Explore the Cradle of Civilization

Join fellow travelers and explore ancient history on a cruise of the Cradle of Civilization. Visit the pyramids, the Temple Mount, and the ruins of Pompeii. The adventure lasts from October 10 – 25, 2009. Participants will visit six countries over 14 days: Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, and Italy. Eric Baxter, a Maine Historical Society trustee from AAA Hewins Travel in Maine and AAA Northern New England, will escort the group. The trip is hosted by the Vermont and Maine Historical Societies, and open to both members and non members.  Prices start at $4,412.

“Teaming up with history enthusiasts from the Maine Historical Society is a fabulous opportunity to visit some of the richest historic sites of the world,” said Jane Campbell, Development  Director of the Vermont Historical Society.

The journey begins in Athens, occupied since 3000 B.C., the site of Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Theater of Dionysus, famed as the finest concert hall in Greece. Then the group will sail to Alexandria; Egypt’s second-largest city known as the “pearl of the Mediterranean,” and the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt in ancient times. Port Said and Cairo are next on the itinerary, where the group will explore the wonders of ancient civilization: the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, the Nile River, the “Hanging Church,” Al-Azhar Mosque and the Citadel.

Traveling on to Cyprus, the group will visit the Byzantine city of Limassol. A medieval castle built around 1000 A.D. is the site where legend has it that Richard the Lionhearted married his fiancée, Princess Berengaria. Few places in the world compare with the Greek Islands of Rhodes, Chios, and Mykonos, where whitewashed houses cling to cliffs against a backdrop of deep blue sea. Then it’s on to Taormina, Italy. On the famed Amalfi Coast, Sorrento is set atop some of the Mediterranean’s most breathtaking cliffs. The group will visit Pompeii and take a short boat ride to the must-see Isle of Capri. Rome is the final destination of this journey.

The group will sail on The Journey, an Azamara Cruise ship.  A deposit of $450 per person is required to guarantee a cabin. To see a flyer on the trip, click here.

If you’d like more information, please contact your local AAA office or (800) 222-3760 or Jane Campbell at Vermont Historical Society.

Whether you’re a veteran traveler with MHS or new to these trips, we invite you to join the trip.  You’ll meet other members and forge friendships and memories while traveling and dining together.  Bon Voyage!