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Expedition Stories
Our fleet navigates the world in search of adventure. These are the stories they bring back…
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Previous Reports
9/30/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Skyros, Greece Some days we can escape the bustling, busy traveling, and visit a nice, quiet, town like Skyros. Oh, yes, it has a great history, etc... but you can find that in the books or with the guide. You can learn about the famous Skyran horses also, and how the Venetians modified the town. But to slowly walk and absorb this lovely town is priceless. Images remain: the narrow streets, whitewashed houses and the flower pots at the windows, the older man walking by in his black pantaloons and leather strap shoes, two ladies talking in Greek about what they would make for lunch today. A small museum let us see what life was like here years ago, simple and frugal. A longer walk took us up to an old fort; here we focused carefully just for that shot. And we had at our fingertips a good series of small shops with local handicraft made out of wood, porcelain and cloth! The morning passed slowly by and we eventually made it back to our ship, though some of us preferred to have lunch in town. After our midday repast we occupied a small beach to ourselves, with rougher sand and the clear waters of the Aegean Sea. What else could one wish for if not a clear, wonderful day in the Mediterranean?
10/2/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Delos & Mykonos Islands, Greece An azure sky and invigorating breeze greeted the National Geographic Endeavour as we positioned a little offshore of the small Cycladian island of Delos. This is the reputed birthplace of Apollo, whose mother Leto had fled from the wrath of Hera, the infuriated wife of Zeus, who searching for a safe place to give birth had chosen a floating piece of rock which was to become this island. Tradition recounts that she had twins, Apollo and his sister Artemis. The island became a major centre of worship of Apollo and it was the inhabitants of the nearby island of Naxos who capitalized on this cult by building a temple in his honor in the seventh century BC. This structure was replaced and rebuilt several times and drew huge numbers of devotees from far and wide. Many affluent merchants from all over the Mediterranean built and settled here in an exclusive quarter of the town beside the sanctuary and theatre. This latter structure could hold some six thousand spectators. Archaeological excavations are currently ongoing and the recovered ancient material is constantly adding to our knowledge and helping to gain an insight into the everyday life of the inhabitants of this settlement. We spent the morning exploring the remains of this extensive and erstwhile bustling centre of trade, craftsmanship and arts and also visited the onsite museum which houses a rich array of artifacts found on the site. Once back onboard we sailed the short distance to the neighboring granitic island of Mykonos, one of the most popular tourist locations in the whole of the Mediterranean. The island derives its name from Apollo's grandson Mykons. Once docked we boarded coaches for the short ride to the small ferry port town of Hora where we spent the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. With its blue and white houses, shops and restaurants facing each other across narrow, stone paved lanes and alleys, the town is a veritable photographers paradise.
10/4/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
At Sea, Between Greece & Sicily Today was a day of transition, moving from Greece across the Ionian Sea to Sicily. We sailed westward all day with fairly smooth seas and sunny skies. The water was a deep blue color, signaling the lack of nutrients in this part of the Mediterranean. With over 10,000 feet of water below us and mostly level bottom topography, we weren't expecting much in the way of wildlife, but we did come upon a few groups of striped dolphins. These normally oceanic dolphins have a strong population in the Mediterranean and number perhaps as many as 100,000. This is probably the species depicted in many ancient frescoes including as far back as 4,000+ years ago in the Minoan culture of Crete. One group came in for a bit of fun, bowriding on the wave we push out in front of us. Today was also a day of transitioning from the Greek culture to the Sicilian, and is there a better way to explore it than in the food department? Our guest chef, Joyce Goldstein, gave us an explanation of Sicilian cooking followed by a demonstration and best of all, a tasting of delicious Sicilian food. This day was perfect for recharging our batteries after many fantastic explorations in Greece, and preparation for our next focus of Sicily.
10/6/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Agrigento, Sicily From Porto Empedocle, beside the modern city of Agrigento, we drove by coach through the rolling Sicilian countryside to the world famous archaeological site of Selinunte. Originally founded by the Greeks in the seventh century BC, the settlement developed into one of the most important trading centers in the whole of the Mediterranean sea basin. Under the watchful eye of the Carthaginians it was attacked and plundered in 409 BC by the renowned general Hannibal who commanded an army of 100,000 but it was not until a second assault and a series of severe earthquakes in 250 BC that the settlement was completely destroyed. The fallen temples and ruins of the private houses and public buildings were then slowly absorbed by accumulating soil and other debris, like a time capsule the site lay dormant for centuries. Sporadic excavations since the early nineteenth century have revealed only a small portion of the original settlement. After arriving we explored the ruins of this extensive site in the company of our local guides. The toppled columns of once lofty temples bore witness to the devastating force of nature and offered excellent photo compositions. A much needed snack was enjoyed before driving back to Agrigento where we were treated to a wonderful lunch of typical Sicilian food in an outside restaurant located at the bottom of a verdant chasm. The afternoon was spent walking through the series of temples and other ancient remains which make up a veritable archaeological park known as "The Valley of the Temples." Eye catching were the gnarled olive trees, some of which were over a thousand years old.
10/8/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Bonifacio, Corsica Long before dawn approaches the sky is filled with entertainment. The figures of the constellations have been etched into our minds from childhood on. Like guests in a royal palace we slowly approached the seated queen Cassiope. Was she upright or upside down this morning as she rotated about Polaris? Off to our starboard side the planet Venus seemed to be helping Iusticia (or Themis in Greece) by holding a set of scales, a balance to mete out justice for the world. At least so it seemed, for the quarter moon was dangling below her, its concave lens-like shape mimicking a fine brass tray upon which to place a weight. Or maybe she was swinging a pendulum for it certainly looked as if there was a connection between the morning star and the waning moon. Even the sunrise was an animated cartoon. As any sun should do, it popped above the horizon like a rosy hemisphere. Soon bites were nibbled from the edge by voracious little clouds as if they were chiseling a building block for a medieval wall. In an instant the sculptor created a fiery ship a-sail upon the sea. Was it Jason and his Argonauts? With a blink of an eye, the crimson glow was our sun again, illuminating the clear blue sky and indigo sea. Cory's shearwaters appeared on cue slicing the tops of the waves. The coast of Sardinia gave way and into the gap between it and Corsica we plunged. Bonifacio sat on the white layered cliffs like marzipan ornaments upon a cake, its roof-tops rising and falling with the contours of the land. Walls were not needed on its seaward side for no enemy would attempt to scale these friable walls. A river carved channel clove the cliffs establishing a perfect hidden harbor and creating the peninsula upon which the town had grown. Medieval fortifications controlled access then and now. No guards stood on the walls prepared to repel our advance but instead the gates stood open for all who cared to wander there through narrow streets or in and out of shops. Turning left instead of right while climbing the steps toward town one was immediately swallowed by the maqui, a forest of fragrant shrubs. Crushed leaves released small quantities of the volatile oils hidden here but a rain storm would send a profusion of smells wafting about the land. It didn't rain however and it was left to our imaginations to intensify and meld the odors into one. Deep green junipers wore red berries if they were female or tiny yellow pollen laden flowers if they were male. Wormwood bore lacy greyish green foliage while the narrow leaves of rosemary were still another shade of green. In the distance the granite spine of the island was visible. Beneath our feet sand sparkled with tiny fragments of feldspar and quartz plucked from those hills and carried toward the sea, little by little until it lay buried in the deep. Welded together by calcium carbonate it rose again to create the cliffs of today. As our tread scuffed against the rocks these tiny grains were released again, ground a little smaller or rolled a little rounder to begin the cycle again. The setting sun painted the sky behind the cliffs of Bonifacio. "Red sky at night, sailors delight!" A good omen for the cycle of tomorrow.
10/10/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Mahon & Ciudadela, Spain Sailing in through the natural harbor of Mahon, Spain was bliss. The ocean swells brought us here mid morning. Most guests took off for a great day exploring Mahon on the island of Menorca. After lunch an exploration of the island took us to the coastal town of Ciudadela. We exited the beautiful natural harbor by Zodiac and returned to the ship for a presentation by Tim Severin on "Ulysses & The Odyssey". Those of us who spent the late evening on deck experienced a most amazing light show in the sky. On a day like today it is my great pleasure to bring the underwater world of the Mediterranean Sea on board for everyone to enjoy, using state of the art technology for presentations to inspire you all to care and explore the planet as a whole. It is so easy to forget about the life beneath the sea we travel upon; the inhabitants' constant struggle to survive in this vast inland sea threatened by heavy pollution, fisheries and ship trafficking. The jewels that remain beneath us are delicate plants and animals that need protection as we do. The sea-grass beds and the wild topography that mirrors the landscape above still sustain small pockets of a very important ecosystem. In the picture above this colorful wall is covered in brightly colored hard cup corals (tubastrea), an immensely pleasing sight in the otherwise green, grey world of algae that for the most part cover the sea-floor of the Mediterranean. The colony of hard corals pictured is a species that will take advantage of feeding when the current is running; in the picture most polyps are retracted. When the tentacles of the polyps are extended they catch the food by stinging the organic material floating by before devouring it in their stomachs. Corals belong in the class Anthozoa. To simplify the world of corals; there are soft corals and hard corals. A large group of the hard corals are reef-building corals. There are no reef building corals in the Mediterranean, not because of pollution but due to the water properties in these latitudes. There are smaller colonies of hard coral like the reef building corals that secret a skeleton of calcium carbonate providing protection for the animal itself. When the coral polyp dies (the orange fleshy bit in the picture) the only thing left is the limestone skeleton. A species of hard coral we have all seen as 'shoppers' on our voyage is the endangered Red Coral 'Corallium Rubrum'.
10/1/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Santorini, Greece Canis major seemed to be tethered to our mast this morning, towing us along in hot pursuit of the hunter Orion. In the darkness the lights of Santorini floated above the sea. Aphrodite's belt, the sign of impeding daylight, was mostly gray with only a hint of pink for the air was dense with humidity. As Apollo's chariot neared the horizon the lights became whitewashed houses draped over the heights like newly fallen snow. Surrounded by banded cliffs that rise straight to the sky the National Geographic Endeavour drifted to and fro all day long delivering us to destinations and retrieving us once again as we came and went from our island of safety. Our eyes scanned the shores as our bodies pivoted three hundred and sixty degrees. We were surrounded by three islets united in their layering. Minds connected the dots to form a ring. In two dimensions it is a donut but strip the water away by looking at the navigational charts and we discover ourselves enclosed within a bowl, a cauldron, a caldera with a slightly fractured rim. Contained within this urn along with us two dark and sinister newborn islands stand. One still steams and as we walk upon its hot black basaltic crust it sends pungent odors to our nostrils. Our knees might tremble from climbing to its crest and back but they may just as well shake with the knowledge that we are smack dab on top of an extremely tectonically active area. In 1617 BC or so the entire island exploded encrusting remnants of the past in smothering pumice and wiping away the rest in clouds of swirling ash roaring up into the sky 20 miles or more. Giant waves radiated outwards washing away shores as far away as Crete and the Levant. Maybe it will happen again but who knows when? The earth does tremble. Houses fall but life goes on. Rejuvenated, Oia rose again from the earthquake destruction of the mid 1950's that crumbled seventy percent of its structures. Its youthful countenance is fresh and colorful, the houses clustered together like tussling puppies. Blue domed churches and tiny chapels are as numerous as the families living there, a sure sign of prosperity and a temptation for photographic composition. From the storefronts, the glassy blue backed evil eye keeps watch, maybe providing protection from future geologic destruction. We will sleep easily tonight. Will it be from exhaustion after a busy day or will it be from relief as we have exited the caldera?
10/3/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Katakalon & Olympia, Greece All memory of our blustery departure from Mykonos yesterday dissolved in the brilliance of the pink and orange sunrise. We spent the morning watching Joyce Goldstein, our guest chef, prepare Greek savories in the lounge while the National Geographic Endeavour headed north along the west coast of Greece. Our destination was Katakalon, the nearest port to the site of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games. Surrounded by rugged mountains and fertile valleys filled with vineyards and groves of olive, citrus and mulberry trees, the Greeks, like all ancient men created myths as a means of understanding their own beginnings. In the sacred landscape of the western Peloponnese, the ancient Greeks founded the sanctuary in honor of Zeus, the god of the sky. Olympia was one of four pan-Hellenic sites where all men of Greek birth from across the Mediterranean, gathered to compete in a series of athletic events held in honor of Zeus. Entering the original Olympic stadium through a vaulted tunnel, placing one’s foot on the marble starting line and sprinting down the length of the original Olympic stadium as athletes did for more almost a 1000 years from 776 BC – 350 AD is awe-inspiring. The green grassy slopes bordering the stadium that once held 40,000 spectators, are now surrounded by a pine forest singed orange and black by the devastating fires of this past summer. But for the invention of modern fire-fighting foam, human carelessness almost destroyed a site that is important, not just to western civilization, but to all humanity. Ancient Olympia was never a town, but a sanctuary so all its silent ruins relate to the worship of the Olympian gods or the games. Standing beside the collapsed column drums of the massive temple of Zeus one quickly develops an appreciation for the scale of this once great structure, which housed the seated ivory and gold encrusted statue of Zeus. Known only through Greek texts and depictions on ancient coins, the moulds for sections of this masterpiece, which was one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”, are preserved in the newly refurbished site museum. Reluctant as we were to leave the site, a late afternoon wine and olive oil tasting at the Mecuri Wine Estate enroute to the ship provided a perfect end to a magical day and in fact, our five-day visit to Greece. At midnight, under the starry skies of early autumn, we headed south towards Sicily, through the ink black Mediterranean Sea.
10/5/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Syracuse, Sicily Today the National Geographic Endeavour berthed in the old harbor adjacent to Ortygia, a tiny islet off the southeast corner of Sicily, where in 734 BC citizens of the Greek city-state of Corinth founded their colony. At first glance there is little in the skyline or narrow streets of what now appears to be a Spanish Baroque city that belies its ancient past. Long gone are the Greek trireme sheds, fortifications, and Archimedes famous siege weapons that enabled the Syracusans to defeat the Athenians, Carthaginians, and hold off the Romans for almost a year. In order to gain a better understanding of Sicilian culture we began our morning walking tour with our guest chef, Joyce Goldstein, and the galley staff. We moved through the crowded food markets sampling sun-dried cheery tomatoes and olives, juicy peaches, and buying cheeses and herbs. We continued to wind our way through the narrow pedestrian streets of the old city until breaking out into the Duomo Square. The magnificent Baroque façade of the Duomo fronts the completely intact Greek Temple of Athena. Sitting quietly in the pews amongst the flickering offering candles, alone in our thoughts, we were transported back in time to the 5th century BC. As we stepped back into the 21st century, we were greeted once again by the sights, sounds and smells of Sicily: children riding bicycles in the piazza; animated shopkeepers and women hurrying home to cook the noon meal. From Baroque splendor to Greek and Roman masterpieces, Syracuse has it all. In the afternoon we escaped the hustle and bustle of the modern city. Once through the gauntlet of postcard vendors, we found ourselves strolling along the oleander-flanked pathways of the archaeological park. We started our visit at the bottom of the Latomie, the ancient limestone quarry where Dionysius, the tyrant ruler of Syracuse, imprisoned more 7,000 Athenian soldiers in 413 BC. Our guide sang “Ave Maria” to demonstrate the extraordinary acoustic qualities of the “Ear of Dionysius” a 23 mile high man-made cave at one end of the quarry. As we climbed up the sun-parched, but now silent, stone seats of the ancient Greek theater, it was hard not to think about the 18,000 souls who once filled the seats 2,200 years ago. What manner of men lived through the wars and peace that punctuated the turbulent history of this city; made offerings to the gods on the alters before her temples; sold amphorae of herb-infused wine along the quay; or cloaked in leather and bronze armor, stood sentinel on the watch towers that ringed her city walls?
10/7/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Trapani & Erice, Sicily At last we reached the western coast of Sicily! We tied up at the dock in Trapani in the early morning, and after breakfast took buses up to the town of Erice, sitting at the top of the mountain near Trapani. A winding road drew us slowly nearer, allowing us to see the very green vegetation formed principally by olive trees and pines. The ground was graced by locally abundant cyclamen, almost the only flowering plant at the moment. We are near the end of the long, dry summer, and everybody is looking forward to the rainy season, which takes place in winter. The vegetation reflects this rain regime, which is called Mediterranean Climate. This lovely town is the very old city of Elimi, called Eryx, famous for its temple to the fertility goddess Astarte, later known as Venus and worshipped by the Romans. The town owes its name to Eryx, a mythical ruler of the Elimi. Two other Greek gods were associated with Erice, Hercules and Aeneas. The city fell and grew in the hands of first the Phoenicians, then the Carthaginians and the Romans. The Saracens followed, and called it Gebel Hamed, which in turn was named Monte San Giuliano by the Normans. We walked its ancient narrow streets, clean, lovely, and after visiting the castle built by the Normans, we had a taste of the local sweets cuisine at Maria Grammatica’s pastry shop. All kinds of almond and other pastries titillated our tongues!
10/9/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
Alghero, Sardinia During the evening the National Geographic Endeavour took us southward from Corsica to the island of Sardinia. It is Italian soil today, but it has had a long history of occupation and allegiance – mostly forced – to a progression of Mediterranean powers: Roman, Arabs, Genoese of the House of Doria, Catalon (the House of Aragon), and Hapsburg Spain. Each has left its mark on the landscape, language and architecture, but the people remain fiercely independent and proud of their distinct identity as Sardinians. At dawn we were off a huge massif of pinkish limestone that is Capo Caccia, rising 185 meters above the sea and topped by a lighthouse that points the way to the harbor of Alghero; its light can be seen far at sea. Our fleet of Zodiacs carried us through the breakwater and into the harbor, past row after row of luxury yachts owned by mainlanders who fly to the island for a weekend of sailing. Alghero was established as a fortified city by the House of Doria around 1100 AD. They held it until they were defeated by the Kingdom of Aragon in 1353. Occupants who declined to swear allegiance were evicted and replaced by Catalan colonists, who left behind their language and distinctive Gothic-Catalan architecture. The Old City is surrounded by thick, fortified walls and ramparts, interrupted by fortified towers and an imposing gatehouse and drawbridge. The drawbridge was lowered each evening until the 1880s. Led by our local guides, we wandered through the Old City’s narrow stone streets that connect tiny piazzas (squares). Our afternoon took us into the surrounding countryside, through forests of pine, to reach the Nuraghe de Palmavera. A Nuraghe is a conical tower built with huge rectangular blocks of stone and usually located to give a panoramic view of the surroundings. This tower was built in two stages, the earlier of sandstone and the later of limestone. It is surrounded by a village of around fifty circular huts built of smaller stones. Construction of this complex by ancient Sardinians probably began around 1,500 BC, in the Bronze Age. Since the people left no written record we can only surmise about their lives. It is probable that the tower served a defensive function, with different Nuraghe villages banding together to resist a common enemy or turning against each other when there was no common enemy. The low entrance into the interior of the tower would be easily defended against intruders, and food and water stored within would allow the occupants to withstand a lengthy siege. Our final stop was back at Capo Caccia, but this time looking down from the peak for a panoramic view of the bay and surrounding countryside.
10/11/2007
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National Geographic Endeavour
From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Mediterranean
At Sea, Heading to Mainland Spain There was a saying in ancient Greece. When the gods are angry, the Mediterranean is like an ocean; when they are happy, it is like a pond. As we began sailing west towards Spain last night, the gods must have been very angry with someone for something. A violent electrical storm in our wake lit up the dark sky with dazzling natural fireworks. “It’s the most spectacular display I’ve ever seen” was the comment of one of our guests. And it truly was magnificent and humbling at the same time. But fortunately for us, the gods remained happy with the National Geographic Endeavour . Our night passage into the open waters of the western Mediterranean was tranquil, as the storm we had witnessed for about an hour off our stern never caught up with us. The dawning of the day brought us a full plate of weather. A brief, multihued sunrise yielded to cloudy skies then to intermittent rain ranging from a gentle mist to a deluge accompanied by with some hail. Gusts of 40 miles per hour buffeted our ship from time to time, and the sea rose to four-meter waves and then settled down to a more moderate following swell. Nature provided something for everyone! But the fickle weather did not deter our hardiest guests, who began the morning with their usual stretching exercises led by Gil, our wellness specialist. Our daily schedule also included three lectures by William, Robyn and me. We also had our first disembarkation briefing and an extensive recap of the last several days. In between these events, our ingenuous chefs surprised us with a Swedish lunch along with a song to our health thrown in as well. Teatime between afternoon lectures provided another Swedish taste treat – traditional pancakes with every imaginable topping! But for those who wanted time alone to reflect on the wondrous things we have seen or to think about Granada ahead, there was the luxury of a whole day at sea. Today offered a pause for all who wanted one. There was time for those postcards that we had forgotten to write, for that book we have been reading in fits and starts during our busy itinerary, and for some moments to begin to process all that we have seen and learned. Our day at sea afforded opportunities for those precious interludes of solitude and contemplation all too rare in our respective “real” worlds. In its own way, our day on a sea of many faces was uniquely special.
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