Captain John

Bordeaux is a wine connoisseur’s dream with chateaus and wine cellars (plus sellers) surrounding the city famous for its red wine. Arriving via the Garonne River in southwestern France's Gironde department (state), we discover low lying farm lands, not surprisingly occupied mostly by vineyards, lining both banks. The city slowly appears which with its 1,105,000 inhabitants, constituting the sixth largest urban area in the country. Home of the industry's main wine fair, Vinexpo, the wine economy in the metro area moves 14.5 billion euros each year. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8thcentury and currently produces 960 million bottles from 13,000 grape growers on 287,000 acres of vineyards. From table wine to premier cru (read “expensive”) the product is carefully marketed in true French bureaucratic style to the extent that the number ... read more

Kusadasi, Turkey is the port from which you travel inland several miles to visit the ancient city of Ephesus. Other cruise ships have joined our trek and so the fellow travelers with their buses are with us as be sightsee. This is our second trip to this partially restored Greek city, the first being last year in a driving rain storm. Rain accompanied us this year also but with no wind and better conditions. Wandering about these Greek/Roman remnants of a thriving, rich city is an amazing lesson in early civilizations. The most interesting remnant is the communal toilet with side by side holes in marble seats and running water flushing below (privacy didn’t come to fruition until the Victorians). The partially restored “Terrace Houses” have wonderful artwork in wall paintings and inlaid flooring. The gift ... read more

Aqaba, Jordon is at the head of Red Sea and the port access to Petra, an ancient marvel requiring several hours of travel. We board our buses at 8:20 and begin the 2 ½ hour bus ride north from Aqaba, Jordon’s only Port City. Along the way we learn about this storied land, how its history and people are told in the Bible and, as we pass the road to Wadi Rum, how modern tales have been told about Lawrence of Arabia. The real Indiana Jones did explore these parts and planted the seed for the movie story filmed in Petra. Petra is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataean, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the ... read more

Our next stop is Doha, Qatar (pronounced “cutter” by most) and Abdul is our guide. By the way, most of the guides are expats from other countries as few local Emeriti’s do that kind of work. The first excursion stop is to the Souq Waqif, a shopping bazaar established in 1847. You can bargain up to 20% off for the spices, foods and other traded items available, we’re told. This country has 2.5 million people with 200,000 native citizens. Only Qatar citizens may own property permanently with foreigners not owning land and owning housing for up to 99 years at which time it’s returned to the government. Various visas cover a variety of visits including tourist, business, and non-permanent (i.e. working). Health care for the citizens is free as is education. Auto fuel is 25 cents ... read more

Our final stop in India is Mumbai, or as the British named it, Bombay. Our first excursion in this major city visits the night market at Pydhonie which is really the shops along the major shopping street. Our guide explains that the nice looking shops in buildings have the real brand name goods while the street vendors have the knockoffs. The prices tell the difference. Our drive to the Cinema Hall passes Victoria Terminus (the magnificent British built train station), the High Court and the Gateway of India. This latter Arc d’ Triumph like edifice on the waterfront’s Marine Drive was the location where Gandhi returned to India in 1915 and where the British left the country after granting them independence. We watch 20 minutes of a Bollywood movie which has everything – action, drama, love ... read more