Journals

Hi there, I'm Anouck and I cruise with my family around the world. We have been to many formidable places that I enjoyed. Now, I hope you enjoy my pages. My most recent journals are at the top of the page.

Experiences!

Fes

With the boat docked at the marina in Rabat,Morocco's capital city we took a train to the famous city of Fes. Fes is a beautiful medival city. In this city the first University on earth was built in the 9th century! This was far earlier than Oxford or Cambridge in England. It is also the oldest medival city still thriving! We planned to spend two days in Fes reserving a room in a riad. A riad is a renovated medival house thats like a hotel except smaller with around only six rooms. Its also much nicer than a hotel. The moment we stepped inside the riad our jaws dropped in awe. I did not know that the beautiful Islamic architecture I had seen in the castle of Alhambra was also used in a traditional house. The walls were full of painted plasterwork and woodcarvings and tilework. There were so many different colors it was amazing! There were crimson reds, pale blues, and dark blues, banana yellows, cantaloupe orange and dark oranges, salmon pinks and light violet. . . . There were so many colors I couldn't name them all.

The floor was tiled in blacks, whites and greens. There were columns on either side of the three doors leading out of the rooms into a courtyard. They were painted white with plasterwork up at the top. The doors were tall and wooden, painted dark green with red, orange, yellow and blue designs. Two of these doors lead to guest rooms, and the third door lead to a cozy and comfortable room with couches and oriental carpets covering the tiled floor. We were invited to sit down and have mint tea, a traditional Moroccan drink. We had often wondered what an Islamic house would look furnished and lived in and we got our wish. This room had traditional,painted wood furniture. The table we had placed the tea tray on was wooden with many carving and colorful paintings of flowers and ornate designs. We were shown our rooms and the roof top terrace. The terrace had a spectacular view of the whole Medina ( medina means the old part of town). I sat down on one of the couches on the terrace and looked out at the Medina. Some of the roof tiles on the surrounding houses were a pretty green. Green is the color of Islam. It was hard to leave the beautiful riad and explore the town but we had to.

We hired a guide to show us around town. Something I liked a lot about the town was that the roads were so small that instead of using cars they used donkeys and mules for carrying goods and sometimes transportation! We walked down a street where people were dying clothes. The guide showed us to a market full of people bustling around, buying things from the stands. We wormed our way through the crowd looking at the stands selling eggs and vegetables and meat. The guide also showed us to the tannery where they soften and remove hair from the hide of cows, sheep, goats and camels. They provided fresh peppermint leaves that we put to our noses to block out the stench as they led up to a balcony that looked over the whole tannery. Laid out before us were many,many carved out old stone and clay basins.

These basins were full of murky water, the workers stood in the basins with this water up to their hips. Every once in a while they would pull a hide out of the water and drape it over the side of the basin. Men with long wooden hooked poles would reach in with these poles and heave out enormous hides, much bigger than the ones that other workers were easily picking up. There was also a large pile of soft, curly sheep hair. What was so fascinating about this was that these people were working like people did a thousand years back! Even the basins they were using were ancient. It was quite an experience seeing the tannery.

The guide brought us to a carpet shop with traditional carpets. The man who owned this shop took out many of his carpets and explained to us the beautiful and colorful symbols embroidered on the carpets told the story of the women who wove them. Some symbols showed happiness and others marriage. There were so many different beautiful carpets it was hard to decide which I liked best. We finally came across a simple brown carpet with four orange, light blue, red and yellow embroidered symbols. These carpets could be used on the floor as well as for decoration on a wall. We bought it and are planning to hang it on the wall when we finish cruising and arrive back at our house. We bought this carpet for a cheap price. It was a thousand Durheim ( Durheim is Moroccan money) which translates to a hundred euros. In Morocco it is expected to bargain but we thought it was such a fair price we didn't do it.

We happily took our carpet and left the shop.

In Morocco henna skin drawings is traditional. I was hoping to have one done during our stay in Fes. Muhamad, ( a man working in the riad ) told us that he was a friend of the people in the neighboring house and that the teenage girl there did henna. The teenage girl was willing to make a henna drawing so they invited us into there house and told us to take a seat. They brought a porcelain bowl that contained what looked like wet red clay, this was henna. We decided how we wanted our henna, Muhamad translating for the family in Arabic and translating in english to us. Muhamad suggested that on one arm I have designs of flowers and swirls and the other arm my name in the beautiful Arabic script. I thought this was a nice idea, especially writing my name in Arabic. I sat still as she drew the henna with incredible speed. She lent over my arm, concentrating. I tried to stay still to make it easier for her. Once done with one arm, which was now covered in elaborate designs, she started on the second arm drawing my name in Arabic. After finishing my rather complicated and very beautiful name she began to draw pretty decorations around it. She finished my henna so fast I wouldn't have thought it possible and finished my sister with the same speed. We payed fifty Durheim each. Muhamad advised us to go up to the terrace with our henna because the sun helps it dry and also because apparently staying in the sun makes it last longer. Once the henna dried we ate a delicious dinner, and I lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep. . . . .

We spent the morning packing, ate another lovely breakfast. Then I sadly said good bye to the riad and we took a taxi to the train station. From there we took the train back to the marina in Rabat. I am so glad we visited the beautiful city of Fes.

Syria

Palmyra

We woke up at seven in the morning, ate a hurried breakfast, and walked down to the bus still half asleep (at least I was). Luckily during the bus ride I had my friend Juliana to keep me occupied. Along with the company of her sister Cassie, two twins called Ryan and Wesley, and Tom and George. So, along with the crowd of children I laughed and talked and the hours passed away quicker than I expected.

When I looked out of the window I saw a vast desert. Shrubs and pebbles speckled the pale orange sand. Every once in a while we would pass three or four white tents most likely belonging to nomads. Eventually the snacks we had packed began to run out and only a few pretzels remained in the package. My stomach told me it was high time for lunch. I was relieved when the bus halted and we stepped out onto the desert sand, it was so unbearably hot! The guide led us to a long white Beduin tent. Musicians welcomed us into the tent playing traditional Beduin music. They wore what appeared to me white dresses and wrapped about there head were white and red checkered cloths. Inside the tent the ground was covered with many elaborate carpets taped together by scotch tape. Almost all the carpets had a red background with deep blue and beige designs. The ceiling above me was made of off-white cloth. Two long tables stood in the center of the room. They were cluttered with platters full of different foods, baskets of oranges, pickled vegetables, salads, tomatoes. . . Us kids crowded around a low table settling down on the couches and stools around it. We sipped on our sodas while munching on our food. It was AWESOME to be sitting in a tent with the knowledge that people lived in tents just like this one!!! But there was also a downside. If I thought it was hot outside it was nothing compared to inside. The air was humid and stuffy. Flies were constantly attempting to land on us and our food. Now the musicians were parading around the tent and all our conversations were drowned by the rhythmic beating of the drum, the light and beautiful flute and the singers deep voice that sang in a foreign language.

Now we were back on the bus speeding through the desert again. We stopped again and left the bus. Beside our bus many other tour buses had parked, by the look of it this was definitely a tourist attraction. I soon found out why. Heat waves swam ahead of me and the sun beat on my head. However I was not paying attention. Towering above me in the middle of the desert were huge roman style columns. At the upper part of the column were carved beautiful and intricate designs. Instead of the white stones the Romans used to build with, these were just the same pale orange color as the sand. The contrast of the light blue sky and the orange stone and sand was spectacular.

As I walked I was dwarfed by a colonnade. Scattered around were fallen columns and chunks of stone. These beautiful stones and columns were the remains of the city of Palmyra. The queen of Palmyra picked to build a city here because it was neighboring to an Oasis. A place, even though in the desert, that was lush and green and was rich with water. So the people that lived in Palmyra had no worry of being parched or starved. The queen was a beduin who loved roman architecture so she hired roman architects to build the city for her.

The guide brought us to a huge stadium just like the ones romans used for gladiator fights. We sat on the seats of the stadium and listened to the guide make a speech. Luckily me and Juliana found a bit of shade so we sat there. While the guide talked I looked at my surroundings imagining what it was like when this stadium was still in use. Palmyra was probably the most amazing ruins I have seen. Yet, there were still more fascinating things to see here in Syria.

Damascus

In the evening we retired to a six star hotel, I collapsed on the bed and slept peacefully for the rest of the night. We were on the bus once again the next morning another tour day ahead of us. Now we would be exploring the famous city of Damascus.

In a Mosque, it is the rule that woman should be covered down to their toes and wear head scarfs around their heads. In the heat everyone on the tour was wearing shorts and tank tops. Me, Celine, Cassie and Juliana were given grayish-green cloaks to wear in the Mosque. Me and Juliana both agreed that wearing these green cloaks reminded us of all the magical books we've read that involved cloaks. We also agreed it was COOL to be wearing them. Putting on our cloaks we pulled the hoods over our head. When we reached the Mosque we were told to remove our shoes. I slipped off my sandals stepped onto the marble flooring of the courtyard of the Mosque. It burned my feet because the sun had been blazing on it for so long. In the center of the courtyard was a little well. The muslims use it to wash themselves with water before they pray. All along one side of the courtyard wall was a FIFTY METER MOSAIC!

It is the largest mosaic in the world according to our guide!!! Me and Juliana gawked at it. Most of the mosaic was gold and faded turquoise-green. I would but I can't recount what the mosaic showed. Our parents called me and Juliana back to listen to the history speech the tour guide was making. So we walked between two of the columns that lined the sides of the courtyard to where the rest of the E.M.Y.R stood in a group listening to the guide. Once the guide had finished he led us inside the Mosque. The sun filtered through the beautiful stained glass windows. Shafts of light fell across the room, but even so it was still a bit dark. The men and woman were separated. Men in the front woman in the back. They were all kneeling [most on small carpets] on the ground murmuring quietly. Then they would sit up, wait for a few moments and kneel down again. Along the walls were some glass display cases holding old leather bound books. I like old books, they remind me of magic spell books or ancient books from ancient old kings, that I have read about. We left the Mosque a little later and me and Juliana were sad to remove our cloaks.

The guide told us we were going to visit the Suke next. The Suke is kind of like a long hall way filled with stores. The guide told us we had half an hour to explore the Suke. We split up in the Suke. I went with my dad and Celine went with my mom. The Suke was noisy and crowded, There were men in costumes selling tea and bellowing loudly in Arabic what translated must have meant " BY MY TEA!" There were also men carrying bouquets of huge balloons that towered over the crowd.

What I wanted most was to buy a traditional box from Syria. There were many stores selling pretty boxes but I was determined to buy the most beautiful and the cheapest. We went into store after store looking for the best box. Our time was running out. I really wanted the box. Finally we came to a halt at another store. There was a plain wooden box shaped like a trunk with a swirly and beautiful design made of mother of pearl on the lid. It was extremely beautiful but too large to bring back to the boat. I looked at the shelves filled with boxes big and small. I saw a small circular box. It had the same mother of pearl design as the one I saw before. I absolutely adored it. Inside was a red sort of carpet materiel. I took it down from the shelf and looked at it. This was defenitly the box I was looking for. We payed and left the shop. As we headed back toward the entrance of the Suke, we came across a shop selling traditional syrian dresses. They were all made of silk cloth. Each dress was a different color, pale orange, lime green, baby blue, bright red, dark violet. . . . . . . We found a beautiful dress, it was a dark blue, it had golden embroidery at the rims, and a few golden embroidered flowers on the front. We thought about buying it for my mom but wasn't sure she would like it, eventually it was too late so we left the shop without the dress and headed back to the bus.

We arrived back in the marina that evening after exploring two amazing places, Palmyra and Damascus.

A VISIT TO SWITZERLAND!

Switzerland sure is cold in the winter!!!!

After hauling the boat out at Marmaris Yacht marina (in Turkey) we took a three hour plane ride to Switzerland. We arrived at our grandma's apartment in Montreux. We took my grandmother's mini van up the steep mountain with many twists and turns along the way, to arrive at a cute small ski village, called Les Diablerets ( in english, the little devil), surrounded by large high mountains topped by soft flakes of white snow. Fortunately this was where we would be staying for three hopefully great months of skiing and snow ball fights. Ok, I did not mention school.

Sailing through Greece

Definitely what you call sunny. . . . . . .

After a visit to Croatia it was time for one to Greece. Famous for its history Greece has some incredible places to see. Here are a few of them.

Olympia

Pillars, temples, columns.. . . . .

One historical sight I enjoyed particularly, was Olympia. On the sunny grounds, many large pillars with intricate designs, leftover temples and beautiful sculptures lay displayed on the dusty earth.

Big chunks of smoothed carved stone to form the remains of the great temple of Zeus, god of thunder and lightning, and also king of gods and goddesses. Beside this grand temple lays another, honoring Zeus's wife, Hera, queen of the gods and goddesses and goddess of girl and womanhood. Both Zeus and Hera were very important to the ancient greeks.

As we wandered around Olympia we came across the large olympic stadium. Rough stone seats were built around the stadium and on the left side, four stone seats lay arranged in a half circle, this was where the judges were to be seated. Me and Celine looked out at the stadium. On your mark, get ready, GO!!!!!!! We were off speeding forwards as fast as our legs could take us. It was off for an Olympic race!

Glancing around a few more times we went back to the boat after a great day of sight seeing!!!

The Quarry

Into the unknown. . . . . . .

The boat docked in Paros, my parents rented a car and we drove to the inland of the island where there was a quarry. A quarry is a large cave made up of rock and marble. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used this cave for many centuries for cutting out large chunks of marble to make grand statues and other nice objects. It is large and dark and it's best to use flashlights to make your way around. With little tunnels leading into unknown places. Picking your way around the unlit places is quite an adventure. When I first looked down at the cave, I had the impression that the long black tunnel would never end. My dad told us to turn back when we arrived at a passageway so low you had to crawl and so narrow you had to squeeze to fit. To my disappointment, we had to climb back up. Well, as you can see it was an awwwwwwwwwwwwesome place to visit!!!

Kea

Lions in Greece???

Kea is a nice local town, and the first real traditional greek town I have visited. It is made up mostly of stone steps. The houses were all white with baby blue shutters and small balconies over-looking the goats grazing on the hillsides.

We saw two men with donkeys, one in traditional clothes!

The first time we dinghied from Cenou to step off into this wonderful town we were in search for one of the oldest greek sculptures they have found yet. It was a sculpture of a nine meter lion! After a long while of scouting my mom saw a large rectangular stone with a strangely shaped rock sitting in an awkward position. We walked down to it. At top view you would never make it out as a lion but when we walked closer it became clear what it was. It had large kind eyes and a smiling mouth. It looked like an oversized cuddly kitten. It was the least intricate or detailed, even so it has become one of my favorite sculptures.

Kea was probably one of the nicer islands we have sailed to.

Dolphins Ahoy!

One day I was sitting in my berth looking out at the water through the escape hatch, when amidst the gliding waves I saw two grey fins. "Dolphins!" I shouted, nobody heard me so I sprinted up the stairs and into the cockpit, " Dolphins!" I said again. We ran up front and there, swerving around our hulls were four dolphins. They were about nine feet and their white bellies stood out in the dark blue ocean. Eventually two of them left , wandering off to find another adventure, but the other ones seemed to stick around. They must have liked the two hulls. We stayed up at the bows watching them jump up dive down, jump up dive down. After a long while they left to go explore another boat.

I hope to have another encounter with dolphins soon.

swim naked