Capri

After a morning arrival in Naples, George and I were off again.  A short 45 minute hydrofoil to the Isle of Capri and we were in a little bit of paradise.  A harrowing bus ride up to the top of the mountain (Italian bus drivers!) and we arrived at Anacapri (Above Capri) with narrow winding walking streets with plenty of shops!  After a short bus ride back to the midpoint of Capri town, we stopped for more walking, plenty of great views, great shopping and a wonderful lunch.

This stunning view was from the front of this little hotel off the beaten path (here's the website for future reference www.capri.net/en/c/la-scalinatella).   Several golf carts passed us on the walkway with luggage for those staying overnight.  I was only a little bit jealous!

Soo... We really haven't done any pictures of food on our vacation (though we have eaten like royalty),  George and I shared this amazing Italian cheesecake that our waiter insisted we would like!  It was delicious.  Our restaurant was Villa Verde in Capri just a bit past another hotel called Hotel La Palma. Another fabulous day!

Crete

After all of our travels through Southeast Asia and Egypt, it certainly was nice to be welcomed back to Western Civilization in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete.  We enjoyed a wonderful spring day traveling into the mountains and visiting the Lassithi Plateau.

But first on our journey high in the mountains of Crete, we visited the tiny 14th century Monastery of Panayia Kera which had been the home of the icon of Our Lady of Prompt Succor or Our Lady of Perpetual Help many centuries ago. Unfortunately, the legend goes that when Crete was occupied by the Venetians the icon was brought to Italy via a prosperous merchant who died while trying to have it displayed so all could venerate it.  The icon was placed in the care of the Augustinians in Rome and was rediscovered by Pope Pius IX  who took an interest in it, for he had remembered praying before it as a young boy.

We visited the villages of the plateau and enjoyed a wonderful peasant lunch complete with traditional Greek dancing and Raki or Tsipouro, a home-brewed, clear drink similar to ouzo.

Cairo

Did you know that camels aren't really that common to Egypt?  But you find lots of them at the Pyramids... and so here's the classic picture.  George couldn't resist.  He wanted to take a camel ride but the stories of camel drivers taking advantage of tourists once they were on the camel led him to take a more cautionary approach!

Another classic -- we made it to see the Sphinx!  We were very close -- along with a thousand of our closest friends!  Did you know that the city of Giza is built up to within a half mile of the Sphinx and the Pyramids? In fact there is a KFC with a beautiful view! Thank God, the Sahara dessert is on the other side of these great monuments.

After the Pyramids and the Sphinx (and purchasing some papyrus), we had a wonderful lunch at The Minna House.  A wonderful historic palace famous for the opening ceremonies for the Suez Canal in the 1930s.  A beautiful place with rooms with a view of the Pyramids!

Our evening was spent on a dinner cruise up the Nile.  A beautiful waterfront and gorgeous night, we were entertained by the Whirling Dervish pictured above. He spun around for at least 20 minutes.  Back to the Four Seasons with even more beautiful views of the Nile from our balcony, and a well deserved rest!

Luxor

Can you believe it?  We are here in the Valley of the Kings! George and King Tut!  Everything is bigger and more vast than one can imagine.  

Here at the Temple of Ramesses III the hieroglyphics are everywhere... Each image carved into stone so precisely with vibrant colors so many thousands of years ago. Every cartouche conveys so much meaning.

The Nile River was unbelievably blue and right outside our window at the Steigenberger Hotel -- our balcony looked out on this scene with the Valley of the Kings in the background.

With so many pictures of both the Luxor Temple and Temple of Karnack it was impossible to choose -- so here we are at the entrance to Luxor Temple.  

Taj Mahal

A beautiful morning view of the Taj Mahal -- we were up at 5 and at the gates of the Taj at 6AM!  The weather was beautiful, there were very few people and it was soo peaceful.  

The Taj is so beautifully preserved -- make sure that you click on the pictures to get the details. The floral motifs are inlaid gemstones which sparkle in the sunlight.  Inside the Taj (no pictures allowed), the details are remarkable and lit only from the sunlight as it filters in through the elegantly carved marble screens.  Truly a piece of heaven on earth!

 

The view from our balcony at the Oberoi Amarvillas looked out over the pool and there in the background is the Taj itself.  Out of this world  --- we were so lucky to get to enjoy this beautiful spot for the rest of our morning after that 5 AM wakeup call!

Road to Agra

So here we are on the road to Agra -- the most amazing 4 hours of our trip.  We thought that we would read a book or sleep, but you just couldn't do that -- there was too much happening outside of the window.  Here are a group of Indian women returning from temple.  There must have been 20 of them in the back of this open truck wearing the most beautiful saris. Most of them waved and laughed at us -- we all enjoyed it!

In the meantime, the scene on the other side of the bus was chaotic. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words!... And then there were the camel carts...

Delhi

We arrived in Delhi after a long flight from Cochin.  I had only a few minutes to buy some spices in the airport in Cochin, so these two beautiful girls at the Delhi Oberoi Hotel gave us our first welcome to India.  We had a wonderful dinner here sampling various Indian dishes -- the lamb kabobs were wonderful -- as well as the curry!

Our only stop in Delhi the next morning was Humayun's Tomb -- a beautiful piece of Indian architecture which served as part of the inspiration for the Taj -- just a teaser for our bus trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal. 

Now to face the traffic of Delhi -- It was crazy!  We learned quickly that size and speed are the only factors that count in traveling by car (or bicycle or motorcycle -- or camel).  In most cases, size wins!  Thank God we were on a bus!