Getting closer

23 days and counting. Time is getting short to complete all the work tasks, and finish preparations to depart. Egypt, along with other States in the Middle East is still in the throes of revolution, although Egypt seems to be restoring some sense of normalcy. I have read Egyptian tourism is in terrible straits as a result of all the turmoil so perhaps the rates will be more favorable. At this point, the exact itinerary is a bit fluid for Egypt but the major points to explore are of course the pyramids, a camel ride or two. Having never experienced a revolution, Tahrir (Revolution) Square would be something different. If Zahi Hawass is not too busy, a private tour of the Egyptian Museum would be nice. Barbara has her heart set on some sort of trip on the Nile. With the reduction in tourism, there may also be an opportunity to climb inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

30 Days!

Thirty days and counting before our first flight to Amsterdam, then continuing to Athens. Egypt is gradually returning to normal and with 40 days before our scheduled departure to Cairo, I am feeling better about the stability of the country and our relative safety. Overall, I am impressed with the Egyptian people, as we and the world watched, they forced a brutal dictator out of the country and pushed the government to reckon with their legitimate demands. It is unknown what the eventual outcome will be, but I am hopeful meaningful change will be the result of their tenacity, sacrifice and determination. All of this was accomplished with mostly peacful means, except for Mubarack's attempt's to stop the protests with his secret police and brutal methods. With a history of many thousand years, this is another page in the trials, tribulations and success of the Egyptian people. The pyramids are still there, the mummies are resting somewhat peaceably in the Cairo museum, Zawi Hawass is working hard to repair the damage and we will be there in 40 days to see not only the history, monuments and artifacts, but a new day for the Egyptian people.

Egypt in Flames

46 days left before departure; the big news are the riots in Egypt. With unrest simmering for 30 years under the authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak, the people of Egypt are in open rebellion fighting the police, and now the army has joined in the fray. Obviously we are watching the situation carefully, and will make the final decision to visit Egypt as we get closer to the scheduled departure.
According to the media, much of the rioting is occurring in Tahrir square which is about 1 kilometer mile from our hotel. Delta announced it will suspend flights to Egypt indefinitely until the situation improves, the US State Department is cautioning US citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and if in Egypt to avoid the riots.

50.99 & Counting

Partly cloudy and 59 degrees today in Athens, I am on my way to Newark where it is 7 degrees and for some reason I don't think Newark will have the same interest for me as Athens. When I was a child, my brother Leonard, and I spent many hours in the Denver Museum of Natural History, a rather wonderful place to go to see everything from dinosaurs to bird eggs, rock/mineral collections, and even an Egyptian mummy or two. Part of this trip will be for me to realize a life long goal of standing at the base of the pyramids, visiting the Cairo Museum and seeing 6000 years of history close up and personal. Barbara wants to ride a camel, and I hope she has that opportunity and that in the process I do not get spit on by the camel. We will also spend a few days in the longest inhabited medieval walled city on the island of Rhodes, home of the last crusaders, the Knights of St John. In the next post I will include the itinerary and possibly a few more juicy details(like the camel spitting).

Welcome

Welcome to Barbara & Michael's Adventures II Blog. We are departing for Greece, Turkey and Egypt on March 15, 2011, which at this moment is precisely 4,773,226 seconds away, not that anyone is counting. The trip is completely planned, flights scheduled, hotels booked and the volcano is not erupting. There are continuing strikes in Greece resulting from the economic mess, but then there will be strike in Greece because they like to strike and are good at it. The basic itinerary includes trips to Rhodes, Istanbul, Cairo, a month on the island of Lesvos, and a road trip through the Greece mainland finishing with a few days in Athens. Unless we can find gainful employment in Greece, we will be returning on May 5, 2011. More later as we get closer to departure.