OCT. 8–2006

 

Hi, all

This will be brief since I’m on an expensive hotel connection, but we leave on the ship tomorrow and don’t know when my next opportunity will be.

Trip over was pretty uneventful, which is okay, but doesn’t make for good stories because stories are all about trouble. The best I can do is that Nyla gave us some little gizmos to keep the seat of the person in front of you from leaning back into your face. We left them home, of course, so I was engaged in knee-to-back combat with the person in front of me. acutally, even when things go well on a trip we build up our hostilities, and the silent, unacknowledge extended combat did a lot to relieve frustrations.

We did an Athens drive around on the bus today–hit the main stuff. The Acropolis was unbelieveably crowded and because of excess cruise ships in port. I was surprised to see how little of the Parthenon was actually left. Much of it has been taken away for restoration, and it’s taken a lot of hits over the years from bombing to pollution, so it’s not in great shape. But is it worth it? Oh, you bet. Even more testimony to its power that it can still have such an effect crippled as it is. The most butterflies for me were at the theater of dionysius at the foot of the Acropolis. Birthplace of western theater and all. Treading the marble where Sophocles, etc. worked. Worth coming halfway around the world for. At least. Food is great. Prices are awful, even in the flea markets. There are some unique goods, though, so we’ll just pay up, I guess. They say the bargaining is much better in Turkey, so we’ll probably do most of our buying there.

Hope all is well with you all.

Cheers and Love,

Mom and Carl

 

OCT. 10

From on board the Sea Diamond between Patmos and Ephesus. I have little to add from my last missive re Athens and the regular sights most of you already know about–the Parthenons and other 2500-3000 year old sites that are in all the history and guide books. Here are a couple of tidbits you might not know. Despite its renowned architecture, Athens seems to have been bedeviled by a 1950-1970 architectural demon who scattered ice-cube tray buildings all over the hillsides. Bit of a shame. Still, there are forests of olive trees and acres and acres of vineyards right around the city. The countryside I suppose is similar. I expected the landscape to be essentially the same as coastal California, and it is. You wouldn’t know if you didn’t know where you were.

Perhaps the neatest odd fact we’ve discovered are the dogs of Athens. What’s up, we would ask, with all these stray dogs on the streets? Lying down on the marble (which is everywhere and apparently the cheapest building material around, since it’s even used for curbstones and storm drain covers.)  scratching, moseying. No collars, no licenses, now apparent owners? People just walk up and pet them and walk away. And they’re everywhere. Well you’re about to find out the answer to the question. These feral animals are protected by the city. Have their own territories, which they will defend against other dogs, but they don’t bite people, who feed them randomly. They’re all mutts, and they all look healthy. It’s all quite unAmerican. Which is dandy.

We had no museum time, but hope to catch up when we return later. Already complained about the shoppoing. We”ve about decided that our future travels will have to avoid the euro for a while.

We dined last night on Mykonos. They archtypal whitewashed, picturesque Greek Island. I’ve nothing much to add about the visuals. The people seem very Italian-like. Loud, always seem to be arguing even when they’re agreeing. Very friendly. Of course they see money walking toward them when we arrive off a cruise ship, so you’d be friendly too. But it seems more or less genuine.

This morning it was Patmos. The monestary of St. John (named after, but not founded by St. John the Divine who wrote Revelations.) The monastery was built as a fortress against those pesky Barbary Coast pirates about 1, 000 years after John had his visions. HIs cave where he had his revelations and wrote the book is now a chapel/tourist attraction. It’s really a cave, and has a great view overlooking the Aegean. A fine place for an inspiration from the heavens. The place has been a beehive of iconographers and frescoists for a long time now. There’s still an operating group of monks. Quite a holy place. Not quite as holy as nearby Delos, a prophecy center since way pre-Christianity which was so sacred that no one was allowed to die or to be born there. Interesting prohibiitions.

Continuing the animal theme–there are about 3000 people on Patmos, about 10, 000 goats. How many dogs I can’t tell you.

This afternoon, we move on to Turkey. By the way, Rachel, it turns out that since we are in transit on the ship, we don’t have to pay the $75  visa fee.

Till next time,

C arl

 

OCT. 11

Backfilling Athens:

 

Below the Acropolis is a large rock where Paul preached to the Athenians. More on that later.

The driving is surprisingly sane. I don’t understand that.

Athens has a population of about 5 mil, almost half of the 11 mil pop. of Greece. But huge Greek populations areside in such cities as Melbourne and Winnipeg. Greeks just love to get out, they say. And we’ve met many who have lived in the states at various times and vow they’re going back.

Lord Byron is still remembered and revered as an honorary Greek.

Teachers are about to go on strike, and huge hand-lettered signs dominate the front of the university. Elections are Sunday, and voting is mandatory. Don’t vote, pay a fine. How’s that sound?

Apropos of the the dog situation–if you’re considering your future incarnations, you could do worse than an Athenian dog.

 

Backfilling Patmos:

Lots of goats, but no water except what they get from cisterns and a water boat once a week. Tough life. There was little vegetation, but someone got the bright idea of planting eucalyptus and monterey pines. Sound familiar?  No torching yet, but look for a bit fire sometime.

 

And then there was Turkey–

We had no idea what to expect of Ephesus, so were enourmously impressed, even stunned. This was a city of about 250, 000 people at its height around the ad/bc. Wonderful Greco-Roman buildings, streets of marble, a great library second only to Alexander’s, right across the marble avenue from the official brothel.  Also in the neighborhood, a large open public latrine. About 40 holes, no partitions, water running through the ditch to carry things away. In a toga, you could safely sit down without exposure, however, no one knows what they did about the noise and odor. Wander a little farther down, and you come to the 25, 000 seat ampitheater where concerts (not rock–that makes the monument come apart) still happen. Also the place where Paul tried to preach, was hooted offstage and thrown in jail. Also, however, where he began baptising gentiles, much to the consternation of early Christians who thought only the circumcised should qualify. He wrote letters to the Ephesians from prison.

So why the ruins? Ephesus sat on the edge of a wonderful bay at the mouth of the river Meander. Meander made a delta, it silted in the bay. Lead poison from the city system started ruining everyone’s health.

This was worth the trip in itself. but it’s not all, of course.

On to Kasidusi. Shopping on the new bay that appeared after the meander disappeared. Now a Turkish resort and bazaar. Finally some good shopping. Best way I can convey it is to give you some dialogue:

 

Re Susanne after a particuarly intense bargaining session–“what does she do in California, sell cars?”

Lady outside a jewelry shop to me: “Mister, tell your wife that her earrings, I have the necklace she should come back if she’s interesting.”

Listen, I lower the price if when you go back you promise me to do some advertising from me.

“Mr., Mr. Mr.” (yelled as we passed a carpet store). I turn around. “yES?” “You forgot your carpet”

 

And so it went. Fun Day.

 

MOre later.

I’m nervious to ask, but how did the Cal/Ore game go?

Love,

Carl and Susanne

OCT. 13

 

Backfilling Ephesus:

 

Neglected to add that after the bay silted in and folks got sick with lead poisoning, there was a big earthquake about 700 a.d., and that was the end of Ephesus.  makes a fine ruin, though, as the poet said.

 

It was from Turkey to Rhodes, whose name I was glad to find out has nothing to do with Cecil Rhodes, Rhodesia, or the Oxford fellowship of a certain past president. The place had only the vaguest place in my consiciousness, but was a big time player in the history of the whole region. It’s 12 nautical miles from Turkish coast to Rhodes, so a strategic point between east/west/middle east, etc. On one end of the island are the ruins of an ancient city and an acropolis (highest fortified point in a city) with an Athene temple, etc. Overrun by the Venetians (who occupied Greece for a couple of hundred years. In fact, Greece has been occupied more often or not since around 0 a.d. romans, Venetians, Turks (300 years) Italians, etc. Finally a nation after 1948 (familiar year, eh?), but somehow never gave up their Grecianess, whatever that is.) The Venetians built a huge walled city–three walls, three moats, gates staggered so you couldn’t just rush your army through. It still stands as it was and is damned impressive. Mostly it’s tourist now, though. Great water for swimming and beaches, lots of bartering for high prices, etc. That’s been a theme. Finally overrun by suleman the magnificent after a 6 month seige with 200,000 soldiers, but they sure could hold out. Like every other island, no water. They collect the rain and hope for the best.

Paul was here after being blown off course in a storm. He found haven in a little bay that’s called Paul’s place or something like that. he didn’d do any convincing here, but it is interesting to me to note what an eastern religion early christianity was. Paul was all over Asia minor in such places a Ephesus. The greeks are more east than one thinks. They were always fighting the Persians (Iranians). So the early church barely made it to Rome, and that was as far west as it was in the beginning.

From Rhodes to Crete and Knossos, the famous palace that was the source of the legend of the minotaur, Daedalus, Icarus, etc. Look it up. It’s too expensive for me to retell it. However, the Minoan palace was truly and intentionally a labyrinth and quite beautiful. The art is very egyptian looking, but much more flowing. Very beautiful stuff.

Finally, first there were three islands, then came a volcano, then there was one island, then came a volcano, and now there are three islands again, all ridges of the rim of the caldera the volcano created. This is Santorini (Saint Irene via those Venetians again), from whence, along with Mykonos, come most of those wonderful pictures of white houses with colored doors and shutters spilling down the hillsides. And it’s like being in a post card. But there were way too many people, which compromised the fun. But not much.

We’re now back in Athens, awaiting our flight to Tunisia and we’ll reunite with Geoff and Rachel tomorrow night. Break out the beer, guys, here we come.

Carl and syusanne

 

Oct. 15

Left Athens with semi-regrets yesterday evening. We will return to try to fill  in some blanks. Our last hours were a museum blitz. The Archeological Museum is one of the 7 wonders. So much gold. The mask of Agamemmnon. 8,000 year old beautiful artifacts. Stuff from around the time of Christ seems new after a while. The art is stunning as well as hold. And not so static. Some of you may know about the ancient art of bull leaping. Makes the run for the bulls and/or the rodeo look quite tame, y’all. The athlete rushes head on to the bull, jumps over the head, places hands on the bull’s back as he leaps, then ends up standing at the bull’s tale looking in the opposite way he started. Very ancient art. It’s no wonder it became extinct, eh? NOt to mention the whole Minoan civilization.

Also, a fact undoculmented in any theater history book I’ve ever read.  At the theater or Dionysis, the bench seats in the ampitheater are for various levels of common citizens, and marble chairs are arranged around the lower stage area for dignitaries. Near the front of the seat of each chair a hole has been bored. Can you guess what was happening under the togas?

Thoughts on Athens==

A clean, busy city with good food and friendly people. I recommend and like it, but somehow do not love it. It doesn’t have the throb that Paris, London, NYC have. But come on. Maybe it will be there for you. I’ve met people who don’t love Paris, but don/t understand them either.

 

Our flight to Tunis went through Milan through some routing mystery only the airline gods could explain if you could read the oracle in Kitty Hawk. Had nice wine and cheese and tiramisou in the airport==good food in the airport? Yes, you bet.

Some further examples of the difficulty (impossibility?) of really learning alnother language.

 

–Have a good appetite (Uh, that’s not reallly wrong, but we don’t say it. We prefer Bon Apetite or chow down.)

==From an Alitalia staffer to us on boarding the plane==Have a nice ride.

==Fro the pilot==We will now continue our flight into the adriatic sea.

 

It’s cool and a little Rainy in Tunis, and I am on Geoff’s computer, not under pressure from the hotel cash clock. Nice. Geoff and Rachel have a very nice place here. Lots of marble and bougainvellia SP? We jumped right up at 8 after our 3 (aTHENS TIME) arrival and drove off to the ancient ruins at Dougga (Me, neither. Carthage, I was prepared for, but Dougga. We all know the Romans conquered most of the known world, and we’ve seen only a fragment of the evidence and are preparted to believe it. This is another magnificent community on a hill drawing water from  a nearby spring. Complete with ampitheater, forum, capital, baths and brothel The baths are in particularly good shape, and we could see the pipes that carried the hot water from the slave=fed fires up through the walls to the steam room. Marble and mosaics throughout. And this is a minor site that no one’s ever heard of.

NOrth Africa is a nicely situated place. You can drive your car on to a ferry and be dropped off in Italy and from thence all over the world, I suppose. Or you can do it the other way around. My cognitive geography is smashed to smithereens, and I love it all.

It’s Ramadan here, but nothing too heavy. Just some inconveniences of closed shops, etc., which will open up after dark, we’re told. Tunis is definitely more third world than Greece. Burros and carts, etc. Driving definitly crazy The left turn lanes serve mostly to get aggressive drivers to the front of the pack. They have no intention of turning left.

Great as the tour was, It’s wonderful to be back with those we know and love and to not have a schedule to meet. Those 5:45 a.m.wakeup calls are too much like work stupendious as the results may be.

Cheers and Love, you all.

More from the Mediterranean anon.

Carl and Susanne

 

OCT. 18

 

What would you expect from Tunisia? We didn’t know, really. We were subject to Every kind of image from HOllywood fantasies blowing sand to verdant oases to French Legionnaires–or was that supposed to be Algeria? Or maybe Morrocco?–to well-heeled sultans and sitting with their harems by the oil wells–or wait. Was that Kuwait?  Come to find out–

We are in the presence of a benevolent dictator named Ben Ali. There are mosques everywhere, and especially now during Ramadan they issue their calls regularly. However, there is no Sahara. It’s a land of pomegranates and palms and melons. We have seen a few camels (dromedaries, actually–one hump), but burros are much more common. There are really, in the countryside, shepherds with sticks wandering the plain. And of course the people are the swarthy folks you’d expect. Good-sized folks, and very friendly. We have visited a second-century Roman Coliseum to the south. (in El-Jem, in case anyone’s curious. Not to be confused with Jem-el, which we did briefly, and nearly drove well out of our way and into who knows where) Very well preserved. A luxurious seaside resort also to the south (Hammamet, in case anyone’s curious) which boasts a real Casbah (Means “fort” Sorry to say there’s not just one, just as there’s not just one Acropolis.) It’s a place of warm waters and golden sands and red sunsets.

Yesterday, it was Carthage. The ruins you can see are scattered here and there among posh suburbs. The modern buildings are the fourth or fifth layer of civilizations beginning with the Phoenecians. continuing with the Romans, on to the Byzantine, then us–or them. It was good that we saw so many other sites before carthage because it helped to give us the imaganitive power to fill in some blanks. The sites here have not been generally as restored. Except for the ampitheater, 3500 seats, which is still used and boasted a recent Mariah Carey concert, and what’s bigger than that?

Wonderful dinner last night with Geoff and Rachel, who cannot be topped for hosting. They’ve turned over every rock to show us good times and a complete picture of this place. It takes great courage, I think, for people like G and R and Erin and Sean to leave native soil and stake outposts in foreign places. It’s exciting and challenging to make your way among those with whom you have little in comon, at least in the beginning. But it also means a certain amount of isolation and loneliness I’m sure. Hats off to them and I wish I’d had the guts.

Geoff met us at a hotel coming straight from the office, looking so much like a banker you didn’t know whether to make a deposit or take out a loan. On the taxi ride to the restaurant, I was able to understand enough of the French to pick up that the driver thought he spoke French like a European. Geoff says his Parisian accent has been corrupted somewhat by working with so many French speakers from other lands, but it’s obviously still pretty impressive. Rachel is elegant and sophisticated and hands-on competent managing her business and us andthe animals and the household. Beyond impressive.

The restaurant was in the middle of a downtown, narrow-streeted district. There was a huge blue door with a big knocker, which was answered by a fez-adorned factotum. We were in what looked like a converted mansion with all the tiles and carvings you might expect. A Sitar player who had a go at The Saints Go Marching IN when he found out we were Americans. And, by the way, the food was delicious and only moderately expensive.

The taxi ride home was worthy of any amusement park ride anywhere, about which more later.

It’s on into the day, now, and we’ll see you later.

 

OCT. 19

 

Hi and bye, all.

This is likely the final missive of the trip. We return to AThens early tomorrow, then home on Sunday morning. So, cramming in everything you need but didn’t want to know about Tunisia and our place in the scheme of things–

 

Driving here is like nowhere else, and I’ve driven many places. Except when the gas blockades in Bolivia forced people to cross into opposing traffic, it was no worse than most places. The traffic lights were more or less observed in a loose sort of way. There was the thing about making three lanes of two and four of three, etc. However, things were not particularly exciting or dangerous except as mentioned above. Tunisia, however. That’s different. The Tunisian, as I mentioned earlier, will use the left turn lane not to turn left but to get a jump on the other lanes. If there’s no space where he wants to go, he creates one. If he wants to cross the street, whatever the color of the light, he steps out and goes. We’re guaranteed never to forget the guy with the disabled moped who at dusk crossed four lanes of freeway traffic going 45-55 mph. Whether he survived or not, we do not know. It seemed unlikely, but he was upright when we last saw him.

If a Tunisian passes you, he must, by rule, cut you off. Even if he has miles of clear road in front of him to complete the job. If he wants to to pass you, he must, by rule, honk his horn and flash his lights, even if you are paralleling and passing a truck full of cattle. If a Tunisian wants to turn right and is in the left or middle lane, he must by rule, cut in front of the interdeceding lanes to complete his destination. Many of these maneuvers are executed at speeds of 50+ mph. Rachel is not prone to extreme measures, but she is right in there with the best of them when it comes to bumper-to-horn combat. She’ll miss a jaywalker by a whisker, horn at full volume and cut off a 12-passenger van without a qualm. All in a day’s drive for her.

 

Tunis is spread out L.A. like for a long ways. For a city of a million and a half, it covers it seems half the territory of L.A. sometimes. This isn’t true, just seems that way. I mentioned the lack of blowing sands. Turns out I was wrong.Abut 25 per cent of the country is desert and there are sandstorms in Tunis, though not of the Lawrence of Arabia Drama. The country is so small–maybe the size of Massachussetts?–that it’s a wonder it’s as prosperous as it is with so much non-arable land. However, we can testify that it draws cruise ships and that the resorts and museums draw plenty of europeans. Even our dollar seems strong, so the Euro-spenders must find it a paradise.

 

Like nearly every country and culture, it seems the light=skinned folks are the elilte. There are few black Africans here, and they are subject to the same kinds of prejudice (I may have mentioned this earlier. If so, apologies) you might expect. Everyone seems to need someone to step on. However, the plumbing isn’t bad. There are many autos and satellite dishes. Many people seem to earn a living as police, standing around everywhere in their white patent leather gloves with elbow-lenght cuffs. The holsters are white patent leather too, but they’re mostly empty. The few people who are truly epowered carry rifles. The police sometimes randomly direct traffic. Sometimes step out and stop a car, but only to check papers. All the traffic violations I’ve described above happen in full view of police who take no action. There are many female cops, so it’s equal opportunity do-nothingness.

 

In sum, It’s a country on the way up but in a very uneven way. It’s’ got great tourist attractions, fine ruins and history which it’s restoring slowly but surely, but the picture I’ll take away is one that must be a good 10, 000 years old–similar to the Old lady in China cutting rice with a scythe outside the microprocessor plant or the woman in La Paz breaking cobblestones with a chisel and a rock–the picture of a boy or woman with a scarf on the head herding a flock of goats or sheep with a stick. Welcome to 21 A.D. or 8000 b.c. Your pick.

Cheers and farewell,

Carl and Susanne