Back In The U.S.A.
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on April 25, 2009 at 7:15 PM in Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud, Iran, Women
Hey, Everybody -
I have returned from my most fabulous, awesome Mediterranean cruise. I was met by three of the puppies (Lucky, Lani, and Leila), who are BIG now, running up and down the stairs to go outside, running all over the yard, playing, playing, playing. So cute. Hopefully, we’ll find homes soon that will work out (a few fell through). In the meantime, romping around and cuddling on them is fine by me!
So, this cruise was amazing – we left from Barcelona, and went to Rome, Athens, Izmir (Ephesus), Alexandria, Cairo, and Malta. Just in case you were wondering, yes, I do have a photo of me on a camel in front of the Pyramids (the wind was blowing like crazy – hence my hair all over my head, as we say down South):
While a cliche, it is absolutely true that this was a trip of a lifetime – the sights we saw, the people we met, the history we learned all combined for an incredible time.
And we did meet some very interesting people on the cruise. I want to tell you about two sets of them, one funny as all get out, and the other definitely more serious. So, the first was a Canadian couple we met while eating in the French restaurant on board ship. They were sitting at a window, and we were at the table next to them. We’d done the nod and smile thing already, when my partner just started cracking up. The man had his dessert plate tilted up with a spoon in his hand, trying to get every last drop of his dessert. He said, “What? Ice cream and booze – what more could you want?” They ended up joining us for our chocolate fondue, and much hilarity ensued.
The second couple was Iranian, living in Canada to escape their current regime. The wife was a lovely, affectionate woman (I thought we Southerners were touchy – not even close – it was so dear the way she would gently grasp my arm while telling me something important). She told us that they had to flee from their homeland after her father-in-law was executed for being a “spy for Israel.” She said that was the charge they always used – being a spy for Israel. Her father-in-law had never stepped foot outside of Iran. Ever.
She then brought up the young reporter, Roxana Saberi, the American/Iranian who was sentenced to 8 years in prison for being an American spy, seen here:
Our Iranian friend said that Iranian prisons are absolutely deplorable, disgusting places, ones we could scarcely imagine, and in which life would be very hard on this 34 year old woman. Ahmadinejad has said that she can appeal. Yeah. I’m sure that’s going to go in her favor. Ahem.
She is not the only one, though. There has been far less press on this (at least that I have seen), but there is a Californian grad student, Esha Momeni, who is being detained in Iran. She was working on her Master’s thesis there and was picked up on a traffic violation (alleged). She also holds both American and Iranian citizenship. And, she, too, is being accused of going against national security. How? She was meeting with women’s advocate groups and filming them when her life took this turn. Her communication is being monitored, her video footage and computer confiscated. Wow.
That certainly coincides with what our new friend at dinner volunteered. She said that life for women in general in Iran has gotten much, much worse under the current regime. Before, women were much freer to study, travel, and work, but now, they have gone far, far back. These two recent cases seem to confirm her opinion. The treatment of women combined with what happened to her father-in-law, prompted them to leave the land of their birth. They are waiting, hoping, for a better time so they can return in safety.
That is but a quick glimpse of my adventures abroad. You know I’ll be writing more about it as time goes by, but I did want to pop in and say hey, I missed writing, for sure, and your comments. And it’s good to be home again.
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Welcome back…..we missed you. Things are ’bout the same here in ‘merica . Obama is still president and women are still paid less than men, so the patriarchy is still intact!
Ah, thanks, Cindy! I appreciate that!
Dang – that’s too bad. I reckon with Obama’s releasing national security papers, and congresspeople claiming they didn’t know nothing abt nothing, and if they did, they didn’t know how much they knew, added to what you said, that you’re right: things are still the same…
Glad to hear you had a fun and exciting trip. Would you recommend a cruise as a good option to see Egypt?
Sorry, Aaron – I just saw your question.
Well, cruises are great for seeing a bunch of different places in a short amt of time, which for me helps me to know if I want to spend more time somewhere. The museum in Cairo alone could take weeks to really see – it has all of King Tut’s crypt belongings, for example. I’d say it’s a start!
Amy Rabble Rouser
Did you have a chance to visit ‘Constantinople’ and see Hagia Sophia? It’s a marvel of Byzantire architecture. Unfortunately that the Ottoman butchers renamed it to Istanbul!
The islamist-Ottoman fanatic macho-neanderthals desecrated all Churches in 1922 and decapitated hundreds of Armenian and Greek women after raping them. I do hope you agree that Obama’s nerdy flip-flop on the Armenian GENOCIDE to allow the islamists in Turkey to become immune from accepting blame for the 2 million Armenian and Greeks lost in the Genocide…is disgustingly self-serving. I know he’s a Muslim. But he should not let Turkey escape from its genocidal legacy scot-free!
In WWII hundreds of Jewish families (women and kids suffered the most, many relocating to Athens to take refuge) were killed by Turkish and Albanian soldiers in the northern city of SALONICA (French Pres. Sarkozy’s grandfather’s family is from that city! No wonder Sarkozy does not want TURKEY to become European member!) funnily, it was the Serbians and Greeks that provided comfort to Jewish people trying to escape, leaving their life’s belongings behind in attempt to run from certain crued (muslem-Turkish-sponsored of course!)
Glad you enjoyed the camels. I was there 2 years ago and it was great fun. The Egyptians were very friendly and leaving one’s purse in a cab for hours–and returning to find it there–was incredible. Guess dictatorship does have its pluses. The would-be thieves don’t want their arms cut off…
Do you have any photos from Ephesus. The ruins in Smyrni (smyrna) are equal to the breath-taking views of the Acropolis! Beautiful seaside.
P.S. Incidentally, what was the dessert of boozed ice cream that funny Canadian couple had beside your table…?? must have been something, eh?….
thanks for sharing the great itinerary, photos Amy!!Glad you’re back into the grind (?)….
Amy–Did you tour the archeological digs of Aphrodite’s (?) temple in Ephesus?
Also, can you now drink the water or eat anything washed in Alexandria/Cairo? (As much as Egypt was a modern country in 1979, we did see the odd wagon pulled by oxen.)
Back in 1979, my ship left from Athens and the highlight was a tour of Jerusalem and glimpses of Israel countryside.
Travel changes you.
Hey, aaran Madison -
No, one still can’t drink/eat washed things in Egypt. We had to take hand sanitizer and use it even after we washed our hands. And, oxen still pull wagons there. We saw wagons pulled by donkeys piled high with grass for homes that had oxen, donkeys, and horses. The oxen still plow the fields, too.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to Aphrodite’s Temple – that would have been great, though! Still, Ephesus is amazing, and they have opened some of the terrace houses there now (2 yrs ago). They had tables piled with pieces of marble, or mosaic tiles, which they were piecing together like a big jigsaw puzzle without the box top to see where things went. It was unbelievable. They still have MUCH to uncover there.
You are absolutely right – travel does change you.
Welcome home, Amy. I LOVE the photo! The story about the Iranian couple was very sad though. But I am glad you had a good time all in all.
WB Amy!
Quite a memorable trip indeed! Ur all rested and ready to KSOA (kick some obot arse) !!
puppy hugs
Welcome back, Rev. Amy. Hope you didn’t go bowing to any kings while you were over there!
ROTFLMAO – um, no – I can say with full assurance, I did not, oowawa!
Thanks, Tricia – it really was amazing. And the thing abt the Iranian woman was that she was so friendly, warm, and engaging. Her husband was quieter, but no less willing to connect. It was reallyt something…
Dawnelle, you are so funny!!
Oh, I wish you could see these pups – I’m going to hjave to make another video…
Nothing’s changed despite the promise of “change”.
Love the camel photo! How cool is that!? Great trip, so many countries, cultures, and people to discover and learn about. I hope you and your partner got to see either Rome or Athens during Eastertime. (The celebratory pagentry and devotion of the pilgrims is amazing to witness.) And tell us about the food! What was the most exotic thing you ate? – Please don’t say camel- LOL. PS. Aren’t you glad priates don’t travel that far North anymore?
It WAS cool with the camel – ad SCARY when they would bray or whatever it is that camels do. You’d be walking along, they’d be lying down on the ground, and then this big, “Brraaaaggggggghhhhh” sound would come out!
And NO, I did not eat camel! I only eat seafood and poultry anyway, so I didn’t have anything too exotic, but I DID have very tasty food, especially on-board the ship (like lobster/scallop brioche for breakfast, or smoked salmon fritatta, or crabcakes benedict – yum. I’m making myself hungry just writing abt it!).
We were in Rome on Easter Sunday – you probably know (I didn’t) that you have to have tickets to get in, but we did the Hop On/Hop Off bus, which drove through there twice, so that was pretty cool.
And YES, I am glad pirates don’t go in that area – it certainly crossed my mind…
Welcome back Rev Amy! Look forward to hearing more about your trip. Feel free to toss in another pic or two of the pups!
Fabulous photo of you and the camel! Ahhh, some day I too shall make a journey to Eqypt…
Awesome!! Welcome back–looking forward to lots of stories!
Welcome home!! I did a similar Cruise in Nove-Jan..2 weeks..and ended in Barcelona..but did 2 days in Ephesus, (Incredible)..2 days in Rome ,Naples, Croatia, Venice, Florence, Monte Carlo..Athens..
My hubby had never been..and he had a ball!!
I hope you had a wonderful trip with lots and lots of wondeful memories!!
Welcome back I was wondering this last week where u were…. now I know I just got back from the UK so just thought u were having a break, what a wonderful vacation for you and I am sure you will remember it for a lifetime~~
Welcome back, I was thinking about you today, wondering when we would see you post again. Looks like I got my wish!
Thanks, everybody! Sure does my heart good to see your lovely, welcoming comments! It is good to be back, too – I would check in every once in a while for a quick look at NQ, but they were public computers and the minutes cost a LOT. Still, it was good to see what was going on here, and worth it.
Queenie, your trip sounds FABULOUS! Croatia is supposed to be an incredible place, and – get this – LGBT people have FULL rights there. Who woulda thunk it, right? Anyway, what a great itinerary!
I will definitely get something up abt the puppies – oh, I wish y’all could see them running around all over the yard! They are a BLAST!!
Would you be willing to share the tour company you used for your trip? If so, great.
I have to ask RRR; How does it feel to ride a camel? It looks to be not very “bottom” friendly. I have always wanted to try, haven’t had that opportunity yet. I rode an elephant, that was pretty smooth and comfortable.
Ferd and I are going on vacation right after graduation (happy feet dance!), getting to spend a wonderful week with my Dad in S.F. Can’t wait to be with my Dad, and the adventures with him are the best, but also cannot wait to be home and get down to some serious dining!! …Imagining being at the wharf, some wonderful clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, a serious cup of Turkish coffee, and a Ghirardelli Chocolate dipped strawberry for dessert. Ahhhh.
sounds great, especially your memories of them.
Woohooo! Welcome home RRRA. It sounds like you had a wonderful time on your adventure and most deserving.
I’ve always wanted to take a Med cruise, too. Thank you for sharing. I don’t think I can even imagine being there, live, in front of those Pyramids.
Thank goodness you checked in, the end of this week I started doing a bit more wondering on how long your trip was!
Sad information shared by your new Iranian friends on the heels of Ms. Saberi improsonment. I hear she’s been on a hunger strike for several days now. I hope for a miracle there, because that sounds like the only way she’s going to get out. Maybe the miracle will come in the name of Hillary?
Good to have you back. You were missed. And it sounds like by many, including some cute doggies. I’ll await more tales
from your adventure.
Thanks, IALT! I appreciate it!
And yes, Sec. Clinton HAS spoken out abt Ms. Saberi. I would have expected nothing less from her…
Tfitz, we booked our cruise through USAA, but found the names of good, reputable tour companies at cruisecritic.com. We had a private taxi driver in Athens who came highly recommended, and he was FANTASTIC. He took us to places the ship excursions did not go, including a local place for lunch (it was DELICIOUS). And, he took us to the Presidential Palace to see the changing of the guard. I’ll be writing more abt that soon.
Same with Ephesus – we got the name of the company off of cruisecritic.com, and couldn’t have been happier. It was a much smaller group than the ship’s excursion buses, and again, the guide took us to a local place for lunch (and again, DELICIOUS). There are message boards for just abt every locale, and helpful tour suggestions, too. It’s a GREAT resource if you are planning a cruise.
Thank you all again for your kind comments. It’s good to be home again with you all!
Amy
Great news! Thank you for promising to show us more photos and share stories–esp. want to know about the Evzones’ Changing of the Guard at Constitution Square in Athens. And the restaurants you’d recommend….sounds like you had a great tourguide in Athens!
thx
You sound like a well experienced traveler. If you can find good local Tour ops, that is usually the best way to go.
Good tips, thank you.
I used to be in the travel industry, but I left just when things were expanding online in ‘96. Since then my travels have been limited.
…one day soon.