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2008 EMYR Schedule

Sunday, June 1st, Beirut, Lebanon
Arriving in Lebanon after our five day stay in Syria, we are all a little overwhelmed at what we are actually privileged to be experiencing.  We have yet to step foot in Lebanon, and are still trying to absorb all that we saw and learned in Syria. 
 
   
During our rare day passage, we decided to pass some time making sushi rolls to share with our friends upon arrival.  We were a little disappointed to hear that we had a rally dinner to attend that same evening, so we couldn't quite relax and enjoy ourselves as we had hoped.  We were so busy, between docking and rolling sushi and getting ready for the dinner, that I neglected to get any photos!  Larson and Gav were eager to learn how to prepare the rolls and I did my best to teach them, at least as much as I know about it.  Suffice it to say, the boys have many invitations to visit various yachts provided they are willing to share their new skills!
 
Up and on the buses by 7am the next morning, we were off to tour the well preserved Crusader castle, Krak des Chevaliers. 
  
The first construction, strategically located at the base of the only pass between the northern coastal al-Nusayriya mountain range and the Anti Lebanon mountain range that lines the coast in the central Levant, was actually effected by a Kurdish garrison in 1031.   Conquered by Tancred, the Crusader Prince who took Jerusalem in 1099, the castle became the headquarters for the Knights Hospitallers in 1144.  I'm going to have to write a separate history lesson page because I just don't have enough time nor you enough patience to incorporate all of it in these updates.  At any rate, the castle withstood some sieges but fell to the Turkic Mamluk soldiers in 1272.  The Ottomans stepped in in 1516 and remained until the French occupied the region in 1920.  They realized a massive restoration of the building in 1936.  The castle was designed to house 2000 Knights and their horses.  It is a magnificent site worthy of many hours of exploration.  We had to make due with one.
   
                                    
 
Back on the well-appointed tour buses, we drove three hours through the Syrian desert to Palmyra.  Encompassing 71.5 square miles, the Syrian Arab Republic includes 120 miles of Mediterranean coastline, which is paralleled by a narrow coastal plain and east of that, the two aforementioned mountain ranges.  In the south, east of the mountains, lies the Syrian desert, which comprises 58% of the total land mass of the country.  Palmyra lies in the middle of this expanse, built around an honest to goodness oasis, or desert water hole. 
 
Before embarking on our exploration of this ancient site, we were treated to a Bedouin lunch.
                                      
  
  
The Zia crew chose a strategic location in front of the air conditioning and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, if not so much the food.  By this time, the staple cuisine of hummus, eggplant puree, rice and lamb is wearing a little thin, as tasty as it can be.  Our rally dinner the night before featured much the same food, and Joe was beginning to feel an unpleasant rumbling in his belly.  By the time we reached Palmyra, Joe was opting to head back to Zia to suffer whatever consequences were coming upon him.  It was a shame that he would miss Damascus and all of its sights, but he did not want to be stuck on a three-plus hour bus ride with no facilities to use.  Imagine!
 
      
Known as the jewel of Syria's many ancient sites, the Roman ruins in Palmyra are perhaps best renowned for the dynamic Queen Zenobia who, in 267 AD, asserted a measure of regional autonomy for the wealthy crossroads city and its expanding empire.  Eventually quelled by the Romans, the Palmyrene rebellion has earned Queen Zenobia a honored position in Syrian history and her visage on the 500 pound Syrian bank note.
   
 
Another three hour journey on the buses was interrupted by a well selected rest stop at Baghdad Cafe 66.  
   
Along the highway, the road signs provoked some interesting discussions, being so close to a real US war zone.
  
 
We turned south towards Damascus and an overnight stay in a hotel on the outskirts of the modern city.  With barely 15 minutes in which to change for dinner, we opted to skip the group meal and have a burger at the hotel.  That was about all we managed before calling it a night in preparation for our 8am rendezvous with the buses. 
 
A visit to the National Museum provided a little more historical background.  A walk through Old Damascus to St. Anania's church brought us an interesting glimpse of modern day Damascus in an area of the city which is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, dating back to the 9th millennium BC. 
   
We never discovered why this throng of eager customers was thrusting its way to the window of this particular bread store when there were dozens of others with no lines at all.  Being a socialist republic, perhaps this store sells subsidized loaves.
 
The city itself looked pretty dirty and run down, but certain modern amenities could be found right around the corner from the bread lines.
  
Our group aroused much curiosity amongst the locals but most did not attempt to engage us.  This group of young girls was the exception, greeting us with "hellos" and posing for a picture.
  
 
Our visit to the huge Omayyad Mosque was definitely the highlight of our Damascus visit.  Originally a temple built over 3000 years ago, it became a Christian church housing the head of St. John the Baptist.  Following the Islamic conquests in 635, Muslims and Christians agreed to partition the site and worship side by side.  The Caliph Al-Walid negotiated a deal with the Christian community, allocating several plots of land for new churches so that he could take over the whole site and erect a huge, opulent mosque in 1200AD.  We arrived just in time to hear the noon call to prayer.
                                      
                                      
We all felt a little disrespectful, traipsing through the mosque in the middle of prayers, but no one seemed to pay us much attention. 
   
 
Lunch was followed by a quick visit to the Hamidiyah Bazaar where we sampled the local ice cream and perused the wares on display at the many small stores.  The bazaar in Istanbul, I think, was far more impressive, but it was a fun shopping experience.
 
A very long bus ride home delivered us back to Joe and Zia around 8pm.  Time enough for dinner and a shower before bedtime and a 6:30am wake up call to be on the buses again tomorrow at 7:30.  Joe was still suffering the ravages of some dietary mishap and elected to miss the next trip as well.  Aleppo is a fascinating city with an amazing citadel, but most of our day was spent on the bus.  Not wanting to miss out on any of the touring, we automatically signed up for everything without scrutinizing the itinerary.  Next time we are going to be a little more careful.
   
The citadel of Aleppo was designed to hold an entire population of 2000 people and was just like a city within the city.  Baths, mosques, houses, shops and a royal palace were among its many buildings. 
                                      
The modern city of Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria and a World Heritage site, seems like a much more attractive place than Damascus. 
   
Perhaps it is the Iraqi and Palestinian refugee camps that sprawl along the outskirts of the capital, whose occupants number in the millions, that detract from Damascus' aesthetic appeal.  Regardless, we made the most of our visit to Aleppo, which included a fantastic lunch at a restaurant in the Armenian section of town.
   
 
A little sidebar here......  When is the last time you saw a soda can with a pop top?  All the sodas here have pop tops.  I taught my kids about the pop top curtains we used to make when we were kids.  We actually have a neighbor back in Holly Hill Harbor (Rip) who still has pop top curtains hanging on his basement sliding glass windows.  Flash back!
 
In Syria, 80% of the women wear a head scarf.  In Turkey, the percentage was more like 50%. We passed by a mosque in downtown Damascus on Friday and saw a few dozen men praying outside as it was too crowded to fit inside.  How much control does the Islamic Republic assert in the daily life of its citizens?  We definitely got the impression that they were much more under the control of the government than anywhere we have been so far.  For example, farmers are allocated no more than 2 acres of land to harvest, and if it is not put to use within two years, it is confiscated by the government and allocated to someone else.  I don't think I have a clear picture of the reality of life in Syria.  Our tour guide was no doubt employed by the government and gave us the "party line."  We saw a lot of industry in the country side and fertile farmland.  The fruits and vegetables are among the most flavorful that we have ever tasted.  The people were generally happy and curious about who we were and why we were there.  We stumbled across a group of workers at the Saladin Castle who offered a
   
glass of tea.  Despite only a few words of Arabic, we managed to thank them and comment on the sweetness of the tea.  It was a brief moment that will live long in our memories.
 
The next day we were all questioning our decision to participate in absolutely all of the tours.  It was paid for already, and we are frugal (NOT cheap!) so we set the alarm and showed up.  Saladin's Castle was definitely worth the blissfully short bus ride.  The problem is, you never know what is worth it and what you should skip.  At least we can verify the length of the bus rides next time.
 
It is impossible to capture the immensity of the castle in a photograph.  Here are a few attempts.
                                      
                                      
                                      
It perches atop a rocky spur which you reach by a narrow winding road down into a valley and then back up the other side.  The sheer rock face on all sides of the castle made this the most impregnable Crusader fortress.
 
Our last stop in Syria, before an afternoon departure, was Ugarit.  It was here that the first written alphabet was discovered, dating back to Phoenician times in 1200BC.  From this, the ancient language of Aramaic, spoken by Jesus Christ, was derived.  There are three villages left in Syria where Aramaic is still spoken.  Among the treasures discovered at this site was a royal library consisting of 21000 clay tablets, 55% of which they have translated.
                                         
 
Back to Zia and ready to escape the sweltering heat of the marina, we decided to leave as quickly as possible.  I've decided to rename the rally to the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Motoring Rally.  Lately, all our passages have been motors and this one was no different.  With plenty of time to make it to our next stop, we have finally figured out how to get in our much coveted swims. 
                                 
Drop the sails, turn off the autopilot and just drift alongside the boat.  It was beautiful and restored all of our spirits.  We even got a glimpse of the green flash that evening, just before sitting down to a feast of Chicken Parmigiana.  Gav took notes so be sure to ask him to make it for you at the next opportunity!
   
 
In Lebanon, the fleet is split between two marinas.  The bigger boats and catamarans cannot be accommodated at Jounieh marina so 27 of us are heading into St. Georges marina in downtown Beirut. 
  
Some have expressed concern, but the Zia crew is thrilled to be in the center of the city.  Already upon arrival we can tell it is going to be the best possible location for us to take full advantage of the opportunity to explore the "Paris of the Middle East."
   
 
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Many thanks to our friend Craig Homenko for his assistance in setting up the website.
We also would like to thank our buddy Scott Brunner who has been kind enough to host the website on his server.
 

 
   

 
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