Egyptian Sunset

Our bus trip back to Port Said was nearly four hours; fortunately, I was on the west side of the bus and busied myself with the setting sun. Shortly we would be back aboard ship and on the way to Santorini, the most notable Greek Isle.

SUNDAY POSTER TWO

SUNDAY POSTER

Leaving Cairo

Waving goodbye are two youngsters who had been busily selling postcards to folks getting back on the tour buses. Being cute and smiley is definitely a plus in that line of work.

Our three-hour-plus ride back to the ship felt even longer than it was after a long hot day, so I busied myself collecting images of the only Egyptian sunset I am likely to ever see.

Sphinx

After all these centuries, the Sphinx stands on the desert looking into the future.

Jaw Dropping

From a bit of distance or up close enough to touch the stones, the pyramids are truly jaw dropping structures to see.

Pyramids

Certainly the trek to the Sahara was worth the effort; the three pyramids stand in the broiling sun, filled with mystery.

Sahara

The outskirts of Cairo to the west are the outskirts of the massive Sahara Desert. The drive after lunch was short; after all, one of the pyramids was in the background of the photo in the last post. But there is no vestige of city here, and the vast feeling of being on that desert on a weekday afternoon in July was daunting, to say the least. Fighting the bright sun to collect the images was a challenge, but I was pleased with these results.

King Tut and Peace Talks

We did see the golden treasures of King Tut at the Egyptian Museum, but they are not pictured here. No photos were allowed, but wonderful full-size replicas were common in several locations. The iconic image above was actually for sale in an interesting souvenir shop. No idea of the price.

Our lunch on the edge of the Sahara was at the location of major peace talks in the 1970s. This is where President Jimmy Carter met with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, generating some of the accords that still help regulate relationships between Egypt and Israel.

SUNDAY POSTER

A poster generated from my favorite country singer, Trace Adkins. He did a great job on Celebrity Apprentice a couple of years ago.

Trash

In the aftermath of the Revolution of February, as our guide called it, there is little local government and no effective police force. The first picture is of the median in the highway, where a heron looks for carrion amongst the trash. All along that section we did see garbage trucks collecting some of it, but then we reached the outskirts of that area and found that the trucks moved the trash from where they find it to the roadside where the dump it. Again.

Contrasts of Cairo

Contrasts abound in Cairo. A featured stop on our tour was the Egyptian Museum, near the center of the rioting in the city last February. Directly across the street is the hulking remains of the political building formerly run by Hosni Mubarak. It sits in its burned condition; while some want to rebuild it, others want to preserve it as a symbol of freedom from tyranny. We walked alongside the wreck, stepped aboard our bus, and within five minutes we were alongside the Nile, peaceful with a sailboat soaking up the sun.

Citizens of Cairo

Many citizens of Cairo dress in western garb, including the guard aboard our bus, but we passed many people with strict dress choices, if not a dress code, particularly in Cairo itself.

Count the Lanes & See the Trash

All along the route we saw people throwing trash, garbage, greenery, anything they had at hand along the highway, either in the median or on the shoulders. Perhaps even worse was the traffic. If you look at the pavement, there are three lanes and two shoulders. If you look at the vehicles, there are seven or eight lanes, and this is a still picture of a moving group of lane weavers. Our bus, bigger than any of these vehicles, often crowded out cars and hit the horn to clear our way. Not a restful ride by any means.

On the Road to Cairo

Following our two days in Israel, our cruise made a stop just a few miles away, at Port Said, Egypt. There, we boarded buses accompanied by armed guards for the three-hour-plus ride to Cairo, with plenty of barbed wire along the way. And what, pray tell, is that structure in the upper photo? There were several of all shapes and sizes. The main highway to Cairo runs parallel to the Suez Canal, and in some locations it looks to be another lane just across the way. This ship is headed toward Yemen.

Mary's Church

A beautiful Church dedicated to Mary is built above the site of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Under the Church is a series of caves that were apparently used to shelter animals -- the equivalent of a stable -- twenty centuries ago. We did have the chance to see that area before leaving Bethlehem as we completed our two days in Israel.

SUNDAY POSTER

More Faces

The varied nature of the populace in Israel is powerful. A return trip, to stay longer in this ancient Holy Land, is on our definite future trip plan.

Faces of Bethelehem

In much the same way as was the case in Jerusalem, we loved Bethlehem, felt comfortable there, and saw so many wonderfully interesting people out on the streets on a perfect summer's day.

Bethlehem

Leaving Jerusalem, we were bussed from Israeli land into Palestinian areas to see Bethlehem. It was in no way intimidating; we added a Palestinian tour guide and the two guides worked together for the afternoon. We discovered that in the south, it was unlikely that the stable we expect was a structure; in that area it was likely a cave. A large church with a tiny door as seen above is built above the traditional site of the birth of Jesus, and we descended several steps to see the cave area where the birth is considered to have taken place. A wonderful final stop on our tour of Israel.

Calvary

Two touching and powerful works of art mark the exact location of Calvary, the scene of the Crucufixion, located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Long lines of people are able to say a prayer and touch the rock marking the location.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We walked a good portion of the Via Dolorosa, the actual Stations of the Cross. It was a surprise to see that most of them are simple plaques on walls of buildings along a narrow street, wide enough for pedestrian traffic only. We started with number five and followed the plaques until ten, then surprisingly entered a huge building. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built over the former hill of Calvary as well as the location of the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, the man who donated the resting place and buried Jesus there. Both locations are inside this dark and wonderfully holy place. The sun streaming down through the dome highlights the locations, and we saw the tomb first. The artwork seen here is on the structure that covers the tomb and we were able to see that clearly and personally, one at a time.

Toward the Via Dolorosa

We continued to encounter a wide variety of people as we walked through the narrow streets of Jerusalem, headed to the Via Dolorosa. At that point, we began to walk toward to location of Calvary and the scene of the Crucifixion.

SUNDAY POSTER

A Facebook friend posted this quote during the week, and I looked around to see if I had an image that might work to back it. Hope you like it.

Faces of Jersualem

All around the area of the Wailing Wall we saw many faces of the people of Jerusalem, men and women of all ages. As Americans who hark back a few centuries for our entire history, we were awed by being in this ancient place. Here are some of the faces seen that day.

Niche Prayers

Many of the visitors to the Wailing Wall, myself included, were prepared and had prayers drawn up and written out on paper. The papers were deposited in one of the many niches along the wide and tall wall. Visitors of many faiths are comforted by prayer at the Wailing Wall. All photos at the wall will show only people of the same gender as the photographer, as women have a separate section of the wall situated to the right of the larger men's section.

Wailing Wall

Shortly after we entered Jerusalem we visited the Wailing Wall. On a Monday, the area fronting the Wall was filled with tourists and with families visiting as a group and celebrating Bar Mitzvahs. It was a religious atmosphere, and its ancient history mad the visit very memorable.

Ancient Tree & Older Gate

Some of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are reputed to be more than 2,000 years old. Did Jesus pray here or near by? Just being in that vicinity is an amazing stop on the journey that turned pilgrimage. As we walked from the church along this pathway, the tree was to our right. If we looked to our left, we saw the ancient Golden Gate to Jerusalem, the gate whereby Jesus entered the city. With the gate now closed, the power of the scene is clearly unmistakable.