Greetings from the Tahitian island of Moorea. Susan and I visited Moorea thirty years ago for part of one day around when we worked as entertainers on Royal Viking Lines. Cruise ships typically spend less than one day in most ports of call. So we were easily seduced by an offer from Costco Travel for[…]
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In this blog I will share photos from several ports that did not receive blogs dedicated to them. After the photos, I summarize my thoughts and lasting impressions of the world cruise.
This blog will offer photos from four Italian cities: Sorrento, Ostia, Pisa, and Lucca.
The Greeks affected the whole world with their ideas, foremost among them the concept of democratic rule. Greece gave rise to philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Greek architecture was adopted first by the Romans, but later around the world, including the columns seen in US government buildings in Washington DC. The Greek language gave rise to words in science, religion, and history that have been adopted by other countries’ languages around the world.
There are many hamams in Istanbul, both ancient and modern. The hamam we visited was built in 1741 and bills itself as the last hamam constructed during Ottoman Empire.
As I’ve stated before, one should not equate a country’s government with its people. Often there is a big gap between the political aims of the government versus the character and traditions of its people.
The Pyramids were constructed between 2600-2500 BC. That means that they are the oldest manmade structures in the world.
Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt, is the second most visited Egyptian tourist site after the pyramids. Karnak is said to be the largest walled temple complex in the world, built, decorated, and modified by over thirty different pharaohs over a period starting around 2000 BC for the next 1300 years.