Tag Archives: Chaput foot prints

Temple of Philae, Aswan Egypt

January 25, 2020 chaput@live.com

We took a boat ride to see the Philae Temple now located on the island of Agilkia in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam. It is below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, in Egypt.

As we approached the Island we could see the Philae Temple.

View if the Philae Temple from the boat as we approached.

We landed and began our walk towards the Temple. The closer we got to the Temple the more impressive it became.

Shelley and Ray in front of the main entrance to the Philae Temple.

The Temple of Philae was originally located near the First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. The y were being flooded as a result of the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. The UNESCO Nubia campaign dismantled the Philae Temple site and moved them stone by stone to the nearby Agilkia Island, before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam. The Philae Temple has been relocated exactly as the original location.

The other wall of the main entrance with carved images in the stone.

We walked through the entrance which was spectacular and massive in size. Through the entrance we walked into a large courtyard with columns running the full length of the courtyard.

Shelley and Ray in the courtyard of the Philae Temple in Egypt

The columns in the courtyard were finished with a flower style leaf at the top.

We walked throughout the courtyard admiring the smaller temple buildings. It was truly an emotional experience being able to walk in the Temple and touch the walls of such historic buildings.

Shelley at the Temple of Philae in Egypt

We went inside the Temple of Philae and saw stone carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls.

Close up of hieroglyphs on the stone at Philae Temple.

Christianity seems to have been present at the Temple of Philae by the fourth century. Apparently at which point it coexisted with traditional Egyptian religion. We came across an Christian alter which was fashioned in the Temple.

Christian Alter in the Temple of Philae, in Egypt

Below are some of the spectacular Temple ruins or structures in the Philae Temple.

It was a spectacular sight to see the Temple and walk through the ruins.It so rewarding to know that these historic Temples were not lost as a result of the Aswan Dam. UNESCO saved this history from being lost forever and we were fortunate enough to actually visit them.

“احرص وتذكر أن تعيش كل يوم على أكمل وجه ،”

Egypt

Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt

January 22, 2020 chaput@live.com

We booked a trip to Egypt through a Spanish travel agency. We began out adventures by flying to the city of Aswan in Egypt to take a cruise on the Nile river.

We landed at the airport and met with our Guide. He spoke perfect Spanish and Arabic but absolutely no English. His name was Aladino and he was our guide for the entire trip.

Shelley, Ray and Aladino in the Sahara Desert

We began our trip by going to the cruise boat and getting settled in to our room. The cruise ship was called, “Grand Princess” and had four levels plus a large deck on top with a pool and bar. Our room was quaint and simple but comfortable.

Our room on the Grand Princess cruise ship

Our guide Aladino told us that the first excursion was at 3:30 A.M. We managed to get a few hours of rest before heading to the lobby to meet our guide. We boarded a bus and headed for our first of many Unesco World Heritage Sites in Egypt. This site was called “Abu Simbel Temple” which is located in the village of Abu Simbel in Aswan Governorate .

We arrived before dawn and walked to the temples. The first sight of the temple was amazing and a surreal experience for us.

As we walked closer it became even more amazing just how big the stone sculptures were. The four statues representing Ramesses II are 20 m (66 ft) high. They represent Ramesses II seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Entrance between the statues of Ramesses II

We went to the base and admired the statues before heading inside the single entrance into the temple. Once we were inside we saw more statues of Ramesses II in columns.

Column statues of Ramesses II inside the Temple of Abu Simbel

This was an amazing first experience for us to be able to walk within the Temple and to actually touch these amazing historical artifacts.

Shelley and Ray inside the Temple of Abu Simbel

Other statues within the Abu Simbel Temple

We explored the inside of the temple admiring the carvings and statues. We noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and we saw a beautiful dawn.

Sun Rising seen through the entrance to the Abu Simbel Temple

We left the Temple and went to look at the second temple located there. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

We entered into the smaller temple and explored the interior. It was equally impressive and contained many stone carvings.

Ray at the front of the small Temple of Abu Simbel

Carving inside the small temple of Abu Simbel

Carving in stone inside the smallTemple of Abu Simbel

We explored the twin temples and discovered that these two temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. What we did not realize until the tour was that these temples were moved to this new location.

The relocation of the temples were necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile.

The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 under an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.

A view of the back side of the Temple which was relocated to the village of Abu Simbel.

We found the tour to Abu Simbel very interesting. There were so many unique and amazing artifacts to see in the Temples. The tour was completely in Spanish. There was no english during our entire trip to Egypt. It was a great way for us to practice and improve our Spanish.

“أتمنى لك يومًا رائعًا واحتضان الحياة”

Portugal

A trip to Sintra Portugal

January 6, 2020 chaput@live.com

We spent the day exploring the main tourist city of Sintra in Portugal. This quaint and beautiful city is on the outskirts of Lisbon and is famous for its picturesque beauty. It is located with historic palaces and castles in the city.

View of the region from the hillside of Sintra.

We went into the city and walked around the old section of the city. There were colourful buildings and houses accenting the beauty of the city.

The views were spectacular and there were several unique castles. To finish our day in Sintra, we went to explore one of the castles in Sintra called “Capela da Quinta da Regaleira.”

The castle was located on some beautiful grounds and gardens. We explored the gardens, walking through different areas admiring the views and gardens.

Gardens in Capela da Quinta da Regaleira

Ray and Shelley in gardens of Capela da Quinta da Regaleira

There were some spectacular structures in the Capela da Quinta da Regaleira. There were even caves, water features and ponds throughout the property. We explored some of the caves which were quite unique.

Cave system at Capela da Quinta da Regaleira

The caves surfaces were artificially made in areas to look like frightful looking faces.

Shelley leaving the caves across the pond

After exploring the caves we walked to the castle and explored part of it. It was a beautiful castle with stunning architectural features.

Ray in front of the castle of Capela da Quinta da Regaleira

Sintra is tourism destination within the Portuguese Riviera, and one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country. We truly enjoyed our day in Sintra.

“Até agora e tenha um ótimo dia.”

Greece

Mykonos Island

May 28, 2019 chaput@live.com

We went to explore some of the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea. We went to the Island of Mykonos which is one of the more popular islands and is located in the Cyclades group of islands.

View of the town of Chora on Mykonos Island

We stayed in the town of Chora which is also referred to as the town of Mykonos. Our hotel was well situated and we had a great view of the city and sea. We enjoyed watching the sun set from the pool area.

Pool area at our hotel with views of the sea.

Shelley and Ray with view from the hotel poolside.

We went into the old part of town and explored the narrow white washed streets. The white walls and blue trim on the buildings were very stunning.

Typical street in the old part of town in Mykonos

There were many unique shops, art stores and restaurants. We explored some of the art shops looking at the unique pieces for sale.

We explored the town walking along many interesting streets. There were small churches and even a fish cleaning station near the shoreline.

Fish cleaning station on the shoreline in Mykonos.

Typical street with numerous restaurants in Mykonos.

We explored the town enjoying the spectacular sites and sounds. We found a beautiful little restaurant near the shoreline which provided us with a great view. We stopped and took some time to enjoy the moment.

Ray and Shelley at a restaurant in Mykonos

We enjoyed a glass of wine while looking at the iconic landmarks of the 16th century windmills that sit on the hill in Mykonos.

“φροντίστε και να έχετε μια καλή μέρα”

Spain

A Barrell of fun

August 23, 2018 chaput@live.com

We went to a bar called “Bodega del Riojano” in Santander Spain. This was a very interesting and quaint spot with an unassuming front entrance.

Entrance to the Bodega del Riojano in Santander, Spain

We went inside and immediately were impressed by the atmosphere and the unique decorations. There were barrels tops all painted with different images throughout the entire bar.

Barrels with unique paintings on each one above the bar area.

Barrels painted in the hallway of the Bodega del Riojano

We found a nice area to sit down and enjoy a drink . We could see that each barrel was painted with a different style and look. Some of the barrels had images that were photographs while the majority of them were hand painted.

Shelley, Ray, Mark and Vicki in the Bodega Del Riojano in Santander

The bar was a lot larger than it appeared with a large dinning area towards the rear of the building.

Part of the dinning area in the Bodega del Riojano

Barrels on display in a section of the Bodega del Riojana

There was some very interesting barrel paintings, including our favourite one. When you look closely at the painting you can see that one eye is missing. At the bottom of the paining is a bowl with an eye in with the olives. The painting is done in a somewhat cubism style.

Barrel Painting entitled “Baco Cosecha 59” In the Bodega del Riojano

What was very interesting is that every barrel was painted by a different artist. The above barrel was painted by Sergio del Pozo Cossío, in 1994 “Baco Cosecha 59”.

Below are a few of the 126 barrels that are displayed in the Bodega del Riojano.

The Bodega del Riojano was a very unique spot and we enjoyed our time exploring the different barrels.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Ray and Shelley's Retirement Adventures