Welcome back, readers and new friends,
Today (June 22, 2010) is just about 3 weeks since I returned from this wonderful cruise with 24 friends and new acquaintances (many librarians) from Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia. I'll be adding posts (over the nest few days) that I prepared while in Rome and on the NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS, part of the Royal Caribbean fleet. I'll be adding my photos to the narration written while traveling (with a bit of editing as I review my diary entries).
I've added a new feature to my blog - you can register as a "follower" and automatically receive my updates now and for future trips. Please comment and ask questions - I enjoyed reading them and responding during my first attempt at blogging a couple of years ago.
So, on with the trip.......
May 14 and 15, 2010
Jim left for the Dayton Ham-vention yesterday with his friends John and Rick. Although I asked, they were not interested in delaying their departure date until today. So, my good friend, Joie (John's wife and mother of our wonderful godsons) took me to BWI airport to catch my plane to Philadelphia. There I would meet 9 of the 24 travelers in this group cruising the Mediterranean beginning on Tuesday, May 18th.
Our flight out of Philadelphia was right on time despite there being almost 300 passengers. I've never seen a more organized boarding process. Many folks used the screens in the seats ahead of them to keep them company during the 6.5 hour flight to Rome. I fell asleep, missed dinner and awoke about 2 hours before landing. I found some crackers, cheese and small melon slices in the rear galley, so made a snack of them. The vegetarian breakfast I had ordered consisted of a small bagel with jam and butter. The rest of the passengers received what appeared to be a small apple strudel.
We cleared passport control with no Italian stamps in our passports. (In fact, since I am writing this while on the ship, I can tell you that our passports have been confiscated and we will get them back when we get to the Alexandria port. We apparently will not get stamps from any of the countries we will visit. This is a serious disappointment for several of us.) Not only were our passports not examined, after we collected our luggage, we passed through customs with no one examining at our luggage. No forms to fill out, nothing to declare, etc. It was an amazing experience. I am worried about being in foreign countries with no photo ID as I did not bring my driver's license since I expected to have my passport. No one can give me an explanation about why our passports are being held. I'll need to check with an American passport office when I return.)
Arlene, our tour leader, arranged for a small bus to meet us, and to transport our luggage and us to the Rome hotel. We arrived just in time for breakfast, and the hotel was still serving. Our rooms were not ready until later, so most of us just rested in the lobby, or slept for some time on the couches. I went looking, in the rain with an umbrella loaned by the hotel, for an ATM so I could get a supply of Euros. No luck, this time. (I brought the Euro coin holder that I purchased in Cyprus in 2008, so I have a few Euros, but not enough.)
As rooms became available, we all disappeared for a while. I roomed with Arlene and her daughter June for one night. Margaret is to arrive on Sunday (She and her friends are visiting with her son and family who are living outside Naples while he is stationed there for his job.) and we will room together for the rest of the trip. June and I spoke with a woman who was leaving the hotel for a wedding and received a recommendation for dinner. Everyone was happy to have someplace to go, was hungry, and mostly wanted to go to bed. Unfortunately, Roman restaurants do not open until after 7 pm for dinner.
We walked about 7 blocks to the restaurant and had a wonderful although a bit expensive dinner. Lots of appetizers followed by pasta. Italian meals are generally 5 courses – appetizer, pasta, fish or meat, salad and dessert. None of us made it past the pasta and wine. On the way to the dinner, I finally found an ATM so I had money to pay for my share of the meal.
A walk back to the hotel and quickly to bed.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The MLA Mediterranean cruise begins...
My newest adventure began on Thursday evening as I finished packing my suitcases. Jim had found a new type of very light suitcase which we purchased at AAA, so I had less worries about over weight for my one checked bag. A second carry-on and a small squarish case for electronic gear, plus my CPAP and some magazines to read while airport waiting, and I was ready. Jim had already left with friends for his 'male-bonding' weekend in Dayton, Ohio with 30,000 of his closest ham radio enthusiasts. He will return on Sunday evening.
Friday morning came early as my excitement woke me before I had planned to get up. I was ready for my good friend Joie when she arrived at 11 am to take me to the airport. I was flying a commuter plane to Philadelphia to connect with friends and the non-stop flight to Rome. I did not realize that those gates are in a portion of the airport with very little in the way of comforts or services. Had I known, I would have picked up some lunch to take with me on the rest of the trek. So I stayed where I waited - with no additional food except for breakfast at home - until we reached Philadelphia. Two new friends (Audrey and Dana) were on the flight with me, so we walked together, again to the far reaches of this airport, using their shuttle bus to get between terminals. Once we reached our gate - at the very end of the terminal (this is becoming a theme), my first goal was food. There were choices and I ended up with a great meal at a Bistro.
Boarding was very organized and the plane left absolutely on time. I thought I might watch a movie so I purchased some ear phones, which are still in their original bag, as I was soon asleep, and not only missed dinner but also did not see a single movie. I woke about 2 hours before we were to land, had a snack of crackers, some cheese, and cantalope from the galley.
We landed in rain, went through passport control (where no passport received an Italian stamp), collected our baggage and went through customs - using the door marked 'nothing to declare - again with no one even being interested in us. Most of the group have traveled before and we all were amazed, and a little disappointed, not to receive an Italian stamp in our passports.
Our driver was waiting for us near the airport exit, loaded all our luggage, and the 9 of us set off to our hotel. We are within walking distance of Vatican City, and can see the wall that surrounds the country. We drove along it for a while, watching huge lines of people waiting to enter to see the Sistine Chapel and museums. We have tickets to enter Monday morning which are supposed to eliminate our needing to stand in those lines.
Our rooms were not ready when we arrived, but breakfast was still being served so we went to the basement and had a lovely light meal. We waited in the lobby, most of us dozing, until our rooms became available. I'm currently rooming with June and Arlene, at least until tomorrow when Margaret will arrive from Naples where she has been visiting her son and family. Then June and Arlene will get their 2-person room and I'll begin rooming with Margaret who is also my roommate on the cruise.
We spoke with a family who were leaving the hotel about a place for dinner - Bergeliere. All 9 of us went and had a great meal of antipasti of crosseti with tomatoes, roasted pepper, proccuito, mozzarella, olives, crisp flatbread, eggplant, small meatballs, wine,and crusty bread - enough for a meal by itself. Then we ordered our main course - some had lasagna, veal, beef with porcini, pizza, spaghetti pomodoro with basil (my choice), and other pasta. We finished with very small and tasty cookies like biscotti, but something else which starts with a 't'.
It took me until just before dinner to find an ATM to get some euros, after having received directions for two other banks which apparently were not where I thought I was supposed to go. The hotel loans umbrellas, very handy in the heavy rain this afternoon and evening. June and Arlene both purchased new jackets because the weather is very cool. According to the local weather, we are supposed to have only light rain tomorrow and sun on Monday.
Our plan for tomorrow is to ride a 'circulating' bus which stops at most of the popular tourist sites. It's an on-and-off with buses coming every 15-20 minutes. Tickets are good for 2 days, so we can get back on Monday after we complete the Vatican. We should hit the highlights of Rome since we only have a couple of days.
Time for sleep - this has been a really long day!
Friday morning came early as my excitement woke me before I had planned to get up. I was ready for my good friend Joie when she arrived at 11 am to take me to the airport. I was flying a commuter plane to Philadelphia to connect with friends and the non-stop flight to Rome. I did not realize that those gates are in a portion of the airport with very little in the way of comforts or services. Had I known, I would have picked up some lunch to take with me on the rest of the trek. So I stayed where I waited - with no additional food except for breakfast at home - until we reached Philadelphia. Two new friends (Audrey and Dana) were on the flight with me, so we walked together, again to the far reaches of this airport, using their shuttle bus to get between terminals. Once we reached our gate - at the very end of the terminal (this is becoming a theme), my first goal was food. There were choices and I ended up with a great meal at a Bistro.
Boarding was very organized and the plane left absolutely on time. I thought I might watch a movie so I purchased some ear phones, which are still in their original bag, as I was soon asleep, and not only missed dinner but also did not see a single movie. I woke about 2 hours before we were to land, had a snack of crackers, some cheese, and cantalope from the galley.
We landed in rain, went through passport control (where no passport received an Italian stamp), collected our baggage and went through customs - using the door marked 'nothing to declare - again with no one even being interested in us. Most of the group have traveled before and we all were amazed, and a little disappointed, not to receive an Italian stamp in our passports.
Our driver was waiting for us near the airport exit, loaded all our luggage, and the 9 of us set off to our hotel. We are within walking distance of Vatican City, and can see the wall that surrounds the country. We drove along it for a while, watching huge lines of people waiting to enter to see the Sistine Chapel and museums. We have tickets to enter Monday morning which are supposed to eliminate our needing to stand in those lines.
Our rooms were not ready when we arrived, but breakfast was still being served so we went to the basement and had a lovely light meal. We waited in the lobby, most of us dozing, until our rooms became available. I'm currently rooming with June and Arlene, at least until tomorrow when Margaret will arrive from Naples where she has been visiting her son and family. Then June and Arlene will get their 2-person room and I'll begin rooming with Margaret who is also my roommate on the cruise.
We spoke with a family who were leaving the hotel about a place for dinner - Bergeliere. All 9 of us went and had a great meal of antipasti of crosseti with tomatoes, roasted pepper, proccuito, mozzarella, olives, crisp flatbread, eggplant, small meatballs, wine,and crusty bread - enough for a meal by itself. Then we ordered our main course - some had lasagna, veal, beef with porcini, pizza, spaghetti pomodoro with basil (my choice), and other pasta. We finished with very small and tasty cookies like biscotti, but something else which starts with a 't'.
It took me until just before dinner to find an ATM to get some euros, after having received directions for two other banks which apparently were not where I thought I was supposed to go. The hotel loans umbrellas, very handy in the heavy rain this afternoon and evening. June and Arlene both purchased new jackets because the weather is very cool. According to the local weather, we are supposed to have only light rain tomorrow and sun on Monday.
Our plan for tomorrow is to ride a 'circulating' bus which stops at most of the popular tourist sites. It's an on-and-off with buses coming every 15-20 minutes. Tickets are good for 2 days, so we can get back on Monday after we complete the Vatican. We should hit the highlights of Rome since we only have a couple of days.
Time for sleep - this has been a really long day!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Adding photos - beginning on September 29, 2008
If you are a loyal reader and have been checking, you have discovered that I am finally getting some new photos added to the story of our journey. I will work several hours each day until the blog is totally illustrated.
If I add new information, you will find it bolded and italicized. I am also correcting some typographical errors that I find as I read the entries.
Please continue with your comments and questions. I will be back looking each time I add more photos.
Enjoy!
If I add new information, you will find it bolded and italicized. I am also correcting some typographical errors that I find as I read the entries.
Please continue with your comments and questions. I will be back looking each time I add more photos.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Home sweet home - September 18, 2008
Jim met us at the airport as we landed around 3:30 pm, just about on time. We had been flying since approximately 10 am London time, with a brief layover in Dublin. Most of that entire time was spent walking from the gate where we landed through customs for a 't' for transit stamp and then walking what seemed to be the entire distance back to a gate next to where we landed. We feel as if we were walking the same corridors because we could see folks without baggage walking in the opposite direction through a glass wall. And I am certain we passed the same advertising banners. Jet lag or travel fatigue - either one is possible, except we were really tired by the time we got to that last boarding gate.
Our trip from Larnaca was without incident. I slept most of the time. Anita woke me only for the meal we were offered. I honestly don't remember what it was, but I ate it. I had ordered vegetarian meals as much as possible, as I have found them to be fresher and quite tasty after trying them on some earlier flights when meal used to be offered regularly.
Anita saw Jim about 45 minutes before I did. We reached the customs booth only to find that the Aer Lingus crew neglected to give us the customs forms necessary to enter the country. Since I again was sleeping much of the time, Anita tells me she was told they weren't necessary for citizens. My leg was really bothering me after being cramped behind a passenger who decided to recline his seat the entire flight, so luckily, my friend went to find the forms.
After filling them out and explaining how I spent $300 on souvenirs during a 5 1/2 week trip, the customs agent stamped my passport and we could enter the room to claim luggage. British Airways in Larnaca assured us that they could handle getting our luggage to Dulles as they partner with Aer Lingus. Since we were staying the night at a hotel in London, not having to claim luggage seemed wonderful. Anita's bag was one of the last bags that arrived on the carousel in Dulles. Mine did not as as of 2:30 pm as I write this, I have not yet heard from the airline that my bag has been found. By the time they checked and filled out forms and answered my questions (unsuccessfully) about liability solutions, it was close to 5 pm before I made it out of the baggage claim area. Jim said he was happy I had send Anita out, because by the time she showed up, he was already worried.
Anita is certain that it will show up, and I am hopeful that she is correct, as several of my most cherished purchases are in that bag. I know in the long run, things are not as important as memories and family, but it's those special items that help keep the memories fresh. So, all of you wonderful reader, keep your fingers crossed for me. Everything that I was able to pack in the the two boxes mailed from Botswana has arrived safely, including a multitude of Botswanan stamps to share with stamp collectors. Any takers?
I have been spending the day walking around the house trying to stretch the cramped muscles that have my leg paining me today. If I am not feeling better tomorrow, I have promised both Anita and Jim that I will call my doctor for advice and to see if he wants me to make an appointment. I did spend part of the morning going through email left over from what Jim did not delete for me. (I had left a list of things that come automatically that I would not want to read after being gone so long.) There were still over 200 important emails to take care of. I think I'm caught up on that and I have also sorted through the stack of mail and magazines Jim collected for me.
Over the weekend, I can try to make sense of the bills he paid and get our budget ledger up-to-date. Since we started paying bills electronically, I have always kept the ledger record and Jim has done the electronic part. It works for us.
Anita and I will visit with mutual friends this evening who are gathering to hear some of our stories, see some of our new treasures and welcome us home. It will be a wonderful way to end an extraordinary adventure.
See you next when I'm putting photos in the places they belong. Keep checking, so you can see what you have been reading about. Anita and I are sharing photos with each other, so we will have almost 8 gigs of memory to weed through between the two of us.
Our trip from Larnaca was without incident. I slept most of the time. Anita woke me only for the meal we were offered. I honestly don't remember what it was, but I ate it. I had ordered vegetarian meals as much as possible, as I have found them to be fresher and quite tasty after trying them on some earlier flights when meal used to be offered regularly.
Anita saw Jim about 45 minutes before I did. We reached the customs booth only to find that the Aer Lingus crew neglected to give us the customs forms necessary to enter the country. Since I again was sleeping much of the time, Anita tells me she was told they weren't necessary for citizens. My leg was really bothering me after being cramped behind a passenger who decided to recline his seat the entire flight, so luckily, my friend went to find the forms.
After filling them out and explaining how I spent $300 on souvenirs during a 5 1/2 week trip, the customs agent stamped my passport and we could enter the room to claim luggage. British Airways in Larnaca assured us that they could handle getting our luggage to Dulles as they partner with Aer Lingus. Since we were staying the night at a hotel in London, not having to claim luggage seemed wonderful. Anita's bag was one of the last bags that arrived on the carousel in Dulles. Mine did not as as of 2:30 pm as I write this, I have not yet heard from the airline that my bag has been found. By the time they checked and filled out forms and answered my questions (unsuccessfully) about liability solutions, it was close to 5 pm before I made it out of the baggage claim area. Jim said he was happy I had send Anita out, because by the time she showed up, he was already worried.
Anita is certain that it will show up, and I am hopeful that she is correct, as several of my most cherished purchases are in that bag. I know in the long run, things are not as important as memories and family, but it's those special items that help keep the memories fresh. So, all of you wonderful reader, keep your fingers crossed for me. Everything that I was able to pack in the the two boxes mailed from Botswana has arrived safely, including a multitude of Botswanan stamps to share with stamp collectors. Any takers?
I have been spending the day walking around the house trying to stretch the cramped muscles that have my leg paining me today. If I am not feeling better tomorrow, I have promised both Anita and Jim that I will call my doctor for advice and to see if he wants me to make an appointment. I did spend part of the morning going through email left over from what Jim did not delete for me. (I had left a list of things that come automatically that I would not want to read after being gone so long.) There were still over 200 important emails to take care of. I think I'm caught up on that and I have also sorted through the stack of mail and magazines Jim collected for me.
Over the weekend, I can try to make sense of the bills he paid and get our budget ledger up-to-date. Since we started paying bills electronically, I have always kept the ledger record and Jim has done the electronic part. It works for us.
Anita and I will visit with mutual friends this evening who are gathering to hear some of our stories, see some of our new treasures and welcome us home. It will be a wonderful way to end an extraordinary adventure.
See you next when I'm putting photos in the places they belong. Keep checking, so you can see what you have been reading about. Anita and I are sharing photos with each other, so we will have almost 8 gigs of memory to weed through between the two of us.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
September 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 - on the way home!
It's Saturday afternoon, September 13th, and Anita has finally found the time to catch up with her blog. Liz and George decided to go to Larnaca for the day - we might have dinner with them if they return early enough. However, just in case, they stopped at our little apartment so we could say our goodbyes and thanks to George. He asked to be remembered to Jim when I return home.
We will leave tomorrow with Liz for a stay in the apartment of a friend in Larnaca, where the airport from which we will leave Cyprus on Tuesday afternoon is located. There will be no time tomorrow morning to tell you about today, and I can only give you a hint of what will happen after we leave Nicosia. So now, I will tell you about today, and speculate a little about our last few hours and days in Cyprus.
I spent much of the morning trying to reorganize my luggage that I had worked on last evening. Anita also was packing and I was offering suggestions that seemed to help me last night. We both feel as if we are ready now to zipper the cases closed and not open them again until we reach Ellicott City. In fact, we may need to travel with the windows open from Dulles to home because we won't have too many changes of clothes to keep ourselves sweet smelling. We are using a lot of our clothes as protection for other items in the suitcases.
We expect to spend much of our time in Larnaca at the beach so all we will need is swim wear. However Liz has a few sites to see near Larnaca including a salt lake which they flood with water from the Mediterranean and harvest the salt after the water evaporates. (We learned that the water actually bubbles up from the salt water table during the winter when the water level is higher. The lake can fill over the course of just a few days.) Liz's nephew Pericles has a dance studio in Larnaca and we may be able to visit and watch a class - he teaches traditional Greek dancing as well as other forms of dance. Jim and I visited his studio in Nicosia during our visit in 1993. (We did not find time to visit with Pericles.)
Note - Cyprus has a water problem - too many people on a small island and not enough rain. Every house hold has water tanks that they keep filled on the roof of their home. Often water is brought to the island by tanker ship from Greece. Tanks on tops of buildings - homes, apartments or businesses - is common.
There is also an old mosque - the 2nd most important mosque in the Muslim religion because Mohammad himself is believed to have preached at this mosque. I remember the sign at the door reminding visitors to remove their shoes before entering. On our way to Larnaca, we took time to visit at Hala Sutan Tekke, one of the most important Muslim mosques outside of the Middle East. Much of the site has been under restoration since 2001-05, but it still looks like it did in 1993 when Jim and I visited. Tekke sits on the bank of the salt lake, which will appear in the background of some of my photos. The mosque was built to honor Mohammad's aunt who died in Cyprus.
After visiting Tekke, we went to Larnaca and checked into our apartment in a hotel right across the main street of Larnaca - the one lined with mature palm trees. We can easily walk to the beach each day and spend as much time as we wish relaxing in the warm blue waters of the Mediterranean, or just relaxing.
Finally, on one of the main streets of Larnaca that is near the sea, the length of the street is lined with tall mature palm trees (Finikoudes Street). We will probably drive along this street to see them. If we have time we may drive to Ayia Napa which is a beach favored by European visitors and is almost entirely a nude beach. And Liz has a cousin in Larnaca, so we may be meeting another member of her family.
We walked FINIKOUDES Street between the hotels and the beaches often. During one 2 block section, I felt as if I was back in the United States.
Of course, there were reminders that this wasn't a beach street in Ocean City or St. Petersburg.
There is also a very old church, dating from just after Jesus's death that is the Saint Lazaros Church. Liz showed us this church in 1993 and the most interesting part to me was in the catacombs where there is a small spring of holy water. Individuals will dip injured parts 
of their bodies in the water expecting help from the saint with cures. Liz, at the time, dipped her fingers in and just touched her forehead. Near this shrine we found wax images of legs, and arms 
and other body parts - like candles - mostly left by relatives of individuals to ill to come themselves, according to Liz.
After dark , we came back to visit this old church which dates from 800AD.
During the afternoon, we also visited the old fort that sits right on the edge of the Mediterranean.
Before we left Nicosia for our stay in Larnaca, Panos helped me pack the jars of Cypriot sweets. Since they are in thick honeyed liquid they needed to be packed in my checked bag. We purchased clear plastic storage containers to try to capture any leakage during the flights home. I sacrificed a couple of my blouses to pad the jars inside the storage container and hope the blouses will soak up any liquid. Since the containers are clear, I also wanted the labels to show when the bag is x-rayed to try to eliminate the need to open, search and remove the items. Although, Panos and I believe we have sealed everything so that the jars will arrive safely, the screening procedures for today's air travel may mean that the jars will not be in my luggage when I arrive in Dulles. Keep your fingers crossed. (One last Cypriot sweet as we get ready to leave.)
Before I forget, one last birthday reminder - Happy Birthday to Jeni Barnes on the 17th.
And I hope my cousin Donna who lives in Houston is not put in danger by Ike.
This trip has been amazing for both Anita and I. We have so many stories to share and can't wait to add photos to our blogs. Jim will be helping us remember how to do it because those we put in just before we left were the only ones we tried. That seems such a long time ago.
It's been fun trying to stay in touch with friends this way, and I sincerely hope you have enjoyed being with us through words and stories. Bear with me for the next few weeks as memories are triggered during ordinary conversations. There is so much that happened that simply did not get written down.
Botswana was bittersweet and I left family there knowing that they are strong and will survive the loss of Brian. I learned that my sister-in-law has talents that had not been revealed before this visit. I would have liked to have had more conversations with Refilwe, but teens are not always ready to talk. Bone and Sedi are grown men now with responsibilities that kept them away more than I had hoped as well. Everyone told me that they want to visit Jim and me in America and I hope they will come.
Cairo was a dirty, old and fascinating city. I wish I had been able to enjoy the second day with Anita. I know the doctor was correct in telling me that I needed to rest after the fall I took on our first day. At least I got to see the pyramids and the sphinx - the most important reasons to be there. Egyptians are friendly and helpful and the hotel Jim booked us into was magnificent. I would like to return to see more of this very ancient country.
Cyprus was as filled with family and new friends as we enjoyed in Botswana. Panos and Xenia, George's sister and her husband, were kind and caring hosts. Panos willingly gave over his computer to Anita and me each time we were in the house either before we left for the day or in the evening when we returned from our day's adventure. My sister is strong and content with her life, and I don't need to worry about her too much. This country has changed in many ways, and is still changing as the governments try to heal the bitter wounds of the continuing Cypriot/Turkish conflict. I will leave here wondering if I will make it back or if Liz's fear of flying will lessen enough so she can come to visit me.
Having Anita as my traveling companion has been the spiritual adventure described by one of my coworkers. Anita and I are much alike and had begun our plans worried that we would not be able to spend 24/7 together for 5.5 weeks. We found that there is much to say about friendship that is not apparent until you do just that. We are closer now that we have shared so much.
Here's how she will probably remember me - sleeping whenever and wherever there is a chance.
With that I will say goodbye until sometime after the 17th. We are due to land at Dulles around 3:30 pm. Anita will be in Maryland until Friday, we think, and we both promise to work on getting photos attached to the appropriate descriptions as quickly as possible.
As always, thanks for reading, and special thanks to those of you who took the time to comment.
We will leave tomorrow with Liz for a stay in the apartment of a friend in Larnaca, where the airport from which we will leave Cyprus on Tuesday afternoon is located. There will be no time tomorrow morning to tell you about today, and I can only give you a hint of what will happen after we leave Nicosia. So now, I will tell you about today, and speculate a little about our last few hours and days in Cyprus.
I spent much of the morning trying to reorganize my luggage that I had worked on last evening. Anita also was packing and I was offering suggestions that seemed to help me last night. We both feel as if we are ready now to zipper the cases closed and not open them again until we reach Ellicott City. In fact, we may need to travel with the windows open from Dulles to home because we won't have too many changes of clothes to keep ourselves sweet smelling. We are using a lot of our clothes as protection for other items in the suitcases.
We expect to spend much of our time in Larnaca at the beach so all we will need is swim wear. However Liz has a few sites to see near Larnaca including a salt lake which they flood with water from the Mediterranean and harvest the salt after the water evaporates. (We learned that the water actually bubbles up from the salt water table during the winter when the water level is higher. The lake can fill over the course of just a few days.) Liz's nephew Pericles has a dance studio in Larnaca and we may be able to visit and watch a class - he teaches traditional Greek dancing as well as other forms of dance. Jim and I visited his studio in Nicosia during our visit in 1993. (We did not find time to visit with Pericles.)
Note - Cyprus has a water problem - too many people on a small island and not enough rain. Every house hold has water tanks that they keep filled on the roof of their home. Often water is brought to the island by tanker ship from Greece. Tanks on tops of buildings - homes, apartments or businesses - is common.
There is also an old mosque - the 2nd most important mosque in the Muslim religion because Mohammad himself is believed to have preached at this mosque. I remember the sign at the door reminding visitors to remove their shoes before entering. On our way to Larnaca, we took time to visit at Hala Sutan Tekke, one of the most important Muslim mosques outside of the Middle East. Much of the site has been under restoration since 2001-05, but it still looks like it did in 1993 when Jim and I visited. Tekke sits on the bank of the salt lake, which will appear in the background of some of my photos. The mosque was built to honor Mohammad's aunt who died in Cyprus.
After visiting Tekke, we went to Larnaca and checked into our apartment in a hotel right across the main street of Larnaca - the one lined with mature palm trees. We can easily walk to the beach each day and spend as much time as we wish relaxing in the warm blue waters of the Mediterranean, or just relaxing.Finally, on one of the main streets of Larnaca that is near the sea, the length of the street is lined with tall mature palm trees (Finikoudes Street). We will probably drive along this street to see them. If we have time we may drive to Ayia Napa which is a beach favored by European visitors and is almost entirely a nude beach. And Liz has a cousin in Larnaca, so we may be meeting another member of her family.
We walked FINIKOUDES Street between the hotels and the beaches often. During one 2 block section, I felt as if I was back in the United States.
Of course, there were reminders that this wasn't a beach street in Ocean City or St. Petersburg.
There is also a very old church, dating from just after Jesus's death that is the Saint Lazaros Church. Liz showed us this church in 1993 and the most interesting part to me was in the catacombs where there is a small spring of holy water. Individuals will dip injured parts 
of their bodies in the water expecting help from the saint with cures. Liz, at the time, dipped her fingers in and just touched her forehead. Near this shrine we found wax images of legs, and arms 
and other body parts - like candles - mostly left by relatives of individuals to ill to come themselves, according to Liz.
After dark , we came back to visit this old church which dates from 800AD.During the afternoon, we also visited the old fort that sits right on the edge of the Mediterranean.
Before we left Nicosia for our stay in Larnaca, Panos helped me pack the jars of Cypriot sweets. Since they are in thick honeyed liquid they needed to be packed in my checked bag. We purchased clear plastic storage containers to try to capture any leakage during the flights home. I sacrificed a couple of my blouses to pad the jars inside the storage container and hope the blouses will soak up any liquid. Since the containers are clear, I also wanted the labels to show when the bag is x-rayed to try to eliminate the need to open, search and remove the items. Although, Panos and I believe we have sealed everything so that the jars will arrive safely, the screening procedures for today's air travel may mean that the jars will not be in my luggage when I arrive in Dulles. Keep your fingers crossed. (One last Cypriot sweet as we get ready to leave.)
Before I forget, one last birthday reminder - Happy Birthday to Jeni Barnes on the 17th.
And I hope my cousin Donna who lives in Houston is not put in danger by Ike.
This trip has been amazing for both Anita and I. We have so many stories to share and can't wait to add photos to our blogs. Jim will be helping us remember how to do it because those we put in just before we left were the only ones we tried. That seems such a long time ago.
It's been fun trying to stay in touch with friends this way, and I sincerely hope you have enjoyed being with us through words and stories. Bear with me for the next few weeks as memories are triggered during ordinary conversations. There is so much that happened that simply did not get written down.
Botswana was bittersweet and I left family there knowing that they are strong and will survive the loss of Brian. I learned that my sister-in-law has talents that had not been revealed before this visit. I would have liked to have had more conversations with Refilwe, but teens are not always ready to talk. Bone and Sedi are grown men now with responsibilities that kept them away more than I had hoped as well. Everyone told me that they want to visit Jim and me in America and I hope they will come.
Cairo was a dirty, old and fascinating city. I wish I had been able to enjoy the second day with Anita. I know the doctor was correct in telling me that I needed to rest after the fall I took on our first day. At least I got to see the pyramids and the sphinx - the most important reasons to be there. Egyptians are friendly and helpful and the hotel Jim booked us into was magnificent. I would like to return to see more of this very ancient country.
Cyprus was as filled with family and new friends as we enjoyed in Botswana. Panos and Xenia, George's sister and her husband, were kind and caring hosts. Panos willingly gave over his computer to Anita and me each time we were in the house either before we left for the day or in the evening when we returned from our day's adventure. My sister is strong and content with her life, and I don't need to worry about her too much. This country has changed in many ways, and is still changing as the governments try to heal the bitter wounds of the continuing Cypriot/Turkish conflict. I will leave here wondering if I will make it back or if Liz's fear of flying will lessen enough so she can come to visit me.
Having Anita as my traveling companion has been the spiritual adventure described by one of my coworkers. Anita and I are much alike and had begun our plans worried that we would not be able to spend 24/7 together for 5.5 weeks. We found that there is much to say about friendship that is not apparent until you do just that. We are closer now that we have shared so much.
Here's how she will probably remember me - sleeping whenever and wherever there is a chance.
With that I will say goodbye until sometime after the 17th. We are due to land at Dulles around 3:30 pm. Anita will be in Maryland until Friday, we think, and we both promise to work on getting photos attached to the appropriate descriptions as quickly as possible.
As always, thanks for reading, and special thanks to those of you who took the time to comment.
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