Today we had a buffet breakfast on the sundeck. The spread, like all of the meals on the ship, was extensive, including most of the traditional American and European breakfast staples as well as thick Greek yogurt, a mix of local nuts, honey, and freshly dried fruit (apricots, figs, prunes, etc). I stuck to the local food and then went downstairs for a lecture on ancient Halicanarsus, modern day Bodrum. It is here that the Masouleum, an Ancient Wonder of the World was built in the 5th century BC and stood until it was toppled by an earthquake in the 13th century. Nearly all of the ruined structure had been taken for other building projects, including the building of a castle by the Knights of St. John, 15th century Crusaders.
We disembarked the ship after lunch and traveled first to the castle, one of the most unique historical sites I have ever visited. The castle itself was contructed and decorated by bits of the Masouleum and we were able to see one ancient piece that had not been stolen away (with "permission") to the British Museum by previous explorers. This was the head of a lion that had decorated the outside of the Masouleum. In addition to this ancient historical context, the castle itself was a fairly intact medieval fortress complete with engraved Coats of Arms from the knights who lived there and even medieval grafiti from knights of the 15th century who had engraved their names into the stone walls of the castle.
If these two glimses into history were not enough, the castle also now houses the largest Underwater Archaeological Museum in the world. It has ancient pottery, glass, personal items, and more from shipwrecks dating from the 13th century BC to the 14th century AD. The collections are amazing for all they have been able to tell historians about ancient trade routes, communication between cultures, ship building, and other trades. Particularly unique is the only known cartuche (gold seal) with Nefertiti's name. Apparently, later Egyptian priests had tried to eliminate anything with Nefertiti's name from the historical record because of her "heretical" belief in a single God. This single seal was saved because it had rested at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years. It is estimated that there are 10,000 such ship wrecks across the Mediterranean, many of them along this treacherous coast.
Also interesting at this castle museum was the skeleton and grave findings of an ancient princess, possibly niece of Masouleus. After leaving the museum, we walked through town up to the ancient site of the Masouleum. The foundations of this ancient wonder remained, as well as some broken column fragments, a few of the decorative sculptors (many more have been carted off to the British museum), and the walls of the actual tomb that was located beneath this 140 foot high Masouleum. I couldn't believe that they let tourists walk right on top of this old tomb, amongst these ancient pieces that are sitting out exposed to the elements and careless travelers. To me, it was breathtaking to be walking in the footprint of this Ancient Wonder of the World, along the same stones that the famous sculptors of antiquity sat as they prepared their carvings. Truly incredible!
After our visit, we returned to the ship for a lecture on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and then a Captain's Welcome Dinner.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week