Ruins and Archaeology

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(Second of two parts)

My wife and I visited Machu Picchu, Peru, in May 2014. We had read on different online forums and were advised by more than one tour company that a special permit was required for lenses over 200mm long.* 

When we arrived at Machu Picchu, however, no one was enforcing that rule. I was carrying a 300mm lens, yet none of our equipment was inspected, nor were we asked for a permit.

To those who’d like to limit themselves to just one lens on a trip like this, I’d recommend NOT taking a 75mm-300mm lens. Instead, I would recommend a zoom lens that goes down to 14mm-18mm.

A 16-year restoration of the Virgin Mary Church in Cairo, Egypt, was completed in October.

Once the seat of the Coptic Pope, the church, also known as El Muallaqa, or the Hanging Church, because it sits above the gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress, is one of the most important and oldest sites in Coptic Christianity. It houses 110 religious icons, including one of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and St. John the Baptist that dates back to the eighth century.

On Nov. 10 in Egypt, after four years of renovations, the courtyard area around the Sphinx at Giza reopened to visitors.

Sitting in a horseshoe-shaped courtyard, the Sphinx was carved out of a limestone quarry that was the source of the stone blocks used in constructing the pyramids and temples of the Giza Necropolis. The renovations included shoring up walls of the quarry and repairing cracks in the neck and chest area of the Sphinx.

 12 days, 11 nights on GREECE’s largest island, April 24-May 6, 2015. Highlights: In Heraklion, Minoan Palace of Knossos/in Phaistos, view Mt. Ida/Roman ruins of Gortyn/on Akrotiri Peninsula, monastery of Gouvemeto/in Venetian city of Rethymno, stay in 16th-century palazzo/wine tastings. Land, £3,295 (near $5,302) ppdo. Single supp., £475 ($764). Peter Sommer Travels (Chippenham House, 102 Monnow St., Monmouth, NP25 3EQ, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1600 888 220 or, in US/Canada, 855/443-3027, www.petersommer.com).