Rebecca's Page Keep up with me and my adventures! :) tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-04:/blog/?domain=beccalynn 2008-11-25T09:25:47Z beccalynn img/travel-blog-feed.png Hear Oh Israel, The Lord Thy God is one God! tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-18:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=21&entryid=137986 2008-11-18T21:15:32Z 2008-11-18T21:15:32Z Well I have blogged Southern Greece and 2 days of Israel so far and uploaded the pictures. I am slightly exhausted. But who knows if I will have internet again on this trip so I am taking full advantage of it! I know we definitely won't have it when we stay in the Bedouin Tents. First site was Tel Dan. We got a new tour guide today whose name is also Yosi. Our first Yosi was ... Well I have blogged Southern Greece and 2 days of Israel so far and uploaded the pictures. I am slightly exhausted. But who knows if I will have internet again on this trip so I am taking full advantage of it! I know we definitely won't have it when we stay in the Bedouin Tents.

First site was Tel Dan. We got a new tour guide today whose name is also Yosi. Our first Yosi was a member of Masad at some point and in the Israeli army. We took a nature walk down to the excavated parts of the site. The Tel (which means ancient city) is over 50 acres big and they have only excavated about 3% of it. The border of Lebanon was about 50 meters from us. I wanted SO bad to run over and stick my toe in it but was told that wouldn't be a good idea since there were mines all over.

I Kings 12:25-30
25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. [a]
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam."

28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.

So as you can see once Jeroboam and the northern tribes split off he didn't want them going down to Jerusalem to worship and trying to rejoin the Southern Kingdom. I've always wondered why Bethel and Dan and I learned today that it was because they were the northern most and southern most towns of the Northern Kingdom. The Israelites probably still thought of God and gods in general as regional (ie. The Egyptian gods, Babylonian gods, etc.) So the further away the people got from God's temple the less power he had which is another reason for the golden calves being placed at the most northern and southern points.
If you look at the pictures there is a replica of an ancient alter in front of the temple that would have held the golden calf. This is a replica of King Solomon's temple. The other opinion that isn't very popular but is still out there was that the area was instead a palace with a cult center.

Here is a bible verse that reference what I saw:
And Jeroboam ordained a feast... and he offered upon the alter...sacrificing unto the calves... and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel; and he offered upon the alter, and burnt incense." I Kings 12:32-33

Like I said we were REALLY close to Lebanon so I got to crawl through a bunker on my way to see the look out point over Lebanon. That really has NOTHING to do with Tel Dan but I thought it was pretty cool just the same.

We saw a couple other things such as the Canaanite Gate which was built in 3500 BC. Otherwise known as the Gate of the 3 Arches. And we saw the entrance gate to Dan from the time of the Israelite Kingdom.

Then went Boaz up to the gate... and he took 10 men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. Ruth 4:1-2
And the king arose, and sat in the gate... and all the people came before the king.
I Samuel 19:8

Once inside the gates we saw the principle mentioned in the above verses. The King and Jury sat RIGHT inside the gate. I found this really neat to see something talked about in the bible right before my eyes. This wasn't a reconstruction and it hadn't been altered. This was something actually from the time of the Israelites where they would have come to be judged by their King they were so desperate to have.

We made a quick stop off at the Golan Heights and saw the Banyas Waterfall. There's not a lot to tell about this stop except that it was beautiful. Go take a look at the pictures :)

Next... Ceserea Philippi. Now if you're tired imagine how I'm feeling. I know I have it SO rough. I'm in Israel. But it's still exhausting! Ceserea Philippi was more of an area than a city. We saw what is called the Place of Pan. It was the center for pagan worship of Pan.

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[a] the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it.[d] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Matthew 16:13-20

We added an extra site in that we weren't supposed to get to see-- Nimrod's Fortress. It is named after the biblical hunter, Nimrod. It is at the foot of Mt. Hermon about 815 m above sea level. It was important because it controlled the road to Damascus. We went down secret passageways and dark spiral staircases where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Basically castles are a big-kid's playground :)

LAST stop for the day was a float trip down the Jordan River. We got there a little late but what do you expect after all we did. We split into pairs of 2 and set off down the river in kayaks. My roommate back at the Artemis, Kurstin, went with me. I asked her if she wanted the front or the back and before she could answer I said... WAIT. Have you ever done this before. When she said no I said you get the front. I'm steering. We ran through our fair share of bushes still. We went down a couple of small rapids and got throughly soaked. The water was freezing cold but once you got sufficiently numb it was alright. It made me think of Naaman who was told to dip 7 times in the river Jordan. I now understand why he was having issues with it... It's not the cleanest river in the world but it's not the dirtiest either. When we finally finished up most of us when to go play in the Jordan River. Now tell me... How many people get to say that?! When the guys finally showed up (they were behind because they had been waiting to ambush all the girls and throughly splash us) it turned a little into water tackle. If you're hair wasn't wet or you weren't coming up spluttering you hadn't been dunked enough. That will definitely be one of my favorite memories that I take away from Israel.

I rounded out the day with a swim in the pool, a soak in the hot tub, and a trip to the sauna. Life is GOOD! :) I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of Israel with you!

Love, Rebecca

Day 3 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004786&l=4a3c3&id=1523040053

Hear Oh Israel, The Lord Thy God is one God! remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 2: Israel tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-18:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=20&entryid=137981 2008-11-18T20:25:53Z 2008-11-18T20:25:53Z My first observation today was the Jordan River is TINY! At least the section we say today. We are supposed to go on a float trip tomorrow so I hope it gets a little bigger :) First stop was Bethsaida. This means house of fish and was a village of fisherman. When archeologists first went looking for the city they couldn't find it because they were looking by the modern coast line of the Sea of Galilee. ... My first observation today was the Jordan River is TINY! At least the section we say today. We are supposed to go on a float trip tomorrow so I hope it gets a little bigger :)
First stop was Bethsaida. This means house of fish and was a village of fisherman. When archeologists first went looking for the city they couldn't find it because they were looking by the modern coast line of the Sea of Galilee. The current coast line is about 6 miles away from the city. It just is amazing to look at this city and know that Jesus was ACTUALLY HERE!

And he took (the apostles) and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and... cured those who were in need of healing.
Luke 9:10

Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13

Here are some other biblical facts about Bethsaida. Peter, Andrew, and Philip were all from here. It is also maintained that James and John, the sons of Zebedee, also lived here. This is the place of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes and the healing of a blind man.

From here we rushed down the Sea of Galilee. None of us tried walking on the water... Sorry. We took a ride on a replica of a boat that dates back to the time period of Jesus. It's called the Jesus boat. They demonstrated how the apostles and other fisherman of the day would have fished. The only difference is the type of material used to make the net. Instead of nylon they would have used cotton and instead of weights, small stones. We didn't catch anything so we cast our net of the other side of the boat and still came up with nothing. We got out into the middle of the sea and sang together. Every time I praise God in a place where I know Jesus was it is an amazing and unique feeling.
Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about the Jesus Boat. When they found it as they were digging it out they had to keep it soaked because when the wood dried out it turned to powder. When it came time to move the boat they coated the entire thing in polyurethane, dug channels to the sea and sailed it for the first time in 2000 years. I would have like to have been there to witness it. It was then lifted with a crane and transported to the Jesus Boat Museum.
Next site was Capernaum. The modern day spelling of the word is Capharnum. Matthew 4:13-- And He (Jesus) left Nazareth and went to live in Capharnaum. Here we saw was is traditionally thought of as Peter's Mother-In-Law's House. (Luke 4:38-- Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.) The house was changed into a church but the original walls are still standing.
We saw a synagogue which was almost right next door to the house. It is called the "White Synagogue" and dates from the 4th century. It was built on top of the "Jesus-Synagogue".
5 o'clock comes all too early when you're in Israel so we finished up our day with a nature hike up to the Mt. of Beatitudes. The catholics bought up all the land surrounding where they though the "mountain" (more like a hill) was and built a church on top of it. We skipped the church and went to the place where it is more likely that Jesus actually taught from. The catholics even think the archeologists might have gotten it right because they are making plans to build another church in that location. Well if you don't get it right the first time try again... Like I said I find it really ANNOYING they construct churches on all of these sites.
We read through the Sermon on the Mount as we watched the sun set over the Sea of Galilee. I've heard that Sermon my entire life but it came alive for me in an entirely new light. If you haven't read it recently you should read it again. It's beautiful.

More to come... There are still 8 days left and LOTS to see!

Day 2 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004785&l=db590&id=1523040053

Day 2: Israel remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Gone to the Holy Land... Be back in 10 days. tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-18:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=19&entryid=137973 2008-11-25T09:25:47Z 2008-11-18T19:31:03Z I FINALLY finished blogging about Southern Greece... A little later than I would have liked but I felt SO guilty starting on Israel without finishing Southern Greece. I am becoming an expert at navigating airports and going through customs. This trip had an additional component though-- Questioning. We went up in groups of 2 and were asked things like: How long have you known each other? How long have you know you were going to Israel? ... I FINALLY finished blogging about Southern Greece... A little later than I would have liked but I felt SO guilty starting on Israel without finishing Southern Greece.
I am becoming an expert at navigating airports and going through customs. This trip had an additional component though-- Questioning. We went up in groups of 2 and were asked things like: How long have you known each other? How long have you know you were going to Israel? Who pack your luggage? When did you pack it? Who was in the room? Where has it been since then?
The airport in Tel Aviv is AMAZING! I wish our airports were that nice. There is a large open circular area with a "waterfall" that looks like it's raining down from the ceiling into a fountain.
I always give you a little update on the guy situation in every country so I wouldn't want to disappoint you. :) Alright... Quick re-cap. Greek men- UGH! There's occasionally a cute one but I've been highly disappointed. I've come to the opinion all the cute ones work in the police force. Egypt- The men were much cuter. Israel- I got off the plane and saw cute guys everywhere! That combined with the fact that Israel is SO clean compared to everywhere else I've been if forced to choose I would pick someone from here. Lol :)
Israel is BEAUTIFUL! I keep thinking of Jesus as a young boy running around this area and think... Lucky Duck! We went to Ceserea and Nazareth today. This area looks very similar to the hill country. It's very "Americanized" over here. We saw an ACE, Toys-R-Us, Burger King and of course McDonalds.
Our tour guide Yosi kept reinforcing that archeology, religion, and politics are very mixed together sometimes making it difficult to get a true picture.
At Ceserea the two most important remaining structures are a Byzantine Church and the remains of the Herodian Harbor.
The Harbor was built in 25 BC by Herod the Great and was the first artificial harbor in the world. We also saw the first artificial pool. This pool was constructed outside the summer villa of Herod the Great. When you look at the picture of the pool you will see a big rock. This is called Poet's Island and as the name suggests poetry was read here.
Herod was a real scum-bag personally but he was a fairly good king. Jesus was born under his rule and Herod is considered very important because he shaped the atmosphere Jesus was born into. Herod killed a lot of people including his wife, who was an Asmonian and her 2 sons. Because of this Caesar Augustus said the now famous saying-- It is better to be Herod's pig than his son.
Our last site at Ceserea was a roman theater. Yosi played his flute for us with a background composition similar to something that might have been played back in the day.
We finally ate lunch around 4. It was a pita and chicken which tasted almost EXACTLY like a breaded chicken sandwich at Wendy's. So I have now had "Israeli Wendy's."
By 5 it is dark here so unfortunately we saw the remains of ancient Nazareth in the dark. Israel also has an annoying habit of building churches on top of holy sites sort-of as a monument. Soooo... There aren't too many pictures from here but take my word for it, it was interesting!
We also went to church in Nazareth. There is a church of Christ there with about 50 people. It is very hard for them because they are disowned by their families. they are also persecuted. There were some teenage muslim boys who had come by and vandalized the church just the night before. You hear about these types of things happening ALL the time but being here and seeing it with your own eyes just brings it home in an entirely different way.
We spent the night at an AMAZING hotel. Scratch what I said about the Best Western being my favorite hotel. This one by FAR is. The beds are incredibly comfortable and there is a heated pool, hot tub and sauna. So while all of you are at work I have been soaking in the hot tub. :) Greece and Europe obviously doesn't believe in hot tubs but hooray for Israel believing in them!

Day 1 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004784&l=72e38&id=1523040053

Gone to the Holy Land... Be back in 10 days. remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Southern Greece tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-18:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=18&entryid=137969 2008-11-18T18:59:40Z 2008-11-18T18:59:40Z After Egypt I was sure that anything else I went to see after that would be a huge let down. So when our trip to the Peloponnese rolled around needless to say I wasn’t too thrilled. I still had horrible memories of our bus trip to Northern Greece. We packed a sack lunch for later in the day and set off towards Southern Greece. We made a restroom stop near the Corinthian Canal. Most of us had ... After Egypt I was sure that anything else I went to see after that would be a huge let down. So when our trip to the Peloponnese rolled around needless to say I wasn’t too thrilled. I still had horrible memories of our bus trip to Northern Greece.

We packed a sack lunch for later in the day and set off towards Southern Greece. We made a restroom stop near the Corinthian Canal. Most of us had already been there when we went bungee jumping but it was fun to look at again just the same.

Our tour guide’s name was Dionysus, which was highly intriguing because Dionysus was the god of sex, wine, and basically partying. I can’t imagine naming my child that! We started our sightseeing out at the city of Ancient Corinth. Paul spent a lot of time in this city and there were several interesting biblical references. The place smelled horrible though because it was near the sea. We saw the theater there that was built during the 5th century. The modern day remains are from the Romans. At the theater there was an inscription with the names Sostines and Erastus on them. These names are both found in the text of Paul and while they probably don’t refer to these specific people there’s always a possibility. Sostines is referenced in Acts 18:17 and was the leader of the Synagogue. Erastus is mentioned in Acts 19:22, II Timothy 4:20 and Romans 16: .
Once in the actual ancient city we saw the Temple to Apollo. This particular temple is famous because it houses the skin of Marcius and his flutes. Story goes that Apollo had a contest with a man named Marcius. Apollo was jealous of him because all the people of Corinth loved Marcius’ flute playing. Apollo won and as his prize he took Marcius’ skin. The other notable thing we saw was the bema. This is where the counsel of Corinth would meet and where Paul came before Galio to be tried.
The Museum at Corinth was full of states, pottery, and other items found in Corinth. I found this interesting…. One of the reasons so many of the statues are headless was because emperors used them to show their citizens what they looked like. So to conserve marble instead of making an entirely new statue they would just put a new head on it.
From there we wound our way up to AcroCorinth. Someone decided it would be a great idea to have lunch at the very top of this huge fortress so up we climbed. And we climbed and we climbed and we climbed… It was used as a fortress because of the great view and let me say from personal experience… It’s AMAZING! This was also the location of the Temple of Aphrodite. The priestesses had their temple at the top and were essentially prostitutes. Men would come to the temple to worship them through sex. I was trying to tell my mom about AcroCorinth and the prostitutes and she misunderstood me and thought I said they were still up there. I was about to correct her wrong impression but instead what came out of my mouth was, “Yeah. It’s a tourist attractions. It’s x amount of dollars for 30 minutes.” I had her going for a little bit. She would go, NO! And I would say, YES! It was an interesting couple of minutes. NO! YES! You’re kidding! No mom, completely serious. I came clean though and told her the truth. :)
Just when I thought the day was going to be over we packed up and headed off to another site. The theater we went to see is one of the best preserved from classical Greece. It is dedicated to the god Dionysus. Our tour guide stood in the center, ripped paper, whispered and did numerous other demonstrations to show how amazing the acoustics are. We sat at the very top of the theater and could hear him perfectly. It was pretty amazing!
We rounded out the day at a really cute hotel is a sea side town. After dinner a bunch of us walked down to the beach and walked along the sand, dipping our toes in the surf. Samantha and I got this really big urge for ice cream so we went in search for some but couldn’t find any. We checked about 5 different places but no, none! Even at the place that was called, Café Ice Cream. Personally I think it’s a crime to call a place Café Ice Cream and then not sell any.

Day 1 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004725&l=e4901&id=1523040053

Day 2:
The night before I had planned on getting up early and going down to walk along the beach again and watch the sunrise. Well guess what…. I didn’t want to get up. Luckily I caught the tail end of the sunrise from my balcony. It was so beautiful I decided I had to walk down by the beach again even if it was just for 20 minutes. It set a wonderful tone for the rest of the day.
First stop: Naphtilon where we saw the Castle Palamidi. This castle was sweet! It made me want to live in one. Well minus never getting to bathe and no central air or heating, and no deodorant and numerous other factors. It was built during the 2nd Venetian period and fortified by the Byzantines. You can see round stones that were used in trebuchets. When you walk through the gates there is a hole in the ceiling, which they used to pour hot olive oil on any intruders that got past the other defenses.
After Dionysus told us a little about the castle we got free time to climb all over the thing. I’ll give the people who lived in that thing this… They would have to be in pretty good shape. Luckily we got to climb down the set of 999 steps rather than up. I think I would have stopped half way up and said NO castle is worth this.
We followed this site up by Mycenae, one of the most ancient Greek cities. This city is famous for several reasons. One is because of its walls called “cyclopean walls”. The stones are so massive that later civilizations decided the wall could have only been built by Cyclops. The Lion Gate is another famous landmark of this city. Just inside this gate an archeologist named Schliemann discovered grave circle A. He discovered what is called the Mask of Agamemnon (you may recognize this name in connection to the city of Troy) even though the mask dates much earlier than Agamemnon. There were some amazing domed tombs here that make you just marvel at the technological advancement of the people during that time period.
That night we stayed in a hotel owned by Best Western. We had like a 6-course meal and AMAZING beds. If we stayed in that hotel every time we traveled my life would be complete! :)

Day 2 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004724&l=30d9a&id=1523040053

Day 3:
Well it rained all night and into the morning. As we headed off to Olympia it was STILL raining. We started out in the museum… I won’t bore you with everything we saw expect 1 thing… The famous statue of Hermes by Praxiteles. It is a statue of 2 gods (Hermes and baby Dionysus). Zeus as usual was up to some of his old tricks and got some woman pregnant. Zeus’ wife Hera got jealous and told the woman in order to find out if Zeus really loved her she must ask him to promise to do whatever she wanted. The woman asked to see Zeus in his true form and as a result she was burned up. Zeus rescued her baby (Dionysus) and continued the pregnancy in his thigh. Hera went on a rampage looking for the baby so Zeus gave Dionysus to Hermes. The statue depicts Hermes carrying off the baby to be raised by the nymphs.
Olympia was BY FAR one of my favorite sites in ancient Greece. It was beautiful! The leaves were starting to turn golden and the air was nice and crisp. It made me feel like fall had finally come. It made me think of hayrides, roasting marshmallows by roaring fires, and hot apple cider. Have I mentioned I LOVE fall. I tried to get a picture of the leaves falling and failed miserably.
The boys raced at the stadium and now are 2008 Olympic Athletes. :) The “track” is 193 meters long. The first Olympics was held in 776 BC in honor of Zeus. The games were held every 4 years on the 2nd full moon after the summer solstice, a tradition that is carried on to this very day. Besides the stadium there were the buildings used for trainings, an ancient basilica, and the temple to Zeus and Hera.
Once we finished up at Olympia there was a fantastic 6-hour bus ride back to Porto-Rafti. The bus rides aren’t as bad if you sleep through most of it but sleeping on a bus is difficult and NEVER comfortable. More to come… So read up, look at the pictures, and enjoy! :)

Day 3 Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004722&l=aa812&id=1523040053

Southern Greece remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Athens Night Life tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-11-11:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=17&entryid=135929 2008-11-18T18:58:28Z 2008-11-11T20:43:42Z Every time I head into Athens I'm amazed by the fact that I'm really here... in Greece... eating gelato while staring up at the Acropolis. It's memories like this that will "haunt" my dreams till the day I die. A couple weekends ago ,was our "free-weekend". No one wanted to spend a fortune, having spent almost all our money in Egypt, so Athens was the obvious choice. So Saturday afternoon, 8 other girls and myself headed ... Every time I head into Athens I'm amazed by the fact that I'm really here... in Greece... eating gelato while staring up at the Acropolis. It's memories like this that will "haunt" my dreams till the day I die. A couple weekends ago ,was our "free-weekend". No one wanted to spend a fortune, having spent almost all our money in Egypt, so Athens was the obvious choice.
So Saturday afternoon, 8 other girls and myself headed into Athens. We arrived at the Metro and bought our tickets. Being savvy college students we realized that we could buy a student ticket and it would 30 Euro cents cheaper. So we stood there, debating the pros and cons and whether we actually qualify. Some piped up and said, "Colby said we could buy them." Which was quickly followed by, "Well if Colby said we could buy them, then lets go ahead.
We got onto the Metro and 2 stops later one of the girls said, "We need to get off". I looked at her kind-of funny and whispered, Why? This isn't our stop. She said... Just trust me. I looked over her shoulder and low and behold there is a man coming down the center of the train checking everyone's metro ticket. Fear and panic sliced through me because I had NO CLUE whether I could actually use my ticket or not. All I knew was that there's a large fine for breaking the rules. Unfortuantly some of our girls were a little too loud asking why we were getting off at the wrong stop so the man skipped all the other passangers and makes a beeline for our group. We handed him our tickets and he got a really mad look on his face. He started demanding to see our student cards so I pull mine out. I breathed a large sigh of relief when he nodded his head and handed back my ticket. Three of the girls in our group didn't end up so lucky. They didn't have their International Student IDs on them so the man wrote them a ticket for 48 euro. Thankfully they were able to avoid paying the fine by simply going to the main metro station and proving they had a student card. So we now have international felons in our group.
By this time we have missed our stop but as the saying goes 2 heads are better than 1 so 9 must be the the equivalent to a genius. Or not. But anyway the 9 of us manage to figure out how to get back to the mall and set in on the arduous task of picking out a movie to see. Mind you the titles are in Greek and the the times based on a 24 hour clock. We finally agreed on Journey to the Center of the Earth. Eagle Eye wasn't showing till 10 something and we had no clue where our hostel was so we decided THAT wasn't a good idea. Kung Fu Panda had shown on the plane ride over and the rest wasn't fit to watch. I'm guessing it's this way all over Europe but in Greece for certain you are assigned a movie seat. So for all of us to sit together we had to make one payment. As I handed over my debit card the woman looked at me incredulously and said, "You are a very brave woman."
I handed my ticket to the woman taking them and she says something to me in Greek. I look at her in confusion and said, "Huh?" She laughed, "Oh, Theater 2, all the way to the end, on your right." We made our way down to the theater and walked in. The man standing there handed everyone a pair of glasses. We looked at each other in confusion wondering if we had gotten the wrong theater. Nope. Turns out we had picked out a 3D movie. As we sat there watching the previews we were all silently praying the movie was in English. I definitely recommend going to see that movie in 3D though. It was great!
We finally made it to our hostel, after stopping a couple of places for directions. As we were checking in some of our guys, who were also staying in our hostel, walked in. I don't remember the last time when I was so glad to see someone. Once we got settled in we still had about an hour and a half till midnight so I did something quite out of character for me... I went out on the town to experience the Athens night life. Brenda, Kathleen, John, and I walked up out of Syntagma Station to the pounding sound of a Greek Rapper concert. We stayed there for a little bit then made our way towards our favorite gellato shop. There's no feeling like eating gellato while staring up at the Parthenon lighting the night sky.
The next day I say the Byzantine Art Museum, the Islamic Art Museum, a Greek Cemetery, and went shopping in the Plaka. Just a typical Sunday in Athens. :) I loved the content of the Islamic Museum. It was very unique and a welcome relief from all the greek sculptures I've been looking at over the past couple of months. The Byzantine Art Museum's presentation was much more impressive but the content was as interesting.
Overall... I had a wonderful time!

Since my free weekend I have paid a visit to the National Museum of Athens and taken a trip to the Southern Peloponnese. There isn't a lot to write about the Museum but I saw some amazing things in Southern Greece. I'm going to try my hardest to write about it before Sunday. Why Sunday you might ask... Well if I don't write about it soon I will forget exactly why these places were important. But more importantly I am leaving for ISRAEL on Sunday!

God Bless and you'll be hearing from me soon. :)

Love, Rebeca

Athens Night Life remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Last Day tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=16&entryid=134336 2008-10-23T12:22:50Z 2008-10-23T12:22:50Z I’m writing this last entry back at the Artemis. When we touched down at the airport I got SO excited! I’m back home! Well sort-of. Over the past year or so I have come to define home where the majority of my things are concentrated. It feels so good to be back! Well on Day 8 the first thing we did was go have breakfast with Osman and his family. I love him ... I’m writing this last entry back at the Artemis. When we touched down at the airport I got SO excited! I’m back home! Well sort-of. Over the past year or so I have come to define home where the majority of my things are concentrated. It feels so good to be back!
Well on Day 8 the first thing we did was go have breakfast with Osman and his family. I love him and his family. His 3 boys are so polite and adorable. I think they may speak better English than I do! We had the most AMAZING rice pudding which I had to get the recipe for so I can make it when I get back to the states.
First site of the day was a mosque. I’d never been to see one before. It was beautiful! I don’t have a whole lot to write about it but there are not pretty cool pictures from there. It was fun. We had to remove our shoes and I got to wear a cloak. I forgot I was wearing it and tried walking out with it and they got REALLY mad at me.
We went to visit Old Cairo, also known as Coptic Cairo. There we saw the Jewish Synagogue, Ben-Ezra. This place is important because it’s where they found the Genizah documents. There were the most important biblical scholar find until the Dead Sea Scrolls. Next we visited the Church, St. Sergios. This is the second oldest church structure in the world. It’s constructed on top of where they believed Jesus and his family might have lived while they were in Egypt. This concept fits with the tradition of the Coptic church, the geography, history, style of architecture and logic.
Our last 2 stops were quick ones because all sites close at 4 in Cairo. #1 was Memphis. The importance of this site is that Abraham was here with Sarah when he introduced her as his sister. This site was probably around 420 acres. This site has one of the most preserved statues of Ramses II. Most scholars believe that he is the persecution or Exodus pharaoh. We learned something very interesting here. All Pharaohs are depicted with big knees because apparently they are a sign of fertility. This is still practiced to this day. When an Egyptian man goes to ask the father for his daughter’s hand in marriage the father will check out the man’s knees. Stop #2 was Sakkara where we saw the Zoser Pyramid. There are 107 remaining pyramids and this site contains #1 and #107. The Zoser Pyramid is the some of the oldest stone work in the world.
We rounded out our trip to Egypt with a visit to a handmade rug shop and an Egyptian cotton shop. The handmade rug place was amazing! These people create beautiful rug designs from their head or just from looking at a picture. There were young boys sitting at looms all over the bottom story. They would invite all of us to sit down and help them work on their rugs.
Hotel. Dinner. Then it was finally time to say goodbye to Osman. Goodbyes are always hard but it’s even harder when you know you probably won’t see them again. He will always have a special place in all our hearts. He is such an amazing man and SO good at what he does. There was another early wake-up call the next morning… and I wonder why I’m so tired. Security at the airport was ridiculous. We had to show our passport at least 8 times. The ironic thing is I got through all of it with an entire bottle of water. Made me feel SO safe. We took a tram across the tarmac to our plane and right before I ducked my head to get in I glanced back across Egypt… I miss being there. My last thought before boarding was I’ll be back someday. I don’t know when but I know I’m going back. I fell in love… With the people, with the culture, with the simplicity of their way of life. I do NOT miss the sanitary conditions over there however.
While I was over there I made a decision. I’m going to join the peace corps after I graduate from college. I thought about not telling my mom and dad and letting them just read it in my blog but the more I thought about it the meaner that sounded. But anyway Egypt and the living conditions over there had such an impact on me this is something I feel like I need and really want to do. For a while I’ve been feeling a lack of direction and purpose in my life and I feel like this will give it to me! I’m really excited about the future and what it will hold for me.

If you made it this far, consider it like running a marathon. I’m impressed!

Love you all!

--Rebecca

Last Day Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004575&l=40d12&id=1523040053

I wasn’t sure where to stick this photo album. It’s mainly pictures of me at dinner on the cruise and all my friends. So if you have some spare time there are some good pictures :)

Dinner Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004569&l=1f6cc&id=1523040053

Last Day remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 7: Luxor tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=15&entryid=134334 2008-10-23T12:20:57Z 2008-10-23T12:20:57Z We had to leave the cruise this morning which was really sad. I could have used a couple more days just floating on the Nile. Our first stop of the day was Valley of the Kings. I don’t know what I was expecting but what I say wasn’t it. It was still really neat though. We couldn’t take any pictures in the tomb so all you’ll get to see is what the valley looks like. ... We had to leave the cruise this morning which was really sad. I could have used a couple more days just floating on the Nile. Our first stop of the day was Valley of the Kings. I don’t know what I was expecting but what I say wasn’t it. It was still really neat though. We couldn’t take any pictures in the tomb so all you’ll get to see is what the valley looks like. I would have loved to have been there in the early 1900’s when all the major excavation of the valley was going on!
Now common sense would tell you that the most exquisite tombs would be the kings but ironically enough theirs are the least ornate. The Queen’s are better than the Kings, the Nobles better than the Queens, and finally the best tombs are those of the workers. Go figure! Something else I found that was really interesting was that the Valley is the most visited site in Egypt. I would have guessed the Pyramids.
We drove by Queen Hatshepsut temple which I was excited about because she was the only female pharaoh. But once I learned the entire thing was fake I was glad we only stopped for a picture.
Next was the Worker’s Valley. These tombs are much smaller but the paintings on the wall look like they were done yesterday! Like I said earlier, these tombs are even more elaborate than the King’s tombs. Early Christians used to hide in these tombs so in many of them the walls have been defaced and are covered by lots of crosses. This is the only example of a worker’s city that has ever been found.
We made a visit to an Alabaster factory. I spent WAY too much money here but it was worth it. We got there and had a short “lecture” about the different types of alabaster and how they make it into different shapes. Alabaster is only found in the city of Luxor. This company is family run and they have made an effort to make all their pieces by hand, much like they were done in bible times.
By this point I was about to fall asleep. We didn’t get to bed until after midnight and was up at 5:30. So next stop was the temple of Karnak. It was incredibly HOT! This is considered “THE” temple, the place everyone wanted to come to. The temple itself cover 102 acres, the entire thing covers over 167 acres. It took over 200 years to complete and is 26 times as large as ancient Jerusalem.
I saw my first example of a mud brick ramp here. They are used to take the stones to a higher level. Stones were drug by men and oxen up the ramps on wooden sleds. Women would wet down the dirt with a mixture of fat, water, milk and other things to make the sleds slide easier.
Then it was time for more shopping! I wasn’t planning on spending any more today but my future roommate was a little TOO persuasive and the sales man was a little TOO good at his job! I’m sure you’re wondering by now where we were at. We were at Al-Fayed Perfumery. This is a factory where they remove the oil from flowers by wooden presses and leave them sitting for at least 6 months creating the essences that are then diluted for perfumes. You may recognize the name from the man who was in the car-crash with Princess Diana. Anyway it only takes 3 drops of essence in 50mL of water to make the type of perfume you would buy in the store. We had the best time trying on the different types. We got to smell scents that are related to the bible, such as frankincense and myrrh. Personally I think myrrh stinks!
Just when we thought the day might be over, wrong again. Still one more temple… Luxor! Half the temple was dedicated to Amenusis III and half to Ramses II. Moses most likely was found near this temple. He was found during the summer and this is where the royal family lived during the summer. The royal family was educated here so in all likely-hood he was taught THERE! There was a Mosque built on-top of the temple for this very reason. I really enjoyed getting to see the Road of the Sphinx. There are only 60 something left but they used to line the road all the way from Luxor to Karnak. Below each sphinx was a statue of guess who, that’s right Ramses II. The man really LOVED to look at himself!
Well that’s all I’ve got for now. We’re back on the train and I’m exhausted! I don’t think I’m going to sleep real well tonight and I’ve got another 5:30 wake-up call. One more full day… I’m ready to be stationary again but I don’t want to leave Egypt!
Love, Rebecca

Day 7 Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004574&l=b6d52&id=1523040053

Day 7: Luxor remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 5 and 6 tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=14&entryid=134332 2008-10-23T12:19:06Z 2008-10-23T12:19:06Z 3:30 AM wake-up call and a 3 hour bus ride later I was at Abu Simbel. You see pictures of the pyramids and these temples, especially this one but it never really hits home just how large they are until you are there. At the front of the temple there are 4 GIANT statues of Ramses II. As I write these I keep having to double check to see which Pharaoh it was because Ramses II seems ... 3:30 AM wake-up call and a 3 hour bus ride later I was at Abu Simbel. You see pictures of the pyramids and these temples, especially this one but it never really hits home just how large they are until you are there.
At the front of the temple there are 4 GIANT statues of Ramses II. As I write these I keep having to double check to see which Pharaoh it was because Ramses II seems to have statues of himself ALL over the place. Talk about ego-centric and self-enamored. I no longer can claim that award. I actually got to see his mummy in the Cairo Museum. He had RED HAIR! Whether it was real or residual dye from the mummification process I have no clue but it’s pretty sweet just the same.
The other temple at Abu-Simbel was for Ramses II wife. He actually had 3 wives but he really loved this one and she is almost always the wife depicted with him.
What really floored me about this place is that this isn’t the original location. It was under water so the entire thing had to be moved. Once you look at the pictures I think you might understand why I’m so flabbergasted. I don’t understand how they moved the entire thing. It’s HUGE! I know I keep saying that but even now it still blows my mind.
When we got back we boarded the cruise boat for the first time. Let me just say I will vacation on the Nile ANY time. We walked into our bedroom and Emily and my jaws dropped. The room was about the size of a hotel room and you could actually walk around in the bathroom. We went to lunch a little skeptical, remembering the food we had been eating for the past several days, but it was amazing! I have to find a recipe for Beef Wellington and Pumpkin soup. Mom—I’m making a list of all the foods I would like when I get back. First thing I want after I get back to the airport is a Route 44 Sonic drink and cheese sticks. I know, weird request, but I’m really craving some American food right now.
We laid around all afternoon on the top deck, swimming, enjoying the sun, and marveling at the sights we saw as we floated down the Nile. While I’m thinking about it here are some interesting things I learned on this trip that I never heard in Sunday school.
1) The Pyramids were seen by Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and Jesus
2) There are 3 temples that are almost exact replicas of Solomon’s Temple
3) Christians picked up using pagan symbols on purpose
4) The golden calf the Israelites built was most likely in honor of the Goddess Hathor
I’m sure I’ll think of more as I go along but those were the ones that are standing out to me at the time.
It gets dark early in Egypt so when we got off to see the temple of Kom-Ombo it was dark. There was a mass-exodus off the boats and everyone was trying to get into the temple. There is NO concept of lines over here so we got separated for a little while and almost trampled by Asian tourists, who believe it or not are VERY vicious.
Kom-Ombo was used as a hospital or a pharmacy. The temples on the east side of the river were used for more for worship, schools, and secular purposes. Anything on the west side of the river was used for the mummification process or something relating to death. At this temple, archeologists found the largest number of mummified crocodiles ever. They’re pretty wild looking! The other major reason this temple is important is that it holds the oldest Egyptian calendar which helped to date Egypt’s history and in turn the bible. We almost missed the boat because we didn’t know what time departure was so they had to back it back up for us.
Side note: Emily and I had an interesting porter. We had a towel animal everyday and one day he left us flowers.

Day 6… We only did 1 thing today because apparently tomorrow is supposed to be a KILLER! We got up early again and set out for the temple of Et-Fu. This temple was dedicated to the falcon god, Horace. It took over 25 years to build and 160 to decorate. When the temple is begun, Egyptians would place a master plan of how they wanted to look years from then when it was completed. I think I may have to create one of these for my house someday.
One of the most important things we saw here was the ark they used to carry the statue of Horace on. Apparently the Ark of the Covenant we read about in the Bible would have looked similar to this. I’m always forgetting that Moses spent 40 years of his life in Egypt as a prince, and the Israelites even longer, so it would have had a HUGE impact on their architecture, art, etc.
We finally got to do some shopping on our way out of the temple. Osman hadn’t let us really do any shopping up until this point because he wanted us to feel completely safe. As we walked by the shops the owners would yell—No touchy, no hustle. I bought 3 scarfs and my Egyptian Dress. I am on a huge scarf kick right now! You have to barter because they’re all trying to rip you off. I’m slightly concerned about walking into a store back home, and saying, “I don’t like this price. I’m paying in cash, will you take 13 dollars?” I got from dress down from over 50 euros to 10. I told them how much I would pay and then kept trying to walk off until I got it for 10. It was kind-of fun!
We got back to the boat and had church services. I’m thinking about making a list… Strangest places I’ve ever had church. The Nile would definitely rank up there. Then Osman held a hieroglyphics class. I can’t wait to get back to one of the temples so I can look at the walls and identify some of the glyphs.
I spent the rest of the day laying on the top deck, enjoying the sun, and reading my book. Finally that evening was Egyptian Night. I’ve been looking forward to this night since we got to Egypt. Since we didn’t get to try on our dresses before hand they were too big on some of the girls. So I spent most of my time altering and pinning dresses. When I finally got to myself I had about 20 minutes to get ready. Emily did an AMAZING job on my hair is a grand total of 6 minutes.
Towards the end of dinner the staff was playing music and one of our guys Frank starts dancing around the dining room. So we all joined in, to everyone else’s amusement, dancing in a konga-line around the dining room. We headed the party upstairs and did what I call Jewish-style dancing. (Girls on one side and guys on the other.) It was all very G-Rated since we are Church of Christ and have NO clue how to dance.

That’s all for now!
Love, Rebecca

Day 5 & 6 Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004571&l=507d8&id=1523040053

Egyptian Night:
Album 1-http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004572&l=cfffd&id=1523040053
Album 2- http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004573&l=e2f82&id=1523040053

Day 5 and 6 remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 4: Aswan tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=13&entryid=134308 2008-10-23T13:09:13Z 2008-10-23T09:30:17Z Day 4: Aswan So I started off my morning at 5. Emily’s alarm clock was still set for Athens time so rather than fixing it to Egyptian time she simply tries to calculate when she should set it for in her head. Well turns out she went the wrong way. I didn’t even look at my watch until I accidentally hit my button calling my porter and he pokes he head in wanting to know why we’re up ... Day 4: Aswan
So I started off my morning at 5. Emily’s alarm clock was still set for Athens time so rather than fixing it to Egyptian time she simply tries to calculate when she should set it for in her head. Well turns out she went the wrong way. I didn’t even look at my watch until I accidentally hit my button calling my porter and he pokes he head in wanting to know why we’re up because there’s still 4 more hours to Aswan. I turned to face her as she was braiding my hair and glared. However a glare is never very effective when you’re about to fall off the bed laughing. So 5 hours later we finally got off the train and set off to the Temple of Philae.
This temple is dedicated to Isis and is the most similar to the Temple of Solomon. This was the last pagan temple in use during the Christianity period of the Roman empire. So it was used for both pagan and Christians. The Gods on the left side of the temple (the side the Christians used) were defaced but the ones on the Pagan side were untouched. In 1960 when the Aswan Dam was built it made a lake and covered the temple up. So in 1972 they started making plans to move the temple. They started moving it in 1974 and the process was complete in 1980. I’m floored that they move temples over here. Because they’re HUGE! It didn’t even look like it had been moved.
We made a stop off at the High Dam and the Aswan Dam. Could have done with out these but I guess it’s all part of the complete “Egypt Experience.”
Then came my favorite part of the day…. We took a skiff boat down the Nile into Nubia! I understand why the people who go to Africa come back obsessed about it. This place is really legit. As we went down the river there were people fishing in their boats, birds everywhere, and a cool breeze blowing. As we went down the river young boys in canoes or on something that resembled a surfboard would hang onto the edge of the boat and sing for us. They could sing in several different languages. Of course one of m favorites was when the one on our side of the boat broke out singing the Macarena.
We finally got to shore and are you ready for this? I got to ride a camel! It took a couple tries to get on the silly thing because even sitting down they are massive! Sitting on a camel while it’s getting up and sitting down is an experience that I will never forget. My camel’s name was Ricky Martin. There were a bunch named Rambo. Right as we set out my camera battery died. I was really upset! So I didn’t get pictures of the Nubian Village but if I find some from someone else I’ll go ahead and put them up so you can get the full effect of Egypt. There are only 3 Nubian Villages left in the world. When we reached the Nubian Village we dismounted and went to see a Nubian house. While there we had Hibiscus Tea, shopped, and got to pet baby crocodiles. The Nubians catch them and/or raise them from birth and make them into pets. The guy was bringing it around so everyone could touch it and I reached out my head when all of the sudden he puts it up against my neck. I can’t remember the last time I was that scared. Not so much of the crocodile but out of pure shock. I went outside and simply stepped back to watch the people as they went about their daily lives. They are very poor and work hard but they are SO happy! They truly know what it means to build relationships and to KNOW people. As I watched one of my fellow students play “soccer” with some of the children using a coke can, it struck me how easy it was to see the love of God in that village. It’s surprising how clearly it shines through when it’s not being clouded by all the things the prosperity of our nation affords us. Finally when it was time to go we headed back to the skiff. On the return trip we got to ride on top! There are some things you do in life where you say… That was fun, but I don’t think I want to do that again. Floating down the Nile is definitely going on my list to do again! As I started up at the stars, listening to the motor churning the waters of the Nile, I felt more at peace than I have in a long time. I mean honestly… I just finished a camel ride, through the desert went to a Nubian village, and at that moment was cruising down the Nile on top of a skiff. Personally I don’t think that at that moment life could have gotten much better.
When I walked into my room on the boat my jaw dropped! The room is about the size of a hotel room and the bathrooms… You can actually WALK and MOVE around in them! It’s amazing what you begin to appreciate, isn’t it? The food has been out of this WORLD! I love beef Wellington and every soup I’ve had has been AMAZING! My favorite by far though was the pumpkin soup. I need to find a recipe for it.
Well I should wrap this entry up because I have to be up at 3:30 in the morning. Yes that is AM. We’re leaving for Abu Simbel. Not many groups get to go there so I’m really excited! Well minus the time I have to wake up but I can catch up on sleep later. I’m in EGYPT! Crusin’ the Nile. It’s weird to think that this is the VERY same river that Moses turned into blood. This trip has been worth every cent and so much more. So thanks Mom and Dad!

Goodnight everyone!

Love, Rebecca

Day 4 Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004568&l=42067&id=1523040053

Day 4: Aswan remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 3: Giza & Cairo tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=12&entryid=134305 2008-10-23T09:26:19Z 2008-10-23T09:23:16Z Day 3: Cairo I am writing this from a train. Now when I say train do not think Europe or United States train…. Think Rebecca is in Africa right now, in a third world country. It’s not that bad but I think I’m going to get beat to pieces. There’s not going to be a whole lot of sleeping tonight. Story: Room check last night my RA called my room and I was asleep. So this morning I ... Day 3: Cairo

I am writing this from a train. Now when I say train do not think Europe or United States train…. Think Rebecca is in Africa right now, in a third world country. It’s not that bad but I think I’m going to get beat to pieces. There’s not going to be a whole lot of sleeping tonight.
Story: Room check last night my RA called my room and I was asleep. So this morning I was talking to my roommate Emily and said I feel really bad that I didn’t answer the phone. Emily looked at me kind-of funny and said Kathleen said you talked to her. I said, NO I didn’t. I couldn’t have. I was asleep. But sure enough when I talked to Kathleen later I had hung up on her the first time and then the second time told her Emily wasn’t there and goodnight. I have no recollection of this WHAT so ever!
I went to the Pyramids of Giza today! Let me just say… EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! I wish everyone could visit them. As Ted said, I really wish I could call up all my friends and be like, As we speak I’m staring at the Pyramids. I thought about looking for a phone but considering it would have been 2 in the morning Central time I decided that might not be the best plan. We had a man there take a group picture of us and some how we ended up with them hours later. The Pyramids were a sight to behold. They weren’t smooth like I was expecting them to be. The pyramids would have been standing there when Abraham was alive. Can you imagine growing up with those in your backyard? Here’s an interesting thought. By the time of Joseph, the pyramids would have been around 1000 years old so they might have been like one of our modern day “tourist attractions.”
We also went to the Cheops Boat Museum. We learn about the different types of boats, a little about how they were maid, etc. I got to see the oldest boat known to man-kind. I never did find out why but we had to wear the goofiest looking shoe-covers I’ve ever had to wear in my life! We all looked slightly like Donald Duck.
Next stop, going inside one of the pyramid. Like a lot of places in Egypt we were not allowed to take pictures here either. Osman told us, when you get back home go into a dark room, take a picture, and tell everyone it’s from inside the pyramid. The passage-way down into the Pyramid is really narrow and you have to duck the whole way. It levels out to where you can stand for a little bit before heading up into the tomb. There is absolutely NO ventilation in that thing. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated that much in such a short amount of time in my entire life. The nice thing though was when you got outside it felt like you were in air-conditioning.
Last stop before we left the Pyramid site was at the Sphinx. This was pretty awesome looking. Just to be able to say that you’ve actually seen these things in person! The reality still hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m wondering if it ever really will. Right before the Sphinx is a temple. Temples on the west back of the Nile were used for mummification and the ones of the east, for worship. So this one was used for mummification
By this time we were all about to die but we had 2 more stops before heading for the train. The first of which was the Cairo Museum. You could have just left me there for a week and I would have been perfectly happy. If you spent only 1 minute at every display in the museum it would take you over 9 months to see everything. I could spend pages and pages telling you about what I say but it really wouldn’t do it justice so I’ll hit the highlights. Again this was another place we couldn’t take pictures! Favorites were the King’s mummy room and the King Tut exhibit, most specifically his mask. In the mummy room they have them unwrapped where you can see their face and feet mainly. These mummies still have hair, toe-nails, teeth, and various other things. It’s wild! You can actually picture the person. The King Tut items were exquisite! Although my first thought when I say the mask was, it looks too new. It looks like it was made a couple of years ago. Not 1000’s.
Did you know that in ancient Egypt women chose the men by giving them flowers? Personally I think that girls should give guys flowers every now and then anyway, but this is just pretty cool. 7 flowers means that you are in love with the man, 9 means you want to marry them and finally more than 10 means that you want to start a family.
So finally we get to where I am now… The train. The first one I saw go by wasn’t a sleep train and was disgusting. When we got on ours though it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Although the restroom left a LOT to be desired. It’s weird the things you begin to value after living overseas, and restrooms happen to be a BIG one! You couldn’t go while the train was stopped because the waste empties directly onto the tracks.
Emily and I decided to try and eat 7 saltine crackers in 1 minute. This is a very messy challenge. We happened to have the misfortune of shoving them all in our mouth right as our porter came by to bring us fruit. I was laughing so hard that I spewed cracker crumbs all over his face. Emily sprayed them all over the room and my bag. He started laughing at us and when I tried to take my fruit he wouldn’t give it to me saying that he would wait outside the room until we were done.
It’s these experiences… The traveling accommodations, the lack of sleep, the laughing and the stories that continue to knit our group even closer together! I’m going to be in Aswan in a few hours so until then…
Love, Rebecca

Day 3 Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004566&l=967f0&id=1523040053
Train Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004567&l=dfe63&id=1523040053

Day 3: Giza & Cairo remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 2: Alexandria tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=11&entryid=134303 2008-10-23T09:20:14Z 2008-10-23T09:20:14Z Here we are already at Day 2! I LOVE Egypt. Everyone here is SO friendly. As you ride around on the tour bus everyone smiles and waves at you. Of course I take this friendliness with a healthy sense of skepticism. But I’ll give them this…. They are a WHOLE lot nicer than Greek people. We started out our day with a LONG bus ride to the city of Alexandria. Traffic, as always was atrocious. ... Here we are already at Day 2! I LOVE Egypt. Everyone here is SO friendly. As you ride around on the tour bus everyone smiles and waves at you. Of course I take this friendliness with a healthy sense of skepticism. But I’ll give them this…. They are a WHOLE lot nicer than Greek people.
We started out our day with a LONG bus ride to the city of Alexandria. Traffic, as always was atrocious. We toured the city on the bus for a while. We went by the place of some guy and spent some time wading in the Mediterranean Sea.
Our first major site for the day was the Catacombs. This place was pretty sweet. There were a bunch of openings that looked a little like honey-combs where they would put the mummified bodies. Mummification takes a total of 40 days for a commoner and 70 days for a Pharaoh. Christians used this catacomb as a place of refuge to hide. One of the major symbols through out the catacombs was a shell. This was representative of Christ because at the time period this was built Egypt would have been under the control of Pagan Rome. The place was musty and dank! And we couldn’t take pictures.
From there we were off to see the Pillar of Pompeii. I don’t remember a whole lot about this site. I’m sure it was important and I’m sure I’ve learned about it somewhere but my mind is drawing a blank at the moment. There were 2 sphinxes there and I asked Kathleen… Are these mini-sphinx? She looked at me kind-of funny and said, There’s no such thing as mini ones. You’re probably thinking of the Great Sphinx. Then shook her head and laughed. What can I say… I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest tack in the box.
Next we went to see where the foundation of the Light House of Alexandria used to be. There is a castle of some sort there now. WE got some beautiful sunset pictures with the Mediterranean sea crashing in the background. This is one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. So if you ever feel like being a real smart-alek when someone asks you what your favorite wonder of the world is, say… Are you talking about the Ancient 7 Wonders or the Modern Ones, because there’s a big difference.
Our guide Osman, who is really really cool, apparently only remembers a couple of people’s names. Mine happens to be one of them. So he asked me questions and if I answered them right then he paid for ice cream. If I got them wrong then I paid. I got them both right. Yea me! Well he made sure I knew the answers in advance but I guessed really close when we were going over the questions.
See if you know:
1) What is the population of Egypt?
2) What is the population of Alexandria?

Answers:
76 million
5.5 million

I guessed 80 and 5. So I wasn’t that far off. But I wouldn’t want the group to
have the wrong information. So Osman helped me out a little. He came through for us later that evening with some of the most AMAZING ice cream I’ve ever had! It reminded me a little of sweet and condensed milk. This tops even Blue Bell. And that’s saying something right there.
We didn’t actually go here but I did get to take a picture of the modern day Library of Alexandria. It’s built on top of where the Ancient library is believed to have been. I really wish we had gotten to go visit it!
So day 2 has come to a close. We spent a lot of time of the bus so there’s not TOO terribly much to write about. Tomorrow we get to see the PYRAMIDS OF GIZA! Can’t wait. There’s sure to be a medium if not LONG entry. So enjoy!

Love, Rebecca

Day 2 Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004565&l=7483c&id=1523040053

Day 2: Alexandria remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Day 1: Cairo tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=134302 2008-10-23T09:17:05Z 2008-10-23T09:17:05Z I’m in AFRICA! I still can’t believe it. I’m on my 3rd continent for this trip! For the past couple humanities classes we’ve been studying about Ancient Egypt trying to learn a something about what we’re going to be seeing over the next week and a half. Personally I think we do a little studying to justify the traveling. :) But we just keep that thought to ourselves. Then we had our orientation ... I’m in AFRICA! I still can’t believe it. I’m on my 3rd continent for this trip! For the past couple humanities classes we’ve been studying about Ancient Egypt trying to learn a something about what we’re going to be seeing over the next week and a half. Personally I think we do a little studying to justify the traveling. :) But we just keep that thought to ourselves. Then we had our orientation about our trip and by the time it was all done I wanted to run outside, grab a taxi, and head for the airport. FORGET clothes! I was patient however and now I’m here!
Here’s a little background for you. Cairo is the biggest city in Africa, home to about 18 million people. They say that 1 out of every 4 Africans live in Cairo. To put it in perspective it would be like 78 million people living in New York. I’m not entirely sure what all I’m going to get to see while I’m here but I know that the Pyramids are on our list, Luxor, Karnak, Alexandria, a cruise down the Nile, and a camel ride… Just to name a few.
Our flight to Egypt was relatively uneventful but once we got here that’s when the excitement really started to set in. In Greece, it still feels a little like you’re in America. Granted, everyone is speaking Greek, but there is still a fairly American feel to it. When we landed in Egypt and stepped off the plane onto the tarmac I truly felt like I was in another country for the first time. Most of the women wear head coverings and both men and women wear traditional Egyptian clothing (long outfits that resemble dresses.) Needless to say I get stared at A LOT! We get stared at a lot in general because we’re American but with my hair color my head might as well be on fire for all the attention I feel like I’m drawing.
One of the number one rules over here is for the girls NOT to make eye contact. Apparently it’s very suggestive. I’m really having a hard time with that because I want to look at my surroundings but if you so much as glance in a man’s direction they go out of their way to make eye contact with you. When we finally made it through customs (got a really cool passport stamp by the way!) and were making our way out to the bus we had to parade through a large group of Egyptian people, mainly men. and I felt like I was an exhibit in a circus. Egypt is BEAUTIFUL but I definitely feel like a stranger. Once we were on the bus I thought, FINALLY! I’ll be able to look at the people. So I was looking at one of the military men (which are ALL over the place) and he gave me a head nod, flashed me a smile and a huge wink. It was at THIS point I realized that the windows were NOT tinted and why making eye contact might not be such a great idea.
Other cardinal rules over here are: NEVER EVER EVER drink tap water. This also means no vegetables, fruit, juice or anything that might have tap water in it. This is supposed to prevent you from getting sick but from what I’ve heard almost everyone does anyway. From what I’ve seen of Egypt already though, I will take being sick if it means getting to be here and see all of this. For example, on our way to the hotel we say the Great Pyramids poking out along the skyline.
Now I know I’ve talked about the drivers in Athens being bad and I didn’t think it was possible to get much worse… Until I came here! They do not have defensive drivers. They believe whole-heartedly in the saying the best defense is offense. Just about anything goes on the road. Essentially the bigger your vehicle, the more right-of-way. There’s everything from big tour buses, to donkey pulled carts. The dividing lines on the road are more for decoration than anything. We were on what should have been a 3 lane road and there were about 6 lanes of traffic. Only they weren’t really in lines of any sort. It makes driving in Dallas or Houston, under-construction, during rush-hour look like a cakewalk. Here an example… On the way to our hotel some car tried to make a u-turn into on-coming traffic and our bus hit the car. But over here the driver we hit won’t sue. Basically they say hi, bye, have a nice day and don’t get mad at the person who hit them. They believe that God will take care of the damage. So basically God is their insurance policy. I found this HIGHLY amusing. The headlights over here are also pretty sweet. Lots of them are different colors, like blue and red. Sometimes you’ll see a car whose headlights change colors from red to green to blue to purple.
I can’t WAIT to get out and start seeing everything. Some of the boys have a “bet” going on (more of a contest) to which one has the closest guess as to the number of pictures I’m going to take on this trip. The guesses range anywhere from 1500 to over 2000. Don’t worry I don’t think it will be quite that many but on the other hand it might because we’re counting every picture I take, not just the ones I decide to keep. Who knows? I’ll let you know who wins.
Can’t wait to put up pictures and let you know what’s going on in Egypt!
Love you all!
Rebecca
P.S. We don’t get to go anywhere without an armed escort. (He carries an uzzie) So don’t worry. I’m perfectly safe and having the time of my life!!!!! :) Oh, and I think there’s more danger that I come home with an Egyptian man than a Greek man. Egyptian guys are VERY cute! Just kidding. I’m planning on going back to Greece, 100% single. But it sure makes sight-seeing a whole lot more interesting!

PIctures for Day 1 and 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004564&l=68afe&id=1523040053

Day 1: Cairo remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Fun in the Sun tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-23:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=134299 2008-10-23T09:13:53Z 2008-10-23T09:13:53Z Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip to Egypt! I have never had such an amazing experience in my entire life! I have so much to write and have SO many pictures! My computer did come with me on this trip so I have split my blogs into the days of my trip. This should make it a little easier for you to read. If nothing else you can read one a day. I hope ... Hello everyone!
I'm back from my trip to Egypt! I have never had such an amazing experience in my entire life! I have so much to write and have SO many pictures! My computer did come with me on this trip so I have split my blogs into the days of my trip. This should make it a little easier for you to read. If nothing else you can read one a day. I hope that everyone has the chance to visit Egypt someday. It's a life changing experience and one that should definitely not be missed. Hope everyone enjoys!

Love,
Rebecca

Fun in the Sun remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Northern Greece tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-10-08:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=131895 2008-10-09T07:07:43Z 2008-10-08T19:09:39Z It's been a little while since I've written which is due to several things: 1) No one wants to hear about what I've been doing in school. Trust me... It's a little boring! 2) I've been sick (I will tell you about that one) and finally 3) I've been on my trip. First things first... Being sick! If you can avoid it DO NOT GET SICK OVERSEAS! And pray very hard that we never ... It's been a little while since I've written which is due to several things: 1) No one wants to hear about what I've been doing in school. Trust me... It's a little boring! 2) I've been sick (I will tell you about that one) and finally 3) I've been on my trip.

First things first... Being sick! If you can avoid it DO NOT GET SICK OVERSEAS! And pray very hard that we never get socialized medicine in America. When I got back from the cruise, I and several other people had nasty coughs and colds. We attributed it to the amount of smoke we inhaled. I do NOT understand how this entire country is not dead from lung cancer. EVERYONE smokes! And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Well when everyone got better and I didn't I finally went to the doctor. When I walked into the room I was afraid I was going to leave more sick than when I walked in. Do you know the instruments they use to check in your ears, throat, and all that? Well typically they have plastic sanitary covers but these were metal and definitely did not. After using them the doctor would toss them into a rusted metal bucket. He only spoke a few words of english so everything had to be translated from Greek into English. Turns out I had a nasty case of bronchitis. Well I went on with life as normal and the next day went into Athens. Later that evening while I was singing my bronchi and lungs started to shut down on me and I hyperventilated. They took me to the hospital where at first they told me that I wasn't sick at all. Finally they decide that OH YEAH I really was sick with bronchitis and to top it off I have RAD (Reactive Airway Disease). Essentially it is sickness induced asthma which shuts down your breathing tubes when exposed to too much smoke, smog, etc. Of course the funniest part was that my doctor looked like a plumber and took about 8 smoke breaks while he was examining me. They gave me a relaxant with a sedative which made me a little loopy. Apparently I have an underlying fascination with humpty dumpty and duck tape when on medication-- This is a re-occurring theme.

Alright so I just finished up from trip to Northern Greece. We were gone from Thursday until late Sunday evening. Thursday we left early in the morning and headed towards Delphi. When we left it was warm with lots of sunshine. By the time we got to Delphi it was freezing cold and pouring rain. This location was the site of the Delphic oracle, considered the most important oracle in the Greek Classical world and was a major worship site for the god Apollo. The oracle was always a woman who only worked about 9 days out of the year. She sat over an area where gases seeped from the earth, most likely making her high, allowing her to give those "fantastic" predictions. Unlike the other tour groups who headed back to their buses when it started to rain, the stupid intrepid americans pressed ever onward. From there we headed towards the museum to look at lots of ancient statues and rocks. It was kind-of interesting but I was wet and slightly disgruntled.

That night we stayed at a spa hotel. The road out there was something a tour bus should never have been on. It was a dirt country road with sheep on the side of the road. Once we finally got there and made our way down to the room we all made a bee-line for the thermal mineral water. We looked really cute decked out in our shower caps they insisted we wear. It felt amazing! There were bubbly areas, waterfalls, and high powered jets. I think I'm getting really spoiled with these multi-course dinners. Mom, you have a lot to live up to when I get back. Here's the link for the pictures of Day 1.

Delphi and Museum: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004446&l=e098d&id=1523040053

I finally fell asleep at 1 am and had a 6:30 wake-up call. I have never been a big fan of coffee but since coming to Greece I have become a coffee-addict. It's all that holds me over on these trips. We got on the bus that morning and our tour guide tells us: "We've never stayed here before so we asked the people here if there was a short-cut through the mountains. So we are going to have an adventure together." The fog was so thick you couldn't see anything outside the windows. A couple hours later we came to a split in the road and Katerina, our guide said, "Well we are a little lost so let's take a vote which way we should go. Left or right?" We finally arrived at the monastery, ONLY 2 hours late. We were supposed to see two but settled for the one with the least steps. As soon as we stepped off the bus it began to pour AGAIN! One of the requirements to enter the monastery was to wear a skirt. I was fuming under my breath all the way up at the people who decided THAT was a good idea. As is evident by the pictures I got throughly soaked. The inside of the monasteries don't really interest me that much but the outsides make for awesome pictures. While we were there I felt like I had been transported to an alternate reality. There are not enough words to describe how beautiful this place was. The pictures don't do it justice. Standing on the balcony of the monastery I felt an inner sense of peace sweep over me. The hills were covered in lush green, water trickling down the mountains forming waterfalls crashing down towards the earth. The fog gave the place a mystical aura, nestling in around us, shielding us from the world. Honestly I could move there and be happy for the rest of my life. Back on the bus again... My theme song for this trip became on the road again. Our last stop for the day was at the modern day alter to Paul. I didn't enjoy this, thought it was a little pointless but there are still pictures of it. It's all part of documenting my journey.

Meteora (Monastery) and Paul's Alter: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004447&l=180ef&id=1523040053

So what are we to... Second evening? That means I would have been staying at a 5 star hotel. The outside was very impressive but I still couldn't flush the toilet paper so I think I'm ranking Holiday Inn above them. We have a different idea about how to rank hotels in the states than they do over here. But seriously it was really nice. More multi-course meals and AMAZING pillows :) You come to value the small things in life and good pillows are one of them.

Click on this album to see pictures of me in both the hotels:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004454&l=e98b5&id=1523040053

Our third full day was probably the longest. For the first time it was actually sunny though! Our first stop was at the river which is believed to be the spot where Paul met Lydia and she was baptized. A monument has been built with a small "amphitheater" down by the river. Up from the river is a church which is a church dedicated solely to baptism. Our guide said that she believes it is the only church solely dedicated for that purpose in the world. As we were finishing our tour they were preparing to baptize a baby girl. The river was one of my favorite spots. It was beautiful and I got lots of pretty pictures. From there we headed to the ruins of Philippi. The only way to accurately describe the archeological site is LOTS AND LOTS of rocks. It was interesting but my favorite site thus far has definitely been Ephesus. After a while it all begins to look the same. A few notable points however were the baptistry shaped like a cross and the floor with all the elaborate designs that's still miraculously intact.

River and Philippi: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004448&l=a0f89&id=1523040053

From there we got back on the bus AGAIN... (Is anyone sensing a pattern here?) and started making our way towards Thessaloniki. I had always thought it was pronounced nika, but any disillusions I had were quickly corrected by the native Greeks. Of course no trip to Greece would be complete without a stop to take pictures on the Egnation Way. What was unique about walking on the remnants of this road was that we know Paul walked on it. There's no guessing, no maybes, we know. Now he may not have stood exactly where I did and I know he certainly wasn't posing for pictures but there is a special feeling knowing you are "walking in the footsteps of Paul." Since being here, hiking the terrain, walking the roads the ancients walked, and being hauled all over creation I have gained an ENORMOUS amount of respect for the determination and perseverance it took to spread the gospel to all the known world. Before I was like, that's cool. I didn't have an understanding of just how HUGE an undertaking that really was. For some reason I always thought of Jerusalem and Rome being next door to each other which they are most definitely NOT! Even by modern transportation it takes forever to get anywhere! We wrapped up the day with stopping in Thessaloniki to take pictures and relax a little down by the wharves.

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004449&l=a2128&id=1523040053

Next morning, Sunday, up early again. We got back on the bus and started in on our city tour of Thessaloniki. Major highlights of the tour were seeing the White Tower, a Greek Orthodox Church, and the Statue of Alexander the Great. The White Tower was former known as the bloody tower because so many people were killed there. It's name was changed when a prisoner was forced to white-wash the entire thing. I would NOT want that job. We stopped at the Orthodox Church because it has been built on the site where an ancient synagogue used to be. Historians and archeologists believe that Paul probably worshipped at it. Finally was the statue of Alexander. I have decided that it would be amazing to be called Rebecca the Great. So I made sure I took a picture with the statue and tagged myself as Rebecca the Great. While there I also managed to get a few pictures in of Mount Olympus. Unfortunatly we can't hike it otherwise I think most of us would.
We settled in for the next 10 hours, as we made our way back "home" from Macedonia. You better have REALLY liked who you were sitting next to. Luckily for me I did not have a seat-mate. Although, my entire body still hurts from sleeping in really awkward positions. That bus ride was longer than my trip from Detroit over to Europe. Our final stop for this trip was at Thermopylae Pass.... Can anyone say 300 Spartans? I think it was more of a stop for the guys but it was interesting just the same. Actually as I'm writing this I'm watching 300. It's pretty sweet to be watching the movie and go... HEY I've been THERE!

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004452&l=4bafb&id=1523040053

Let's see... Here are some other misc. things from the trip you might find a little amusing. As I've said numerous times... The drivers over here are HORRIBLE! Except for the bus drivers. As the guys on my trip would say-- They're PRO! Pretty much I would put them up against any driver in the states. They take us places in a tour bus that I would never want to take a car... Mountain roads in the fog, down streets that should be one way but are accommodating 2 cars, etc. They make turns that look impossible!

Last thing and then I think I'll finally get this published. I've been working on it for the past 3 days. This one just hasn't come together as easily as some of the others have. When I get back home the first thing I will do is go use a toilet, regardless of whether I need to use one or not. Everyone you go into flushes a different way, most don't have toilet seats, and some there is no toilet at all. These are called squatty potties. Essentially you squat down and pee in a hole in the ground. I have discovered I have a "shy" bladder and there are just some conditions that it refuses to go in. Luckily at the majority of the rest stops the restrooms were really nice. The only problem was that we weren't the only bus having to use the restroom. Greek women would get off and shove to the front of the line. They get up really close to you and the second a stall door opens elbows start flying and it's a knock-down-drag-out to see who will beat the other one out. We were getting increasingly aggravated when our professors wife, Tish (who is one of the most AMAZING people I know), tells us to try and block them out, saying, "Stand strong girls!" Moments later one of our girls came out of the bathroom and said there's no toilet paper in here. So Tish promptly motions to one of the Greek women and tells them to use that one. She then proceeds to send several more into it and tells the rest of our girls to do the same. Who knew going to the restroom could get so down right dirty and turn into an all out war.

I do have a interesting story about how I spent my recovery day on Monday but that is for another blog and for when I have a little more time. In the meantime here is one more album, my flower album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004453&l=05b14&id=1523040053
The flowers over here are SO beautiful I've decided just to create an album dedicated to them. I'll re-post this link at different points when I've added more pictures to the album. I leave for Egypt on Tuesday so look forward to hearing about my impressions and seeing LOTS of pictures. I'm pretty sure I get to ride a camel and I'm SO excited! Hopefully there will be one more blog entry before I leave... We shall see. While I'm not actually in school a whole lot the time I am is very intense.

I miss everyone and pray God's blessings on you.

Love, Rebecca

Northern Greece remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> My First Cruise! tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-22:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=6&entryid=130084 2008-09-22T19:36:36Z 2008-09-22T19:36:36Z HELLO EVERYONE! WARNING: Make sure you have some time before you sit down to read this! I’m back! I KNOW you’ve missed hearing from me. I have a lot to say. At least I think I do. If I can remember it all, that is. But first I have a few random things to catch you up on before I regale you with my Mediterranean Island adventures. Let’s see: 1) The thing I will ... HELLO EVERYONE!

WARNING: Make sure you have some time before you sit down to read this!

I’m back! I KNOW you’ve missed hearing from me. I have a lot to say. At least I think I do. If I can remember it all, that is. But first I have a few random things to catch you up on before I regale you with my Mediterranean Island adventures.

Let’s see: 1) The thing I will be most excited about when I get home will being able to flush toilet paper! The plumbing system over here is a little less than desirable. 2) I have issues. Well we’ve know that for years but I have new issues now. :) Electrical issues. I have managed to blow out 2 converters and right before I left for my cruise I exploded my blow-dryer. There was an element that was a little iffy but I wasn’t too worried until I smelled smoke, looked inside it and it was blazing red. Then it started to spark and spit flames and went out in a blaze of glory! 3) I have been learning how to speak greek which is pretty cool. It’s really neat being able to greet the people you meet in their native language. So if you are reading this in the morning Kalimera; in the evening Kalispera. That’s good morning and good evening. And hello is Ya Su. Of course those aren’t the greek letters but I have a hard enough time trying to figure out what words mean in when they’re written in English.

So… THE CRUISE! This was my first cruise ever. I had to get up at 5:45 to leave. We get up early A LOT here! Something I wasn’t bargaining on but I am becoming a big fan of coffee. We got to the ship and went through customs. There were 4 of us in a VERY tiny room. When they said they would send a wake-up call at 6 and we needed to be in the lounge by 7 we looked at each other and laughed. It’s a REAL good thing our ship didn’t go down like the Titanic because even though I went to lifeboat orientation I still have no clue how to get it on without help. There was a pretty snazzy whistle on it though.

Here are pictures from the start of the cruise and getting settled in:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004367&l=c4ea9&id=1523040053

That evening we landed at our first island, Mykonos. I think this was my favorite island! It was BEAUTIFUL! We wandered around the side streets, window shopping, making our way up to the famous windmills. Another famous thing about the island is the pelican called petros. He has a family and some of them are just plain MEAN! I saw one try to bite a man’s head off. Of course it wasn’t helping that the man was trying to have someone take a picture of it. The other major site at Mykonos was Little Venice. You can see a picture of it in my album. We got back to the ship and I got my first tastes of being waited on hand and foot! I LOVED it! I came back to my room, my clothes were folded, everything was picked up, and my bed was turned down. It was VERY hard to come back to civilization!

Mykonos Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004368&l=ce857&id=1523040053

Kathleen and I went to the floorshow and had a good time drooling over the photographer. Finally I went back to my room and started bonding with my cruise roommates. We mixed it up a little so we could get to know each other better. At first I was a little hesitant but now I think it was the best thing we could have done. I’ve grown to love Diane, Erica, and Sarah as much as the people I knew coming into the trip. 5:30 am, our wake-up call came and we disembarked into… TURKEY! So far on my trip I have been on 2 continents: Europe and Asia. We stopped at Ephesus. The preservation at the site was AMAZING! I was in awe that I was walking in places we know Paul was, where the letter of Ephesians was written to. The two highlights of that trip for me were: 1) The Library of Ephesus—3rd largest library in the world and 2) the ancient baptistery from the 6th-7th century. The detail in the architecture and the scale was astounding! We stopped by the amphitheater and sang together. I know 1st century Christians probably wouldn’t have been singing in the amphitheater but it was moving all the same. I can imagine Paul speaking out to the masses, preaching the love and truth of God to the world. What I marvel at is how I read through the books of the bible and picture these people skipping from one place to another. Even on our ship the journey seemed endless and I was traveling in “style” or at least comfortably. We had a little bit of time to go shopping in Turkey where I got some BEAUTIFUL hand-made ceramics! Merry Christmas MOM! The vendors there are VERY pushy. You walk down the street and they yell: Verdy Verdy good! Good price! And everyone is a Texas Lady, even if you aren’t from Texas. Cracks me up! :)

Turkey—Ephesus Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004369&l=64f27&id=1523040053

Our second stop for the day was at the island of Patmos. On the boat ride to the island the song, Ivory Palaces popped into my head… John saw it descending from heaven, when exile in Patmos he trod. Personally I think John had it pretty good being on that island. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We went to visit the cave where John supposedly received his Revelation. It has now been turned into a church. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures. Legend has it that when God spoke to John, giving him the book of Revelation the ceiling cracked into 3 sections representing the Trinity. The priests allowed us to sing in the cave and it was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had singing. I know there’s no place that makes you closer to God than another but at that moment surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ I felt the love of Christ flowing through all of us and surrounding us. From there we marched our way up to the Monastery. It was amazing! They have one of the oldest copies of Mark on display and numerous other manuscripts of the bible. I wanted to ring the bells REALLY bad but I restrained myself.

Patmos Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004370&l=0e0c3&id=1523040053

So second night… This was GREEK NIGHT! Everyone wore some form of blue and white. We got really fond of yelling OPA! I think we drove everyone on that boat insane. We all went to the show after dinner and watched the dances of Greece. One of my favorite things about Greece is their passion for life. Their vitality flows through their music! This night was especially a fun night because there was a STORM! I have a bad since of balance to begin with and the boat rocking was not helping any. There were a bunch of us sitting in the Disco lounge on bar stools and I was laughing especially hard and went off backwards into the floor. The second time around I fell forward on an especially big wave and took a couple people with me. So this time there was someone on top of me and I was tangled up in the stools. The bar tenders cut me off the drinks I was NOT drinking. I now know what it must feel like to be drunk and all I have to say is—It’s a good thing I don’t!

Next morning… ANOTHER early morning and I wanted to kill the phone when it rang! We went to the island of Crete to see the Archeological remains of Konosko. This is where the minotar legend came from and the first civilization of Greece, the Minoans, originated. It was raining and it was slightly miserable. Crete was a little disappointing and I think my least favorite place. I had seen lots of pictures in the text book of the original ruins and when we got there they had rebuilt large portions of it and it didn’t feel as “authentic.”

Crete Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004373&l=4748a&id=1523040053

The second half of the day was spent in the beautiful island of santorini. The town is position on top of the island. There are 3 forms of transportation that will get you to the top: 1) Cable Car 2) Walk 600 STEEP steps up to the top or 3) Ride a donkey! I’ll give you 3 guesses which one I picked. First 2 don’t count. If you’ve already looked at the pictures you aren’t allowed to guess! Alright do you have your answer? Obviously it’s not the steps. I RODE a donkey! On a greek island! It was SO exciting! But me being the dumb blonde I am wore a dress. I really wanted to ride side saddle but they wouldn’t let me. Two thoughts went through my head on the way up other than don’t flash anyone and don’t fall off! 1) This give new meaning to stubborn as a mule and I thought of Baalam and the donkey every time mine stopped and wouldn’t go again. I think mine was in love with Kathleen’s donkey because it did the EXACT same thing hers did and slammed me up against hers all the way up! They are messy, stinky animals! So we FINALLY get to the top and realize that all the blue roofs we’ve seen so many pictures of are on another part of the island we don’t have time to go see! But there is 1 blue dome. We hiked ALL OVER that island trying to get a picture of it. I finally bought myself something on this excursion. Matching necklace and earrings made from pumice from the active volcano on the island and a beautiful black and gold greek dress. You can see pictures of it in the Formal Night album. It was a little see-through so I wore a tank-top and leggings. Mom—Job for you when I get home: I need a liner sewn into it. I don’t know how many of you have seen sisterhood of the traveling pants but one of the girls goes to Greece and finds a cute boy named Kostos. So we’ve all been looking for our own Kostos. We found a couple and took pictures of them :) I posted one of them. They knew I was taking the picture but what made it really funny was that they started following us. Some of guys got greek shirts and I have to say they were looking pretty good1

Santorini Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004374&l=989ac&id=1523040053

Last night on the cruise was Captain’s Night or formal night. We all dressed up and everyone looked fantastic. I got a little brave and wore my Greek dress. We had a mini-photo shoot around the boat. Out of at least 50 pictures we took I think I kept about 4 of them. Lol That night we didn’t have a curfew and we all got together in the “theater” on the boat and sang. This is what I love SO much about this group and Harding that we’re college students without a curfew and instead of going crazy we gather together to encourage each other and praise God!

Formal Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004375&l=a1b6d&id=1523040053

So now I’m back “home”! Feels weird to call a hotel in Athens, Greece home but after all the moving around I’ve done in the past year I have become a firm believer in home is where your stuff is! I have uploaded who knows how many hundreds of photos so you better enjoy them! What I really wish now more than anything is that I could “get off the boat!” The room keeps rocking. I went to take a nap today and had to resort to the hammock so I could get to sleep. Well I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things but I think I remembered all the highlights. If I think of something later I’ll be sure to let you know!

You all get brownie points if you read the whole thing!

I love all of you and pray that God watches over you and blesses you!

Love, Rebecca

My First Cruise! remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Athens Tour tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-15:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=5&entryid=128822 2008-09-15T10:07:44Z 2008-09-15T10:07:44Z I have officially seen ALL of Athens. I mean quite literally. OK... Maybe not quite all but it sure felt like it. We had to be on the bus at 8 that morning which was a bit of a struggle having only gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before. I woke up at 2 and couldn't go back to sleep till about 5. Anyway we picked up our tour guide and the first thing ... I have officially seen ALL of Athens. I mean quite literally. OK... Maybe not quite all but it sure felt like it. We had to be on the bus at 8 that morning which was a bit of a struggle having only gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before. I woke up at 2 and couldn't go back to sleep till about 5.

Anyway we picked up our tour guide and the first thing out of the guy's mouth's was... She's HOT! Is she married. Unfortunately for them she was. But they all paid very good attention through out the day. We started out at the Olympic Stadium which was built back in 1896 to host the first modern Olympic Games. It was built on the exact same location as the Ancient Stadium. From there we headed to the Acropolis. Saw the Parthenon and NUMEROUS other temples. I think I'm beginning to understand what they said when we would get VERY sick of temples by the end of the semester. The Parthenon was AMAZING! I've seen pictures and read about it all my life but to see it in person was... words fail me. Which is a rare occasion! Then we went to Mars Hill which was pretty cool. It's amazing to think that we were sitting where Paul and others from the bible sat, walked, and lived.

FINALLY... I think it was about 1 or 2 we got to head out for lunch. As we walked through the bustling streets of Athens for the first time I really felt like I wasn't a tourist, more a part of their culture. There are shops everywhere and vendors with items laid out on sheets. As soon as the police come around they yank up their wares and make a run for it. I felt a little sorry for our waiter because every time he turned around we needed more water. It was incredibly hot, muggy, humid and all around slightly miserable. Usually the breeze helps to keep things cool but there wasn't one of course! Yes mom I wore sunscreen. No sunburn :)

From there we walked some more to see the Roman Agora, then to see the Ancient Agora, a couple other temples, and finally the Agora Museum. By this time I think we were all about ready to fall over. Not only were our feet hurting but our hands were hurting too because we had to take notes over everything. We have these journals which we call our MoleSkines in which we write notes about everything we go to see-- Justifying the education value of it I guess :) and then write Journal entries about the place. We were given free time and told to meet back at the Starbucks. I think we all just stayed there. Ryan Anne-- You wouldn't do well over here with your coffee addiction. Mine was about 8 US dollars. But I forked it over anyway because this was an EMERGENCY. We all went to church together. The services are offered in 4 different languages, starting at the beginning of the day. English is the last and almost identical to our services back at home. I may go to a greek one for fun sometime. We ended the evening with lots of laughs and more good memories. It's amazing to watch how close everyone has grown over the past couple days.

Unless something really interesting happens or I post another album of pictures I probably won't write again until I get back from my cruise this weekend. We will be going to Turkey, Cyprus, and a bunch other islands.

Here's the link for the pictures from my Athens Tour yesterday. There are 2 albums. Enjoy :)
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004314&l=ab0b3&id=1523040053

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004315&l=6460e&id=1523040053

God Bless!

Love, Rebecca

Athens Tour remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> 1st Outing tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-13:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=4&entryid=128570 2008-09-13T19:47:56Z 2008-09-13T19:47:56Z Well I've been here for 3 days and I'm growing more in love with this place everyday. It will be hard to come home. I guess I'll have to managesomehow :) Yesterday we lounged around, relaxing, catching up on some much needed rest. I went swimming in the Aegean Sea which was AMAZING! How many people can say they've done that? Show of hands? Just kidding. A whole bunch of us ... Well I've been here for 3 days and I'm growing more in love with this place everyday. It will be hard to come home. I guess I'll have to managesomehow :)

Yesterday we lounged around, relaxing, catching up on some much needed rest. I went swimming in the Aegean Sea which was AMAZING! How many people can say they've done that? Show of hands? Just kidding. A whole bunch of us walked down to the peninsula and jumped in off the rocks. I'm not the strongest swimmer in the world but the water is so salty that it's hard to sink. You can just sit there and bob along in the water. Floating on your back was NEVER easier!

Quick story about my shower... It's AWFUL! There's a bath tub and the shower head is on a hose and should be attached to the wall but it's come off. I'm trying to take a shower my first night here and get covered in plaster. I can't fix it so I have to hold this tiny shower head in one hand and wash my hair with the other. In the mean time I might as well have a water hose. I think it would have better water pressure. Where the shower head is supposed to attach is a little messed up so some water comes out in the right place but the rest sprays out all over the place and soaks everything. So yeah... GREAT experience. Oh and PS... Be VERY glad for the plumbing in the US. We cannot put our toilet paper in the toilets over here because it will back EVERYTHING up. Good times! :) Lol

It's a unique feeling living with 40 people and seeing them all the time. I've loved every minute of it so far. It reminds me in some ways how it must have been to live at Hogwarts. Being on a small campus you still see lots of people but it's a completely different feeling here.

Today we started class. Yes I KNOW... on SATURDAY! Haha. But since we actually only go to formal class for 36 days we have to grab a day whenever we can. But before you get TOO jealous I have a TON of reading to do in a very short amount of time. Luckily we take all of our tests before we travel anywhere.

We went to see the Temple of Poseidon today. My mother is very concerned that she sent me to a christian school to go see pagan temples. :) It was amazing! We think of these people as backwards sometimes or at least not being as intelligent as us and here they have constructed these structures that have been standing longer than our country has been in existence. I was really hoping for some better sunset pictures but the fog was so thick that it made taking pictures a little difficult. The Athenians used to go to the temple of Poseidon before they set out to sea to ask for protection. Very close by you could see the remains of a temple to Athena. We also heard the story about how the Aegean Sea got it's name. The Athenians used to have to send 6 girls and 6 boys to the Island of Crete to feed the Minotaur. So King Aegean's son said he would go and kill the Minotaur. The king said he would let him go on 1 condition. If it was good news change the sails to white, if bad keep them as black. The son killed the minotaur but forgot to change the sails so the King jumped from the temple into the sea, killing himself. I know, GREAT story!

On the way back we were on a real small windy road and our tour bus went head to head with another. It took us forever to navigate around the other bus and cars and get down... Good times. At least there was no wreck and no one got hurt but all we can see is the tour bus going over the mountain.

So go check out my pictures!
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004292&l=c67ea&id=1523040053

Enjoy!

I'm going on a 3 day cruise next weekend! I'm sure I'll have pictures and more to write before then but def. be on the watch out for more after next Sunday! :)

Love, Rebecca

1st Outing remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Finally in Greece tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-11:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=3&entryid=128219 2008-09-11T18:14:20Z 2008-09-11T18:14:20Z I'm FINALLY HERE! And I never want to fly again. Well at least for a little while. I have been up over 30 hours and gotten maybe about 3 hours of sleep during this time. As soon as I finish this I'm going to go take a shower and go to BED! I don't think a word has ever sounded so sweet. So here's what's been going on. Sat by really interesting people on all ... I'm FINALLY HERE! And I never want to fly again. Well at least for a little while. I have been up over 30 hours and gotten maybe about 3 hours of sleep during this time. As soon as I finish this I'm going to go take a shower and go to BED! I don't think a word has ever sounded so sweet.

So here's what's been going on. Sat by really interesting people on all of my flights. First flight I sat by the guy who owns the Real-Estate Company Keller Williams. Second flight I sat next to a guy from Denmark and on the final flight I sat next to a guy from Norway. All very nice.

Detroit has a really cool airport with an awesome tunnel between concourses. The walls are made out of panels that change colors in time to music. Hope no one who needs to go through it has epilepsy.

I got my first stamp in my passport in Amsterdam! VERY COOL! We finally reached Athens around 1:45, spent a long time trying to get our luggage. It took about 20-30 minutes to reach our hotel and as if we weren't tired enough they have all our room assignments posted in Greek! I got to ride the elevator up to my floor which is a good thing because it's 3 floors up. NOTE: The elevator door does not open automatically like it does in the US. So I rode it up and back down again and had to ask how you get it to open. I was looking for a button and they were all labeled in Greek. Ahhh! The hotel rooms are nice but it's the first floor common area and the outside that are absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Click on my picture link to see some pictures of the hotel.

Our cook made an amazing dinner, giving us the chance to sample some traditional Greek dishes. We had something that is very similar to hamburgers only the center is stuffed with cheese. Then we took a mini-walking tour of Porto Rafti. We went down to the harbor which is said to be one of the most beautiful harbors in all of Greece. I have learned 2 things since I have been in Greece: 1) Pedestrians have NO right of way and at most intersections there are no stop-signs, lights or anything so it's everyone for themselves. 2) There are stray dogs everywhere! They like to bark at all the cars and I'm surprised they aren't lying hit on the side of the road.

Alright... Here is the link to my pictures. I'll have captions explaining what they are as soon as possible but for tonight I can't even see straight.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004280&l=529a1&id=1523040053

NO Mom I didn't proof read this. Sorry!

-- Rebecca

Finally in Greece remains copyright of the author beccalynn, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> The Beginning tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-09-09:/blog/?domain=beccalynn&thisblog_entryid=1&entryid=127145 2008-09-09T23:03:55Z 2008-09-09T23:00:41Z Note: I took care of signing everyone up who had expressed an interest in getting my blog. I finally found a blog that wasn't going to make you sign up for your own to read mine so yeah for that! Hope everyone enjoys reading my blog while I'm over in Greece! I woke up this morning and my first thought was... OH MY GOODNESS! I'm leaving the country! TOMORROW! Needless to say this has been ... Note: I took care of signing everyone up who had expressed an interest in getting my blog. I finally found a blog that wasn't going to make you sign up for your own to read mine so yeah for that! Hope everyone enjoys reading my blog while I'm over in Greece!

I woke up this morning and my first thought was... OH MY GOODNESS! I'm leaving the country! TOMORROW!
Needless to say this has been an interesting week. Between my superior avoidance skills in packing and being a case of nerves my mother may be glad to get me out of the house. As she's fond of saying, anything she says at this point is wrong. I think at one point I even said that I didn't want to go. Pure nerves. So nobody volunteer for my spot! Not going to happen!

I will leave my house at around 5 a.m. Yes that does say a.m. For those of you who have been around me early in the morning or had the misfortune to wake me up from a nap you will understand why this is such a big deal. For the rest of you... Let's just leave it at: I like my sleep. My flight from Austin leaves at 8:30. I'll get to Detroit sometime around noon. I leave for the next leg of my journey around 5:30 and arrive in Amsterdam 8 hours later. Then we leave for Greece and finally arrive in Athens at 1:45 pm Thursday.

Here a map of my "flight plan":

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

My address overseas incase anyone needs it is:
Rebecca Miller
Harding University
37 Klm Leof. Porto Rafti
P.O. Box 268 Markopoulo
19003 Attiki
Greece

MAKE SURE to put enough postage to send it by airmail otherwise it goes by boat and who knows when or if I'll get it!
Hopefully I'll have pictures up and be writing about my adventures in Greece by the end of the week. Keep me in your prayers and thanks for taking the time to keep up me. :)

Love, Rebecca

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