Luxor, Egypt

Monday, November 23rd
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 13
Overland
Luxor, Egypt
Clear – 84 Degrees

We survived the late-night and early-morning construction noise at the Sonesta St. George and a cold shower in the whiz-bang bathroom that has everything but hot water.

We crossed the Nile to the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings. At this archaeological site, still being discovered, they have unearthed more than 60 tombs of Pharaohs and noblemen to date. We visited three of the best: Ramses VI, Ramses II, and Tutankhamen. To control pollution and access to the site, there is a visitor transfer center at the bottom of the hill. From there, we rode to the tombs on an open trolley.

The tomb of Ramses VI is among the best preserved in the Valley of the Kings. The hieroglyphics still retain vivid color, but all of the treasure is long gone, having been looted by generations of grave robbers. The tomb is carved into the side of the mountain, with only a low-profile entrance at the surface.

Unfortunately, photography is strictly forbidden inside the tombs. However, our guide gave us a set of postcards, three of which we have reproduced here. Yes, that is what we have come to: taking digital pictures of postcards. Once inside, you descend down a long ramp of stone to the burial chamber. Every surface of the stone has been decorated with hieroglyphics, telling the life story of the Pharaoh and his transcendence into the next life.

At the bottom of the tomb, you emerge into a much larger room. The sarcophagus stood at the center of the room and was surrounded by smaller rooms on three sides that were filled with treasure. The outer sarcophagus was carved from a massive block of granite. This still remains in the tomb, but it has been broken in half, the jagged pieces at odd angles. The lid would have lifted off to reveal the golden, jewel encrusted sarcophagus within, and the mummy of the Pharaoh inside of that. The mummification process was very advanced. They would remove all internal organs, except for the heart, drain all fluids from the body, and leave the flesh to dehydrate. It was then draped in linen and entombed. This was thought to be the best way to preserve the body for the afterlife.

Though King Tut's tomb eluded the grave robbers, there is actually very little to see as all of the treasure is on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, or on tour at a museum near you. His mummy, however, is still entombed several stories below the surface and is on display. He is very small and has turned black with age. Creepy!!!

We climbed out of King Tut's tomb and out of the Valley to the terraced mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This temple is unique in that it is carved into the side of the mountain and has a very modern look.

Then, we stopped to gawk the immense pair of statues known as the Colossi of Memnon, all that remains of a huge funerary complex built in the 14th Century B.C. They stand 50 feet tall at the edge of a parking lot.


Finally, we toured Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramses III.

We waited for another convoy and the three hour return drive to Safaga and the M/S Nautica.

Luxor provides visitors with a much more pleasing impression of Egypt. The local government has taken an active role in removing the litter and presenting the sites of antiquity in a thoughtful way. Large, open plazas and modern visitor centers make you feel welcome. The hard sell is still on, but it is less invasive than in Cairo. Though not as spectacular or inspirational as the pyramids, the tombs and temples of Luxor offer a more open window onto the past. We leave Egypt tonight with reverence for the relics of the ancients and a better understanding of their modern descendants.

Next Stop: Aqaba, Jordan

Safaga, Egypt

Sunday, November 22nd
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 12
M/S Nautica
Safaga, Egypt
Clear – 75 Degrees

We docked at Safaga this morning and joined a convoy for the three hour drive to Luxor in Upper Egypt and the New Kingdom, the site of ancient Thebes and the Valley of the Kings. Luxor was the seat of power for the Egyptian Empire from 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C.

The hills above Safaga are as barren and desolate a landscape as you can imagine. Just rocks, dust, and dirt.

Luxor straddles the Nile. Contrary to the experience of those who have visited Las Vegas, there are no pyramids in Luxor, which is known for massive temples and the tombs of the Pharaohs.

In town, on the East bank of the Nile, the two main sites are the Karnak Temple and the Luxor Temple. They are several miles apart, but in ancient times, they were connected by the Avenue of the Sphinx. This granite boulevard was lined with ram's head Sphinx on both sides. It has been excavated at either end, but not yet in the middle. The Egyptians are in the process of continuing excavation and hope to daylight the entire stretch of the Avenue.

The Karnak Temple is the largest religious complex ever built. It has three main temples surrounded by smaller enclosed temples and several outer temples beyond those. It is a vast complex that was built and enlarged over period of 1,300 years.

We wandered among the towering columns of the Hypostyle Hall. It is the largest temple hall in the world covering 6,000 square meters with 134 columns.

We stopped at the graceful 97-foot Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, carved from a single block of granite, as well as the massive statues of Ramses II.

An officer with the Antiquities and Tourism Police motioned to Tres to turn the corner for a better photographic vantage point. Several more photo stops followed, and predictably, an outstretched hand. Now we have been shaken down by police in a foreign country. Cool!!!

The Luxor Temple was originally built during the reign of Amenophis III over 5,000 years ago and is dedicated to the Gods Amun-Min, Mut, and Khonsu.

The obelisk at the entrance was once part of a symmetrical pair. Its mate was given to the people of France by Mohamed Ali in 1831 and now stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The Egyptians would like to have it back, but...

As the temple fell into ruins and was buried by the sands of time, it became the foundation for other spiritual uses. The Romans and the Christians prayed here. The Muslims built a Mosque on top of the ruins in the 13th Century, which is still in use. It now stands several stories above the floor of the temple, but an entrance was built on the other side to allow access when the site was excavated.

Both the temples of Karnak and Luxor have been extensively restored. About 60% of what is there today is original, the rest has been reconstructed.

Having already endured, if not enjoyed, the Sound and Light show in Cairo, we decided that we didn't need to see another one in Luxor. After check-in at the Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor, we retired to our room to relax for the evening. The hotel is on the banks of the Nile and is currently under renovation. We were very fortunate to get a remodeled room on a high floor with a view of the river. The room was exquisite. Very rich and very modern, pure white walls and rich black woods with accents in silver and red. The bathroom was a technological wonder. In addition to multiple flushing modes, the toilet also offered heating, washing, and blow-drying options. The shower was even more complex with multiple jets from every conceivable angle, steam, mood lighting, and various programmable themes. The instructions were printed in English, but we limited our use to the manual flush override on the toilet and the shower faucet handle.

We arrived at sunset and went out onto the balcony to enjoy the Nile and the call to prayer from minarets lit in green all over the city.

Sharm El Sheik, Egypt

Saturday, November 21st
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 11
M/S Nautica
Sharm El Sheik, Egypt
Clear – 77 Degrees

Sharm El Sheik is the major vacation destination in Egypt. It is a warm weather beach resort on the Sinai Peninsula and the shores of the Red Sea. We floated into port on a beautiful morning.

The boating, diving, and snorkeling here are reputed to be outstanding. The major historical destination is St. Katharine's Monastery, dating to 330 A.D. At the foot of Mt. Sinai, this is the home of the Biblical burning bush.

We are beat and we need a break. St. Katharine's is a three hour drive away. We just can't muster the energy. We did laundry and had a day of rest.

Next Stop: Safaga, Egypt

Suez Canal, Egypt

Friday, November 20th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 10
M/S Nautica
At Sea - Transiting the Suez Canal
Mostly Sunny – 75 Degrees

The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea in the North with the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea to the South. Both bodies of water, and the saltwater Bitter Lakes in between, are at the same level so no locks are required. The canal separates the major part of Egypt and the rest of Africa from the Sinai Peninsula and Asia. In places, it is only wide enough to accommodate traffic in one direction at a time.

There are two Southbound convoys and one Northbound convoy each day. The first Southbound convoy transits the Northern segment of the canal beginning at about 1:00 in the morning. The Northbound convoy enters the Southern portion of the canal at the same time. All Southbound ships clear the shipping lane and anchor in the Bitter Lakes while the Northbound convoy passes, resuming transit once the shipping lane is clear. When the Northbound convoy clears the Northern entrance to the canal in late afternoon, the second Southbound convoy begins its transit. The canal is 119 miles long and takes 11 to 14 hours to transit.

There has been a man-made waterway of some kind here for millennia, at least since the 13th Century B.C. under Ramses II, but the present canal was completed in 1869. It took a partnership among many nations, ten years, $65 million, and the labor of 1.5 million men, some of them slaves, to complete. The canal has been closed several times during war, including an 8 year period following the 1967 Six Day war with Israel. 14 cargo ships were trapped in the canal during the closure. International treaty now stipulates that the canal must remain open to all cargo in times of peace and in war. It has become vital to international shipping with 25,000 transits each year. The canal is currently undergoing additional dredging to allow ships with deeper draft to pass. Supertankers must now offload part of their cargo at one end so they are high enough in the water to pass. The cargo is transported overland and reloaded at the other end. This will no longer be necessary when dredging is complete in 2010.

Nautica left Port Said last night at about midnight to enter the Canal, the 5th of 28 ships in the first Southbound convoy. We awoke at first light to watch the transit into the Bitter Lakes. We had breakfast on the veranda as we drifted down the canal.



We emerged from the narrow canal into the vastness of the Bitter Lakes and set anchor at 8:00. While at anchor, the guest lecturer, Douglas Sturkey, presented "The Khans - Ghengis to Kubilai, Tracing the Mongolian Transition from Warrior Herdsmen to Sedentary Administrators." It was a really fascinating look at a period of history we knew very little about that set the stage for the conquest and colonialism that would define the modern Middle East. After the Northbound convoy had passed, we resumed transit at about noon and emerged from the canal into the Gulf of Suez by 3:30.


Transiting the Suez Canal was interesting, but it doesn't capture the imagination like the locks of the Panama Canal cutting a path through the jungle.

Next Stop: Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.

Cairo, Egypt

Thursday, November 19th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 9
Overland
Cairo, Egypt
Partly Cloudy – 72 Degrees

The ancient Egyptians believed that this life was but a conveyance to the next. That is why they say that no palaces survive from that era, only temples and tombs devoted to the afterlife.

We began the day with the drive to Sakkara, the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis. Memphis was the capital of the Old Kingdom, and no, Elvis was not the King.

The drive to Memphis was disheartening. This is a major route linking significant sites of antiquity, but the filth and poverty is overwhelming. We followed a canal that seemed to be at once a drainage ditch, sewer, garbage dump, irrigation and water source. It was filthy. There was garbage everywhere. A water buffalo, long since dead, floated amid the trash. The villages we passed were poor, but full of life. All essential services could be found in each one. Produce, fresh meat hanging in the open air, even an auto repair shop which was little more than a dirt floor covered with oil under a thatched roof. Wealthier homes and business were constructed the same way we have seen in many other countries. Buildings were framed in reinforced concrete with walls finished in brick. When a family had enough money to expand, they would add another floor for the next generation. These upper floors may remain partially constructed for years, or forever, only to be finished when more money was available. The standard of living shocked our sensibilities, but the people seemed happy, smiling and waving as we passed. The litter and grime was harder to accept.

Memphis is home to the oldest pyramid in Egypt. It is different from the pyramids in Cairo in that the sides are not smooth, but stepped. The Zoser Step Pyramid built in 2686 B.C. is believed to be the oldest stone structure in the world. The pyramid was once part of a much larger temple, which has been partially reconstructed. We came through a grand entrance, into a colonnade, and out into a huge square framing the pyramid. Amazing!!!




We were not able to see the inside of the pyramid, but we visited another tomb close by, the tomb of Mere-Ruka completed in 2340 B.C. They don't allow cameras inside the tombs and the outside is nondescript.

We also visited an open-air museum that houses a statue of Ramses II. This museum, and all other historical sites, is run by the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Police.

We retraced the route back to Giza and the Great Pyramids. These 4,000 year old monuments are the only surviving Wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The three major pyramids are dedicated to three successive Pharaohs, Cheops, his son Chephren, and Chephren’s son Mykerinus. Along with the Sphinx, they form an ancient theme park in Giza. The pyramids were built as giant tombs to preserve the pharaoh's mummified body for eternity. Cheops' pyramid is the oldest in Giza and the largest in the world. When it was completed in 2600 B.C., it stood 146.5 meters high. His son's pyramid sits on higher ground and still has the limestone veneer at the top that once covered all three, but it is actually shorter than Cheops'. The third pyramid is the shortest of the three at just 66.5 meters when it was completed. There are several other much smaller pyramids in the area that were dedicated to Queens and lesser officials. Signs remind the tourists that these treasures of history are not jungle gyms.

The Great Sphinx is thought to be the largest stone sculpture in the round that was ever made by man. This towering figure carved out of limestone around 2650 B.C. is believed to be either a monument to the sun god Ra or to the pharaoh Chephren. With the head of a man and the body of lion, it faces East, greeting the rising sun, the return of life each day.

The pyramid experience is a surreal one. It is awesome and humbling, tacky and aggravating all at once. The buses park in a giant parking lot between the two largest pyramids. There is open desert to one side and the suburbs on the other. There are thousands of tourists wandering around. Hundreds of salesmen are pushing postcards, books, DVDs, and camel rides. The camels are sooooooooooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute. But you can't take their pictures. Everything here is a scam. If you take the camel's picture, the handler wants money. He says you can get on the camel for free, then he charges $50.00 to let you off. He says you can look at the postcards for free, but he won't take them back unless you pay. He won't take no for an answer. He speaks English, but doesn't understand "No, thank you." So you say it in Arabic, "La, shukran." He doesn't understand that either. More come and they surround you and push you until you feel like you can't breathe. Finally you turn on them and yell and they go away, but only for a minute. You want to empathize with their poverty. You want understand that they are only trying to make a living, that no one wants to spend their lives selling crap to the hordes. You want to understand that we have had a hand in creating this problem with our unjust wealth and our arrogance. You want to love, but it is hard not to hate.

After another buffet lunch at yet another hotel, we drove into the heart of Cairo, crossing the Nile from West to East. We had a guided tour of the famous treasures of Tutankhamen, the Boy-King who ruled for just nine years before his death at age 18. His was the only tomb of the Pharaohs to be discovered before it had been looted.

Overnight, the ship had sailed from Alex to Port Said, at the Northern end of the Suez Canal on the coast of the Mediterranean.

Tourists are not allowed to travel the highways alone and unescorted. The Tourist and Antiquities Police form convoys with flashing light escorts. We joined the last convoy of the day for the ride to Port Said and the M/S Nautica.

We are glad we came, but we won't be back. The antiquities are incredible, and they must be seen to be believed, but the poverty, the filth, and the hard-sell ruin the experience. The postcards don't do the history justice, but they make the present a lot more palatable.

Tomorrow: Transiting the Suez Canal

Alexandria, Egypt

Wednesday, November 18th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 8
M/S Nautica
Alexandria, Egypt
Clear – 74 Degrees

The ship docked at the port of Alexandria in the nicest port facility we have been through. Very modern with gold inlay and marble tile. That was the end of "nice" for the rest of the trip.

After introductions to our guide, driver, and ARMED BODY GUARD, we made our way out of the port, through Alexandria, and SouthEast toward Cairo.

Alexandria is known by Alex to the locals. It was the capital of Egypt for many centuries before the nexus of power moved go Cairo. Situated on the Mediterranean and looking North, Alex has a European look and feel. It is still Egypt’s second-largest city with a population of 8 million. Moving through the tangle of streets and alleys was a challenge in noon traffic. Animal carts shared the road with buses, trucks, cars, and motorbikes. We passed a square with a statue of Muhammad Ali, not the boxer, the founder of modern Egypt. Just before merging onto the highway to Cairo we saw the national football stadium, home of the Pharaohs. This is a big day in Egypt. The Pharaohs are playing Algeria in the Sudan with a bid to the World Cup in the balance.
Egypt is divided by the Nile. The Nile runs from South to North, the only major river in the world to do so. Thus, Upper Egypt is in the South, and Lower Egypt is in the North. To the East lies the Suez Canal, the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez, and the Red Sea. To the West is the Sahara. Our tour of Lower Egypt will take us to both sides of the Nile in and around Cairo.



The Nile Delta has some of the richest soils on earth and the Nile has been the lifeblood of Egypt for millennia. With a long and proud history of wealth and power, modern Egypt is a Third-World country. Though Egypt is a vast nation, it suffers from overpopulation. Almost the entire population is concentrated in the cities and along the Nile. Only 5% of the land is arable. Egypt is attacking this problem on two fronts. One, they are building new cities. There are 32 major cities in Egypt and the goal is to double that number with twin cities. Literally. New Cairo, New Alexandria, etc. These cities are planned communities with new infrastructure and modern amenities. International business has been incentivized to locate in the new cities. Free land, cheap labor, and no taxes for more than a decade. 17 cities have been created so far, but the people aren't moving. Family is very important to Egyptians and they are loathe to leave their families in the old cities. The second initiative is to expand the amount of arable land in the country. Egypt is digging canals running East and West from the Nile. From these canals, farmers will be able to irrigate their crops, turning the desert into productive land.

The drive to Cairo was fascinating, a stark contrast to the sterility of the Israeli highways filled with commuters. This major highway reflected the full spectrum of Egyptian life. We passed shopping malls and factories, farms and open land, slums and garbage dumps, Mosques and roadside oases. We stopped for construction, pedestrians, stalled cars, and police checkpoints. We saw every manner of conveyance. More animal carts, farm equipment dating back at least to the fifties, small cars and trucks of every make. Most of them were old and tired. Many flew flags rooting the Pharaohs to victory. There were no 18-wheelers. Small trucks carried commercial payloads of all kinds: oranges, giant heads of cauliflower, tree stumps, chemicals, bags piled high over the sides, out the back, and on top of the cab. There are highway signs advising of the compulsory seat belt law, but they are completely ignored. Most trucks had several people riding free on top of the cargo in back. Many of the people we passed waved at our bus.

We arrived in Cairo and just a few blocks from our hotel, the pyramids of Giza came into view. The suburbs come right to the edge of these historic landmarks...hotel, hotel, pyramid, pyramid, radio tower. We checked in to the Le Meridien Pyramids hotel and skipped the optional shopping trip to settle in for a rest. We were looking forward to having a night off the ship in a real hotel on terra firma. The Le Meridien was tired, though, and our cabin onboard Nautica is hard to beat. Our room had a view of the pyramids, so no complaints.

Back in a Muslim country, the call to prayer was never far away. We could hear it from the room, which had an arrow on the ceiling pointing in the direction of Mecca.


The "Sound and Light Show" is the ubiquitous tourist entertainment event of the Middle East. We boarded the bus for the short drive to the pyramids, but the streets were choked with evening traffic. Cars honked wildly and waved their flags. The soccer match was only an hour away.

We tried to pass the traffic on the shoulder to the right, but that was stop and go as well. Men on foot and in carts were leading teams of animals to slaughter for Eid al-Adha. This ritual sacrifice is part of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage for Muslims to Mecca. The largest pilgrimage in the World, it is the fifth pillar of Islam and must be fulfilled by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it at least once in their lives. The Hajj occurs from the 7th to the 13th day of the 12th month of the Muslim calendar, this year November 25th through 29th. The Hajj draws about 3 million of the faithful each year, but everyone celebrates Eid al-Adha and local families are starting to prepare. When the animal is slaughtered, they give 1/3 to the poor, share 1/3 with friends and family, and celebrate the feast with 1/3 for themselves.

We finally arrived at our destination and walked out onto a vast terrace in the backyard of the pyramids and the Sphinx for a history lesson in sound and light. Music and narration blared from the speakers, floodlights lit the pyramids, and lasers danced in the night. The show was an introduction to the conception, engineering, and construction of these monuments. It was as cheezeball as it comes, but a fun survey of Egyptology.

We returned to the hotel for an unremarkable dinner, and than back to the room to watch the end of the soccer match. Our hometown Pharaohs lost to Algeria 1-0 and will not make an appearance in the world Cup. We joined our fellow Egyptians in mourning.

Tomorrow: Tombs, pyramids, statues, Sphinx, and museums

Ashdod, Day II

Tuesday, November 17th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 7
M/S Nautica
Ashdod, Israel
Showers/Clear – 70 Degrees

After overnight and early morning rains, we disembarked the ship to mostly clear skies at sunrise.

Our guide for the day was Sandy Kuttler. Easily the best guide we have ever had. He was born in New Jersey and moved to Israel to live on a kibbutz 21 years ago. He is an authority on Judaism and Israeli history and the consummate story teller. We were in good hands.

As we drove East through the coastal plain and into the Negev desert, Sandy told us about agriculture in an arid climate. Israel is one of only four countries in the world (the others being the US, Canada, and Argentina) capable of producing all of the food and nutrients required by its people without having to import anything. Israelis invented drip irrigation and other innovations in agribusiness that allow them to make the most of the available resources.

Overlooking the Dead Sea and Jordan to the East, is Masada, a mountain fort that is now a national Jewish shrine.


Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this is the most spectacular ancient archaeological site in Israel. We rose 1,000 meters from the shores of the Dead Sea to the top of the mountain on a cable car.

The fort was built by King Herod the Great between 37 B.C. and 31 B.C. The crowing achievement is Herod's three-tiered palace.

There is also a synagogue, a complex of baths, storerooms, and a system of water cisterns that are still to this day considered an engineering feat. The fort is surrounded, above and below, by walls.

The site was discovered and excavated in the sixties. It is remarkably well preserved and well presented. When the ruins were reconstructed, a black line was painted along the rock. Everything below the black line is original construction. Above the line is new construction.

This was the last outpost of resistance in the first Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 A.D. Nearly a thousand people clung to the mountaintop when the Romans came to sack them. They built a ramp up the side of the mountain and a siege machine to take the fort. The Jews saw them coming. Rather than face rape, torture, and murder at the hands of the Romans, the Rabbis delivered their people to God. The men sacrificed their wives and children. They drew lots and sacrificed themselves. The last man standing set fire to the fort and fell on his sword. The Jews knew that they could not defeat the Roman army, so they did the only thing they could to remain “beyond the reach of Rome.”

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, 3,600 feet below sea level. It is the saltiest body of water in the world, 11 times saltier than the Atlantic Ocean. It is also rich in other mineral content.

Like the Sea of Galilee to the North, the Dead Sea is actually a lake. The Jordan River flows in, but there is no outlet. The water is left to bake and evaporate in the sun, concentrating the salt and mineral content. It is called the “Dead” Sea because nothing can live there. There are no fish, no sea weed, no plankton. Only one microbe is able to survive in the extreme salinity. They harvest it and use it to make beta-carotene for nutritional supplements. The Dead Sea has always been a place of pilgrimage for the afflicted and is still thought to have medicinal benefits as a health spa. In fact, patients from all over Europe come to the Dead Sea for months-long treatment for diseases like psoriasis and all of their expenses are covered by insurance.

We stopped for a buffet lunch at the Crown Plaza Hotel on the Western shores of the Southern basin of the Dead Sea. After lunch, we received a towel, a bar of soap, and a locker key so we could go for a swim.

Tres has been looking forward to this. The salty water is the most buoyant on Earth. You weigh less in fresh water than on land, less in salt water than in fresh, and less still in the Dead Sea. Tres is a svelte 250 pounds here. He may never leave.

The hotel has fresh and salt water pools, but we went straight for the beach. It looks like any other beach as you walk down from the pool deck and onto the sand. As you get closer to the shore, you see that there is a rim of white between the sand and the water. It’s salt.

You have to wear sandals. The salt is hard and crusty beneath your feet. Immediately, you notice a difference in the water. It is harder to move through. As you get deeper, it is almost impossible to walk. Finally, you give up and let yourself fall. You don’t sink. You can’t. You stay almost on top of the water, just barely submerged. You lay on your back and float without effort. You try to flip onto your stomach, but it’s hard to roll over. You try to get vertical, but you have to churn and churn to get your feet underneath you. You can’t really swim, you just float. The water is more viscous and slippery than you are used to, like mineral oil. Literally. If you get it in your eyes there is no relief. You can’t rub them or rinse it out. You just have to wait until your tears dilute the salt. And you don’t want it in your mouth. It is unimaginably salty. In shallow water, you dig your hands into the bottom and pull up handfuls of rock salt. The bottom is covered with rocks of salt six inches deep. The salt gets caught between the soles of your feet and your sandals. There is a ramp that makes it easier to get out of the water. It is caked in salt. Your skin has an oily sheen and stays soft long after you are out of the water.

Floating in the Dead Sea was an otherworldly experience. The buoyancy and viscosity actually made it harder to move. Great exercise and a total trip, but not very relaxing.

We rinsed and dried off for the ride back to the Mediterranean, where the salt water actually feels like water. Tres is still scraping salt out of his ears. This is one we won’t forget.

Israel is an amazing, inspiring place. From the message of everlasting life espoused by three major communities of faith to the Utopian vision of this life lived on the kibbutz. It is also a place of great sadness where politics and religion fail to provide peace and salvation to their people. In a land with so much history, the future remains very much in doubt. There is so much more to learn and tell, but it is time for us to move on.

Next stop: Alexandria, Egypt

Ashdod, Israel

Monday, November 16th
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 6
M/S Nautica
Ashdod, Israel
Partly Cloudy – 75 Degrees

The Port of Ashdod is an industrial port on the coast of the Mediterranean. It is the number one port in Israel and it serves Tel Aviv, just North, and Jerusalem to the East.

We left Ashdod during the morning rush hour for the drive into the Judean Hills and Jerusalem. The coastal plain was dotted with agriculture, and garbage. As we got closer to the city, the highway snarled with commuter traffic just like ours. Single occupant vehicles, driven mostly by men.

Jerusalem was fully contained within the old city walls until well into the 1800s. Now it is the capital of modern Israel, succeeding Tel Aviv when it was reclaimed in the 1967 Six Day War, and its largest city. With history of civilization in this place dating back more than six thousand years, it is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is a spiritual home to three of the world's major religions, considered the holiest place in Judaism, the third holiest in Islam, and one of the holiest in Christianity.

As we came into this historic city, we were greeted by the newest landmark of modernism. We passed under the new pedestrian and light rail bridge designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Meant to evoke the strings of a harp, a symbol of Israel and Jerusalem, it is called the Chords Bridge. It is transcendent. A statement far exceeding anything we have built for Link light rail. This is the government quarter. We passed the State Supreme High Court, which is new and beautiful, and the Knesset, Israel's parliament, which is neither. On the other side of the hill, we saw the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

After the highlights of new Jerusalem, we pulled up to the Jaffa gate in the old city wall for our walking tour of the history of religion.

The Old City is a warren of covered streets and sloping alleyways that form a sprawling marketplace. Narrow passageways were clogged with people going both directions and shopkeepers calling out to passersby. Occasionally, everything would come to a halt as kids pushing and pulling carts through the throngs would try to make room calling, "Baby, baby, baby!!!" At one point, we paused for an "ambulance" to go by. Four paramedics carried on old woman on a stretcher. No lights, no sirens.

The center of the Christian Quarter, and of Christendom in Jerusalem, is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Perched on the hill Golgotha, the Church marks the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

Just inside is the Stone of Unction, where the body of Jesus was cleansed and prepared for burial.

We climbed the steps to the right, up the hill of Golgotha, or Calvary, to the alter where the cross stood and Jesus died. Pilgrims wait in long lines to make the crawl under the alter to the hole made for the base of the cross.

The Holy Sepulchre itself is a chapel that was built over the place Jesus was buried, and resurrected. Again, pilgrims wait in line for hours to step inside.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is home to the last five of the fourteen "Stations of the Cross." These are the sacred points along Jesus' route to Calvary, from the place of his trial and condemnation by Pontius Pilate to the site of his Crucifixion and burial. We walked in the footsteps of Jesus as we retraced the Stations of the Cross through the Old Town of Jerusalem. Many are along the Via Dolorosa, Way of Suffering or Way of the Cross.

Each station is marked with a Roman Numeral in bronze. There are shrines at some, but others are just amid the noise and clutter of the marketplace. Pilgrims mark this sacred route in a reenactment of the Crucifixion. They rent simple wooden crosses and carry them on their backs to each station.

These are the Stations of the Cross:

1. Jesus is Condemned to Death

2. Jesus Takes Up the Cross
3. Jesus Falls Under the Cross for the First Time
4. Jesus Meets His Mother
5. Simon the Cyrenian is Forced to Carry the Cross
6. Veronica Wipes the Sweat from Jesus' Face
7. Jesus Falls for the Second Time
8. Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus Falls for the Third Time
10. Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
11. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
12. Jesus Dies on the Cross
13. Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
14. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Leaving the Christian Quarter, we passed through the Muslim Quarter and into the Jewish Quarter.

The Western Wall, known by Jews as the Wailing Wall, is the 2,000 year-old Western wall of the Temple Mount. King Herod had the wall built to fortify the Temple Mount and the restored Second Temple at its center. The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. The wall forms one side of a vast square that has become an open-air Synagogue. Jews "wail" in memory of the lost Temple and the exile from their homeland.

It is considered the holiest site in the Jewish faith. Jews believe that the rock at the summit of the Temple Mount is the very foundation stone of the world, and the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. This rock is now under the Golden Dome, and the dominion of the Muslims. They believe that this is the place where Muhammad ascended to receive the word of Islam from God.

Security was tight as we approached from the East. There are metal detectors, x-ray machines, and a strong IDF (Israeli Defense Force) presence. We came through security at the top of the stairs overlooking the square and the wall beyond.

Worshipers by the thousands filled the square. Groups of people, families, faithful, gathered together and prayed. Four generations of a single family wore matching shirts, "Family HERSCHEL is back at home after 2600 years."




There was music and singing and dancing. There were mitzvahs. Standing at the wall, Jews, Muslims, and Christians said their prayers, men at one end, women at the other, all under an Israeli flag.




Tradition holds that if a person of faith commits their prayer to a scrap of paper and slips it between the rocks of the wall, their God will answer. These slips of paper by the millions form the mortar of the wall. Tres donned a kippa and joined the masses.

We walked out of the square to the South and stopped at Dung Gate for a view of the Temple Mount crowned by the golden Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, through the Old City wall, and back into modern Jerusalem for another hotel buffet lunch.

At the base of the Mount of Olives, across a narrow valley from the Eastern Wall of the Old City, we found the Gardens of Gethsemane, site of an ancient olive oil press yard and a small grove of gnarled old olive trees that may have been planted in Jesus' time.

We walked through the gardens and came to the lovely Church of All Nations, built in 1924.


The alter is the Rock of the Agony. After the Last Supper, Jesus and His Disciples came here to pray, where he was betrayed and arrested. This rock is where Jesus is said to have endured His Passion.


For one last look at the Old City, we ascended the Mount of Olives. This is now in disputed East Jerusalem, a mostly Muslim neighborhood under Israeli control. There is peace, though boredom and division sometimes overcome. As we waited at a light, school kids sitting on a ledge started throwing rocks at our bus. The line between playful and hateful is a fine one. We will withhold judgment and believe the best. The panorama from the Mount of Olives is truly spectacular. The brisk wind and the chill of the afternoon were a welcome refreshment after a morning in close quarters.



The area that we know as Israel is not exactly that. The Palestinian Territories carve wide swaths out of the land. They include the Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean in the SouthWest, and the West Bank in the East. This refers to the West Bank of the Jordan River. The map of Israel we uploaded to the last post paints a clear picture of the boundary. It is in fact more of a mosaic than a picture. The map of the disputed territories looks like a marble. There are areas of Israeli control and areas of Palestinian control. There are areas where each government is responsible for its own citizens, but not the citizens of the other. These areas all intertwine. We believe that both the Israelis and the Palestinians, both the Jews and the Muslims, have a right to a homeland. They deserve peace. Unfortunately, there is only one homeland and peace is elusive. Someday, both sides may have to choose one or the other.

In Jerusalem, we find ourselves on one side of the line. Bethlehem is on the other. Our Israeli guide announced that she could not accompany us into the Palestinian Territory and Bethlehem. We stopped at the side of the road and dropped her off as we approached the checkpoint. Once free of Israelis, fully vetted, and safely on the other side, we picked up a Palestinian guide for the ride to Bethlehem.

The line, of course, is not just jurisdictional, but religious, cultural, and socio-economic as well. The Palestinian population is Muslim and poor compared to their Israeli neighbors. Unemployment is high and tourism has fallen under Palestinian control. There is still a significant Christian population in this town, the birthplace of the Savior.

The heart of Bethlehem is Manger Square, dominated by the Church of the Nativity.

We made our way through the square and the throngs of beggars and sellers to the church and squeezed through the tiny door. The back of the church is very plain. The murals that lined the upper walls have in large part been lost. They have just discovered mosaics below the floor. The alter is beautiful, very ornate in the style of the Orthodox.

The site of pilgrimage here is the grotto carved into the stone below. We joined the line that filled fully one-third of the church. Finally, after more than an hour in a slow-moving line, we descended the steep stairs into a sweltering, cramped cave, lined with linens, and ripe with the smell of burning candles and the sweat of the faithful.

To the right, beneath a small alter, is a 14-point silver star with the Latin inscription, "HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS EST," (Here of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ was born).

On the left, down a few more steps, is the manger where the baby Jesus was laid.

This place, disputed by some and revered by others, is the very center of it all. The Prince of Peace was born here, in what is still now, two-thousand years later, a city and a nation in conflict. Our fellow pilgrims knelt to pray and feel the blessings of this holy shrine. We paid our respects and made the climb back out of the grotto, through the church, and into the night in Manger Square. Even non-believers have to be touched by the history of this moment and the spirit of this place.

We exchanged guides again at the checkpoint for the drive back through Jerusalem and down the Judean Hills on our way back to the ship.

We will remain docked in Ashdod for the night, and another day in Israel tomorrow.