fountains beautiful.

    I bought a new pair of Skechers, as my old ones were giving me grief after 25,000 steps a day, and Paul got a new cap. Palermo is a city of roses, and in the three market areas we went to, thousands of beautiful long stemmed roses were for sale. The aroma was sensational.    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    11

    Palermo to Marsala

    May 23, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    This morning was a slower start, after a great breakfast at our hotel, Paul headed off to collect our rental car for the next ew days. He was one for a while, but the problem was a great queue at the rental agency. There was some sort of political rally at the dock below where we dined this morning, thousands of people were crowded on the dock around a large ship...

    Paul arrived with the car, and off we went. First stop was to the Temple of Segresto - a Greek temple that was almost complete. For some reason we could not find out, we were diverted fr the entry gates, but w we ignored that and managed to park. However, the place we were instructed to park was perhaps 2km uphill walk to the site. No one was going in. Very strange. However, I did manage to get some shots...Italians! Who knows!?! The gloves life, but a lot about them

    Back on the road, we headed for Marsala - famous for Greek ruins and Marsala wine, my mum's fave for trifles! What a cute town this was! It was a walled city,with great gates with side. Inside, there were marbled pathways and wonderful alleyways. There was an amazing gnarly tree next to a huge fountain. We wandered here for while, and jumped back in the car. We found the Penny Market, and felt obligated to buy supplies for lunch - beautiful fresh baguettes, ham, cheese and amazing tomatoes. We had to drive about 30km trying to find somewhere to stop for lunch. Peevee eventually used that spidey-sense and took this side road that deteriorated to a rutted track, which we prayed no vehicle came up the other way, when it opened up to this amazing view,and the side I f a mount, overlooking a golf course and the Mediterranean. We knew it was the one when it had a lone bench, with a sign saying "viewing spot" in English... Sensational lunch with an equally amazing view...

    Backing the car we drove another75 km toAgrigento, and the Valley of the Temples. This is a huge area of multiple reek Temples in the Doric style. The Temples date from 5th & 6th century BC, and attributed to the peoples of Rhodes...

    It was interesting, but not well signposted, and they did not give you a map. But we wandered among the ruins for a couple of hours.

    Following this, we headed for our hotel, in the Village of Kaos. It was beautiful, with a massive pool. Regrettably,a little cool or swimming...    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    The Ford...
    A closed crypt ifound,couldnt enter, but able to shoot1We need longer arms for selfies!

    Agrigento, Sicily

    May 23, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    First, a shot of our Ford Focus rental. It's large by Italian standards, and Paul tell me it drives very well. It has all mod cons, and is actually built for Android!) Like the ruins the background?!

    Agrigento is quite a big city on the coast of the Mediterranean,famous for The Valley of the Temples. We arrived at about 5pm,and the crowds had mostly dispersed, and the light wa great. We have really had sensational weather in Italy, just one quick thunderstorm that really didn't affect us, and brilliant sun shine with temps in the mid-twenties.

    The Temples were very interesting, and over a huge land area, which meant a lot of walking again. Side note: in the last 6 days, I have walked over 129,000 steps!!! Despite lovely carb laden Italian food,I have actually managed lose weight!)

    The ruins explored, we drove towards the coast to our hotel Kaos. This is a luxury resort, and if you can see on the satellite photo above, the swimming pool is enormous! Paul was sorely tempted to swim, but it was a mite too cool or me!

    Had a great risotto with shrimp and lemon for dinner, and we are currently enjoying the buffet breakfast.

    Today, we are tackling Mount Etna, so hopefully she keeps her grumbles down!    Read more

  • Beth VogelzangThe Ancient History TourBeth Vogelzang
    Female athletes competing fot the crown and branchPart of the huge story mosaicThis depicts a GiantThis depicts the Dominus, his wife and family

    Piazza Armerina

    May 24, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Leaving Agrigento, we headed towards Piazza Armerina. We found the ruins of Villa Romana del Casale, a nobleman’s home (the Dominus).

    The mosaics where very complete, and in one room, about 20 metres long told the tale of the Romans rounding up exotic animals in places like India and Africa, and transporting them back to the Circuses of Rome.

    Quite stunning.

    From there, we headed toward Mount Etna. Pics in next post!    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice