Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Rise of Ziggy Stardust
More Verboten Bulgaria
Goodbye Istanbul
Underground Cistern
Monday, July 27, 2009
Windows Beneath the Dome
Blue Mosque Tours
The Blue Mosque
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Turkish Baths
Last night, I had the pleasure of finally resting my head, without pain, on the beach in Varna--to see the stars. On my walk back to the ship, past all the bars and clubs on the beach where SASers were dancing, I noted a couple snorting coke off the side of a trash can, and I had enough flexibility to turn my head and look back.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Turn Your Love Light On
Thursday, July 23, 2009
In the Spice Bazaar
Istanbul from the Ship
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Acropolis
One of the most astonishing architectural feats in Greece. It was in the middle of renovation that day, but what Melinda, Danny and I found most remarkable was the number of languages being spoken on the same hill. With thousands of people visiting the site daily, I often stopped walking, like a fish midstream, to hear the many sounds coming from all directions. Babel on a site built for the gods.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Agistri
Thursday, July 16, 2009
So We Do Party: Sea Olympics 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
International Stardom

Saturday, July 11, 2009
Cliff-Jumping in Croatia


6:30AM. I'm staring at my ceiling, in bed and wondering if I want to get up for a 7AM run with Danny, Patty, and Jason. The day before they'd invited me to join them in their jog up the steep hill toward Old Town Dubrovnik, at which point they would make a break from the road to find the cliffs the Semester at Sea pre-port team had warned us to avoid--on a previous trip a student had leapt to the Adriatic only to be flown home due to major back injuries.
Like most pre-port advice, many students had already disregarded the message and taken the leap, the first day, with rave reviews. And now that teachers were joining in I finally decided, to my great delight, that I would too. If my friends jumped from a bridge...
Running to the cliff, a local boat-dog joined the pack, following us all the way, barking and biting at people who blocked our path. After I jumped into the water, he did too (from the lower rocks) and subsequently swam up to each jumper, perhaps to check if we were OK. After all the jumping, our dog followed us back to a cafe near our ship, barking all the way, and left us when we sat down for our morning pick-me-up.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Pompeii
We all know, since third grade, what happened here. Vesuvius irrupted, the lava flowed, ashes flew, and the people fled. They didn't die immediately, but returned, when the trembling was over, to check if their homes and their belongings were safe--their fatal error. They died breathing in the poisonous gases, and were preserved beneath mounds of ash.
Check out the body and the pots.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Island of Ischia
PS. Be careful, though. This evening, I spoke to some students who spent the night in Capri. The only room in the inn, according to the hotel manager, cost 400 Euros. The students, with no other options, paid.
No to Naples
But if you do go, take a ferry out to Ischia or Capri and stay there. In Naples, yes, you will find maybe the best pizza you have ever eaten (that’s right, friends, I’m going all gluten here). You may even share a bottle or two of wine with three friends, and you may even pay less than 10 Euros each for your individual pizza and your wine.
But, on the following day, you may return to Naples from your ship, find another restaurant that looks equally appetizing but which is on a more populated street. That would be your first mistake. Your second mistake would be to order without establishing the price. Your third mistake would be to enjoy another bottle of wine, to ask for the check, and then to watch your friend pay two times just because the waiter realized he hadn’t charged you the full price for the meal the first time. After a storm of of waving of hands and a mixture of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, I somehow convinced the manager to give my friend and me two free bottles of wine (without lowering the price), and all parties seemed pleased.
Apart from burning money, most people on the ship agree that Naples was delicious but not as picturesque as Rome. If you’re looking for pretty Italy, try elsewhere.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Gladiator
"In the room the women come and go..."
Talking of vertigo. The rectangular room is shoulder-to-shoulder with people. The only open space is on the ceiling. Flash photography (all photography) and talking are forbidden.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Look Up
Still the Beginning
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