ITINERARY FOR AMID THE MIDEAST
EGYPT, TURKEY, LEBANON
EGYPT
1) Life
5000 Years Ago
Arrival in Cairo at the Le Meridien Pyramids,
a visit to the re-enacted Pharaonic Village, the Light and Sound Show at
the Pyramids, belly-dancing, shopping the great Cairo bazaar, ancient wonders from the National Museum,
riding a camel out to the pyramids
2) Floating Back Through Time
On to Luxor and
La Piramisa Isis Hotel, sight-seeing a few of the many wonders-- the
temple of Karnak, and, from a balloon and on foot, the Valley of the
Kings and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
3) Monuments
to Immortal ME!
Taking a cruise ship south along the Nile,
stopping to tour a few temples on the way,
arriving at the Oberoi Hotei in Aswan, seeing the
great Temple of Abu Simbel at dawn,
as Ramses II intended
4) Diving Into The Red Sea
Arriving at the Helnan Marina in one of Egypt's premier resorts, Sharm-el-Sheikh
and deciding where to begin with so many places to dive into the underwater world.
TURKEY
1) Happenings and Heroes Arrival in Istanbul, a day cruise
on the Bosphorus, visits to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, once the largest
church in Christendom, the Koç Museum of historical machines, seeing The Royal Mehter Band march, an excursion to Edirne to watch the Turkish sport of oil wrestling, then back
to Istanbul for a day of palaces before starting off to Galipoli and ancient Troy.
2) Mevlana and Moonscapes To Konya to see the whirling
dervishes, the countryside and the art of weaving rugs, the ruins Çatalhöyük, perhaps
the world's oldest city, the sport of jereed, then a flight to the "fairy chimneys" of
Cappadocia and the ancient cave churches.
3) Black Sea, White Snow To Ankara, its memorial to Ataturk and
its Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, then on to spend a night in a konak in the small
town of Safranbolu, a drive along the Black Sea, then back to Ankara and a flight to
Erzurum and Mount Palandok, a favorite among international skiers.
4) Blue Voyage, Turquoise Coast To Kemer on the Mediterranean
coast, the ancient Hittite city of Perge, the still usable Roman theater of Aspendos, then
embarking on a Blue Voyage, stopping to see a few ancient Lycian ruins en route to
Bodrum, an excursion to the hot springs of Pamukkale, "the Cotton Castle," to camel
wrestling in Mugla, and the beautiful beaches of the Aegean.
LEBANON
1) Seven Lost Citiesl Arrival in Beirut at a hotel on nearby
Jounieh Bay, tour of archaeological digs, started due to war damage that has
revealed beneath Beirut 7 cities, one dating back to Phoenician times, the museum of objects
retrieved. An excursion to the Jaita grottos, partly in boat, partly on foot.
2)Ahoy to History Boating south to the historic cities and their
Phoenician and Roman ruins of Sidon and Tyre, then a flight inland to Beit Et Deene,
once a city of palaces, with one palace now a hotel.
3) Myrna's New Friend Flying north over the orchards, vineyards and green fields of Beqaa Valley with a Lebanese friend to Zahlé, "City of Wine and
Poetry," enjoying mezze at an outdoor restaurant beside the Bardawni River, a drive
over to Baalbeck and the largest Roman temple in the world, and a symphonic concert
amid the ruins.
4) Snow, Surf and Song Traveling through Bcharre, birthplace
of Kahlil Gibran to famous Cedars of Lebanon and the ski slopes, then back to the
coast to sightsee and shop in Tripoli, and back to a beachside hotel at Jounieh Bay
and a modern concert at its elegant casino.
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