Cairo Egypt - Thanksgiving09

What an amazing trip I had to Cairo over this Thanksgiving vacation. Although I couldn't find anyone to go with - I was hardly alone. The company TouchEgypt was very professional and competent. I learned a lot about Egyptian history and Muslim culture.

I stayed at the Sofitel - Pyramids Hotel in Giza. As I left my hotel and looked left I could plainly see the second largest pyramid.

I arrived Wednesday. Thursday, I was picked up by a van with driver and my guide Mohamed Yonis - since there are so many Mohameds he suggested I call him Yonis. (Eunice) We had a very busy day. We started at the city of Memphis which was the first city in lower Egypt.

He gave me a great history lesson about how the upper and lower Egypts were formed about the Dynasties. I really don't ever remember learning about Egyptian history.

We then continued to the first step pyramid This is where King Ramses (if recall correctly)was buried.

Then they took me to a carpet weaving school. Where, of course, I bought a weaved rug which I think I will hang. After that we went to rent a camel. Yonis wanted to know if he could just meet me afterwards and I said I wanted him to join me - give me more history lessons so he came but on horse. I truly enjoyed the camel ride. I rode for 2 hours with some getting on and off the camel -which the camel didn't really like! It was comfortable and I really height advantage!

It was the perfect time of year to be in Cairo - I can't image doing this in the heat of the summer. It was neat to see horses and camels running through the sand of the Sahara Desert. I didn't go into any of the pyramids but climbed a little onto the second largest one. Although this one does look taller because it is on higher ground.

After the camel ride, I was taken to a glass / essence place and then to a papyrus store and how it is made.

I continued my Thanksgiving day events by going to a friend's friend's house for dinner. She and her friends are working at the American Cairo School -so it was neat to be among fellow Americans for dinner.

Friday was a huge Muslim holiday - Eid - the feast day is celebrated with a slaying of a sheep. Those who can afford a sheep keep 1/4 of the sheep and then give the rest to the poor. So I had the day off from tours. However, in the evening I met up with an ACS family the Brownes and we went to the Sound and Light Show of the Pyramids together and then dinner. They also were using ToughEgypt.

On Saturday I had a tour of the city of Cairo - Yonis picked me up again and we headed to the Citadel. We had to take our shoes off and I put my scarf around my head to respect the Muslim the culture. I have only been in 2 mosques before and coincidently the same architect built each one - this one and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul! We then headed to the Khan Khalili Bazaar downtown - some stores were open but not many due to the holiday. Then we went to the Egyptian Museum - we saw part of the Rosetta Stone and the King Tut exhibit. Unfortunately no one could take pictures inside - in fact you had to leave your cameras in a room!

Cairo is a huge city - 22 million people. 55+% of the people are below poverty. Trash is everywhere. Traffic is insane - modes of transportation include cars, trucks, busses, mini busses, carts pulled by donkeys or horses, people riding bicycles, or donkeys or horses or camels. And there are hardly any traffic lights!

Wine Touring

Me beside many bottles at vineyard #3!Christy, Colin and Terese testing at vineyard #2.

Vinyard #1 taste testing.

Dwain organized this great day on Saturday. 17 of us (including Harper the baby) loaded up on the rented mini bus to drive to the northern part of the Peloponnese to visit 4 different wineries. It was a perfect fall day - sun shining (about 70 degrees). We were given good tours and explanations of how each of the 4 wineries processed their grapes. And more importantly were given great wine to sample.

Off the bus with all our wine!!!!

After the third winery we stopped for lunch and then headed to our last one. We all returned with at least 2 bottles of wine in hand - some many more.

Here's a video of the labels being put on the bottles. Cheers!

Athens Classic Marathon - 5 km

Despite the wet, wet weather - many people (supposedly 10,600 people registered) showed up for the 27th Athens Classic Marathon. We met at the Marble Stadium (Panathenaic Stadium) downtown in Athens. There were many ACS participants from friends, colleagues, parents and students. Our ACS team of about 120 were running for PNOE - an organization in which my friend Dave supports and he was the leader of our ACS team. PNOE supports families with children who are being treated in the Intesive Care unit. The true marathoners began at Marathon Tomb (42, 195 km from the Marble Stadium).

The rain didn't really let up until the end (my end). Even before we began, our group got split up - so luckily my good friend Kate and I travelled together! We were definitely at the end of the pack at the starting line, however, passed many walkers and finished our 5 km - quite wet in 47 mins 27 secs.

We definitely ran our last bout as you end running into the Marble Stadium with people cheering you on - that was quite an incredible feeling. Everyone gets medal at the end too!

We stuck around to see the first few marathon runners cross the finish line in about 2 hours and 15 mins! Then we went and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. On my bus ride home I saw many marathoners still running the race - they had about 8 km to go from my neighborhood. I saw many Canadians running - it was neat to cheer them on in English and they all sort of did a double take yet appreciated the cheering. One guy stopped to take a photo of the church in my square and I asked him where in Canada is he from and he responded Thunder Bay - ever heard of it? Of course I told him my good friends went to Lakehead and I had climbed the mountain - Sleeping Giant!
It was a great day of achievements. It was pretty cool to participate in a marathon (although only 5 km of it) in Athens, Greece.

Halloween

If I don't say so myself, I threw a great Halloween party this year!
I had received Halloween decorations which helped (since they don't celebrate Halloween here).
I made the food into a Halloween theme - I served Mold Dip (blue cheese dip), Mold and Mildew Dip (Spinach and Artichoke Dip), Cockroach Dip (bread, walnuts, garlic dip), Vomit (pumpkin dip), Bat Turds (butter tart squares) and finger cookies!!! Everyone came in costume and it was fun night.

Life After Death

As most of you know, I am not one to write my political or religious views on my blog but I need to do this one. I really don't believe in life after death, however, I am questioning my beliefs. I may be just overanalyzing this incident but I am going to share.

Unfortunately, my Grandpa passed away Friday (I heard on Saturday). He had many health problems and he died peacefully at home with my uncle and my grandmother. It is definitely difficult to lose someone and especially being so far away. I was so looking forward in seeing him in 2 months when I return home for Christmas.

It has been raining here in Greece for about 5 days straight. This past weekend was a washout, so it was a good weekend to curl up, stay in the pajamas, read and relax. And reflect. On Sunday, I was basically here on the couch in my livingroom for the entire day. Looking through the sliding glass doors and watching the rain come down. Mid morning a pigeon flew on to my balcony and starting pecking at some crumbs and plant bits. This pigeon continued to walk around the balcony. It tried numerous times to go through the glass of the sliding glass doors and almost came into my bedroom as that door was open (we don't have screens here). This pigeon then just hung out on my balcony for a good six hours. It slept by the door for a long time too. The same pigeon.

And so in my thoughts, I was kind of thinking that this pigeon may have been Grandpa coming to spend some time with me before he flew up to heaven. Over six hours..... and so I was happy to have the pigeon keeping me company on Sunday. And I will never know but maybe there is life after death.

a few observations about ME

a few observations I know about myself but have really surfaced in the past couple of weeks:

I cannot hammer a nail into the wall straight.

I love the tool the leveler!

I love toast (just picked up my friend's toaster).

I really think I have ADD - I go get smething for the task I am doing and 30 minutes later I wonder why did I come in here - oh ya to do that other task. Therefore I begin many tasks and never seem to finish one of them!

If I buy produce, I really need to use it/eat it within a few days because then I cannot recognize what I bought a week later and I have wasted money.

I love the iPod shuffle option - it always plays songs relating your mood.

Although my mother tried so hard to make me plan ahead and finish projects ahead of time, it didn't seem to stick with me - I am an eleventh hour person!

I just learned from a friend that my messy desk (and other messy things I leave messy) is due to time management problems.

It takes no time for my place to get messy but takes a hell of a long time to clean it up!

All for now - Halloween party this Saturday so definitely a new posting soon!!!!!

Majestic Meteora

Due to the Greek political elections, all schools were closed on Friday and Monday. I can honestly tell you I have no idea what the views of the men running but they keep mandating these elections which is fine with me because it means no school and an opportunity to travel somewhere! So this weekend, my friends and I went on a 5 hour road trip up north to Meteora. Although historians do not know the exact date when the monastaries were built, they believe the monastic life began in the Byzantine period. Meteora means 'in the air' as these monastaries seem to suspend atop of the rocks between earth and heaven. At the peak of this area, there were 24 monastaries - now there are 6 (4 for monks and 2 for nuns). The rock formations are incredible themselves but add the monastaries and it is sheer beauty. The buildings seem to have grown out of the rocks. There is a lot of greenery around which blends the natural beauty of this area. I went to St. Stephen's and Roussanou (nunneries) and the Holy Trinity monastary. We drove to the Metamorphossis monastary - the largest, but only saw the outside because it was closing.

My quiet time and the monks' quiet time -

his looks more peaceful and natural than mine!