I posted this photo last week on an online forum thread about "Cliche." Someone had commented that, to his dismay, most people that look at his photos love his "cliche" shots and gloss over the ones that he, as a photographer, likes most.
We then continued to the ancient city of Ephesus. With a population greater than Pompeii, it was one of the largest roman settlements of its day. The Great Theatre dates back to the Hellenistic period. In the 1st century AD, the ampitheatre was successfully reconstructed and expanded by the Romans until it reached a seating capacity of 25,000. This is also the place where St Paul preached to the Ephesians. It is still used for performances today, and the acoustics are excellent. The Marble Road which runs between the theatre and the Celsus Library is part of a sacred walkway that leads you to the Celsus Library and Hadrian's Temple. The temple was dedicated in AD 118 to Hadrian, Artemis and the people of Ephesus, but was greatly reconstructed in the 4th century. This impressive Corinthianstyle temple has beautiful reliefs on the porch, and the Ephesians believed that the Medusa head on the porch would protect the city from its enemies. Leaving Ephesus, we walked, as Mark Antony and Cleopatra did, along a tree-lined road to where the old port was located.
local had assembled an impressive collection of antique locomotives, parked on a sprawling private lawn. There were long tables of delicacies - grilled meats with lamb and kebobs. The dessert table was laden with twenty variations of baklava. The liveried servers attended to the buffet while a local dance troupe entertained us.
In the downtown area, the group visited the Vladimirsky Cathedral, —pantheon of renowned Russian Admirals. Last stop was a walk along Primorsky Boulevard (A different one! Does this translate to "Main Street?"), to the seaside promenade, to see the Monument to Scuttled Ships, which stands offshore. The Monument of the Unknown Sailor was a sight: a quartet of rifle-bearing students from the local high schools, dressed in naval uniform, volunteers to guard the monument.
Our Odessa City Highlights tour started through the central downtown to Gogol Street, lined by stylish, early 19th-century buildings designed by Italian, French and Russian architects, historical monuments and picturesque squares. Our first stop was the top of the Potemkin Steps, descending 455 feet to the waterfront. We walked along picturesque Primorsky Boulevard, as majestic 100-year-old trees led us to the Pushkin Monument--dedicated to the Russian poet who spent thirteen months exiled in Odessa. The group passed City Hall and a cannon salvaged from the British frigate, Tiger, which sank during the Crimean War. The Opera House was built in 1884 in Hapsburg Baroque style. We then proceeded to the main city's square, with a statue to Lenin recalling Soviet times, and St Panteleimon Church with its five onion domes. Finally, Shevchenko Park and Deribasovskaya Street, the city's main shopping area. We shopped in the open air handicraft market in the City Garden for souvenir items including a Fedoskino lacquer box, and matrioshka dolls.
divided between their present independence and the security of the former USSR. Present times are hard. They only have hot running water three months out of the year. In a country where more than half of the year is bitingly cold, this can be difficult.We elected to pass on the handful of tour offerings. Instead, a three-mile shuttle ride from the port dropped us off downtown, for $4. Dada and I along Stefan Cel Mare, Constanta's main shopping street. We were accosted by two gypsy men, who, fortunately, ran away when I responded in kind. Walked along Tomis Boulevard, and just decided to spend the rest of the day back at the ship.
There really was not much to see. In fact, Holland America refunded those who went on the tours that day after the passengers complained for “lack of content.” It was that bad.
With its way of making up for lackluster ports, the Black Sea was exceptionally tranquil that night. The moonlit sea was lovely. The wind grew colder as we made our way toward the former Soviet Union.
Our half-day tour started with a relaxing drive in the countryside to the quaint little town of Goritsa. First stop was a simple rural Orthrodox church, where the priest and his wife welcomed us, and proudly expounded on the gold-ornamented icons lined up along the church's wall.
We then had a short visit with a rural Bulgarian family. The lady of the house had laid table of pastries, freshly baked bread, and grapes in the garden, and her husband was busily pouring grappa for their foreign guests. Across the street was the local school. The schoolchildren were playing tag in the schoolyard, and eagerly struck up poses for the tourists' cameras.
At the steps of the town hall, a 90 year-old lady was selling crocheted doilies. Next was a formal welcome by the local mayor, punctuated by plugs to invest in Bulgarian real estate. “Sunny Beach, Bulgaria” was apparently the up and coming Riviera. Ummm.
The cruise ship tour buses obviously contributed greatly to the l
ocal economy. The people were very welcoming, but I couldn't help but feel that everything was scripted, like like that old Chevy Chase movie were he paid the townspeople to help him sell his house. True enough, as I looked through the back window while the buses were pulling away, it was as if someone had yelled, “cut.” The locals had gotten up from their stations, and were slowly filing back to reality.
The rest of the morning was spent browsing the touristy shops in Nessebur, lining the streets alongside Roman ruins. On-board, the so-so port of call was made up for by the excellent Chateaubriand dinner. We were then treated to local dances and the sounds of the angklong, while sipping rasasayang during the Indonesian Crew Show.
architect Mehmed Aga wanted to outdo the Hagia Sophia by building a larger dome, but could not. Built over the the great palace of Byzantium, the Blue Mosque derives its name from the blue-colored tiles lining its upper interior walls.
The first order of the day was a hike up the Acropolis of Athens, the most important site of the city. It is guarded by the doric and ionic columns of the Propylea, the monumental gateway to the Acropolis. Dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the magnificent Parthenon truly is a wonder of the ancient world. Beside it, the Erechtheion, with its famous porch of the Caryatids, was dedicated to Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus, the two principal deities who, mythology holds, fought for the name of the city of Athens.
The driving tour of Athens brought us back to the present with a well-timed photo stop at the residence of the Prime Minister, to witness the elaborate changing of the guard.
After checking in at the Ledra Marriot in Athens, we took a taxi to the city's main plaza, Syntagma (which stands for "Constitution") Square. The afternoon was long, leisurely walk along the Ermu, the Athenian equivalent of Barcelona's "La Rambla," starting across from the Greek Parliament. It is lined by small shops selling trinkets, jewelry, and leather goods, amid ancient ruins such as Hadrian's Library.
where patrons dine under a canopy, while gas heaters drive away the early evening chill. A sumptuous meal of tzatsiki, moussaka, veal and lamb, all washed down with the local Alpha beer concluded the first day of our vacation. Tomorrow, the cruise to the Black Sea begins.
Casio Atomic Solar G-Shock
For the beginning enthusiast, there are, of course, classes at the local community college. These past couple of weeks, however, quite a few acquaintances have asked me for tips on the self-study of photography.
