Back to Black and the Med too.... Live from the Prinsendam

[Lizzie68]

I believe it's a very port-intensive cruise, and they have lots of excursion, so I bet they are having fun as well as seeing as much as they possibly can in the time allowed.

[LindaM]

I would guess there is an issue with internet access. Sometimes there isn't a satalite in the right place. Very frustrating!! I am anxiously awaiting the news Jacqui mentioned about Prinsendam. I am the eternal optimist...secretly hoping HAL will see the pros of investing in a small ship.

[Linda&Vern]

Kazu hasn't been online for almost 3 days. I hope all is ok. Roy

 

I hope she is just busy and it isn't that her ipad "walked off." :eek:

[kazu]

I hope she is just busy and it isn't that her ipad "walked off." :eek:

 

Ha!Ha! I still have my iPad. It is now my camera. No luck with free wifi so using some of the ship's.

 

The camera Sara continues... More on that later, but first the adventure continues...

[kazu]

Going back in time and catching up, after Thessaloniki we were Scheduled to cruise Mt Athos and go to Kavala in the afternoon. The scenic cruising began early in the morning, around 7:00 am and I was up to see and hear the talk on Mt. Athos. Mr Athos is inhabited by monks with monasteries and because there are women on board, the Prinsendam has to stay a certain distance away. I'm not sure what the monks think we women are going to do, but of course the Prinsendam follows the rules. So, there are monasteries so that must mean dark clouds or rainy right? Right! It is indeed a very dark day and it is not until late in the scenic cruising that the Sun peaks out a bit. Nevertheless it was enjoyable, just didn't make for great pictures.

 

You can climb Mt Athos if you are a man. Women are forbidden at a certain point because of the monks. The monks make several products for women that you can buy on line but women can't go there to buy them. Kind of ironic!

 

Once the scenic cruising was done it was time for our meet and greet. I had originally planned on 70 when I confirmed with HAL but in the last month the numbers have grown exponentially. I contacted Debbie on board to let her know that it was now 90 and she kindly amended the arrangements for us. The Crow's nest was all ours and we needed it as the room was quite full.

 

We had a great turn out and, as always it's nice to meet roll call members that you have been talking to. We were joined by Linda, our cruise director, Debbie our on board events person and our Beverage Manager.

 

Although Captain Andre apologized later, I did not expect to see him as I knew he would be at the bridge as we were approaching Kavala. We had to do the meet and greet on this day as if we had waited for our first full sea day the cruise would have already been 5 days.

 

Georgina had her fantastic name tags for everyone in the group. She had brought some blanks where we could just write in the names than heavens and they were all put to good use. Those name tags are a lot of work and very beautiful. Everyone appreciates them and she got a huge round of applause.

 

After a great meet and greet, we got ready as we were scheduled to arrive in Kavala at noon. This port was supposed to be a tender port, but another pleasant surprise as we were docking! Sometimes, size does matter :) That makes two tenders that we have avoided. Always a good thing.

 

We weren't sure what to expect here and found a lovely spot, with nice streets and a very relaxing ambience. Like other Greek ports we were in, there were stray dogs and cats. We stopped for a little bite at an outside spot and this little kitten grabbed at our heart strings. We watched as a clever local fed it some fish and sprayed the larger cats with water so that they couldn't steal the kitten's food. Once the boys left, you know Kazu gave the cats her scraps as well :)

 

Wanting to use the free wifi for a bit, I felt we should order something else so I made the ultimate sacrifice and ordered a glass of wine :). Our waiter brought it and refused payment telling me that he wanted the Canadians to have a good memory of Kavala. The wine was on the house!! How nice is that?

 

Kavala was a nice 1/2 day.

 

 

Back on board from our verandah we watched a charming dog who obviously wanted to come on board as he sat on the rug. He was so well behaved and obviously trained, I would have gone down to get him if it were permitted. The crew obviously liked him too. When a shore excursion returned he was lured away so he didn't bother them and then returned to the gangway until it was pulled up.

 

Kavala was a delightful surprise and we enjoyed a relaxing day here as we soaked in some of the ambience and savoured the flavour.

[kazu]

We arrive in Constanta today and we have another private tour I have arranged, but this time it is with HAL. I booked the mini bus with driver and guide. We wanted to keep our group small, but still have the protection that a HAL tour offers and this seemed like the perfect solution.

 

For anyone considering this type of tour, the shore excursion desk was very good and very helpful. They give you a form with your ticket and you list everyone going with you and their cabin numbers along with your itinerary you would like. The shore excursion desk then let us know the admission fees and also emailed any questions I had. Very good:)

 

We weren't scheduled to arrive in Constanta until 10:00 am so for once, we could sleep in a tad and/or have a leisurely breakfast on a tour day. We took option two.

 

We are at the Pinnacle Grill and shared in Elvyra's excitement. Her family was travelling from Transylvania to see her and picking up her best friend she hasn't seen in over two years. We are all thrilled for her. Then I head back to the Neptune Lounge to see if the concierge has heard from the port agent about mailing a package for me in Romania. (Tour Gypsy had asked me to send a package on her behalf). The concierge tells me that the port agent will do it and it will coast approximately 25 euros. I am stunned into silence. It's a tiny package and not heavy and I certainly wasn't expecting that. I don't know if I should try to mail it myself as that amount doesn't sound right to me. DH suggests I ask Elvyra so I head back down to the Pinnacle to ask her. She laughs and tells me about $7 on a guess, takes the package out of my hands to weigh it and then says her friend will mail it for me. I am really taken aback and wasn't expecting that. I tell her no, I can do it. She reminds me of the language and besides, she says, it will get there a lot faster out of Bucharest. And she doesn't let go of the package. Of course I will happily pay the cost but I am once again blown away by Elvyra!

 

After that, it was time to meet up with the group. The group was quickly assembled at the Ocean Bar we headed out to Romania passport control. Talk about SLOW! It's a good thing we went early because as we left the pier we saw that the lineup was backed up to the gangway. They had lots of officers on, but there seemed to be either computer issues or questions for some passengers.

 

Once we were through passport control, there was a lady in the terminal with my name on the sign and we quickly connected. Elena was our guide for the day.

 

Our first stop was to be Histria, the Romanian Pompeii. ( that's what the Romanians call it, but it doesn't compare to Pompeii Other than in age, at least not yet:)). This is the oldest site in Romania. It dates back to over the fifth century BC. So far, they have only uncovered 25% of it. The city was destroyed 22 times in its history so as they dig, they discover more and more things.

 

The museum here is nicely laid out but as you look around at the peeling paint, etc. it is obvious that this is a poor country. The site has a lot of weeds and growth and I fear it may become over grown if it is not cared for. It is an interesting site and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The ride both days was painful. The roads are up under construction in some places and need construction in others. The ride was very bumpy. I don't know if our bus ever had a suspension but it certainly didn't have one now! The other buses for the HAL tours were Mercedes. This one was not.

 

Because of the different cultures that lived here (ie Romans, Greeks, Byzantines), it is very interesting as you see the different styles in the architecture and the artifacts in the museum.

 

We had another delightful surprise on our way to Histria. Elena had our bus stop at a church. It is currently being painted inside. We are talking about painting those wonderful scenes all over the interior of the church. Similar to the style of Michelangelo in the Sisteen Chapel. The men have just about completed one portion of the church which has taken two years. It will take them four years to complete the rest of this little church. Everyone was fascinated by this and very grateful to have the opportunity to see it. The artists were very gracious and allowed us to take pictures of their handiwork.

 

After Histria, Elena took us to see a bit of Romanian life. Exploring a bit and then heading to the market, we were cautioned to stick very close together as a group and to guard our possessions carefully.

 

On our way back we saw butcher with the sausages, salamis hanging. One of The members of our group's family originally came From this area so he wanted to investigate. Constanta only takes their currency in most places so since I had some, he and I went in and I was amazed at the price. He bought this huge round thing of salami for seven lei, about $2!

 

Returning to the port, we browsed a few souvenirs that were there and then tested the wifi. Constant did provide a free shuttle into town but we had all decided that we were not going to venture into Constanta on our own. (The next morning I heard of at least one passenger being robbed that was in Constanta) The boys returned to the ship and Gigianne and I gave the wifi a shot, but it was spotty and frustrating, so my plan to upload some pictures was not to be. I am hopeful there will be an opportunity in Burgas, but only time will tell. Running low on my ship's wifi and I fear the pics will burn too much time. We gave up and headed back to the ship. We are eating in the Pinnacle so need to get freshened up anyways.

 

We had a fun night in the Pinnacle with ski ww and gigianne.

 

Another crew show is tonight and I fear we will miss it as we need to be up early for Burgas. Ok, who thinks this stuff up? The show is at 11 pm of course. Why wasn't it last night when we were arriving in Constanta at 10 am? Or tomorrow night when we have a sea day the next day? Why the night before we have an early port day when there were opportunities the day before and the day after? I know, I know, Kazu has too much common sense. LOL.

[kazu]

We have landed in Bulgaria and once more we need to carry our passports and go through passport control. Fortunately, we are one of the first ones off the ship and it is evident that this passport control is much faster than yesterday's.

 

Gigianne has arranged our private tour today. We are travelling to Nessebar and two Bulgarian villages and homes and will have a chance to "savour the flavour".

 

Our guide is Vasil (pronounced Vessil) and Theodore is our driver. Along the way to Nessebar, we get some great info on Bulgaria. Bulgaria actually lies on a peninsula and has beaches that stretch around 300 kilometres. They, along with their mountains are their big tourist attractions. Although they are part of the European Union, they have their own currency. For those who may be visiting here, they do accept both euros and Us$ readily.

 

Along the way we passed salt lakes that are over 2,000 years old. They can normally extract 40,000 tons of salt here each year. The mud is also used for spas, etc.

 

We arrive in Nessebar and overlooking the harbour is statue who is speculated to be Noah with the doves seeking the land after the flood. Apparently, there is proof here of the flood of biblical history and it is thought this is where it originated. What was once a lake was flooded by the Meditteranean sea when an earthquake caused a crack in the wall of the lake. They have discovered settlements under water so there was indeed people living where there is still water

even to this day.

 

 

Along our walk, we saw Pantocrator church Church built in dedication of Jesus Christ in the 14th century, imitation of .Byzantine style and mixed style of architecture. The different styles help protect from earthquakes. This area is subject to earthquakes so, when one happens, the crack stops when the first style of architecture ends,

 

ST John the Baptist built in 11th century. More plain as the area was not as rich back then

 

Right next to it, a Turkish Bath and and across from it the Roman baths. A whole lot of history right next to each other.

 

Nessebar is a medieval town and the old town is full of wooden houses and enchanting. I discovered that Bulgaria is well known for its wi me so I succeeded in finding a bottle from the good area that we will test tonight:)

 

After our wonderful walk in Nessebar, we stopped in a small village of 200 people to visit a home there. There the owner lives in a home and her children have their homes on the same property. She has her pigs, chickens, dogs, wine press, etc. and gardens and is quite self sufficient. After viewing her amazing property we were treated to a salad, a brandy that she makes and a type of lemon and orange pop.. Of course there were Vulgarian Delights to snack on. Our guide told us that after we go, she will sit on her bench in her front yard and make her neighbours envious that she had us visiting that day.

 

Our next stop was to the village of Cosinicho. Here we stopped at a home where lemonade was produced and sold. She still has the machinery and makes it for herself and a few friends, but no longer operates it as a business. Her father started the business originally and when Communism came, he was given the choice to turn the machinery over to the Farmers' Co-op or go to prison. He opted for the former. Two years later, he won his fight and got his machine back. She demonstrated it for us and gave us a sample along with a dessert and Yogurt. Yogurt originated in Bulgaria. It has a different taste than what we are used to. There is a special bacteria for it only available here. It does not survive anywhere else. Again our owner is basically self sufficient and is a typical village home. We tour the three rooms which is very interesting.

 

These villages are a dying breed as few people are motivated to move there so it is nice to enjoy this "off the beaten track tour" while it is available.

 

A lovely experience. Everyone really enjoyed this tour.

[kazu]

Oh how I hate to post this....but since you asked (me), here is the Toronto weather for the next week....

 

We are down to under 11 hours of daylight

 

FriOct 17

Cloudy with showers

 

high 16°C low 11

61°F

 

 

SatOct 18

 

Cloudy with showers

high 11°C low 9

52°F

 

 

SunOct 19

 

Mainly sunny

high 8°C low 3

46°F

 

 

MonOct 20

 

Cloudy with showers

high 11°C low 4 with 1 hour of sunlight predicted

52°F

 

 

TueOct 21

 

Cloudy with showers

high 11°C low 5 with 0 hours of sunlight...ugh

 

 

WedOct 22

 

Sunny

high 9°C low 3

48°F

 

 

ThuOct 23

 

Sunny

high 11°C low 2

 

 

Uggher. Depressing. I won't complain that it is only going to be around 55 in Cesme. Feels warmer than that this morning so I bet the forecast is wrong. We have had great weather. it will be tough to face fall when we get home.

[Lizzie68]

Jacqui - interesting about the stray cats and dogs. I have a dear friend who lives on Zante, one of the Greek islands, and they have a huge problem there. She is heavily involved now in getting them adopted to forever homes all over Europe. Zante Strays, is the website. Heartbreaking.

[kazu]

Jacqui - interesting about the stray cats and dogs. I have a dear friend who lives on Zante, one of the Greek islands, and they have a huge problem there. She is heavily involved now in getting them adopted to forever homes all over Europe. Zante Strays, is the website. Heartbreaking.

 

 

Yes, a number of these spots do have stray cats and dogs. Apparently, people fought the initiative to spay and neuter so the problem grows. In Turkey a home with an animal in it is considered unclean. Moslems take their cleanliness very seriously. So, they may have a cat or dog that they feed but it is not in the house.

 

In some of the Greece ports some people cannot afford to keep their animals so while they may get the odd scrap, they are basically fending for themselves. Being as involved as I have been in the SPCA and animal rescues, it is heartbreaking to see.

 

In some of the ports, the Government is caring for them and you can see the tags on their ears. Batumi was one of those ports. At least when you see the tags, you know they are getting some help.

[kazu]

 

This is the little church we visited on our way to Histria at our Constanta port. Below, you can see the frescoes/murals they are working on

 

 

 

And above you can get an idea of how much more they have to do. All the walls in the church will be done.

[kazu]

The Histria ruins, a short distance from Constanta

 

[kazu]

Nessebar is a lovely medieval town

 

 

Here you will find unique churches and wonderful architecture styles. Beautiful

 

 

 

[kazu]

The last pic above on my last post is of the Roman Baths and the theatre which is used to this day.

 

Below is the Turkish bath which is opposite the old Roman baths

 

Edited October 19, 2014 by kazu

[kazu]

Our Bulgarian homes that we visited

 

[kazu]

Who thinks up this stuff anyways?

 

I am up way too early on the Lido watching the sun rise as we sail into Cesme. We are scheduled to be here from 8am until 11 pm tonight. To save you looking in your atlas, Cesme is in Turkey. From what little I have been able to find, it is a summer resort type place with beaches, spas, etc. it does offer a few monuments and a tinch of history to see, but other than that my research found nothing. It does have a few stores, but we are arriving on a Sunday, so who knows? So why are we here until 11 pm? Tomorrows stop is Kusadasi that offers many historical things to see and fantastic shopping! Why don't we stay longer there and for a shorter time in Cesme? Could it be $$$$? At the very least I am crossing my fingers that I can at least find some wifi here!

 

I suspect that some of my time here will be spent packing. Yes, that dreaded word. Disembarkation is coming all too soon and I am not going to miss any time in Kusadasi because I need to pack. Perhaps Cesme will turn into another delightful surprise? Time will soon tell.

 

One good thing....Cesme was another tender port on out itinerary. Once again the Prinsendam will dock, not tender. Actually, they called it moored. Not sure what the difference is, but what I do know is that we can walk off the ship :)

 

 

There were five tender ports on our itinerary. Of the five ports where the itinerary said we would tender, we have docked three times :) The joys of a small ship :)

[1of4]

Beautiful pictures Kazu. I saw the treadle sewing machine tucked into a corner of one of the houses in Bulgaria. The frescoes...no words.

 

We were at a charity dinner last night and our friends just booked the Black Sea cruise for 2015. I am green....

 

Sorry about the weather....

[chrispb]

Yes, I spotted that treadle too. Bet it's still being used and hasn't been turned into a side table like so many here have done.

 

Kazu, you are right about Cesme. Lovely little town visited mainly for the beaches, but very little to do although I recall a nice Castle that's worth a visit. I'm surprised that the ship is calling there, though especially as it is now coming to the end of the summer season.

[sail7seas]

Wonderful reports, Kazu, and fabulous photos.

Thank you.

[hpf]

Oh Kazu, I wish you didn't have to start packing already. That means that we will soon be losing your great posts. Thanks for the time as we all appreciate it.

That was wonderful of that restaurant to give you the free glass of wine.

Enjoy what time you have left of your cruise.

 

Helen

[Vict0riann]

Kazu, I was wondering how many people were on the tour Gigianne organized in Bulgaria? Amazing to have tours through those tiny homes, but it must have been crowded!

[royal65]

Kazu-

We are on next year's version of this cruise. It's 28 days (14 days Athens-Athens with Black Sea in between; and, 14 days Athens - Rome). You asked whether there were any questions, so I have a few:

- which ports were eliminated from the original schedule and what were their replacements?

- how much notice did you receive about the canceled ports and were any of them eliminated after final payment?

- there seems to be mixed reviews re the condition of the Princendam. What's your opinion and do you know of any plans for refurbishment?

- we'll be scheduling tours with private operators. If you've had negative experiences with any of your operators, or know of others who have, naming names would be appreciated, as would especially positive experiences.

 

I've really enjoyed your posts, words and pics, and appreciate your taking the time to do it. If you do a summation of highlights and lowlights, it would be helpful and appreciated by those of us following you in anticipation of next year.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[kazu]

Kazu-

We are on next year's version of this cruise. It's 28 days (14 days Athens-Athens with Black Sea in between; and, 14 days Athens - Rome). You asked whether there were any questions, so I have a few:

- which ports were eliminated from the original schedule and what were their replacements?

- how much notice did you receive about the canceled ports and were any of them eliminated after final payment?

- there seems to be mixed reviews re the condition of the Princendam. What's your opinion and do you know of any plans for refurbishment?

- we'll be scheduling tours with private operators. If you've had negative experiences with any of your operators, or know of others who have, naming names would be appreciated, as would especially positive experiences.

 

I've really enjoyed your posts, words and pics, and appreciate your taking the time to do it. If you do a summation of highlights and lowlights, it would be helpful and appreciated by those of us following you in anticipation of next year.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

 

Wow a lot of questions;). Happy to help if I can.

 

I will do the highlights and low lights later once I get things summed up.

 

Our original ports that were cancelled were Odessa, Ukraine and an overnight in Sevestapol (two days in that port). If memory serves correctly, these ports were replaced by Batumi, Georgia, Sinop and Trabzon, Turkey. In HAL's defence, they did give us a lot of notice when they changed the itinerary. I think it was 8 months notice. It was definitely more than six months notice. No ports were changed after final payment

 

I found the Prinsendam in good condition. She's not new of course, but I heard of no plumbing issues. There was a mild air conditioning issue for a few on the first day, but they brought on a technician on the first port and that was rectified very quickly.

 

I do NOt Recommended the HAL tour " an evening at La Plaka, crowded, uncomfortable and not worth the money. I also do not recommend travel coaches. The tour was ok in itself but they were late and as a result, we returned later than we would have liked. I would not book Thessaloniki Day Tours. That was Georgina's and they tried to pull a fast one so we cancelled.

 

All of our other tours were really good. I will try to do a summation later

 

Several thought that the food had declined from the first segment to the secon. Just the main entree. We were fine but I tend to ask the waiter if I am choosing wisely.

 

If you look at my signature, the spreadsheet is still there for the cruuise and you can see the different operators we used.

 

I hope this helps for now, I will do a summation later, but right now I am still behind!

 

 

Live from the Prinsendam in Kusadasi

[kazu]

Kazu, I was wondering how many people were on the tour Gigianne organized in Bulgaria? Amazing to have tours through those tiny homes, but it must have been crowded!

 

Good afternoon Ann,

 

There were 12 of us on that tour. We were all outside to eat and drink, but the house was not crowded. We were travelling with very civilized roll call members so people wew happy to wait if need be.

[TiogaCruiser]

Kazu,

You alluded to there being a bit of an update on your camera and card. Anything you can share?