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OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS
Egypt, Rhodes and Lebanon
CAIRO
Disembarking in Port Said, you will board one of the fleet of air-conditioned coaches and porceed to Cairo. On reaching the outskirts of the city, the drive takes you along the 26th July ring road to the heart of Cairo, to "Tahrir" (Liberty) Square, where the famous Egyptian Museum of Antiquities stands. It is here, where over five thousand years of Egyptian civilisation can be seen, including the magnificent gold treasures of the boy King Tutankhamun and his priceless funerary items, excavated by Howard Carter in the early part of the twentieth century.
The tour will then continue with a visit to the great pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx where there will be an opportunity to take some photograps and a close up view of these ancient structures some 4,500 years old. There will also be a short stop afterwards at a Papyrus Institute where a demonstration on the ancient art of paper making will take place.
Drive back to the ship.
BEIRUT - Jeita Grotto - Byblos - Harissa
The optional excursion of Beirut starts with a visit to the city centre where old traditions combine with modern architecture in an almost incredible rebuilding project. The tour proceeds to the Jeita Grotto, a most unique experience to admire the caverns sculpted by water and the time which created awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites. Then on to Byblos, the oldest settlement in the world, where there is a fascinating combination of ancient ruins and a colourful bazaar. The excursion continues with a panoramic tour of Jounieh, a city of high rise buildings on a mountainside and a visit to the church of the Lady of Harissa, a rise of 620 metres.
RHODES/LINDOS
Our tour to fabled Lindos takes us through the new city of Rhodes, the Acropolis and the ancient stadium of the town. In Lindos, one of the most beautiful sites of the Aegean, we take a walk through the narrow cobbled streets of the village up to the Acropolis to visit the Temple of the Lindian Athena. On the way back we visit a traditional pottery. Free time is available for walk, cafe hopping or shopping in the old and new town of Rhodes.
ALEXANDRIA
Half day tour. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, the city is the second largest in Egypt and is known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean". It is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern in ambience and culutre, which fact distnaces it from the rest of the country, although it is only 225km from Cairo. It is best known as the capital of the Ptolemies and the scene of one of the most celebrated love stories of all time, that of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.
Leaving the port, a short drive takes you to the recently opened Bibliotheca Alexandrina, built on the same site where the famous Library of Alexandria, established by Ptolemy in 288 BC, once stood. The design of the new library is a bold testament to the 21st century which carries on the traditions of history. The tour continues with a visit to the Royal Jewelry Museum housed at a private palace belonging to a member of the Egyptian Royal Family. The beautifuk and rare jewelry once belonged to the Egyptian Royal Family of Mohammed Ali.
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