4 MONTHS TO GO . . . EGYPT AND ITALY AWAIT!

          It's Labor Day, 9/5/11 -- four (4) months until we board our airplane for Ft. Lauderdale to begin our (4-month) tour of a lifetime . . .
          Meanwhile, I have plotted two additional "side" courses for our journey, in Egypt and Italy.

MT. SINAI/ST. CATHERINE'S - SINAI PENINSULA

          EGYPT:  As we divert to see the Taj Mahal in India, I found a way to see the incredible sights in Egypt that the ship will simply pass by:  the Pyramids and Mount Sinai.  The ship stops in Safaga, Egypt to see Luxor.  Yet, it only stops at Sharm el-Sheikh ("Sharm"), Egypt for 6 hours - and passes by Cairo (site of the Pyramids) altogether.  Sharm is located at the south tip of the Sinai Peninsula.  Sinai Peninsula - why does that sound familiar?  Ah yes, Mount Sinai is only about a 2.5- to 3-hour drive away.  Amazingly, there is something on which the Christian, Jewish and Islamic religions agree:  Mount Sinai is where Moses received the Ten Commandments.  It just didn't seem "right" to get this close to such an historic place without seeing it, or the wonders of Cairo.
          So I booked hotels and flights from Sharm to Cairo, and Cairo to our next port (Athens).  I found a tour company, recommended by a seasoned "world traveler", and booked our expedition:         

MOUNT SINAI

          In Sharm (4/6/12), we visit Mount Sinai (they call it "Moses Mount") and St. Catherine's Monastery -- the oldest working Christian monastery in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It contains a church reputed to lie directly on the site of the Burning Bush.  Then, we visit Dahab (the "Flower Power City") on the Red Sea.  At night, we "live two hours as the Bedouins do", riding a camel through the desert at sunset.  We'll have a real Bedouin dinner by candlelight in the middle of the Desert.

THE GREAT PYRAMID AND SPHINIX

In Cairo (4/7/12), we tour the Pyramids of Cheops (Giza), Chephren and Mykerinus; then, we proceed to the Great Sphinx, the Valley Temple, and the Egyptian Museum.  At night, we take a 5-star dinner cruise, including a belly dancer and Tanura Show!  Whew-hoo!  The next day (4/8/12), we fly to Athens, where we arrive a day ahead of the ship.  We'll spend that day at leisure, dining at our hotel, with its stunning view of the Acropolis!
          The cost of this diversion:  $655.60 for flights (Sharm to Cairo, Cairo to Athens; includes flight protection); $449.66 for 5-star hotels in Sharm, Cairo & Athens; and $720 (+ tips) for all tours and transfers, entrance fees, English speaking guide and food/drink -- $913 (+tips) each (I'm sure Holland America would charge thousands, if they were offering it at all - which they aren't)


FARAGLIONI ROCK FORMATIONS, CAPRI

          ITALY:  The only real international travel I have done previously - aside from border trips - was a 2-week tour of Italy.  My favorite spot was the Isle of Capri, and we happen to stop in Naples, near Capri.  The ship has a tour to Capri, which only includes a boat ride over and lunch (it's otherwise "unstructured" and omits the best sites and activities).  For $225 Euro, I found a day tour package, which includes a private boat tour in the morning and land tour in the afternoon.  During the boat tour, we circumnavigate the entire island and visit the most spectacular grottos, such as the Blue Grotto, Green Grotto, White Grotto and around the Faraglioni Rock formations.  There is time for swimming, too.  In the afternoon, we take the funicular from the marina to Capri and then go on a walking tour (3 options for which one), followed by a chair lift ride up to Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island.  Now, that's a "day tour"!





THE BLUE GROTTO, CAPRI



ANACAPRI CHAIRLIFT, ISLE OF CAPRI