The Eastern Mediterranean is a place where civilizations have boomed, mingled and later vanished, and different tribes, religions, empires have appeared and later disappeared.
For those who felt like learning more the program offered plenty. In the morning we had two lectures, one by Tom Hefferman called "Linguistic Archeology: The Origin of the European Languages." This lecture was something that really put on a lot of questions into the air. Tom gave us some interesting facts and could easily show that all languages spoken in Europe are closely related, except Finish, Estonian, Hungarian and Basque. Later on Lolita Georgiou-Lemoni talked about Greek & Roman mythology.
After an excellent lunch we just enjoyed the sea on deck. To have a nice siesta on deck in the Mediterranean Sea is of course mandatory! Before the last lecture we were offered an ice-cream bar on the Pool Deck and later Tom Hefferman ended this day with a lecture called, "Disease and History: Black Death and Birth of the Modern European State."
After dinner the Caledonian Star came to Siracusa, Sicily. Some of us went out to do a late evening stroll and feel the local flavor of Sicily. Absolutely, it is in the evenings that everything happens in Sicily, with so many people out in the streets.
Siracusa was the capital of Western Greece and today you still see the remains as you walk through the town. It has always been of great strategic importance to control this port, situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, for trade through the area.
In the morning we visited the Paradise Quarry which holds the first Greek theater to be built. The name felt a bit strange when our guide explained that this quarry used to be a place to keep slaves and prisoners. The whole quarry was covered by a roof that later collapsed because of an earthquake. Today this site offers splendid possibilities for walking around in a small Eden. Our local guides gave us an excellent introduction to Sicily and its history.
The later part of the tour was a visit to the medieval part of Siracusa, on the island Ortygia. Agora Archimedi, named after one of the famous people from this city, is one place you can not miss. Everyone knows his name but what did he do and why? "Eureka" he shouted when he found the magic formula! The tour ended at the cathedral and later on, some of us went out to explore the narrow streets and local restaurants. By midnight the Caledonian Star left for the Strait of Messina.
