NILE BLOG 01

Monday September 24, 2012

Brace yourselves, folks: we’re about to embark on our most ambitious MAD MIDLIFE ADVENTURE yet – and it’s gonna be a BEAUT!

In a couple of days’ time (just two more sleeps) we’ll settle into seats on Singapore Airlines’ big jet and fly to Singapore … so we can catch our breath before the second leg to Athens … where we’ll enjoy an introductory romp around Ancient Greece. We’ll then board the elegant ms Prinsendam for an oo-la-la luxury cruise in the Southern Mediterranean – that will take us to Egypt, Israel, Turkey, the Greek Isles, Croatia and Italy.

Next, we’ll fly back to Egypt where we’ll enjoy our highlight cruise on the legendary River Nile. Then, for some final icing on the cake, we’ll find our way to Jordan.

This unique combination of luxury-at-sea-&-on-river plus discovery-on-shore promises to be simply fantastic! And the list of upcoming HIGHLIGHTS? Well, get an eyeful of these:

  • Athens (Greece) & the Acropolis, crowned by the iconic Parthenon: birthplace of western civilisation
  • Corinth (Greece), Delphi (shrine of the Oracle) & Meteora, with its centuries-old monasteries.
  • Alexandria (Egypt) (founded 331 BC by Alexander the Great): medieval fortress, mummies & museums
  • Ashdod,Israel’s Southern Riviera & largest port, gateway to the 5000-yr-old Holy City: Jerusalem
  • Haifa (Israel) on the slopes of Mt Carmel, near Nazareth (Jesus’ boyhood home), Galilee, Jordan River
  • the fluted minarets, archways, aqueducts & Roman–Ottoman ruins of Antalya (Turkey)
  • popular Marmaris, a one-time-sleepy-fishing-village now holiday resort on the Turkish Riviera
  • the haunting archaeological remains of Ephesus (Turkey), with its marbled streets & Celsus Library
  • Katakolon (Greece), gateway to the mystical site of Olympia, home of the first Olympic Games
  • Kerkira (Greece) in the beautiful Ionian Islands, with its fortresses and Corfu Old Town
  • the sun-drenched island and walled Old Town of Korcula (Croatia), birthplace of Marco Polo
  • historical Brindisi (on the heel of Italy’s ‘boot’), at the end of Via Appia – the ancient Roman road
  • Rome (Italy), the Eternal City, with its Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Basilica & Sistine Chapel
  • Cairo (Egypt), famous for its Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, Tutankhamen treasures & El Khalili Bazaar
  • the fabulous monumental temples of Pharaoh Ramses II & his Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel (Egypt)
  • Aswan (Egypt): its High Dam, Elephantine Island, Agha Khan, Unfinished Obelisk & Temple of Philae
  • Kom Ombo & Edfu (on the banks of the Nile) & their temples dedicated to the gods Sobek & Horus
  • the river-port of Luxor (Egypt), the temple complex at Karnak, & the tombs in the Valley of the Kings
  • ancient & modern Amman (Jordan), one of the world’s oldest cities, built on the edge of the desert
  • magnificent, mysterious Petra (Jordan): the rocky rose-red marvel carved by the Nabataeans in 106AD

Phew! Have you got all that?

Right now, I’ve gotta go. I haven’t even started packing yet, and Robyn keeps looking at her watch! But stay tuned, won’t you. We’ll add HEAPS of enthralling descriptions, award-winning photos and very-tall-stories once we’re actually underway.

So talk to you later. Okay?

Yours bloggedly – JOHN