ZECO TRAVEL TALK

When we take a voyage we are most often thrilled with the wonderful visuals and intense learning experiences which a new destination affords. Zegrahm’s Black Sea voyage has certainly provided all of these things but is also, almost magically, set to music.

While exploring the Gelati Monastery high up in the Caucasus Mountain Range of Georgia we happened upon a service taking place. Looking out over the misty valley, we were enveloped by the haunting hymns of the small a cappela choir which filled the beautiful cathedral with heady strains of Ave Maria.

On Yalta’s Crimean Peninsula we found ourselves at Livadia Palace, the late summer residence of the Romanov’s— the last imperial family of Tsarist Russia. As we explored the palace, delicate Ukraine folk songs wafted through the windows from the garden courtyard. Read more

We entered the Danube Delta at 6 a.m. to take on the pilot in Romania’s Sulina Channel. Already we could see pelicans and coots rafting in the lakes just north of the channel which bisects this immense biosphere reserve. Our local boat, the Europolis, was waiting alongside in Crisan to take us deep into the reserve via narrow channels. The waterways were quiet and idyllic, overhung with willow trees and bordered by sweeping stands of phragmites, the reeds used to thatch the small houses on the nearby farms. Egrets and herons were particularly abundant and often allowed close approach for photos. Sitting or standing comfortably on the top deck we spotted squacco herons and the unusual pygmy cormorant. A soaring black stork, probably on its way down from Siberia, was a particular highlight! Read more

On the Black Sea, history lies in many layers. Jason and the Argonauts rowed these waters searching for the Golden Fleece. Mark Twain explored this sea in the 1800’s on the ship, Quaker City, perhaps the first voyage of its kind. We travel though this sea experiencing history, past and present, first-hand.  Read more

One of the ways in which Zegrahm Expeditions distinguishes itself is by taking advantage of serendipitous opportunities.  Described in our itinerary as an “expedition day,” today our expedition leader, Mike Messick, took advantage of our general location to take us to one of the six World Heritage Sites located in Norway. Our arrival was the first by a passenger ship of our size; nothing larger had ever anchored offshore. Undeterred by rising winds preventing zodiac landings from his first anchorage, Mike quickly arranged to have motorcoaches reach us at another location (on a Sunday!) which offered a more sheltered option.

We landed, boarded our motorcoaches, and were driven to Nes where we were introduced to the World Heritage Center and shown around the Eider Duck Museum.  Neither were the largest museums, nor the most modern, but they gave us an idea of how people in this part of Norway have made their living for centuries from what nature has bestowed upon them. Today exemplified how nimble Zegrahm Expeditions is in delivering the best possible adventure, especially on a Sunday off the coast of Norway.

In April 2009, Zegrahm Expeditions and MIT Alumni Travel Program joined forces to create an unforgettable travel experience. A group of intrepid travelers set sail from Malta to explore the Balkan countries rimming the Adriatic Sea.

Samuel Jay Keyser, professor emeritus in MIT’s Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, kept a journal detailing the history and magnificent sites we encountered at each port of call. We invite you to read Mulling the Balkans from Malta to Venice and enjoy the photographs taken by Nancy Kelly at this link: Mulling the Balkans from Malta to Venice

Samuel Jay Keyser also maintains an interesting blog with notes on his explorations in Bhutan, Rome, Las Vegas, Easter Island, Uganda, and then some. And although Jay travels more in a year than most people do in a lifetime, he hates to travel and his blog is aptly named The Reluctant Traveler. Read more

For those of you who have been diligently watching our Web site, hoping to hear news of our Adriatic Voyage, I apologize. The spectacles of the season and activities on board our luxurious yacht, the MS Island Sky, have made it difficult to sit down at a computer to write a journal!

Springtime is the best time to be in the Adriatic. The hillsides are ablaze with poppies, irises, and gorse and the medieval walled cities are filled with festivals of the season. We watched Easter Pageants in Malta and Sicily and toured the palaces, archaeological sites, and bustling mountain-top bazaars of Corfu and Albania. Read more

A wealth of choices awaited us today in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Many opted to spend the entire day exploring the island while others elected a birding excursion or time to enjoy the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The full day tour headed first to the colonial town of La Orotava, a designated Spanish Heritage Site. The day offered excellent photographic opportunities at historic structures like the Casa de Balcones, and at the botanical gardens with 3,000 plant species of which about 2,000 are unique to the area. In addition to extensive forests of Canary Island pines, a variety of brooms and mustards were in flower, and pipits and Atlantic lizards were also observed. We continued to the Parque National del Teide, Spain’s largest national park, where we visited the Caldera de Cañadas and the Roques de Garcia. The former is at the foot of the mountain and the latter are old ridges of volcanic rocks cut through by later volcanic conduits. Lunch was enjoyed at the nearby El Parador Restaurant, which included traditional dishes such as papas arrugadas (new potatoes cooked in salted water until the water evaporates leaving salted spuds) that are then dipped in mojos (local salsas) that are either green with coriander and basil, or red with chilies. Read more

Besides it being volcanic, I didn’t really know what to expect from our visit to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. I have seen volcanic islands in other parts of the world, and each seemed to have its own, surprising beauty.

The first impression of Lanzarote’s landscape was breathtaking. As we headed into the interior of the island, it was one of those perfect days that seem to only happen in maritime locations. A layer of small, fast moving clouds raced along with the prevailing northerlies. Alternating sunlight and shadow moved up and down the volcanoes and across the open spaces between them. The soil was mostly black, but there were organic patterns of rust and yellow and brown and little bits of grass scattered throughout.

As we drove to the Timanfaya National Park, an extensive range of volcanoes and volcanic scenery, our guide spoke of the influence of César Manrique, an artist and native of Lanzarote who briefly moved to New York City to pursue the arts. When he returned to the island in 1966, just as it was beginning to develop its tourism industry, Manrique was shocked to find the vulgar development taking place. He immediately set about pressuring the local government and marshalling his influential friends to enforce strict building controls on the island. These controls continue to exist today and keep Lanzarote picturesque and true to its heritage:

. All buildings are painted white, with green shutters in the countryside (for farmers) and blue by the sea (for the fishermen)
. No high rises (nothing taller than a Canarian palm)
. No billboards
. The size and scale of residential developments are also strictly limited

The result is a consistency throughout the island that isn’t often seen in a world where profit and rapid development take priority. Manrique also created a set of unique tourist attractions on the island, some of which are in Timanfaya National Park. He designed the national park’s devil logo and had a hand in laying out the roads through the park, with many twists and turns so as to minimize the visibly of other visitors. He also designed El Diablo, a UFO-inspired restaurant that sits in the middle of the park, perched on the volcanic rim.

There are also several interactive exhibits that demonstrate how hot the earth is just below your feet. A shovelful of gravel was almost too hot to handle… there was a pit about 6 feet deep that was hot enough to ignite vegetation that was tossed in, and a glass of water that was poured into a hole caused a 20-foot geyser to erupt about ten seconds later.

Another remarkable feature of the island is the unusual farming techniques that were developed to deal with the oppressive wind—and the fact that any usable soil lies about 3 feet below the surface. Farmers here have been highly successful in growing wine grapes in an unusual—and highly scenic—manner that helps the tender young vines survive the wind and storms.