What are the main themes to share, after traveling for a year around the world and visiting 32 countries? The most obvious point is that travel is one of life’s most important and pleasurable activities. This year we experienced and shared amazing sights, delicious tastes, new stories, the growth and broadening of our perspectives in […]
The final stopping point for our Nile boat trip was Luxor – home of multiple ancient Egypt sights including the Valley of the Kings that Gina describes. The last day here we stayed in the city and saw the massive temple of Karnak and the temple of Luxor as well as the Luxor Museum. All […]
Although our hotel was out by the pyramids, we crossed the Nile and plunged into Cairo several times. It is an astonishing city. Cairo has 17 million residents and swells by another 3 million commuters every day. (Some people say the actual numbers are far higher than the official statistics). The commute times to go […]
We didn’t really know much about the Valley of the Kings and so went in with modest expectations. After all, two days prior we had descended into the pyramids themselves like modern-day tomb raiders. What could top that? Our interest was piqued when we were informed that no photography of any sort was allowed in […]
Can you guess where Piggy is sight-seeing today? Email your answer to me at katherine@365saturdays.org
Before us towered Edfu temple, one of the best preserved temples in all of Egypt. Dedicated to the god Horus, Edfu temple is 118 feet high and a fantastic but small sized memory of the Egyptian builders and engineers. The temple’s gate is lower than the pylons to its left and right. Symbolizing the Nile […]
By far the most interesting pyramid to visit is outside Cairo at Saqqara. Here is the oldest of the pyramids, designed by Imhotep. At the time the pharaohs were buried deep in shafts – not 6 feet under but 600 feet under, the depth representing the importance of the pharaoh. This first pyramid was designed […]
The great Pyramids of Giza are the last standing wonder of the ancient world. They were built with stone knifes and watery sand for glue. They are towering structures built for one purpose and one purpose only: to hold a body. They were amazing! Why go to so much trouble to bury a single body? […]
Piggy enjoyed a quiet evening here. Can you guess the name of the town she was in? Remember to email your guesses to me at katherine@365saturdays.org!
[Russ] We saw historical sites from different time periods in Jordan: Castle Aljoun is a mammoth 12th century hilltop fortress that dominates multiple valleys in Northern Jordan. It was a successful defense against Crusader invasions. We enjoyed finding clay pots with holes for wicks, most likely an early form of hand grenade. The Citadel of […]
In America, we all turn our televisions on and switch to our favorite news station, be it CNN or Fox News, or 7 News. Sometimes we hear bad things about the Middle East, and how there are extremist terrorists around every corner. Clips of fighting and barren towns, soldiers running and patrolling occupy your […]
To be entirely honest, I was a bit apprehensive about visiting Jordan. The country is, after all, situated in the heart of the Middle East, a place I had never been and had only heard about in the news. I was extremely conscious of being an American in a region where I imagined Americans were […]
We came to Jordan to see the ruins of ancient civilizations, but we left enthusiastic about the modern country as a destination. This is a fascinating place to visit – a Muslim Arab place where Americans are nonetheless welcomed as a people if not for their foreign policy – and a place where Americans can […]
We drove to a local Jordanian family’s house for a delicious dinner. It was a cool evening and thunder was coming from our bellies. As soon as we got there we quickly unbuckled and met our host. A smiling gray-haired man met us at the door and ushered us in to meet his wife. The […]
We had a great time in Jordan. This is at one of the highlights. Can you guess the location of this building?
We walked for about an hour through a dusty gorge in Petra, peering around each bend. Pitted stone walls of crimson and grey towering over us like Manhattan skyscrapers. We were here to see the fabled “Treasury Building” – a jawdropper that was made famous as the resting place for the Holy Grail by the third […]
The second day in Jordan we headed south from Petra to take a jeep ride a desert region called Wadi Rum, known for its fantastical sandstone formations. Katherine and Carter each write about their favorite part of the experience – the camels. Katherine: As we were driving in the Jordanian dessert we came across ten camels. […]
After six months in Europe, it is time to get back on the road and see more of the world! We move now to the Middle East, starting in Jordan. We arrived at night and at a fairly nice international hotel – where guests enter through an X-ray machine! The next day the touring began […]
We had a whirlwind 24-hour stop in this southwest coastal part of Turkey. We arrived in time for a gourmet dinner at a tiny inn up in the mountains. After the meal we slept in an authentic hillside dwelling while listening to the village goat’s bell as he ambled past our door. We woke, packed and indulged […]
“Ouch!” I yelled. The cowboy/horse guide had pricked me with the buckle of the leather chaps he was putting on my legs. We were at a ranch, ready to go horse-back riding for 2 hours. We all got chaps and helmets. We walked to where the horses were and something hit me. No it was […]
A few days ago my family went to a 2,000 year old underground city that could supposedly hold 15,000 people. This city, though not used as a permanent residence, was able to hold early Christians who were being persecuted for their beliefs and were hiding from the Romans. The city was comprised of small chambers […]
I love accomplishing something before breakfast, but this morning was early even for me. We woke at 4:00 am in order to be on time for the 4:45 pick-up. We were going ballooning and the best flight time was just after sunrise when the air was cool and calm. We weren’t alone: more than 30 […]
One of the topics in Road School is comparative religion. We wanted to study this because religion has such a great influence on history and culture. Although the book we are using starts with Judaism and Christianity before getting to Islam (and then five more religions), we started with Islam so the kids could have […]
We spent seven days in Istanbul, a city both modern and ancient. Our hotel, the Empress Zoe, was a converted 15th century bathhouse in the heart of old Istanbul which is called Sultanahmet. The hotel was filled with period style objects and the rooms open into a central courtyard where breakfast and WiFi are served, […]
We left at 7:00 pm. We walked the long way, and got to the bath. We were in the great city of Istanbul. As you know Istanbul is in Turkey, and you also probably know if you are going to bother to fly 5000 miles to Turkey, you might as well get a Turkish bath. […]
Last week Piggy was at the Olympic Stadium. Congratulations to Sam and Rachel they guessed right! Where is Piggy this week? Send your guess to me by email.
Turkey is a feast for all the senses but my taste buds were on overdrive as we sampled street fare, sweets, and dishes fit for a Sultan. In lieu of chips or packaged snacks we found lots of little stands selling all sorts of nuts, dried fruits, and—of course—Turkish delight. The latter is a sort […]
They say that there are more than 4,000 stores within the maze of covered streets that comprise Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. They also say that the stores are now filled with nothing but “authentic imitations” and pickpockets. We weren’t sure what to expect but we knew that we would be in capable hands with Marilyn, a […]
Today was our first true day in Istanbul. Upon waking up, we had breakfast and returned to our room to get ready for a scavenger hunt! Dad went to the front desk and came back with two envelopes. The first envelope had a strange puzzle, a map and a cell phone. In the second envelope […]
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