April 18 - in the afternoon
We had four stops in Turkey: one was Antalya, Marmaris, Kusadasi, and Istanbul. I touched on Antalya and Marmaris in the previous posting so today I will chat about Kusadasi and Istanbul. Turkey is a very westernized country. They have McDonalds, Starbucks, and many highend clothing and accessory stores. I saw no tents with camels, but I saw many young folks practicing their English on us. I have been on the lookout for electric buses and trams carrying folks about these big urban areas as I go out on tours. Antalya had a tram that ran in a circle around the town.
April 14 was a tour of Kusadasi with wine and cheese and lunch in a mountainous village. Sirince is a quaint village town where wine is made the old way and rebottled for use by the villagers. We tried some red and white and when I went to read the label the guide said the bottles are recycled so what is written on the bottle label will not necessarily be the type of wine in the bottle at the time of pouring. I learned about Turkish coffee. Apparently Turkey does not grow coffee so Turkish coffee is known by how it is brewed not the growing of it. Grind coffee as you would grind for expresso. One tablespoon to 3/4 cup cold water. Put coffee into small pan then add cold water. Heat to just under boiling. Pour into cup grounds and all. Let sit for a minute or two. DRINK. Some like to add sugar. From this town I got two bottles of wine: mulberry and pommegranate and both will make great spritzers. We wandered around the town whose streets were very narrow, left over from centuries ago. We had a delightful tasting lunch in a home that was built over 1000 years ago. Turkish cuisine is not highly spiced but the spices used in cooking a green bean and mushroom compote were especially good. We had homebaked bread, meatballs with eggplant and potatoes, a rice-like dish that reminded me of couscous or quinoa, and home grown fruit. Noelle, one of the librarians, hung with me as we scoured the small family-run stalls along the streets. Handicrafts and homegrown bottled jams and jellies could be found. The tour also showed us the upper part of Ephesus which I would love to do the walk down the hill past the bathes and library of the old city. In order to get to Ephesus we needed to drive through the city of Selcuk, which lost 40,000 people in 1999 when an earthquake hit the area. Ephesus had once been a coastal town but today the sea is far away as earthquakes have changed the topography of the land. Kusadasi is Turkish for Bird Island and it lived up to its name. There were lots of birds though I know little about them.
April 15 we docked at Istanbul about 4 pm. An overnight stay would allow us to see this big city in the night as well as the day. I took a tour and saw the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, St. Sophia Church, the Hippodrome and traffic beyond belief. The Bosphorus tour had been cancelled but I saw a lot of the city. Istanbul is the only city that sits on the borders of both Asia Minor and Europe. The Bosphorus is a narrow strait that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and separates the European and Asian sections of the city. It was founded by the Byzantines in the 7th century BC but by the 4th century AD the name was changed to Constantinople by the Roman emperor. The city served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by the Ottomans in the 15th century. The Ottoman Empire fell in 1923. Istanbul has about 16 million people, while Turkey has about 75 million. History is long and arduous to remember and when it goes back many milliniums it makes it even worse. Turkey has that kind of history with rulers, sultans, and others managing the people. The Bosphous is 22 miles in length, and has a small bay called the Golden Horn that separates the new European section of the city from the old European section. Many cultures have made themselves visible by the architecture: Venician, Neo-Classical, Roman and many others. Then there were the Dardanelles. This is a wide strait that runs between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara and over the years has been fought for control. There are over 70,000 ships that use this passage yearly- Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus then to the Black Sea. As we sailed out of Istanbul I was sorry to have left Turkey. It was clean, neat and though there may be problems a tourist would never know. The people were helpful and kind. Although Istanbul is the largest city the capital is located in Ankara in the north of Turkey. GOOD BY TURKEY! I will miss you.
April 18 is a day spent in Athens. We are docked at the Port of Piraeus and are due to leave very shortly. We arrived yesterday afternoon and I just sat on the 7th deck and took in some sun. It had been rainy and misty/cloudy in Istanbul. The sun is warm, day is clear which helps with taking great pictures. The Piraeus port is the largest in Greece and it is basically the port for Athens. Piraeus sits next to Athens and is served by a train that runs between the two. I saw artic diesel buses, trolley buses, and an electric tram which runs down tracks when we were exploring the city. Information from the last census shows there are 9,987 islands of Greece with 16,000+ kilometers of coastline. We took in many old buildings all having their names with a story attached but for me my day was the joy of sitting with a cup of Greek coffee and staring at the Acropolis. There is major work being done on it but it sits in such a predominate position on a hill that one can hardly miss it. Greece has about 11 million people with 5+ million residing in the Piraeus/Athens area. Shipping and tourism are the two main money makers for Greece. Many shipping magnets come from or are stationed here. There were many ferries coming and going from our harbour ferrying people among the islands.
April 19, tomorrow, is a sea day and I have been indulging in some acupuncture treatments on my knee. Sea days are days for lectures about our upcoming ports. Tomorrow night we have been asked to the captain's suite for wine and then down for a dinner with him. There is usually about 40 guests that go, so we will not be alone. We just got a new captain as the other got to go home so it will be nice to meet him, though I miss Captain Roberts already. There are also games that I sometimes play on sea days along with the movie, if it is any good. There are groups who have gatherings to knit and crochet and those that play bridge and mah jongg and for those that love to exercise there are lots of morning classes to greet you. Then there is Annette and her culinary chef who whips up tastey delights from main courses to fancy deserts. Then there are some mixology afternoons where you can go and learn how to mix drinks and indulge. For me when I get some quiet time I do a sudoku and enjoy the sun.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Continuing around the Med
April 10,2013
On April 5 we docked at Larnaka, Cyprus. Our ship had changed colour overnight, from a white and black to a reddish colour. It had been very windy in Malta so we could not sail on to Gozo but that wind had come across the North African Sahara Desert. Winds will carry sand in the upper atmosphere where it will then fall onto the ground covering everything.Cyprus has a population of about 1 million with 80% being Greek, 18% are Turks, and 2% are Armenian and Lebanese. Nicosia is the capital and has about 200,000 people and is in the middle of the island. I had decided that I wanted to go inland so I had a tour that took me to Nicosia which is a divided city. Greeks live on one side of a wall while Turks live on the other side. I suppose it might be similar to Berlin when they had a wall, but people can come and go but in a very unique manner. As a tourist I can not cross the wall from the Turkish side to the Greek side on the road. I would have to fly to Larnaka on the Greek side and then drive back to the Greek side of Nicosia. Archeologists have found relics dating back 9,000 years before Christ. It was about 2,000 BC when writing was found and scrolls show that Cyprus has been ruled by the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Bysantines, to the 9th century AD, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and finally Great Britain from about 1878 to 1925. Cypus receives about 2.5 million visitors a year making tourism its largest GDP followed by agriculture of potatoes and 32 varieties of grapes for tables and for wine. In 2008 Cyprus ran out of water and spent 60 million Euros to buy water and have it shipped from the United States. Larnaka has a population of 17,000 people. As we traveled the roads we saw many solar water heating panels on city roofs. Water is collected on the roof and the panels keep the water very warm. Electricity is quite expensive. I learned that oleander and rosemary are planted to draw misquitoes and other small flying bugs that get stuck to the plant so it is a natural way to get rid of them than by spraying with bug spray.
By April 7 we were aware that the next 4 days would be very busy. Tours, eat, and sleep and that is exactly as we figured. Alexandria, Egypt was the first port of the hectic 4 days. Built by the conquering Alexander the Great, Alexandria retained the prestige of Egypt's capital for 10 centuries. Alexander had taken a previous city from the Persians destroying it and then built another city on top of that one. His Greek rule lasted 301 years. Gods were very important and when a war was won temples would be built on top of the conquered city showing who had more power. Also cities were built where there was water so a new city would be built over the old city. Here in the Middle East there have been cities dug up up to 21 different cities that were built on top of one another. Alexandria remained the capital until 968 AD when eventually, after the capital had been moved from small village to small village, came to Cairo where it has been the capital since. Egypt has 84 million people 80 % are Muslims and 20% Christians. Five million people live in Alexandria. Our tour out of Alexandria took us west toward Cairo. The Nile River separates Giza from Cairo so though we had a lovely lunch on the Nile we never entered Cairo. In Giza are the 3 main pyramids and then also alongside are the smaller Queen's pyramids. Down the hill sat the Sphinx his nose and his beard had been removed ( the beard is in a museum in London and the nose had been vandalized). The weather was hazy due to the red sand which could be seen everywhere. We drove by a beautiful park on the west side of the Nile which was opened in the same year as the Suez Canal opened in 1869. Tourism makes up 17% of Egypt's GDP. They also export natural gas. Because these countries are so close to one another it is most interesting to note how history dovetails one country to another. There was a riot in the streets of Cairo while we visited Giza but none of us knew about it until the next day.
April 8 we docked at a the very modern Port of Said where a group of dancers greeted us as we exited the ship and today was to be a tour of Port Said. As I exited past all the trinket vendors in their booths I noticed many police around the port. This stop will have been our first that we all felt that we were VIP's. Five layers of police were there to protect us. Our ship was the first to arrive since January. Due to a football game riot no ship had gone to Port Said. The country had also had a government change and Egyptians are very emotional and have strong feelings about the circumstances under which they must live. Port Said is a relatively new town but it has grown very fast. It was started back in 1859 to house the workers building the Suez Canal. It is a melting pot for people from all over Egypt. Our tour ventured forth with pick-ups full of police following us. We went to the Military Museum which was closed. As we were walking about a military commander along with the town's governor decided to open it so we could walk through. I had a chance to thank the chief of police for the security as well as opening of the museum. I felt safe and we had undercover police riding in the buses. Port Said is a tax-free zone for those who live in the city. A car is bought and no tax is paid as long as it stays in Port Said. A license can be purchased to allow the owner to drive to some place in Egypt but only for one week then the owner has to return to Port Said. Port Said has been shut down over the years and the 6 day war in 1967 caused much damage so the city has been rebuilt since 1975. The red sand could still be seen in areas that had no wind. Now the sad part of this tour was the discussion of football/soccer and the riot. In February 2012 there had been a game between Port Said and Cairo. The Port Said team had won and the city had OK'd the Cairo fans and team to spend the night in the stadium instead of driving back to Cairo. Port Said fans stormed the stadium and 72 young people lost their lives. The result was that the courts were to pass judgement on those that were guilty in January 2013. The stadium was vandalized and has not been used since that horrible night. The expectations of the government was that there would be more riots when the judgement was handed down by the courts. That day came and in January 2013 and 22 people were hung. Egypt has also had some political issues as a new government took over and many people are dissatisfied with the new police chief, and president.
April 9 I awoke to the sound of the side thrusters as we docked in Ashdod. It was our stop for the day and I was up early to head to Jerusalem. Packing history of that city into one day is an impossibility but I did see the Mt. of Olives, the entrances to old Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Zedikiah's cave, Herod's gate, Lion's gate and Damascus gate into the old city. We were shown the wailing wall which is the only part of the old city's wall still standing after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. We had lunch in a nice kibutz and a stop for shopping along with picture taking opportunities. The drive from Ashdod to Jerusalem showed us the countryside of Israel and it took 90 minutes each way. Jerusalem is crowded with traffic and pedestrians but as we drove around I have a much better picture of the areas that were covered by Jesus and the apostles. Jerusalem has 802,000 people made up of Jewish, Islam, and Christians and Israel has 7.25 million. There is some road construction occuring along with an addition to a fast train service that will tie Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv in about 40 minutes. The longest tunnel in the area is 13 kilometers long. We saw a number of these new tunnels getting ready for the train and new ones for vehicles. The weather was far nicer than the previous few days. There were some white clouds blowing around but the vistas were much clearer.
The folllowing day was April 10 and we docked at Haifa north of Ashdod on the coast of Israel. Haifa has 260,000 people and rests on the coast with Mt. Carmel as its backdrop. Including the surrounding area the population is about 600,000. It is a very modern city. We were informed as to how important education is in this country. There are 280,000 students attending universities in Israel and many Nobel prizes have come from Israel. The Intel chip for computers came from this small country, recycled water for irrigation was started here so as our tour took us inland to Nazareth we saw the reclaimimg of the desert areas using recycled water. Israel has no mines yet many diamonds come from Israel. South Africa has mines but when the UK controlled both South Africa and Israel diamonds were shipped from Africa to Israel. It was during the period of 1917 to 1948 that Israel took over the diamond industry cutting or faceting them. Potash is exported from the Dead Sea. Views and places we saw were Nazareth which is now primarily occupied by Arab peoples. We visited the Jordan River which was more like a creek than a river. Whether that location is the exact spot where John did the baptising one only knows but it was a beautiful spot to reflect on the occurance. We went to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle changing water to wine for the wedding reception, the Church of the Annunciation, Church of St. Joseph, Mary`s Well, Peter`s Primacy at Tabgha, Capernaum, Mount of Beattitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. On our way back to the ship we drove to the top of Mount Carmel for a view over the Bahai Gardens. Our two days in Israel was not enough but it certainly gave me some insight that I had only read about and imagined. Though I did not get to Bethlahem it has 25,000 people. Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel and is known as the San Francisco of the Mediterranean.
On April 12 I had hoped to finish this episode of blogs and get it posted. The previous day had been a sea day and I slept until dinner. But when I awoke the sun was shining and the view of Antalya, Turkey was beautiful. I had no tour planned but since Holland America had a shuttle bus to take us to town I decided to explore. The centre of town was clean and neat. In fact, even the port area was neat. The bus let us off near the old town and a clear viewpoint so I took some pictures. Interested in trams the city had one running down the side of the street and I took pictures of them as they went past me. Just a short walk in a clean, fresh air city was all I needed. The route of the bus ran along the beach but it did not have white sand- Can`t have everything! Shopping has not been high on my list though if I do see an unusual item I may buy it.I hope to find some Turkish coffee.
Today is April 13 and we are in Marmaris, Turkey and I have returned from a tour of some of the area. We drove through Pine forests to Sakar Mountain Pass. We had a drink and I took pictures at a local roadside diner and drank Turkish tea. We drove to a small fishing village of Akyaka. There were lots of photo opportunities so we took pictures at Icemeler Bay for views over Marmaris Bay.
Tomorrow we will be in Kusadasi, Turkey where I will take a tour titled A Taste of Kusadasi. I expect that I will be trying some Turkish food for lunch. Kusadasi is the jump off point for Ephesus, the Temple of Apollo and magnificent Miletis. Our adventures are ongoing but can be quite tiring.
On April 5 we docked at Larnaka, Cyprus. Our ship had changed colour overnight, from a white and black to a reddish colour. It had been very windy in Malta so we could not sail on to Gozo but that wind had come across the North African Sahara Desert. Winds will carry sand in the upper atmosphere where it will then fall onto the ground covering everything.Cyprus has a population of about 1 million with 80% being Greek, 18% are Turks, and 2% are Armenian and Lebanese. Nicosia is the capital and has about 200,000 people and is in the middle of the island. I had decided that I wanted to go inland so I had a tour that took me to Nicosia which is a divided city. Greeks live on one side of a wall while Turks live on the other side. I suppose it might be similar to Berlin when they had a wall, but people can come and go but in a very unique manner. As a tourist I can not cross the wall from the Turkish side to the Greek side on the road. I would have to fly to Larnaka on the Greek side and then drive back to the Greek side of Nicosia. Archeologists have found relics dating back 9,000 years before Christ. It was about 2,000 BC when writing was found and scrolls show that Cyprus has been ruled by the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Bysantines, to the 9th century AD, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and finally Great Britain from about 1878 to 1925. Cypus receives about 2.5 million visitors a year making tourism its largest GDP followed by agriculture of potatoes and 32 varieties of grapes for tables and for wine. In 2008 Cyprus ran out of water and spent 60 million Euros to buy water and have it shipped from the United States. Larnaka has a population of 17,000 people. As we traveled the roads we saw many solar water heating panels on city roofs. Water is collected on the roof and the panels keep the water very warm. Electricity is quite expensive. I learned that oleander and rosemary are planted to draw misquitoes and other small flying bugs that get stuck to the plant so it is a natural way to get rid of them than by spraying with bug spray.
By April 7 we were aware that the next 4 days would be very busy. Tours, eat, and sleep and that is exactly as we figured. Alexandria, Egypt was the first port of the hectic 4 days. Built by the conquering Alexander the Great, Alexandria retained the prestige of Egypt's capital for 10 centuries. Alexander had taken a previous city from the Persians destroying it and then built another city on top of that one. His Greek rule lasted 301 years. Gods were very important and when a war was won temples would be built on top of the conquered city showing who had more power. Also cities were built where there was water so a new city would be built over the old city. Here in the Middle East there have been cities dug up up to 21 different cities that were built on top of one another. Alexandria remained the capital until 968 AD when eventually, after the capital had been moved from small village to small village, came to Cairo where it has been the capital since. Egypt has 84 million people 80 % are Muslims and 20% Christians. Five million people live in Alexandria. Our tour out of Alexandria took us west toward Cairo. The Nile River separates Giza from Cairo so though we had a lovely lunch on the Nile we never entered Cairo. In Giza are the 3 main pyramids and then also alongside are the smaller Queen's pyramids. Down the hill sat the Sphinx his nose and his beard had been removed ( the beard is in a museum in London and the nose had been vandalized). The weather was hazy due to the red sand which could be seen everywhere. We drove by a beautiful park on the west side of the Nile which was opened in the same year as the Suez Canal opened in 1869. Tourism makes up 17% of Egypt's GDP. They also export natural gas. Because these countries are so close to one another it is most interesting to note how history dovetails one country to another. There was a riot in the streets of Cairo while we visited Giza but none of us knew about it until the next day.
April 8 we docked at a the very modern Port of Said where a group of dancers greeted us as we exited the ship and today was to be a tour of Port Said. As I exited past all the trinket vendors in their booths I noticed many police around the port. This stop will have been our first that we all felt that we were VIP's. Five layers of police were there to protect us. Our ship was the first to arrive since January. Due to a football game riot no ship had gone to Port Said. The country had also had a government change and Egyptians are very emotional and have strong feelings about the circumstances under which they must live. Port Said is a relatively new town but it has grown very fast. It was started back in 1859 to house the workers building the Suez Canal. It is a melting pot for people from all over Egypt. Our tour ventured forth with pick-ups full of police following us. We went to the Military Museum which was closed. As we were walking about a military commander along with the town's governor decided to open it so we could walk through. I had a chance to thank the chief of police for the security as well as opening of the museum. I felt safe and we had undercover police riding in the buses. Port Said is a tax-free zone for those who live in the city. A car is bought and no tax is paid as long as it stays in Port Said. A license can be purchased to allow the owner to drive to some place in Egypt but only for one week then the owner has to return to Port Said. Port Said has been shut down over the years and the 6 day war in 1967 caused much damage so the city has been rebuilt since 1975. The red sand could still be seen in areas that had no wind. Now the sad part of this tour was the discussion of football/soccer and the riot. In February 2012 there had been a game between Port Said and Cairo. The Port Said team had won and the city had OK'd the Cairo fans and team to spend the night in the stadium instead of driving back to Cairo. Port Said fans stormed the stadium and 72 young people lost their lives. The result was that the courts were to pass judgement on those that were guilty in January 2013. The stadium was vandalized and has not been used since that horrible night. The expectations of the government was that there would be more riots when the judgement was handed down by the courts. That day came and in January 2013 and 22 people were hung. Egypt has also had some political issues as a new government took over and many people are dissatisfied with the new police chief, and president.
April 9 I awoke to the sound of the side thrusters as we docked in Ashdod. It was our stop for the day and I was up early to head to Jerusalem. Packing history of that city into one day is an impossibility but I did see the Mt. of Olives, the entrances to old Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Zedikiah's cave, Herod's gate, Lion's gate and Damascus gate into the old city. We were shown the wailing wall which is the only part of the old city's wall still standing after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. We had lunch in a nice kibutz and a stop for shopping along with picture taking opportunities. The drive from Ashdod to Jerusalem showed us the countryside of Israel and it took 90 minutes each way. Jerusalem is crowded with traffic and pedestrians but as we drove around I have a much better picture of the areas that were covered by Jesus and the apostles. Jerusalem has 802,000 people made up of Jewish, Islam, and Christians and Israel has 7.25 million. There is some road construction occuring along with an addition to a fast train service that will tie Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv in about 40 minutes. The longest tunnel in the area is 13 kilometers long. We saw a number of these new tunnels getting ready for the train and new ones for vehicles. The weather was far nicer than the previous few days. There were some white clouds blowing around but the vistas were much clearer.
The folllowing day was April 10 and we docked at Haifa north of Ashdod on the coast of Israel. Haifa has 260,000 people and rests on the coast with Mt. Carmel as its backdrop. Including the surrounding area the population is about 600,000. It is a very modern city. We were informed as to how important education is in this country. There are 280,000 students attending universities in Israel and many Nobel prizes have come from Israel. The Intel chip for computers came from this small country, recycled water for irrigation was started here so as our tour took us inland to Nazareth we saw the reclaimimg of the desert areas using recycled water. Israel has no mines yet many diamonds come from Israel. South Africa has mines but when the UK controlled both South Africa and Israel diamonds were shipped from Africa to Israel. It was during the period of 1917 to 1948 that Israel took over the diamond industry cutting or faceting them. Potash is exported from the Dead Sea. Views and places we saw were Nazareth which is now primarily occupied by Arab peoples. We visited the Jordan River which was more like a creek than a river. Whether that location is the exact spot where John did the baptising one only knows but it was a beautiful spot to reflect on the occurance. We went to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle changing water to wine for the wedding reception, the Church of the Annunciation, Church of St. Joseph, Mary`s Well, Peter`s Primacy at Tabgha, Capernaum, Mount of Beattitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. On our way back to the ship we drove to the top of Mount Carmel for a view over the Bahai Gardens. Our two days in Israel was not enough but it certainly gave me some insight that I had only read about and imagined. Though I did not get to Bethlahem it has 25,000 people. Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel and is known as the San Francisco of the Mediterranean.
On April 12 I had hoped to finish this episode of blogs and get it posted. The previous day had been a sea day and I slept until dinner. But when I awoke the sun was shining and the view of Antalya, Turkey was beautiful. I had no tour planned but since Holland America had a shuttle bus to take us to town I decided to explore. The centre of town was clean and neat. In fact, even the port area was neat. The bus let us off near the old town and a clear viewpoint so I took some pictures. Interested in trams the city had one running down the side of the street and I took pictures of them as they went past me. Just a short walk in a clean, fresh air city was all I needed. The route of the bus ran along the beach but it did not have white sand- Can`t have everything! Shopping has not been high on my list though if I do see an unusual item I may buy it.I hope to find some Turkish coffee.
Today is April 13 and we are in Marmaris, Turkey and I have returned from a tour of some of the area. We drove through Pine forests to Sakar Mountain Pass. We had a drink and I took pictures at a local roadside diner and drank Turkish tea. We drove to a small fishing village of Akyaka. There were lots of photo opportunities so we took pictures at Icemeler Bay for views over Marmaris Bay.
Tomorrow we will be in Kusadasi, Turkey where I will take a tour titled A Taste of Kusadasi. I expect that I will be trying some Turkish food for lunch. Kusadasi is the jump off point for Ephesus, the Temple of Apollo and magnificent Miletis. Our adventures are ongoing but can be quite tiring.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The History around the MED
EASTER SUNDAY March 31, 2013
We arrived at Valletta, Malta this morning and the view from the ship is probably the most awesome that I have ever seen. The walls come right down to the port and the old buildings can be seen from the windows. The harbour is well constructed and today the sun is shining and the water is a beautuful blue. I have taken some pictures but a crew drill kept me off of the deck that I wanted to film from so I will wait until later. I will be heading out on a tour of the island this afternoon and with today being a holiday there may be many local out enjoying the weather.
I want to wish everyone a very HAPPY EASTER and may your bunny be good to you and bring you a surprise! I tried to post on Easter so I am trying again.
April 3, 2013 at Iraklion (or Heraklion) Crete
We arrived this morning and docked at New Harbour (Port of Heraklion) on Crete the largest Island of Greece. Meeting some of the merchants in the terminal stores was a nice morning spent as many of them are from other countries. This is their first day of rain in 55 days so everyone was happy and joyful. Some of our passengers walked into town to explore the churches and some areas with old buildings. I chose to come back to the ship.
One of the most exciting experiences for me is the idea of going back in time, wondering how people lived many years ago. Our two day stay on Malta in Valletta gave me what I had wished. The island is about 27 miles long by 15 miles wide and sits south of Sicily but has 400,000 residents which has the largest population density of all European countries. The history I have been exposed to goes back to 1492 basically when exploration of Columbus set sail from Spain. Malta has relics from 760-780 CE. There are 365 churches on the island, one for each day. The first day there I took an island tour and saw the Island of St. Paul where the apostle was shipwrecked. We saw the Blue Grotto which has been used in movies. Just about everywhere there were old buildings but the juxtaposition of new with old makes a wonderful sight to see. Malta is known for its wine, but the main GDP is tourism. They admit to having a problem with garbage and recycling as one sees litter all over which is sad as the island is gorgeous. We were suppose to travel to Gozo which is another smaller island close to Malta, but because of the winds there our ablility to tender to shore would be dangerous. So we stayed in Valletta overnight and another day. That gave Mez and I the time to explore. We hopped the HOP ON and HOP OFF bus around the island and exited at a location so we could do a harbour tour which was great! We saw forts built by the Knights of St. John and learned about the conquests of Malta by a number of different peoples over thousands of years. The years of 2100 to 1900 BCE were mentioned as groups inhabited the island. This trip has prompted me to do some more reading as the information given us comes way too fast to process. It is easy to get around the island. Hop On and Hop Off buses do three different circuits plus there are city buses. It cost us 20 Euros each for a days pass including the 1 and one half hour harbour tour.
When it was finally time for us to leave the harbour we had a cannon send off from the fort. Thank goodness there were no missiles in the cannons. We were all up on deck getting pictures of the smoke. I will never know what Gozo might have given us but having the extra day on Malta was great!
Mez has just returned from a tour on Crete and said it was a very self sufficient economy and a beautiful country. Tomorrow is another sea day and then on to Larnaca, Cyprus.
We arrived at Valletta, Malta this morning and the view from the ship is probably the most awesome that I have ever seen. The walls come right down to the port and the old buildings can be seen from the windows. The harbour is well constructed and today the sun is shining and the water is a beautuful blue. I have taken some pictures but a crew drill kept me off of the deck that I wanted to film from so I will wait until later. I will be heading out on a tour of the island this afternoon and with today being a holiday there may be many local out enjoying the weather.
I want to wish everyone a very HAPPY EASTER and may your bunny be good to you and bring you a surprise! I tried to post on Easter so I am trying again.
April 3, 2013 at Iraklion (or Heraklion) Crete
We arrived this morning and docked at New Harbour (Port of Heraklion) on Crete the largest Island of Greece. Meeting some of the merchants in the terminal stores was a nice morning spent as many of them are from other countries. This is their first day of rain in 55 days so everyone was happy and joyful. Some of our passengers walked into town to explore the churches and some areas with old buildings. I chose to come back to the ship.
One of the most exciting experiences for me is the idea of going back in time, wondering how people lived many years ago. Our two day stay on Malta in Valletta gave me what I had wished. The island is about 27 miles long by 15 miles wide and sits south of Sicily but has 400,000 residents which has the largest population density of all European countries. The history I have been exposed to goes back to 1492 basically when exploration of Columbus set sail from Spain. Malta has relics from 760-780 CE. There are 365 churches on the island, one for each day. The first day there I took an island tour and saw the Island of St. Paul where the apostle was shipwrecked. We saw the Blue Grotto which has been used in movies. Just about everywhere there were old buildings but the juxtaposition of new with old makes a wonderful sight to see. Malta is known for its wine, but the main GDP is tourism. They admit to having a problem with garbage and recycling as one sees litter all over which is sad as the island is gorgeous. We were suppose to travel to Gozo which is another smaller island close to Malta, but because of the winds there our ablility to tender to shore would be dangerous. So we stayed in Valletta overnight and another day. That gave Mez and I the time to explore. We hopped the HOP ON and HOP OFF bus around the island and exited at a location so we could do a harbour tour which was great! We saw forts built by the Knights of St. John and learned about the conquests of Malta by a number of different peoples over thousands of years. The years of 2100 to 1900 BCE were mentioned as groups inhabited the island. This trip has prompted me to do some more reading as the information given us comes way too fast to process. It is easy to get around the island. Hop On and Hop Off buses do three different circuits plus there are city buses. It cost us 20 Euros each for a days pass including the 1 and one half hour harbour tour.
When it was finally time for us to leave the harbour we had a cannon send off from the fort. Thank goodness there were no missiles in the cannons. We were all up on deck getting pictures of the smoke. I will never know what Gozo might have given us but having the extra day on Malta was great!
Mez has just returned from a tour on Crete and said it was a very self sufficient economy and a beautiful country. Tomorrow is another sea day and then on to Larnaca, Cyprus.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Casablanca and the Med
Tuesday March 26, 2013 in Casablanca, Morocco
We arrived in Agadir on time despite the late departure from Funchal. Agadir is slightly south and east of Madeira and is on the coast of Africa in the country of Morocco. Morocco has 33 million residents with Agadir having about 680,000. Agadir has a lot of history but all buildings from the past were destroyed by an earthquake in February 1960. The only fortress still standing sits on a hill overlooking the city. The city had been rebuilt by the end of the 60's so it is a very modern city. Education within the public system is free through university, but there are private schools. The country is mainly Islamic but there are Christian, Jewish and other religions that practice their beliefs. I took a trip to Taroudant about a 90 minute drive inland from Agadir. There I saw the walled ancient city and the bus drove through it along narrow streets. An ancient city is called a Medina so I went to the Medina of Taroudant. As population grew the city built up around the old walled city or Medina. If I lived outside the walled city in Taroudant and was going to shop in the old part of the city I would say I was going to the Medina. The trip through the countryside offered views that had I not seen them in person I would think they were photoshopped. The Argan tree has nuts that have oil that is used in cosmetics, but the tree attracts goats that climb the tree for its leaves. I did get a picture of goats 18 feet up and wondered how a 50 pound goat would not break the tree branch. Another interesting observation was that during our drive there were no traffic lights as we know them. Round abouts are used extensively with yield signs, allowing the traffic to move. Now there are back ups during rush hours but I was amazed at how quickly we got around the city. In the late 90`s Morocco invested in some infrastructure and there are no shanty towns. Low income housing was built to accomodate these people and there are miles of apartments side by side near the outskirts of Agadir. Morocco relies on agriculture, fishing and tourism for their GDP. Interestingly Moroccans consume 35 kgs of sugar per person yearly whereas 22 kgs of sugar are consumed per person yearly worldwide.
Thursday March 28th afternoon
As we proceed around the Mediterranean I suspect that I might fall behind in the blogging. I have a number of 12 hour shore excursions coming up and with the cough that seems to just hang on I need to watch how I spend my time. Hopefully during sea days I will be able to catch up. Today though was a sleep in day for me as others headed out to explore the city and countryside of Almeria, Spain. Tomorrow and the following day will be spent at sea. So now I need to go back a few days and fill you in. The day after we left Agadir we arrived in Casablanca and I enjoyed folks talk about the gorgeous Hassan II Grand Mosque. This mosque is reputedly the world's largest with a minaret that stands 689 feet. It took 10,000 workers six years to build it and it has a retractable roof. Others did an overland trip to Marrakech and saw snake charmers and the old city. There is never enough time to thoroughly explore these ports and cities but the day may cause a desire to explore further by returning. We heard about the carpets and the salesmenship. We were corrected in our expectations of the movie "Casablanca". It was not filmed in Casablanca though this city was a staging area for the allies in WW II. Today, however, there is a Rick's Cafe in Casablanca which was opened in 2004 by Kathy Kriger from Oregon. Casablanca is the largest city and the chief seaport of the country of Morocco with a population of 4 million. The emblem of love shown by Northern Moroccans is liver not the heart.
Yesterday we were in Gibraltar. It is about 2 square miles on a penninsula surrounded on most sides by the Mediterranean Sea and on the north to Spain. Gibraltar is a British Colony and has always been contentious because of its strategic location. There are seige tunnels within the limestone Rock of Gibaltar. I took a relaxed ride around the area, through the town, out to Europa Point and saw the lighthouse and a 7 million dollar mosque built on the point. As we drove to see the border crossing which is used by many Spanish to get to Gibraltar for work we had to cross an international landing air strip. It is a dangerous air strip not because of the vehicular traffic but because of the cross winds that occur. There seems to be issues that arise from time to time that cause the Spanish to close the gates and not let anyone into Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar is used by about 70,000 ships per year and is a major fueling station for them both heading east to the Suez and across the Atlantic. So on the east side of the penninsula we met with the Barbary Apes which are found on top of the Rock which is 1,396 feet. They came down to greet us. They are a kind of greeny/brown in color and have no tails. We had been told that they can be aggressive and very inquisative, but the ones we saw stayed away so it was hard to get good close up pictures of them. We stopped for elegant tea at a hotel with a beautiful view of the sea. So far the weather has been very mild, clear and sunny. We are suppose to be heading out from this port of Almeria right now but apparently the wind is blowing quite strongly. The tugs that we need to help get us out into the sea are not powerful enough to fight the wind and push us so we will wait and see if the wind dies down after the sun sets.
Today I did not go ashore though I did take some pictures from the ship of the old fort of Almeria, Spain. Most shops were closed today as it is the Easter holidays. HAL had their usual shore excursions while many just walked around town. One lady told me that McDonald's opened at noon so she had a taste of home. The area looks dry and the mountains have little or no greenery. This area has been used for many film productions: Laurence of Arabia and Patton being just two. Many westerns have also been filmed here. Almeria has a rugged landscape with little fertile soil but with irrigation it has produced oranges and white grapes. Recreational activities abound from water sports to hiking, horseback riding, golf, and paragliding.
We arrived in Agadir on time despite the late departure from Funchal. Agadir is slightly south and east of Madeira and is on the coast of Africa in the country of Morocco. Morocco has 33 million residents with Agadir having about 680,000. Agadir has a lot of history but all buildings from the past were destroyed by an earthquake in February 1960. The only fortress still standing sits on a hill overlooking the city. The city had been rebuilt by the end of the 60's so it is a very modern city. Education within the public system is free through university, but there are private schools. The country is mainly Islamic but there are Christian, Jewish and other religions that practice their beliefs. I took a trip to Taroudant about a 90 minute drive inland from Agadir. There I saw the walled ancient city and the bus drove through it along narrow streets. An ancient city is called a Medina so I went to the Medina of Taroudant. As population grew the city built up around the old walled city or Medina. If I lived outside the walled city in Taroudant and was going to shop in the old part of the city I would say I was going to the Medina. The trip through the countryside offered views that had I not seen them in person I would think they were photoshopped. The Argan tree has nuts that have oil that is used in cosmetics, but the tree attracts goats that climb the tree for its leaves. I did get a picture of goats 18 feet up and wondered how a 50 pound goat would not break the tree branch. Another interesting observation was that during our drive there were no traffic lights as we know them. Round abouts are used extensively with yield signs, allowing the traffic to move. Now there are back ups during rush hours but I was amazed at how quickly we got around the city. In the late 90`s Morocco invested in some infrastructure and there are no shanty towns. Low income housing was built to accomodate these people and there are miles of apartments side by side near the outskirts of Agadir. Morocco relies on agriculture, fishing and tourism for their GDP. Interestingly Moroccans consume 35 kgs of sugar per person yearly whereas 22 kgs of sugar are consumed per person yearly worldwide.
Thursday March 28th afternoon
As we proceed around the Mediterranean I suspect that I might fall behind in the blogging. I have a number of 12 hour shore excursions coming up and with the cough that seems to just hang on I need to watch how I spend my time. Hopefully during sea days I will be able to catch up. Today though was a sleep in day for me as others headed out to explore the city and countryside of Almeria, Spain. Tomorrow and the following day will be spent at sea. So now I need to go back a few days and fill you in. The day after we left Agadir we arrived in Casablanca and I enjoyed folks talk about the gorgeous Hassan II Grand Mosque. This mosque is reputedly the world's largest with a minaret that stands 689 feet. It took 10,000 workers six years to build it and it has a retractable roof. Others did an overland trip to Marrakech and saw snake charmers and the old city. There is never enough time to thoroughly explore these ports and cities but the day may cause a desire to explore further by returning. We heard about the carpets and the salesmenship. We were corrected in our expectations of the movie "Casablanca". It was not filmed in Casablanca though this city was a staging area for the allies in WW II. Today, however, there is a Rick's Cafe in Casablanca which was opened in 2004 by Kathy Kriger from Oregon. Casablanca is the largest city and the chief seaport of the country of Morocco with a population of 4 million. The emblem of love shown by Northern Moroccans is liver not the heart.
Yesterday we were in Gibraltar. It is about 2 square miles on a penninsula surrounded on most sides by the Mediterranean Sea and on the north to Spain. Gibraltar is a British Colony and has always been contentious because of its strategic location. There are seige tunnels within the limestone Rock of Gibaltar. I took a relaxed ride around the area, through the town, out to Europa Point and saw the lighthouse and a 7 million dollar mosque built on the point. As we drove to see the border crossing which is used by many Spanish to get to Gibraltar for work we had to cross an international landing air strip. It is a dangerous air strip not because of the vehicular traffic but because of the cross winds that occur. There seems to be issues that arise from time to time that cause the Spanish to close the gates and not let anyone into Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar is used by about 70,000 ships per year and is a major fueling station for them both heading east to the Suez and across the Atlantic. So on the east side of the penninsula we met with the Barbary Apes which are found on top of the Rock which is 1,396 feet. They came down to greet us. They are a kind of greeny/brown in color and have no tails. We had been told that they can be aggressive and very inquisative, but the ones we saw stayed away so it was hard to get good close up pictures of them. We stopped for elegant tea at a hotel with a beautiful view of the sea. So far the weather has been very mild, clear and sunny. We are suppose to be heading out from this port of Almeria right now but apparently the wind is blowing quite strongly. The tugs that we need to help get us out into the sea are not powerful enough to fight the wind and push us so we will wait and see if the wind dies down after the sun sets.
Today I did not go ashore though I did take some pictures from the ship of the old fort of Almeria, Spain. Most shops were closed today as it is the Easter holidays. HAL had their usual shore excursions while many just walked around town. One lady told me that McDonald's opened at noon so she had a taste of home. The area looks dry and the mountains have little or no greenery. This area has been used for many film productions: Laurence of Arabia and Patton being just two. Many westerns have also been filmed here. Almeria has a rugged landscape with little fertile soil but with irrigation it has produced oranges and white grapes. Recreational activities abound from water sports to hiking, horseback riding, golf, and paragliding.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Heading to Agadir from Madeira
March 23, 2013
We arrived on the island of Madeira at the capital city, Funchal, yesterday.We had traveled 3,365 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Funchal, Madeira. It sits about 400 miles off the coast of North Africa. Madeira is the largest island in the archipelago and has 270,000 residents with half of them residing in Funchal. It was discovered in the early 1400s by a Portuguese explorer. There were no people living on the island but there were seals, birds and lizards. The island is 35 miles/56 km long and 13 miles/21 km wide and has a weather pattern which is varied. Funchal is located on the Bay of Funchal on the south side of the island and has ideal weather. Funchal got its name from the vast amounts and the aroma of the fennel plant which is used in cooking. It seldom snows and when it does it stays on the mountains. The island has the second highest sea cliff ( 1900 feet) in the world, the highest is in Taiwan. Madeira is to the Atlantic what Hawaii is to the Pacific. People fly there from mainland Portugal for vacations. Our tour of the island was outstanding as we covered and saw the high cliff and drove to a place that Winston Churchill stayed at when he did his painting.Then we drove to the north side of the island and saw many terraced gardens where all kinds of plants are grown. Since the hilly geography makes it hard to grow items the terraces are the best. Some land plots are so small that potatoes are grown under grape vines so the land is used efficently. We had lunch at the Restaurante Cachalote which is located in Port Moniz on the northwest corner of the island with a great view of the ocean and the waves breaking against the rocks. Our view reminded me of the Oregon/Northern California ocean views. On our drive back to Funchal we climbed over the mountains and went up into the clouds and had a bit of rain but as we went down the southern side of the mountain range the sun broke through and we once again had a beautiful sunny day. The island is governed under Portugal but it does make some of its own laws and has its own government. Words used to describe that relationship are "sovereignty" and "autonomy" both of which have not been fully explained in discussions. I did learn that there are taxes paid to Portugal. There are 136 tunnels on this island ( the longest is 2 miles) and a major road infrastructure was completed in 2006. I suspect but didn't ask if most of that infrastructure money came from mainland Portugal. Madeira has some exports but again I didn't ask about their GDP. Flowers are in abundance all year around though not all varieties, then that wonderful dinner addition of Madeira wines, and bananas that have been grown in terraces at about 15 tons per year, fishing, but their economic mainstay is tourism with the celebrity endorsement of Winston Churchill. Tourism is 80% of the GDP with 950,000 arrive by plane while 350,00 come on cruise ships. Traffic moves on the right side of the road and all drivers were exemplary in their road conduct.
During our crossing of the Atlantic I awoke to see my first up close deep ocean super drilling platform which at first looked like an aircraft carrier. It was about 1 to 1 1/2 miles away. Our crossing was almost 8 full days arriving in Funchal 5 hours late which caused the cancellation of all shore excursions for that day. Due to a North Atlantic storm our crossing was south of the great circle ( shortest route ). That Atlantic storm created 35 foot swells at times giving the vessel a corkscrew motion through the waves.
March 24- a sea day
We were suppose to leave Funchal at 5 pm last night but because of an engine maintenance issue we finally were underway at 2 am this morning. There was an problem with the head gasket on one of the diesel engines. Today is sunny and we are headed for Agadir, Morocco. Hopefully we can make up our lost time.
We arrived on the island of Madeira at the capital city, Funchal, yesterday.We had traveled 3,365 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Funchal, Madeira. It sits about 400 miles off the coast of North Africa. Madeira is the largest island in the archipelago and has 270,000 residents with half of them residing in Funchal. It was discovered in the early 1400s by a Portuguese explorer. There were no people living on the island but there were seals, birds and lizards. The island is 35 miles/56 km long and 13 miles/21 km wide and has a weather pattern which is varied. Funchal is located on the Bay of Funchal on the south side of the island and has ideal weather. Funchal got its name from the vast amounts and the aroma of the fennel plant which is used in cooking. It seldom snows and when it does it stays on the mountains. The island has the second highest sea cliff ( 1900 feet) in the world, the highest is in Taiwan. Madeira is to the Atlantic what Hawaii is to the Pacific. People fly there from mainland Portugal for vacations. Our tour of the island was outstanding as we covered and saw the high cliff and drove to a place that Winston Churchill stayed at when he did his painting.Then we drove to the north side of the island and saw many terraced gardens where all kinds of plants are grown. Since the hilly geography makes it hard to grow items the terraces are the best. Some land plots are so small that potatoes are grown under grape vines so the land is used efficently. We had lunch at the Restaurante Cachalote which is located in Port Moniz on the northwest corner of the island with a great view of the ocean and the waves breaking against the rocks. Our view reminded me of the Oregon/Northern California ocean views. On our drive back to Funchal we climbed over the mountains and went up into the clouds and had a bit of rain but as we went down the southern side of the mountain range the sun broke through and we once again had a beautiful sunny day. The island is governed under Portugal but it does make some of its own laws and has its own government. Words used to describe that relationship are "sovereignty" and "autonomy" both of which have not been fully explained in discussions. I did learn that there are taxes paid to Portugal. There are 136 tunnels on this island ( the longest is 2 miles) and a major road infrastructure was completed in 2006. I suspect but didn't ask if most of that infrastructure money came from mainland Portugal. Madeira has some exports but again I didn't ask about their GDP. Flowers are in abundance all year around though not all varieties, then that wonderful dinner addition of Madeira wines, and bananas that have been grown in terraces at about 15 tons per year, fishing, but their economic mainstay is tourism with the celebrity endorsement of Winston Churchill. Tourism is 80% of the GDP with 950,000 arrive by plane while 350,00 come on cruise ships. Traffic moves on the right side of the road and all drivers were exemplary in their road conduct.
During our crossing of the Atlantic I awoke to see my first up close deep ocean super drilling platform which at first looked like an aircraft carrier. It was about 1 to 1 1/2 miles away. Our crossing was almost 8 full days arriving in Funchal 5 hours late which caused the cancellation of all shore excursions for that day. Due to a North Atlantic storm our crossing was south of the great circle ( shortest route ). That Atlantic storm created 35 foot swells at times giving the vessel a corkscrew motion through the waves.
March 24- a sea day
We were suppose to leave Funchal at 5 pm last night but because of an engine maintenance issue we finally were underway at 2 am this morning. There was an problem with the head gasket on one of the diesel engines. Today is sunny and we are headed for Agadir, Morocco. Hopefully we can make up our lost time.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Crossing the Atlantic
Saturday March 16, 2013
We left Fort Lauderdale under partly cloudy skies and headed through the Bahamas as the Atlantic swells caused some concern. We have a passenger who turned 111 years old on our day of embarkation. Then about 12 hours out we had an emergency and a coast guard helicopter circled above the ship evacuating a sick passenger.... maybe it was the 111 year old. We have a couple of teenagers and a couple of younger children and since the teens sat in a lecture on globalization this morning I suspect they are home schooled. They were taking notes. Cruises can change as passengers change. I do not mean that the ship changes coarse but the personality of the ship is quite different now than our South American cruise. Many people know one another as they have cruised before together. There are many Mariner passengers that have sailed many years and the more they sail the more stars they receive. Currently I have 3 stars but there are people who have 5 stars and have sailed 2100 plus days. The more stars the more benefits one gets. I find that people are more reserved on this cruise, but I will give it a week or so to see if there is more interaction among the passengers. I try to break ice in the elevators but I think a lot of people think me a bit strange. Even saying "good morning" caused a raised eyebrow on occasion. On the other hand they may not speak English or maybe they are deaf. I will use sign language if it happens again.
I found that signing into a Cruise Critic sight can help you meet people before leaving home. Today was a Cruise Critic lunch and there were probably 80 people present for the lunch so I met many people from all over the world. You find the cruise you want to take and read other people's comments and also post questions or information about the cruise. By taking advantage of many on-line sights cruising can be fun, informative, and a great place to meet and make new friends.
Today I went over all my shore excursions with the manager and changed two as they might have been more difficult to do. Most of my original choices I have kept. If I find that I am starting to tire quickly I can turn them in for a credit. I never know how I might feel if the weather gets hot.
World voyages and Grand voyages given through Holland America have special benefits different from their shorter cruises. We get to use the laundry free but if you have 4 stars you can send your laundry out for free and it comes back the next day. Tonight is formal night and though I did not dress I came back to my cabin and had a present on the bed. We had each received a journal for our trip. We seem to keep getting bottles of sparkling wine and plates of strawberries and hors-oeuvres. We get guest lecturers, and we collect grand dollars to buy neat HAL items from hats to computer flash drives, and clocks to international electric plug adapters. Now how do You get the grand dollars? Well, you go play games, show up early for the GOOD MORNING PRINSENDAM show with the cruise director and the hostess. And I walk around and ask the Explorations Team for them during the day.
In about 3 days we should be landing at the Portuguese island of Madiera where I have a tour around the island in a bus. Like South America I have never seen the Mediterranean so I am excited. As we cross the Atlantic in our relatively small but lovely ship I think about the many people who crossed over in past years to settle in North and South America. The ship is rocking and rolling and the acupuncturist put some seeds in my ear to help with sea sickness. I believe that it is helping.
Tomorrow I plan to take a course on Windows Cloud and how to use it. May everyone have a very happy St. Patrick's Day.
We left Fort Lauderdale under partly cloudy skies and headed through the Bahamas as the Atlantic swells caused some concern. We have a passenger who turned 111 years old on our day of embarkation. Then about 12 hours out we had an emergency and a coast guard helicopter circled above the ship evacuating a sick passenger.... maybe it was the 111 year old. We have a couple of teenagers and a couple of younger children and since the teens sat in a lecture on globalization this morning I suspect they are home schooled. They were taking notes. Cruises can change as passengers change. I do not mean that the ship changes coarse but the personality of the ship is quite different now than our South American cruise. Many people know one another as they have cruised before together. There are many Mariner passengers that have sailed many years and the more they sail the more stars they receive. Currently I have 3 stars but there are people who have 5 stars and have sailed 2100 plus days. The more stars the more benefits one gets. I find that people are more reserved on this cruise, but I will give it a week or so to see if there is more interaction among the passengers. I try to break ice in the elevators but I think a lot of people think me a bit strange. Even saying "good morning" caused a raised eyebrow on occasion. On the other hand they may not speak English or maybe they are deaf. I will use sign language if it happens again.
I found that signing into a Cruise Critic sight can help you meet people before leaving home. Today was a Cruise Critic lunch and there were probably 80 people present for the lunch so I met many people from all over the world. You find the cruise you want to take and read other people's comments and also post questions or information about the cruise. By taking advantage of many on-line sights cruising can be fun, informative, and a great place to meet and make new friends.
Today I went over all my shore excursions with the manager and changed two as they might have been more difficult to do. Most of my original choices I have kept. If I find that I am starting to tire quickly I can turn them in for a credit. I never know how I might feel if the weather gets hot.
World voyages and Grand voyages given through Holland America have special benefits different from their shorter cruises. We get to use the laundry free but if you have 4 stars you can send your laundry out for free and it comes back the next day. Tonight is formal night and though I did not dress I came back to my cabin and had a present on the bed. We had each received a journal for our trip. We seem to keep getting bottles of sparkling wine and plates of strawberries and hors-oeuvres. We get guest lecturers, and we collect grand dollars to buy neat HAL items from hats to computer flash drives, and clocks to international electric plug adapters. Now how do You get the grand dollars? Well, you go play games, show up early for the GOOD MORNING PRINSENDAM show with the cruise director and the hostess. And I walk around and ask the Explorations Team for them during the day.
In about 3 days we should be landing at the Portuguese island of Madiera where I have a tour around the island in a bus. Like South America I have never seen the Mediterranean so I am excited. As we cross the Atlantic in our relatively small but lovely ship I think about the many people who crossed over in past years to settle in North and South America. The ship is rocking and rolling and the acupuncturist put some seeds in my ear to help with sea sickness. I believe that it is helping.
Tomorrow I plan to take a course on Windows Cloud and how to use it. May everyone have a very happy St. Patrick's Day.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
March 14 Sitting in Fort Lauderdale- Arrived Safely
Wednesday March 13, 2013
Tomorrow we land in Fort Lauderdale where we need to go through customs and reboard the ship. We will be keeping the same cabin for the next leg of our journey which will be a 64 day trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. We have spent this evening revisiting and taking pictures of the crew and our many traveling companions. Some interesting experiences have occured over the last week and great changes between the Amazon and the Caribbean are amazing and the best one is a nice gentle sea breeze compared with the humidity of the Amazon.
After leaving Devil's Island the Prinsendam carried us to Bridgetown, Barbados where we docked and was the biggest ship in the port. We had the Star Clipper and the Wind Spirit both genuine sail powered ships with us in the port. The Wind Spirit had once had our captain as its captain. I was impressed with Bridgetown as it was very clean and neat around the port area. I wandered into the terminal building and did some shopping. Interested in the ecology of these islands and also an interest in fabrics and clothing I found a store that sells bamboo made items. "Big Deal" you might think, but finding T-shirts, scarves, shorts, and purses made out of bamboo was new for me. So I had to get a t-shirt. Bamboo is twice as soft as cotton, wicks away the perspiration, doesn't shrink, and is as soft as silk or cashmere. Returning to the ship I took pictures of the 5 masted sailing yacht. The ocean water is a deep turquoise blue so it is easy to take pictures of the underwater fish.
A day in Barbados and then we headed to the French islands of Iles-Les-Saintes and Terre-de-Haut and were tendered into Guadeloupe. There were not a lot of stores open as it was Sunday but it was a fun place to walk around. Guadeloupe has exceptional, clean, white beaches. I stayed on ship and just watched the sail boats in the bay.
The following day we headed to Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where our ship was a baby compared to the Vision of the Seas which was docked right next to us. We had a great sailaway party on the outdoor deck with our Counterpoint band and as much wine, beer and cocktails as one wanted all paid by the captain. Our senior ship out partied the Vision of the Seas as we all danced the YMCA dance and hundreds hung over their balconies wishing they could join us.
I really enjoyed cruising South America as it opened my eyes to cultures and food, weather and animal species that I had never seen. I loved the adventure of never knowing what to expect. We had a number of emergencies ( with us old folks what would you expect), we had A/C problems, no hot water for a few days, seems like everyone got sick at some time during the trip, in our hallway a sprinkler went off and flooded the floor, and the rain in the Amazon was so heavy it flowed inside a door on deck 11 but the crew was great at attending to various clean up situations quickly. Food was great and lots of it. I can now say that I am tired of lobster. The chefs kept us fed with many cultural buffets. Cruising is great for the consumption of fruit as you can eat as much as you like. Food could be had 24 hours. Our exploration team kept us busy with games, lectures, contests and entertainment. There was so much to do on sea days that things I wanted to do or learn conflicted with other things.
One of many special experiences is meeting so many great people. Our dinner companions will be greatly missed and on a small ship the feeling of family is certainly present. I have learned or relearned patience by watching others and I hope that I contributed to their enjoyment of this trip as much as they did to mine. I will miss them all and hope they all arrive home to their families safely. It was a pleasure to have met everyone.
The next chapter will be reported after we leave Fort Lauderdale so stay tuned.
Tomorrow we land in Fort Lauderdale where we need to go through customs and reboard the ship. We will be keeping the same cabin for the next leg of our journey which will be a 64 day trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. We have spent this evening revisiting and taking pictures of the crew and our many traveling companions. Some interesting experiences have occured over the last week and great changes between the Amazon and the Caribbean are amazing and the best one is a nice gentle sea breeze compared with the humidity of the Amazon.
After leaving Devil's Island the Prinsendam carried us to Bridgetown, Barbados where we docked and was the biggest ship in the port. We had the Star Clipper and the Wind Spirit both genuine sail powered ships with us in the port. The Wind Spirit had once had our captain as its captain. I was impressed with Bridgetown as it was very clean and neat around the port area. I wandered into the terminal building and did some shopping. Interested in the ecology of these islands and also an interest in fabrics and clothing I found a store that sells bamboo made items. "Big Deal" you might think, but finding T-shirts, scarves, shorts, and purses made out of bamboo was new for me. So I had to get a t-shirt. Bamboo is twice as soft as cotton, wicks away the perspiration, doesn't shrink, and is as soft as silk or cashmere. Returning to the ship I took pictures of the 5 masted sailing yacht. The ocean water is a deep turquoise blue so it is easy to take pictures of the underwater fish.
A day in Barbados and then we headed to the French islands of Iles-Les-Saintes and Terre-de-Haut and were tendered into Guadeloupe. There were not a lot of stores open as it was Sunday but it was a fun place to walk around. Guadeloupe has exceptional, clean, white beaches. I stayed on ship and just watched the sail boats in the bay.
The following day we headed to Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where our ship was a baby compared to the Vision of the Seas which was docked right next to us. We had a great sailaway party on the outdoor deck with our Counterpoint band and as much wine, beer and cocktails as one wanted all paid by the captain. Our senior ship out partied the Vision of the Seas as we all danced the YMCA dance and hundreds hung over their balconies wishing they could join us.
I really enjoyed cruising South America as it opened my eyes to cultures and food, weather and animal species that I had never seen. I loved the adventure of never knowing what to expect. We had a number of emergencies ( with us old folks what would you expect), we had A/C problems, no hot water for a few days, seems like everyone got sick at some time during the trip, in our hallway a sprinkler went off and flooded the floor, and the rain in the Amazon was so heavy it flowed inside a door on deck 11 but the crew was great at attending to various clean up situations quickly. Food was great and lots of it. I can now say that I am tired of lobster. The chefs kept us fed with many cultural buffets. Cruising is great for the consumption of fruit as you can eat as much as you like. Food could be had 24 hours. Our exploration team kept us busy with games, lectures, contests and entertainment. There was so much to do on sea days that things I wanted to do or learn conflicted with other things.
One of many special experiences is meeting so many great people. Our dinner companions will be greatly missed and on a small ship the feeling of family is certainly present. I have learned or relearned patience by watching others and I hope that I contributed to their enjoyment of this trip as much as they did to mine. I will miss them all and hope they all arrive home to their families safely. It was a pleasure to have met everyone.
The next chapter will be reported after we leave Fort Lauderdale so stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)