Page One: Welcome To The Mediterranean Magic!
The Starlighters had performed in ballrooms, barns, cruise ships, and one very confusing supermarket opening, but nothing prepared them for dancing in the Mediterranean. It began innocently enough. Their tour guide and current President, Bob Zaitz, pointed to the sparkling blue sea and said, "The water is calm today."
Unfortunately, Donna heard, "The water is calling today," and before anyone could stop her, she had kicked off her sandals and announced, "Places, everyone!"
Within minutes, twelve Starlighters were waist-deep in the Mediterranean, attempting their famous "Moonlight Mambo." The sea, however, had not attended rehearsal.
The Invite
The Time To Re-Read The Latest Newsletter!
The Board Sets Up and Makes Sure All Is Well!
Where Shall We Go?
Major cities along or very near the Mediterranean Sea include:
- Barcelona, Spain
- Valencia, Spain
- Marseille, France
- Nice, France
- Monaco, Monaco
- Genoa, Italy
- Naples, Italy
- Palermo, Italy
- Venice, Italy
- Athens / Piraeus, Greece
- Thessaloniki, Greece
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Izmir, Turkey
- Antalya, Turkey
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Haifa, Israel
- Gaza City, Palestine
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Port Said, Egypt
- Tripoli, Libya
- Tunis, Tunisia
- Algiers, Algeria
- Oran, Algeria
- Tangier, Morocco
Facts
Here are some funny/interesting things about the Mediterranean Sea:
- Its name basically means "middle of the Earth" — from Latin Mediterraneus, because ancient people thought it was at the center of the known world.
- It's almost a giant salty lake — it's connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the very narrow Strait of Gibraltar, so it's kind of like a sea with a tiny doorway.
- It's extra salty — the Mediterranean is saltier than the Atlantic because lots of water evaporates under the hot sun.
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- It has "mini tides" — compared to oceans, the Mediterranean has very small tides, so beachgoers don't have to chase the sea too much.
- It has been crossed by everyone — Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians, pirates, traders, tourists, and probably someone on an inflatable flamingo.
- There are ancient shipwrecks everywhere — the sea is like an underwater museum full of old boats, amphorae, and lost cargo.
- It once nearly dried up — millions of years ago, during the Messinian salinity crisis, the Mediterranean may have partly dried into giant salt flats. Very dramatic.
- It has a lot of "famous food countries" around it — pizza, pasta, olives, hummus, kebabs, paella, seafood… basically the sea is surrounded by snacks.
- It has dolphins, whales, and monk seals — so it's not just pretty blue water; it has celebrity animals too.
- People call it different names — in history it was called things like "Our Sea" by the Romans, because apparently they were very humble.