Part 69: Sleepy Tiki goes to a Temple April 3, 2013

The next morning we were put (with our real or pretend husbands, depending on the situation) into a horse and buggy to go to Edfu temple.  Edfu was built around 240 BC and is one of the best surviving temples.  It is missing very few pieces and is dedicated to the very popular god, Horus. 

Around the outside of the main part of the temple, the story of Horus and Seth is displayed.   Seth kills and dismembers Osiris and his wife, Isis, pieces him back together and brings him back to life long enough to get pregnant with Horus.  Seth kills Osiris again and Horus goes out for revenge.  The myth has some weird sections including Isis tracking down body parts and making a golden phallus for her dead husband.  For the full myth, click here.  Several of the temple’s reliefs were scratched out by Christians who used the temple as a church and wanted to get rid of the pagan images, but most of the pictures were still intact.

That afternoon we just sailed down the river.  We even got to go through a lock, which the nerd in me loved.  I grew up just upriver from lock and dam #19 on the Mississippi but I’d never gotten to go through a lock and I was having a physics moment. 

While we were on the boat, smaller boats would come up and rope onto ours and the men in the boats would yell up and try to sell you things (mostly towels).  If you wanted to buy it, they would toss it up to the top deck and you would toss your money down.  I didn’t buy anything and I mostly avoided the edge to avoid cat calls anyway. 

That evening we docked in Luxor and visited the temple.  The temple complex is huge.   We first ambled down the Avenue of Sphinxes.  This road, which connected the Luxor and Karnak temples was originally 1.5 miles long and had 1,350 sphinxes.  About 50% of the sphinxes have been uncovered.  SA, our guide, told us that there was a family that had one in their basement because they dug out the basement after the house was built, discovered it, and just kept it in there. 

After that, we passed the 80 foot statues of Ramses II and entered the giant temple complex.  There is currently one giant obelisk in the front.  There used to be two but the second is in Paris.  Inside the gates, on top of the pharaoh’s chapel sits the mosque of Sufi Shaykh Yusuf Abu al-Hajjaj.  The mosque was built in honor of a 13 century Sufi Shaykh when the Luxor temple was buried over 40 feet under the sand.  When the temple was excavated in the early 1800’s, the mosque was incorporated into the site. 

The temple has many courtyards with huge columns.  We also saw the goddess of education in a leopard print dress that didn’t come all the way up (let’s just say, it was not school appropriate).   The temple has many sections in many styles since it was constructed and expanded upon for so long.  One part even had a Roman painting. 

That evening, you could see the sun set over the mountains that hold the Valley of the Kings, our destination for tomorrow. 

Part 68: Wakey, Wakey, Contiki! April 2, 2013

The next morning we were off to the Aswan airport to catch our flight to Abu Simbel, two amazing temples carved from stone.  It was weird to fly there, but apparently it’s a long trip by bus and it is decidedly less safe.  So, we flew into the Abu Simbel airport and got on a bus to the temples.

The two temples were built by Ramses II.  One was built to honor his wife, Nefertari, and the larger one was built in honor of Ramses and to intimidate Egypt’s neighbors.  The temples are extremely impressive.  After hearing a brief history of the site and how the temples were moved piece by piece up the hill so they wouldn’t be flooded when the new dam was built, we were allowed to explore.

I went to the smaller temple of Nefertari first.  The statues outside are over 30 feet tall and are of the king and queen.  Apparently this is the only time in Egyptian art where the queen is shown at equal height to the king.  The inside is covered with carvings and hieroglyphs.  Pictures of the queen, the king, and the gods cover every available surface.  They used to be painted, but now the paint is only visible in some areas. 

The large temple of Ramses is impressive.  The statues of Ramses out front are over 60 feet tall, the sun god sits over the door, and some knee-height queen statues.  Inside there are huge columns and on October 22 and February 22 the sun shines into the temple and perfectly illuminates the sculptures along the back wall.  Again, the inside is covered in pictures of Ramses, other gods, and hieroglyphs. 

Pictures are not allowed inside the temples (even though some members of my group did manage to sneak a few).  The temples were very impressive.   Their immense size alone and the fact that they were constructed over 3,000 years ago makes visiting them a little surreal.  It was one of my favorite destinations of the trip. 

After our visit, we flew back to Aswan and enjoyed our juice boxes on the plane.  The rest of the afternoon was spent on the boat, cruising down the Nile.  I was, as usual, the most fully clothed person on the pool deck with my cover up, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen (hey, this skin does not do well with UV exposure) and I managed to grade a few papers from my chair under the canopy.  We sailed all afternoon until we docked to visit Kom Ombo, the crocodile temple. 

Kom Ombo was started between 100-200 BC and it is a double temple.  Half the temple is dedicated to the Horus, the falcon god that everyone loved.  The other half is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god that was decidedly less popular.  They paired him up with Horus so that people would still worship him. 

The temple had several interesting carvings including the name of Cleopatra, scenes depicting the surgical instruments and other medical practices of ancient Egypt, and a full calendar.  We also saw the crocodile trap (it looks like a giant well with a staircase for the priests to go down- talk about drawing the short straw) and some of the over 300 crocodile mummies found at the site. 

That night after dinner, we had our costume party.  The girls dressed as belly-dancers (though I didn’t really go all out for this) and the guys dressed in their shirt dresses.  We danced and then went up to the top deck where SY tried to teach me how to spin the Poi balls (light-up balls on strings that are like safe practice for fire twirlers).  Mostly I hit myself in the head but he insists I was a natural. 

I am a late night light weight, so I went down and went to sleep while several others stayed up really, really late.  I also further confirmed that someone could easily come into my house and rob me blind or kill me unawares.  K’s and my room was closest to the pool deck so people were apparently coming down to use our bathroom all night.  I heard no one.  At all.  This is also why I should probably get a weather radio that sounds a really loud alarm when tornado warnings occur because I’m obviously not going to hear the sirens outside. 

Part 67: We’re on a Boat! April 1, 2013

After leaving the train station we were transported to our living quarters for the rest of the trip:  a boat.  A really nice boat (I wasn’t expecting it to be so swanky) on the Nile. 

Having grown up on the Mississippi River, I am usually disappointed by most rivers.  Most of them are tiny little things that I would usually classify as a stream.  The Nile, however, held its own.  It is also surprisingly clear, but more on that later. 

After showering, napping, and eating (the food on this boat was amazing!), we went for a ride in a felucca, the traditional type of sailing ship used on the Nile.  It was hot that day, but in the shade it was bearable.   We floated past several ruins (they are just sort of everywhere) while SA explained what they were and answered my questions about hippos and crocodiles (apparently, they don’t live in that section, sigh).  We were then given the option of swimming.  The water was soooo cold, but clean enough that you can see your toes with ease.  Some of us even jumped off a giant rock. 

On our way back in we got a tow, since the wind was not cooperating.  We also had a Nubian villager come aboard to sell us jewelry made by the villagers.  I bought a blue necklace made of shells. 

Once we were back on land, we were taken to visit a perfume maker’s shop.  We saw how they extracted the oils out of flowers and papyrus and all sorts of other things.  We were then given a lesson in smelling these and how they mix them to create different perfumes.  I ended up buying small bottle of papyrus extract.

Our last stop of the day was the local bazaar.  Most of us bought some sort of costume for our dress-up night.  I only bought a scarf with jingles on it because I really didn’t want to buy a whole belly-dancer costume that I would have to pack home to Bulgaria and then home to the US.  The bazaar was, as usual, filled with aggressive salesmen that I tried very hard to avoid.  I didn’t buy anything but I enjoyed looking around.  

That night on the boat, they had a belly dancer who naturally pulled some of us onto the floor to give us “lessons.”  I went up with SS from my tour group.  We tried to shimmy and shake, but I don’t think we were all that successful.  After the belly dancer left we got to watch a whirling dervish which was pretty impressive, but gets boring after a while since you’re literally just watching a man spin in circles.

That night we went to bed early since we had to leave at 6 am for our trip to Abu Simbel. 

Part 66: Even Toed Ungulates Galore March 30-31, 2013

On March 30 I was again off to the Sofia Airport and about 8 hours later with a stop in Vienna I got off the plane in Cairo!    I had arrived to start my Contiki tour of Egypt and the Nile.  I chose an organized tour because I wanted to not die and Contiki organizes tours for people aged 18-35, so I wouldn’t end up on a bus full of retirees calling me “sweetie.”

I was picked up at the airport by someone from the tour company.  I bought my visa from the exchange bank (which was a little odd) and stood in passport line that didn’t seem to move.  Once I got through, I picked up my bags and met R from Australia, a fellow traveler.  We were driven through Cairo traffic to the Victoria Hotel.  Cairo is very brown due to the fact that it is in the desert and subjected to dust storms.  Also, there is old stuff everywhere.     

At the hotel I met my roommate K from Canada.  We then had a meeting with SA, our tour guide who explained the trip, safety things (which mostly boiled down to “ladies find a husband for the next week.”), and extra excursions.  We then all walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner.  It was a busy place that was sort of like fast food Arabic style. 

The next morning we passed Tahir Square (mostly empty at the time) and went to the Egyptian Museum.   It has over 120,000 Egyptian artifacts and has more than outgrown its building.  SA gave us a tour of some of the highlights including a statue of Ramses, painted figures of a husband and wife, and a giant sarcophagus.  SA was great.  He was so knowledgeable about history and what all the symbols carved on the objects meant.   

 

Once we were let loose in the museum, we sent upstairs to look at the treasure from King Tut’s tomb.  The amount of things in that were crammed into that small space is unbelievable.  The highlight, of course, is his golden mask. 

I also paid the extra money to visit the mummy rooms.  I saw a lot of Ramses in that room.  Some had hair and some even had garlic cloves in their eyes. 

From the museum, we started driving out to the edge of town.  We passed the construction site of the new museum.  There is one statue that is so large, it was moved to the site first and the building is being built around it.  However, we were not there to see the new museum.  We were there to see the pyramids.  I, like most people, didn’t realize that the pyramids are like a Cairo suburb.  They are definitely not in the middle of nowhere, despite what the pictures look like. 

The pyramids are impressive.  It’s hard to describe them in words.  Due to a slight lapse in current pyramid security, we were able to climb up one.  We then went on to form our camel caravan.  My camel herder person was about 10 years old.  We began our trek out into the desert to see the pyramids from a different angle.  Once there, our camel people were going to take our pictures.  This is where I was at a disadvantage.  Since mine was 10 and short, you can’t really see the pyramids behind me at all.  Oh well.  C'est la vie!

We took some additional pictures from a wall where you can do such perspective tricks as holding the pyramids in your hand and jumping over them. 

After that, I paid the extra cash (again) to go inside the pyramid.  It’s not that exciting, but it’s the idea of it.  When am I ever going to get to do that again?  The tunnel inside was very short and sloping and leads to one large chamber, though you can see some other tunnels branching off on your way there.  You’re also not supposed to take pictures inside, but no one stopped us when we did. 

Next we drove over to the Sphinx.  To enter, you pass through some sort of workshop that I think was used for mummification, but I don’t really remember at this point since I have been so lazy about updating my blog.  At the sphinx, I tried to take a picture of me kissing it, but it didn’t really work out. 

After the sphinx, we went to dinner at a really nice restaurant not far from there.  The food came on giant trays that everyone could eat off of and it was all really good. 

From there we went on to the train station.  We were taking the overnight train to Aswan.  The train station was bleak and the tarins we saw going through before ours arrived were not encouraging.  However, when ours pulled up, it wasn’t bad.  Also, just so you’re aware, the train station has wifi.  Nowhere has wifi.  We made this discovery rather late which led to all of us standing in the hallway of the train with our wireless devices pressed to the window trying to send off an email before the train left the station.  We found our compartment and were served dinner (which we’d been advised not to eat certain parts of).  We then had a party late into the night in the club car. It was fun and SA wrote my name for me in hieroglyphics. 

The next morning we arrived in Aswan and let’s just say, I’ve looked better.  24 hours in the same clothes that went through the desert on a camel and then slept on a train does not lead to a very pretty picture.  Luckily, everyone else was in that same picture. 

Part 65: Berlin: The weather situation continues to look bleak. Feb 25, 2013

The next morning, free ticket (reservations are required) in hand, I was off to visit the dome of the parliament building.  The parliament building was mostly blown to pieces during WWII and was gradually restored in the years following.  Instead of putting the old-style dome back on top, a very modern glass dome that serves to provide natural light to the parliamentary sessions was constructed.  It is architecturally fascinating and very green.  Based on the excellent audio guide, I suppose it also has great views, but I mostly saw grey mist. 

 

From there, I hopped on the train to go see the 1936 Olympic Stadium.  There was an interesting exhibit outside the stadium about the Olympics, Hitler’s plans for Aryan dominance, and Jesse Owens’ destruction of said plans. 

Lastly I went to the Neues Museum.  This museum has some really old stuff including the prehistoric and Egyptian Collection.  The museum building itself and several of its artifacts were damaged during WWII, but the building has been restored and the artifacts were pieced back together as best as they could be.  There is still a little room for “unknown” pieces. 

The crowning glory of the Egyptian collection is the famous bust of Nefertiti.  The sculpture is 3,300 years old and it looks good.  It was discovered in 1912 in sculptor Thutmose’s workshop’s ruins.  Nefertiti is thought to be one of the most beautiful women to have ever lived and while artists have been known to “pretty-up” their subjects, the bust of Nefertiti is thought to be a very realistic representation.  She even has some crinkles around her eyes. 

The other major artifact in the museum is the gold hat.  It is made out of about 500 g of very thin gold and dates from 800-1000BC.  Apparently it is the best preserved of the 4 known gold hats known to exist from the Bronze Age.  The hat may also be a calendar, but the description is really complicated, so click the link if you really want to know.

 After the museum, I went back to my hostel, picked up my bags, and headed back to the airport to go fly back to Sofia.   Overall, I probably learned more on this trip than any trip prior to it, especially relating to the physical, political, and social implications of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.  It was a great trip, despite the constant snow.  

Brandenburger Tor

Part 64: Berlin: Snow, Snow, Snow. Feb 24, 2013

The next morning, I hopped on the tram through East Berlin to visit the Berlin Wall Memorial.  East Berlin is nice, but it’s still bleak.  I can spot a Soviet block apartment building from a mile away, and there were plenty of them here, albeit painted in bright colors.  The memorial is not exactly where you would expect it to be.  It isn’t near anything else, but it’s free, highly informative, and even has multimedia.  It was snowing profusely, but I still listened to the recordings of people telling their stories, saw the pictures of the 136 people who died trying to cross the wall.

Security at the wall was intense and included a “dead zone” between the two sides complete with razor wire, dogs, and machine guns.  In the nearest subway station, there was a fascinating exhibit on how the wall extended underground as well.  A couple of the suburban train lines passed under wall and back so the stations in East Berlin became ghost stations where trains never stopped.  Unfortunately this also meant that the rails in these areas were not maintained and sometimes trains derailed.  There were also armed guard stations on the platforms and tunnels were bricked up to keep people from using the underground to escape to the West.

I took a quick side trip to see the Berlin Synagogue, which wasn’t that exciting since you can’t go inside.  From there, I passed back through Brandenburger Tor to visit the Memorial to the Sinta and Roma killed in the Holocaust. 

I then visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  It is a huge memorial that consists of 2,711 concrete blocks of various heights in a sloping area.  It would be a scary place at night.  Underneath the memorial is an information center.  It gives a history of the Holocaust and documents victims’ names and stories. 

Next up for the day was Checkpoint Charlie.  There is a recreation of the checkpoint complete with the sign “You are now leaving the American sector.”  Unlike my dad, I crossed the line without having to bribe a communist official in order to stay out of jail.  I also visited the Black Box Museum on the Cold War. 

Lastly, I went to the Topography of Terror Museum.  It is located on top of the ruins of the Gestapo headquarters and has an outdoor exhibit that shows the ruins of prison cells.  Inside there is a detailed exhibition on the history of the Nazi regime.  It is a little heavy on reading, but it’s very good and free.  :) 

I wandered through Potsdamer Platz to see the Sony Center.  After WWII, the buildings in the area were mostly destroyed and then it became part of the Berlin Wall dead zone.  After the wall fell, it was developed into an entertainment and shopping district.  The Grande Hotel Espianade Breakfast Room remains can also be seen behind glass and lit up in bright colors.

Lastly, I went to take a picture of the parliament building at night.  It was lovely, but more importantly someone was having a bit of fun and had stamped huge footprints in the snow.   It was nice to have a little bit of whimsy after a day of hard core, rather unhappy history. 

Part 63: Berlin: Probably more of a summer destination. Feb 22-23, 2013

I arrived at the Berlin airport on Friday evening, caught the bus to the train station, and then caught the suburban train to my hostel in East Berlin.  My first impression was that it was cold.  It was only a few blocks from the train stop and my phalanges were already complaining. 

The next day, it was still cold and I started out by walking a few blocks down to the East Side Gallery.  The Gallery is a 1.3 km section of the original Berlin Wall that now serves as a memorial.  When the Wall was standing, the west side was highly decorated with graffiti symbolizing freedom while the East was bare.  After the fall, this section of wall on the East side was decorated by several international artists.  

 From there, I walked along the River Spree, past a recently extinguished apartment fire, to see the Molecule Man sculpture.  The sculpture is 100 feet tall and apparently there are several installed around the world, including one in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

By now, I was cold, so I was happy to hop on the train to Brandenburger Tor.  I wanted to take the free walking tour, but it was already full.  Instead, I grabbed some hot chocolate and began to walk.  I saw the exterior of the parliament building before continuing down through the Tiergarten.  I ended up at the Soviet War Memorial on Red Army Day (Feb. 23).  The memorial was built to commemorate the 80,000 Soviet soldiers that died in the Battle of Berlin, 2,000 of which are buried at the site. 

Since it was Red Army Day, there were military representatives from all over the world present to lay wreaths at the memorial.  I saw soldiers from Russia (obviously), Vietnam, China, Sweden, Germany, and many other countries. 

From there I passed by a memorial to the German composers:  Mozart, Beethoven, and Hadyn.  It was badly damaged and shot up during WWII.  Even though it’s been restored, you can still see a lot of bullet scars on the surface. 

I next came upon the Victory Column.  It originally sat in front of the parliament building, but Hitler had it moved to its current location.  It was originally constructed to commemorate Germany’s victory over Denmark in 1864 and the French in 1870.  The reliefs on the column were a bit of a sore spot for the French after the Allied victory and they took some of the reliefs to Paris with them when they went home and tried to force Germany to tear down the column all together.  The remaining offending scenes were covered with granite that was only removed in 1987. 

The column has a museum about the Victory Column and other memorials in Germany.  Then you can climb up to the top.  The top was cold, windy, cold, very high, and cold.  I took a few pictures, but the weather was not cooperative, so they’re not great.  I imagine it is a lovely view in June. 

There is also a great piece of art in the tunnel leading to the tower.  It follows your movements. (much thanks to the random guy that demonstrated it so nicely while I was recording)

 

I continued through the Tiergarten and got to see the back portion of the Berlin Zoo for free on my way to Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.  This church was blown to ruins during WWII and instead of tearing them down, the annex was left standing as a memorial.  I almost couldn’t find it due to the fact that is covered top to bottom in scaffolding.  The inside has great mosaics on the ceiling and floors and great before and after pictures.  The new church is incredibly modern and the outside is also sort of ugly.   

I passed by the World Clock in Alexanderplatz on my way to Berliner Dom.  The cathedral is huge and at has a permanent exhibit about its construction.  When I went, it also had an exhibit on the history of church music.  I also got to climb up to the dome, but since it was snowing, I didn’t get to go on the outside walkway.   Then I went alllll the way back down to visit the crypt.  I love a good crypt (creepy, I know).