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BKMD
9:32AM
My reply is a general observation...

The history and evidence don't quite support your analysis.

In the case of Egypt, so far the evidence points to mostly paid workers building the pyramids, not slaves, or forced labor. Civilizations back then always had slaves from peoples they conquered. It wasn't right, but that is the way it was. Most workers came from the countryside, which was larger then, when farmers could not til their fields due to the annual flooding of the Nile. Entire neighborhoods (cities?) were built to house them, e.g. Deir Al Medina in Luxor and the recently discovered housing area just south of the Sphinx in Giza. There is almost no evidence that these laborers and skilled workmen were mistreated or taken advantage of, contrary to what is seen in some old book illustrations (but none in hieroglyphics) or movies like the 10 Commandments. There is evidence of hard labor, but not a single whip has been discovered nor evidence of large scale physical abuse (which would be evident on mummy skeletons.)

As to churches and cathedrals built during the Rennaissance, the story is similar, but w/o slaves. While it required large amounts of unskilled labor, it also required a large number of very highly skilled stone masons, sculptors, artists, glaziers, etc., etc. These people were paid and often paid very well. There was significant competition amongst the big names to land a commission. There was also stiff competition to get an apprenticeship in the studios of Michelangelo and the other masters of that era. I suggest you read some of the books by Ross King such as "Brunelleschi's Dome", the "Pope's Ceiling," etc.

The money to build these grand churches and cathedrals, didn't come from the workers nor from taxes. The Medici family which amassed a large amount of wealth, starting with Cosimo the Elder who created one of Europe's largest banks and modernized banking, funded the Duomo, baptistry and its famous doors, in Florence, and the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. But, a significant amount of resources and most of the management of the construction also came from the guilds, especially the wool guild which was the richest and was responsible for the Florence Duomo. While there were arguably some "bad" Medicis, the family also supplied Pope's, nobility, artists, and art patrons. Lorenzo Medici earned the love of Florentine citizens by doing acts such as freeing and clothing galley slaves. You can argue all day about how they gained their wealth, but how different is this from the Rockefellers, Carnegie, Bill Gates, and the other major philanthropists. Even the Vanderbilts built an entire town for the workers for the construction of the 'Biltmore' in Asheville. While many of them took advantage of the tax system at the time (mostly legally) and some pulled off political shenanigans, they didn't "divert resources" from the people. In fact, through their many projects and businesses they contributed to the economy and employment. The same can't be said of the Antebellum South.

CarolP, in our European tour in September, 8 of 22 ultimately got Covid. The first ill person declined to mask. We got sick on departure day and did not feel well enough to travel. Covid hit us more like the flu than a cold. We chose to isolate in our European city for 5 days prior to returning home. On the plane lots of people were coughing. We missed a second tour due to our illness. We just did not have the heart to join an even smaller tour knowing we had Covid, even if we felt up to it. We had two travel insurance policies that ultimately paid up our expenses. We got official Covid testing at a clinic near the hotel, and arranged for telephone appointments with our home doctors to document our illness for insurance purposes.
This was actually the first time that my husband and I got any type of illness while traveling, and it was our 8th Tauck tour.

My personal opinion is that I am no longer afraid of dying of Covid and plan to continue to travel. But being sick with anything while on a trip is not fun. It was annoying and inconvenient at best. It took 3 weeks before I totally felt well and got my exercise tolerance back up. My husband did better. We also did not qualify for Paxlovid in Europe, despite being older.

I would consider it common courtesy to put on a mask whenever possible if you are sick, especially in an enclosed space. I find it remarkable that Tauck and other touring companies say nothing about this, especially for Covid where droplet particles can linger in the air, and it is so contagious. It is one thing to be sick while at home, but a lot different to be sick while travelling.

The greatest thing for us about Tauck is all the intelligent, interesting people we meet! I enjoy learning new viewpoints from people all across the country. It is so great to get to know you all! We have met some of our dearest friends on Tauck trips.

But just as I trust my fellow group travelers to be at the bus on time every day, I also would really appreciate it if you wore a mask indoors if you are sick. A mask in the airport and on the plane until take off would probably also help. I know it is your vacation too, and it is up to me to protect myself, and I certainly will. But please think about it.