Return of the Blog Tag

My sister Pamela has tagged me again. Here are the rules:

1. Go to your Pictures file
2. Click on your 6th folder
3. Select your 6th pic
4. Optional: I added this one ;0) Include 5 more pics from this folder to present 6 pics total
5. Explain the 6 elements of a good story - When, Where, Why, What, Who & How
6. Have fun & blog tag someone

Ancient Ruins of Pompeii













When I was living in Naples, Italy from 2004-2006, I lived 30 minutes from the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Hence, many trips found me headed towards Mount Vesuvius where Pompeii was located at the base of the volcano. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and for 2 days Pompeii and all the neighboring towns on the volcano were victim to flowing lava that killed thousands of people in its wake. At the height of its time, Pompeii was a leading Roman town renown for its beauty, art, culture, and politics - and home to approximately 20,000 citizens. Ironically, Mount Vesuvius erupted the day after the celebration of Vulcanalia, the Roman God of Fire.

Now, it's your turn! Tag you're it!

Savoring My Sequoia Experience

Last night, I had dinner with friends at a swanky new eatz on the Nile in Zamalek called "Sequoia". Zamalek is Cairo's "Little United Nations"; a barrier island right off the mainland bustling with energy, and home to an international populace. Embassies located there are as follows: Burma, China, Sweden, Bahrain, India, Netherlands, Libya, Korea, Romania, Chile, Vatican, Argentina, Zaire, Paraguay, Denmark, Morocco, Panama, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Albania, Hungary, Liberia, Bangladesh, Norway, Poland, Croatia, Ireland, Finland, Venezuela, Armenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Guinea, Bulgaria, and Uruguay.

The restaurant was positioned on an expansive stony pier that overlooked the Nile. Seating was outside under a big white tent, with layers of chiffon-like material draped from the center that made the spacious room intimate and small. The sides were open, and the twinkling lights of the mainland shimmered with the lapping waters of the Nile. Towering outdoor heaters were strategically placed to counter gentle breezes. Cushioned seats draped with white linen accompanied low intimate tables, and contrasted with plants and potted palm trees throughout. Soft lighting emitted from box lanterned floor lamps and votive candles at each table, which gave the room a warm amber glow. Hypnotic Middle Eastern music played over the din of restaurant noises and low dinner conversations, thus deploying an overall exotic ambiance.

We started with an assortment of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern appetizers: Taamia, Moussaka with Feta Cheese, Taboula, Babaghanoug, Yogurt, and Hummus....

.... washed down with Egyptian beer. I ordered "Sakara", a light Egyptian Lager. (Note: Alcohol is rarely offered on the menu in Egypt because Muslims don't drink. Sequoia, however, pandered to its international populace.) For my main meal, I ordered "seafood paella". (Spanish rice dish loaded with fish, shrimp, and calamari). I couldn't resist eating something from my Spanish past. It was sooo good!

While we were waiting for our meals, we had a server come round offering us a choice of tobacco or herbal fruits to smoke in our "Shisha".

Meg and I were the only ones that opted to smoke Shisha. She chose apple and I selected apricot. Each grounded fruit is placed in a small clay cup thinly foiled and placed at the top of the Shisha. Then, small pieces of charcoal are layered on top of the foil and then covered with a metallic funneled top.

Meg puffed like an expert....

....and I hesitantly followed suit. I have to admit I felt like I was partaking in something illegal, but I assure you everything was above board. I have my urinalysis results to prove it. LoL. Smoking apricot was not too bad for my first Shisha experience. It had a delightful aftertaste.

I wish my pics had truly captured Sequoia's ambiance. My camera, unfortunately, did NOT give the lighting and scope of the room's intimacy justice. Plus, I somehow got my lens wet, because water rings started appearing in my pics. Ugh!

Overall, dinner was delightful and it definitely left an indelible impression. We left satiated and with a round of "Ma Salama" (Good-bye's), as we walked out the breezeway.

Luxor Temple at Twilight

The last tour on the East Bank was the Luxor Temple, positioned along the Nile four blocks from the Karnak Temple. We arrived there right before sunset, and were able to see the colors of twilight deepening with the dusk. The Luxor Temple was known in the New Kingdom period as "Ipt-Ryst", which meant "Southern Shrine". Built by kings of the 12th dynasty, it was used for fertility ceremonies during the Opet Festival to the Sun God, Amun-Re. Outside an avenue of sphinx's lined up in parallel fashion from the temple's entrance to the distant Temple of Karnak. Ramses II had six colossal statues built by the entrance, 4 standing and 2 sitting, but only the latter 2 have survived the ravages of time. Also at the entrance were 2 obelisks, but one of them was transferred to Paris in 1835, where it now stands in the center of the Place de la Concorde. It was given to the city of Paris as a gift to King Philip Louis of France by Mohamed Ali (who ruled Egypt 1805-1850), after he was given a clock from the French, which incidentally never worked properly. Seeing the obelisk at the Luxor Temple gives greater meaning to my visit in Paris a couple year's back, when I gazed upon its twin.

I was privileged to see the colors of twilight fuse with the deepening shadows of night. The last couple of shots were oh so byoo-teee-full.... and gave the pics a wistful feel. As night fell, we hurried back to the Karnak Temple to catch the "Sound and Light Show", thus ending our ancient ruins tour and wonderful week-end in the city of Luxor.

The Magnificent Temple of Karnak

The first tour on the East Bank of Luxor was the Temple of Karnak. It is the largest ancient religious site in the world built by man, and the second most visited historical site in Egypt; second only to the Giza Pyramids in Cairo. It consists of three main parts, of which the largest, the Temple of Amun-Re (Sun God), is only open to tourists. The Karnak differs from the other ancient sites in Egypt by the length of time it took for it to be developed and built. Construction began in the 16th century B.C. (Middle Kingdom) and then spanned over the next 1300 years. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size and complexity not seen anywhere else. It had 134 columns arranged in various rows throughout. Incidentally, 60 columns still remain standing today, and range between 70 to 82 ft tall. Thousands of hieroglyphics cover the sandstone columns and surrounding walls of the complex. The Karnak Temple is the culmination of four main temples, several small enclosed temples, and a number of outer temples occupying 247 acres. The temples of Mut, Monto, and Amenhotep IV (the latter lies dismantled) are enclosed by an enormous sandstone brick wall. The main temple of Amun-Re, the only one open to the public, sits in the center of the complex and encompasses 60 acres. Karnak is the modern day name of the complex site, but in ancient times it was called "Ipet-isut - the most sacred of places". Queen Hatshepsut contributed four obelisks to the complex, but only two remain standing today. That evening we returned to the Karnak Temple for the "Sound and Light Show", which consisted of an hour long narrated program that utilized colored floodlights for dramatic effect. The lights lit up areas of the temple that correlated with historical events of the narration. The beauty of the sandstone, brilliantly lit against the blackness of the night, made for a mesmerizing program. This site was, without a doubt, the most magnificent ruin I've ever visited. It was a humbling and jaw dropping experience. A must see for all ruins-seekers!