Journals from the week ending April 11, 1997
A Sports Fix
Francois Ares, 4/3/97, aboard ship...For most people on the boat, sports were a big part of their lives before coming aboard. Throughout the first and second semester, we haven’t had enough sports time to satisfy our muscles. Sure we’ve gone swimming in almost every port, but I was looking for a sport that required a bit of running. When the opportunity in Saudi Arabia came up to visit the King Fahd Sports Center, we jumped on it and played to our hearts’ content. At first, we walked impatiently through a tour of the center that seemed to take too long. The complex was huge so the tour was a good thing after all; we could see all the options and not jump on the first one we saw. There was basketball, badminton, volleyball, bowling, tennis, squash and more. By the end of our time there, most were exhausted and sore but almost everybody had a smile on their face. Saudi Arabia was a great cultural experience, but this little bit of home made it that much sweeter.
Reflections on the Suez Canal
Amanda Verkade, 4/4/97, aboard ship...
We have been in the Mediter-ranean Sea for a few days now and it seems like a completely different world. The air temperature is much colder than that of the Red Sea, and some students even spotted a little snow today.Our entrance way into this new world was the Suez Canal. Going through the canal was an experience that many students won’t easily forget. It began early Easter morning in the Bay of Suez where we waited to enter the canal. We waited the whole day and weren’t allowed to enter the canal until 3:00 AM the next morning. While we waited, many men came alongside the Concordia trying to sell souvenirs to us. Some other Egyptian men came onboard demanding presents from the Captain in return for helping us to get through the Suez quicker. We ignored these men and eventually did make it into the canal.
That afternoon while traveling through the Suez Canal we had free time because we had Captain’s Inspection that morning. We enjoyed the scenery by going aloft or simply relaxing on deck. The banks of Egypt along the canal were spotted with desert, small towns and farmland. We also saw occasional military barracks and tanks. Even though Egypt was not a scheduled port on our itinerary, we still had a chance to see it from a distance. The Suez Canal gave us this opportunity.
Istanbul
Pat Bartolatz-Sawyer, 4/9/97, aboard ship...Istanbul is a city on two continents influenced by virtually every culture in the world. As we neared the city the channel narrowed to about three quarters of a mile wide. On the port side, we could see the Haggia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
The thought of being a few blocks from both Europe and Asia excited the imagination. How many millions of travelers had come to this city? How many empires had established their territory around this city and then relinquished their control to a more powerful empire: the Ottomans, Persians, Romans, and now the country of Turkey. It was amazing to see all of the castles along the Bosporus Strait. It was obvious that this crossroads of continents was strategic to many armies throughout time. It seemed ironic that we transited the Bosporus today of all days. It seems that Istanbul is still a critically important point in the defenses of this part of the world because NATO forces were practicing in the Bosporus today.