StLouisCruisers

The second day in Istanbul we decided to take a tram ride to cut down on some miles of walking. We got off at the Grand Bazaar which is known worldwide. We decided to buy Ren and his brother a Galatasaray soccer jersey. Of course you know Ren has continued on with soccer and the other let it go. But it's good to see them continuing on with what interests them. Here is the salesperson who waited on us and he was happy to pose for a photo. Inside the Bazaar, which is huge. You could get lost in there. Someone who went to fetch some Turkish coffee for his friends. We walked from the Bazaar to the Blue Mosque named after the many blue tiles that decorate the interior. It was built in the early 1600's. We waited in a long line to enter the mosque. Here are the rules. An entrance to the courtyard If you're going to pray you stop here first. Inside we took off our shoes and the ladies wore head coverings. That is what everyone was looking up at. I'm not sure why this room was empty, but I think those darker lines in the carpet are to help people position themselves for prayer. Looking up one of the columns. The metal supports were added to add the lighting, IMO. Tiles everywhere Leaving the Blue Mosque, we put on our shoes and headed to the Hippodrome where we viewed the Walled Obelisk and the Obelisk of Theodosius. In addition there is a gazebo-style German fountain that adorns the square. Incredible tile work inside the gazebo. By then we decided to head back to the ship to rest. So here's a last look at the Blue Mosque. Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Later that day it was time to leave Istanbul. It wasn't the prettiest of days, but we still spent time on deck watching us sail away. Next stop - Batumi, Georgia! Thanks for your patience. Time to get on the treadmill and I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday.

Hagia Sophia museum is up next. The exterior. Here's a roadmap for you. some of the interior walkways I've noticed this is one of my older cameras taking photos in 2014 so not of the quality I would like. Camera have really improved a lot over the last decade or two. We saw a lot of people taking photos upwards during our Istanbul stop. You can see why. Marble jar, used on special days to distribute water, according to the inscription below it. This is called the Beautiful Door. See, I did NOT make that up. The two of us, 7 years younger.🙁 By this time we were exhausted, and so were our traveling buddies so we walked back to the ship. We walked many miles that day. Along the way we saw street food called Kestane being sold. It appears that is roasted chestnuts. A place to wash your feet before entering the mosques. Another shop full of spices and confections. Back on the Prinsendam, we had a dancer on the pool deck (belly dancing I believe). She moved so fast the photos turned out blurry! We also had local cuisine cooked and set up on deck. Those were the days, eh? My gosh, we still have the following day to see. This could take all day to finish! Sorry if there are too many photos but Istanbul is an important stop on the Black Sea cruise.

Good morning friends! Today it is 55F and clear. This morning it is clear and will be sunny and 79 with clouds rolling in this afternoon and rain tonight. Thanks Rich @richwmn for the Daily and Fleet Report information for all of us. Our days are Independent Bookstore Day, International Astronomy Day, and International Dance Day. Hurray for indpendents who open bookstores. You know they have a real love for books because with Amazon out there it's a hard way to make a living.📚 I salute astronomers for their interest in our galaxies, a place they can only see through telescopes and will probably never visit.🔭 LOL! And for those who love to dance around the world, this is your day to let loose.💃 I bet Henry Kissinger would be going crazy with all the crises we have these days! And thanks to Rich for his day in history regarding the wrecking of the Berlin Wall in 1990. What an event that was! Our meal today is Paella Verdura and I'm sure Debbie @dfish will give us great recipes and photos. That Pinn Tini sounds unique, and another Pinot Noir to taste.🍷 Thanks go to Debbie, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for their work on the food and beverages. In advance I'd like to thank Eva @superoma for keeping up with the Care and Celebration lists. Wow, it's been busy this week! For all on the Care list we pray for your improved health. I'm really hoping Jacqui has a much better day today. For all recovering from your surgeries we wish everyone less pain hour by hour and results seen quickly.🙏 Three cheers for the Celebration list! I hope the cruises are going well and feel your sadness if you're leaving the ship today. For those embarking what a wonderful day you will have. Enjoy! I hear DGS has a soccer game locally today but DS will not be able to attend due to graduation ceremonies at the University. I failed to ask if he had students graduating, receiving master's or Ph.D.'s (I'm sure he does) but he must be on stage regardless. It's always an honor to hood a Ph.D. student. I remember the feeling as a parent when he received his. A great day for all of them!🎉🥂 Today's port is Istanbul, Turkey (or Turkiye). We have had it here twice before on November 21, 2021 and Dec. 12, 2022. I'll post the links below and a multitude of pictures. We were honored to take a Black Sea followed by a Holy Land cruise on the Prinsendam in 2014. It was our first cruise on HAL and what an introduction it was! We stayed two days in Istanbul so we got to do a lot of exploring around the city. Here goes Istanbul. We arrived in Istanbul in late afternoon on Oct. 9, 2014. We had time to get off the ship and walk to a nearby hotel to borrow some wi-fi before dinner. Thank you Nidya Hotel. The next day we walked across the Galata Bridge to see the Topkapi Palace Museum. See how close the boats are to the bridge? In the background you can see Hagia Sophia's minarets. We passed many shops selling spices and Turkish delights. The Imperial Gate entrance to Topkapi Palace Museum. We bought a Museum Pass and headed toward the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. We checked out artifacts on the lawn and entered the Tiled Kiosk to see the pottery and tile displays. No cameras were allowed in the Archaeological Museum. Then we headed through the Gate of Salutations into the Topkapi Palace Museums which housed everything from jewelry to weapons. One of the museums had a terrace with a fabulous view of the water. We walked through the Palace Kitchens and the Imperial Treasury. So much to see! Finally we went to the Harem section of the Palace Museums. At one time it was occupied by the Sultan, his mother, wives and concubines. Room for a crowd! Always a nice ceiling to look at. From here we went to Hagia Sophia Museum, and then we have the second day in Istanbul to see so I will make a second post as this one will be too long. May take up the whole first page! 😉 Get out there and have a great weekend folks. Any you may need another cup of coffee by the time I'm finished.

Today is Independent Bookstore Day, International Astronomy Day, and International Dance Day There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full. - Henry KissingerMeal Suggestion for today - Paella VerduraDrink of the Day - Red Greyhound Pinn TiniWine of the Day - Kosta Browne Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California 2015Destination of the Day - Istanbul, Turkey, GalataportToday in History:1990 Wrecking cranes began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg GateShip Locations Eurodam Seattle, Washington 07:00 - 15:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam Victoria, British Columbia 12:00 - 23:00 Nieuw Statendam Civitavecchia-Rome, Italy 07:00 - 16:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam Livorno, Florence-Pisa, Italy 07:00 - 17:00 Rotterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands North Holland 07:00 - 17:00 Volendam At Sea destination Cabo San Lucas, Mexico eta 4-30 Westerdam At Sea destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Zaandam Montreal, Quebec Canada 07:00 - 17:00 Zuiderdam Oban UK, Scotland 08:00 - 16:00 Sandi for Rich

Your dinner looks delicious and fresh. I'm sure you enjoyed that meal and I hope the good food continues. Thanks for the photos! You've moved up to 15 minute walks so keep up the great work! Every little bit helps. I hope the tornado watches are over. Take care! Midland is so lucky to have the Center for the Arts. For a small town like that to have that venue is amazing, and I'm sure a lot of the money to start up and to support it comes from being the headquarters of such a large corporation. Annie, hugs from us after such a difficult day!. {{hugs}} I wasn't the one who was bitten - it was @St Pete Cruiser . He said he was bitten while hiking and simply reported it on the Daily last night. Someone must have confused me with him when he blue bubbled my name in his post. I hope he is doing much better and is home soon! Exactly!!

I saw that this morning and thought about including it today. Anyone who wants to celebrate blueberry pies today, save us a piece! Brenda, great news you're feeling stronger each day! We've been worried about you. Get plenty of rest to aid in healing. 😊

Good to hear there is entertainment on your ship John. I thought your Ecuadorian guitarist's name sounded familiar and verified we had seen him perform on our Seabourn Antarctica/South Georgia Island cruise Dec. 2016-Jan.2017. We also ate dinner at his table one evening and enjoyed the conversation as well as his charming personality. Seabourn likes to have what they call hosted tables and we enjoyed dining with people like entertainer Nestor, medical staff, even the Captain.

Oh no, I hope this doesn't stop her from hiking in Scotland! And right before a cruise. Best of luck to her as she heals and prepares to leave. And sometimes the bad things happen ON the cruise! I'm so sorry to hear about the spider bite! You had to wait a little while before the ship arrived in Hilo so I hope the medical center onboard was able to keep you comfortable. As a young newlywed in 1970 I laid my head on my pillow one night and was bitten by a spider on my cheek. Thank goodness it wasn't a venomous one but oh boy, the swelling! Ridiculous! Anyway, you get well and hopefully you will be able to fly home soon. Certainly that wasn't your plan but you just never know what's going to happen next. Thanks for sharing and we hope to hear more details when you're better. Unfortunately your days with Princess don't apply to your HAL day count. Being a good Princess customer does get a first time HAL sailor 1 star before they board the ship though.

Good morning friends! I feel like I'm moving in slow motion today. I was up a little later last night because DH went next door to a men's night out for the NFL draft. Our neighbor is a brewer and serves his own beer. I'm sure a good time was had by all but until he came in the door at 11 pm I couldn't get to sleep. 😴 On the weather front we are 59 degrees with a little rain and clouds expected this morning but sunshine and 78 this afternoon. That may sound warm but our house holds the coolness in so we stay chilly. Must be well insulated. Well, thank you Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report this morning! Rich is in Portree, UK today which is a charming village with colorful buildings lining the semi-circular harbor. If you walk up the hill to the large church you will have a great view of everything including your ship out in the distance at anchor. Enjoy! Today we have selected Clean Comedy Day, Great Poetry Reading Day, and Kiss Your Mate Day. I'm sure @RedneckBob will be happy to tell you some clean jokes. Our poetry lovers can do some extra reading today. And many of us will be happy to kiss our mates. Another good quote from Albert Einstein. And as for this day in history, Claude Grahame-White must have been brave to attempt a night flight in 1910. I'm pretty sure he is no relation to our Graham @grapau27 .😉 The dish today is pumpkin curry which I will pass on. The drink will be Chee Chee. Hmmm. Think I will pass on that, too. And the wine is a red, a Pinot Noir which I will also skip.🍷 That will leave more for all the red wine lovers. Let me thank Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for doing all the work on the food and beverages for us. We also need to thank Eva @superoma for standing in for Vanessa @JazzyV who is I hope not rocking and rolling across the Atlantic! On the Care list I want to say some prayers for all on that long list and hope our surgery people are doing well. We haven't heard back from Brenda @bennybear yet, have we? I hope she is doing okay. 🙏 Many prayers to Annie @marshhawk and Chuck on this sad day for them. Blessings to you both! And I just read that our friend @St Pete Cruiser is in a hospital in Hilo, Hawaii instead of finishing his Noordam cruise due to being bitten by a venomous spider! What a terrible way to suddenly end a cruise! We send our best wishes for a full recovery and are grateful you are in a US hospital instead of somewhere in the South Pacific. 🙏 We also want to say congratulations to those celebrating and cruising. Have a wonderful time friends!🚢🎉 The port of the day is Kirkwall, Orkney Island, Scotland. It's a destination we've never been able to get to somehow so my winning streak is ending today. Two weeks is long enough to subject you all to my photos! We have had that port before on October 12, 2021 and October 18, 2022. I'll post the links for those who want to grab their photos and post them today. Thank you in advance for doing that by the way! Time to do the treadmill now. Wishing you all a safe and happy Friday!

Today is Clean Comedy Day, Great Poetry Reading Day, and Kiss Your Mate Day Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. - Albert EinsteinMeal Suggestion for today - Pumpkin CurryDrink of the Day - Chee CheeWine of the Day - Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough 2020Destination of the Day - Kirkwall, Orkney Island, ScotlandToday in History:1910 First night air flight by Claude Grahame-White in EnglandShip Locations Eurodam Vancouver, BC Canada 07:00 - 17:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea Destination Victoria, BC, Vancouver Island, Canada eta 4-29 Nieuw Statendam Naples, Italy 08:00 - 19:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam At Sea Destination Livorno, Florence-Pisa, Italy eta 4-29 Rotterdam At Sea Destination Amsterdam, Netherlands North Holland eta 4-29 Volendam Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 08:00 - 23:00 Zaandam Quebec City, Canada 09:00 - 17:00 Zuiderdam Isle of Skye, Uig-Dunvegan-Armadale-Portree, Scotland 08:00 - 18:00Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea Destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Crossing International Dateline to Western Hemisphere Sandi for Rich

Great news Annie! It's getting closer!

I was just looking at photos from our last trip to Ponta Delgada when we simply walked around the town. I noticed we hadn't really pointed out the famous mosaic type pavements all over the place. This sidewalk was right in front of the doors of the local brewery I talked about earlier. Here's a selection of interesting patterns. This one is cool, but could be a little dizzying. This must take a very long time to plan and implement!

We too have had our stock for many years and use the benefit on Princess, HAL and Seabourn. I counted back as far as I could find documentation and saw we'd received well over $10,000 in OBC and lots of dividends. So happy we found out about this benefit all those years ago.

Terry, it's good to hear the surgery date decision has helped your mental health. I hope everything works out well for you and your DH. I have to say your DD's cats are gorgeous! What a shame! Now you have to go through herding cats again to get TT back to the vet! Lol! Hope the infection clears quickly. Good luck! The shrimp and Pauline's filet mignon look delicious! Also that yummy dessert! I know you both enjoyed that wonderful dinner.🥩 Good idea to wait a short while until you are feeling up to taking on Ivan. Get some rest! DH and I are scratching our heads trying to figure out this crazy weather, too. It's nearly May and we're still sitting around the house all covered up. Well at least the cooler temps in Alaska won't be such a shock to the system. Or maybe it will be warmer up there than way down here!

Thoughts going your way as you get things started with the PA. Hope the surgery you schedule goes perfectly, Mary Kay. And very sorry to hear of Jerry Springer's passing. Condolences to his family on their loss.

I'm glad they are adding two specials each day now. The same menu everyday is too much! I fondly remember when the menus were different each day, even if they repeated them on the longer cruises.

Thank you Graham! I'll join you in wishing Israel well on their 75th anniversary of independence. Hope you and Pauline have a lovely day today. Great memes today Jacqui. Your whale watching tour should be a lot of fun in the Azores. Always exciting with all the anticipation! Good luck with the lug lock problem which has to be exceedingly frustrating. Best of luck today with TT''s surgery. Those sneaky cats attempting to deter you from cornering him! Glad he was located finally. How fitting Sue should end her career and start her retirement with you being her final patient. We have something in common. My twin was a hygienist too and is retired. Enjoy your dinner with Sue tonight, and I wish her all the best with the move (plus her retirement). Very exciting! And thanks for the recipes today as well. Terri, I'm glad you decided to concentrate on cruise planning now so you will be prepared for it when the time comes. You can get back to the home decor afterwards. As far as the docks in Copenhagen we have been to Langelinje and have walked to the city center. So I looked up the docks of Copenhagen and this has some starting information about how to get back and forth. They list 3 docks so first find out which one your ship docks at. That info could be on your itinerary online. Good luck! https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/transportation-cruise-terminals How annoying! Hope you can get that taken care of, and hope your day is a successful one. Lorraine, it's good to hear the fracture in the toe isn't hurting as much, but sad that the infection isn't totally cleared yet. Get well soon and good luck with the packing and toting of bags! Very nice of you to say! Thank YOU for the compliment.

Good morning friends! It's a mild morning with cloudy skies and 53 degrees. Rain is on the way (thunderstorms too) and a high of 70. Thanks Rich @richwmn for our Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday. Thanks also for your Beethoven fact from this day in history. Today everyone can enjoy National Tell a Story Day, Babe Ruth Day, and Morse Code Day. Pick anyone you like to tell a story to but I always enjoyed doing that with the grandchildren. Hurray for Babe Ruth who is a legend in baseball, deservedly so. And a salute to Morse Code, a pioneering method of communication. Samuel Morse was born on this date in 1791. I liked the quote of the day. The meal selection is beef and blue cheese penne with pesto. Sounds like I'll pass and eat something I like better. Our drink is called Sauza Blue and the wine a syrah. No thanks to both from me. But thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for taking care of those reports for us. It is also King's Day in the Netherlands and on the Holland America ships. The King in the Netherlands since 2013 is King Willem-Alexander and today is his birthday. Consider wearing orange in his honor and hope everyone on a HAL ship has a nice party onboard. Thanks in advance to Eva @superoma for the Care and Celebration lists. That Care list has gotten way too long! I hope all the surgeries went well and you will be out of pain and healed before you know it. Prayers as well for all who need them.🙏 We would also like to congratulate those on the Celebration list with happy events to celebrate. And please enjoy those cruises! We would love to hear from all of you!🥂 The port of the day is Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal, a lovely island. We had that port already on August 7, 2022 so I'm copying and pasting a link to that post for you all to retrieve photos. This is the 13th port of the day in a row so an all-time record for me. Here's the link followed by a whole slew of photos. Hope you don't mind! Ponta Delgada, Azores is a port that I know a lot of us have been to on our transatlantics. Our first time there was in December, 2012 on Crown Princess. We walked to a local brewery where DH went inside and chatted with the receptionist and she arranged an off the cuff tour of the brewing and packaging departments. There were probably only 10 employees which is a huge difference from the brewery DH worked at for over 29 years. The second time we were there we went on a ship's tour of Crater Lakes outside the city because our cruising friends only take ship tours. That was on Royal Princess in April 2015. Our final time was on the 2018 Grand Med and Africa voyage on the Prinsendam. That time we just walked around the town enjoying the ambiance of Ponta Delgada. Here are the pictures of those visits. Arriving at the Mel Abreu brewery in Ponta Delgada, which makes the Especial beer. When you open the doors at the entrance you are met with these stairs to reception. Certainly different! After explaining he was a former major US brewery Engineering manager and was interested in seeing their operations, we were instantly escorted into the brewing area. I mean literally 5 minutes later! Some of the ingredients that make up beer. This was Jimmy who was giving us the tour. Talk about a fresh sample of beer! Next up was the packaging side of the operation which was across the street. Norberto took over the tour at this point. The bottles go around the machine and are filled. After checking out all the kegs and shipping area, we went to the break room for a taste of some of their products. Since I don't drink beer, I had one of the soft drinks they bottled here, Kima. Here are some Crater Lake pics from 2015 next. In 2015 we headed out of town to see the countryside with our Myrtle Beach cruise friends. Up the mountainside we drove in our tour bus. Next stop was the town of Sete Cidades. We visited St. Nicholas Church. The Blue Lake and the Green Lake Fog kept rolling in, then out again. Here is Santiago Lake Heading back to Ponta Delgado for some wine and cheese. A hotel across from the ship set up this wine and cheese display for us to try. Of course only Portuguese wines and cheeses. I have many photos of the town itself but perhaps someone else would like to add some. Have a wonderful Thursday Dailyites! Be safe out there.

King's Day (Netherlands and ship) Today is National Tell A Story Day, Babe Ruth Day, and Morse Code Day All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. - Havelock EllisMeal Suggestion for today - Beef and Blue Cheese Penne with PestoDrink of the Day - Sauza BlueWine of the Day - Frenchmans Hill Estate Syrah Waiheke Island Rock Earth 2014Destination of the Day - Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores PortugalToday in History:1810 Ludwig van Beethoven composes his famous piano piece "Für Elise"Ship Locations Eurodam Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada 11:00 - 23:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea Destination Victoria, British Columbia eta 4-29 Nieuw Statendam Palermo, Sicily Italy 08:00 - 19:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam Tunis, La Goulette, Tunisia 07:00 - 23:00 Rotterdam Edinburgh, Scotland 08:00 - 17:30 Volendam At Sea destination Puerto Vallarta, Mexico eta 4-28 Zaandam At Sea Destination Quebec City, Canada eta 4-28 Zuiderdam At Sea Destination Isle of Skye, Uig-Dunvegan-Armadale-Portree, Scotland eta 4-28Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea Destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Sandi for Rich

That really is crazy hail! I've lived in the midwest and other spots that get hail and have never seen that much at one time. Looks exactly like snow. I hope everybody is okay down there! I'm glad you still want to sail HAL after all that. The weather has been bad there, but all of his complaints are about the ship, not the weather. I can see the weather making your mood sour but good grief. 🙄 So sorry to hear it was so painful. I hope this works and we won't even consider the thought you have to endure this again. I pray you feel much better by tomorrow. ❤️ Roy, this is the thread. It's already 24 pages long because they are on their way from Japan to Kodiak, Alaska. Maybe take a look at the last page and see if you want to look at any more posts.

So sorry to hear those antibiotics weren't effective. Hopefully the doctor can give you some answers today and a better prescription for Sam. It's so nice to hear your refreshing post on your experiences on the Eurodam. If you listen to one particular poster (not on this thread) there is absolutely no entertainment on their ship, food is okay, and their fellow American passengers retire for the night immediately after early dining. The non-Americans are fun loving people who enjoy dining later at a shared table. He seems surprised when he's seated with Americans at 7:30 pm. DH and I have been late traditional diners since 2008 and all of our cruise buddies are too. If it weren't for all the information about the ports they have visited, I wouldn't read it at all. JMHO. Thanks for sharing about your experiences. I hope the weather is nice for your Victoria visit tomorrow. It's such a pretty city to walk around. Have fun!

It's great to hear about this progress from your DH. Wonderful news! That is crazy cold! I could have written this post Dixie! Our room was like a freezer on the Volendam Amazon cruise and we asked for blankets too. Never reported it because like you said, I'd rather be cold than too warm. You can throw on more clothes or blankets but when too hot, it's hard to cool off.

Roy's advice is good @go fish 44. Our TA gave Holland America our Princess past cruiser numbers before we took our first cruise on that line. We arrived with 1 star because of it instead of waiting until after the cruise for that benefit. At the time you couldn't eat lunch in the Main DR unless you were a Mariner so we were allowed. So have your TA give them that information, or do it yourself if you don't have a TA or PCC.

Nancy, hugs to comfort you on this sad day. The memories never leave us. Thank you Maureen for your nice comments to me and the others who offer support to the group each day. Hoping your DH gets some relief from his eye issues. Thanks to you Roy and also Graham @grapau27 for your photos from Lanzarote. Nice to see all the different things the islands have to offer.

Yay! Another birthday to celebrate! Happy Birthday to Debbie @dfish !! Just finished the treadmill and time for breakfast while I cool down. 🥵