LIVE - An Epic Journey - Rhapsody - Singapore to Istanbul

[AussieVisi2r]

Suez Canal continued

 

So many fishermen. In their little boats and nets being put in and out by hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Egypt - Paid Said

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then into Port said for a technical stop. The Israeli's will not let us in if we have come if we came directly from an Arab nation - ie Oman!

 

Our technical stop upset the usual sellers. They were calling out and trying to sell to people one Deck 5.

 

 

So ...I have been to Egypt.....I just haven't been to Egypt!

 

[AussieVisi2r]

I did a Galley Tour along the way which is always so interesting.

If you ever get the chance - do this.

 

 

Always good advise.

 

 

From this.....

 

 

To this...in 60 seconds.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Israel

 

Ashdod 26th May and Haifa 27th May

 

I am doing a private tour with six others from the Concierge Lounge. We were collected by our guide at 7.30 from Ashdod port. Awesome Mercedes van. Lovely.

 

We headed out of town towards the Dead Sea.

The first hour or so of the drive was really freaky. It was so like NSW, Australia.

They have a huge agricultural industry – much of it using irrigation.

 

 

Their main export is technology. Then Diamonds. They don’t produce diamonds, they cut them and sell them! Then Agriculture.

 

We saw many Kibbutz – a collective community based on agriculture. Many have become privatised as the young people want to be paid and to have a life out of the community.

 

We also saw many Bedouin settlements / camps. Bedouins are the traditional pastoral nomadic Arab tribes who roamed all the Arab states. They are the gypsies of Israel, but are living a more permanent life style now. Some live in settlements with tin homes. Others live further out and still use tents. They all have goats, camels, donkey and horses. All the flocks were being tended by a single person walking with them.

 

 

We then starting to move into the desert and The Judeaen Mountains. It was no longer like NSW. Dry rocky and barren. I have no idea how they made a life here.

 

 

 

Absolutely stunning though!

 

We stopped at a great lookout and got a crash course on Israeli history.

 

 

 

It is all so complicated. At least I have some, a fraction of understanding of it all.

[AussieVisi2r]

Masada.

 

King Herod (Herod the Great) was an Arab. His father converted to Judaism so he was declared King of the Jews. He was worried the Jews may turn against him so in around 37 BC built and fortified the palace on top of a huge flat mountain at the edge of the Judaean Desert over looking the Dead Sea.

It covered the whole top - but he built his personal place on the three bumps to the right.

 

 

We rode a cable car up and down. And saw wild Ibix.

 

 

Herod like nice things. This palace was immense, well equipped and had some amazing things in it. Herod only stayed in it a few times.

Two large bath houses, the most massive water cistern that was filled by slaves carrying buckets of water up.

The bathhouse had a furnace pumping heat under the floor of the bath house up up the ceramic pipes around the walls.

 

 

Herod's balcony

 

 

 

Original fresco

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Masada continued

 

Bath house with underfloor heating and

 

 

Heat pumped up through the ceramic pipes in the walls.

 

 

The Synagogue

 

 

 

The siege of Masada was one of the final events of the First Jewish-Roman wars. In 66 AD, at the beginning of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire, a group of Jewish extremists called the Sicarii overcame the Roman garrison of Masada and settled there.

 

 

In 72, a Roman legion of around 15,000 troops, laid siege to the 960 people in Masada.They built a curcumvallation (a line of fortification) and laid siege to Masada for two years. Eventually they built a siege ramp up this massive hill, using thousands of tonnes of rock and earth. The Jews at the top through large rocks at them. Eventually they built the ramp and a siege tower, with a battering ram, and pushed it up. They broke down the surrounding wall and got in.

 

What is left of the ramp.

 

 

And the remains of the Roman Camp. You can also see the remains of the siege wall they built around Masada

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Masada continued

 

Original Mosaics

 

 

 

 

When the Romans arrived they found a ‘citadel of death’. The Jews were not willing to became Roman salves of war. They came up with a suicide pact – but suicide is not allowed in the Jewish faith…..so ……all the men killed their wives and children. Then 10 names were drawn in a lottery – they found the name tiles in the archaeological dig.

These 10 men then killed all the other men.

One of the 10 then killed the other 9! They don’t know what happened to the last one!

One woman and a few children survived to tell the story.

 

They also pile up all of the food reserves and destroyed it to show that they had not suicided due to lack of food. They didn’t want to be taken alive.

 

The place was amazing. Wall frescos, Original mosaics, Synagogue.

 

 

 

It is more than 2 hrs from the port and is hot and steep with uneven ground - BUT so worth it. This place was amazing. Stunningly beautiful and really special. I must now track down the old movie that is not great and has many inaccuracies in it but I will still watch it.

[AussieVisi2r]

Israel continued

 

Wadi David

 

Then we went to a Wadi. An oasis in the mountains. the ground is totally barren and harsh. The all of a sudden there is a waterfall of spring water pouring down. This water is at least four years old and has worked its way through the limestone.

 

The water flows down....then suddenly it disappears again - back into the layers of the rock, to spring out again somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

It had to be played with!

 

 

And the Dead Sea.

 

Then onto the Dead Sea. 400 meters BELOW sea level.

The sea is an area very rich in many minerals – salts especially. It is also on a tectonic plate that dropped millennium ago.

 

There are heaps of spas specialising in medical treatments.

 

So down we went and in we went.

 

 

I cover myself in the lovely mud that makes your skin soft. And of course I had to lie on my back reading a book.

 

 

I had to taste it. Just touching my finger onto my tongue - AND IT TASTED LIKE POISON!!!!!

 

And just bobbed around for a long time.

[AussieVisi2r]

Israel continued

 

We then went through the checkpoint into the West Bank. But only Zone A, which is fine. Although it was a little different to what I am used to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back into Jerusalem for the night.

 

Dinner was a great dumpling soup with beetroot. Lovely.

 

Meanwhile there was a bit of drama back at the ship which was due to leave at 9pm.

 

At a bit after 8pm a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Ashdod - where the ship was.

 

The rocket did no damage and no one was hurt so all was good.

 

The air raid sirens went off and anyone near the ship was told to get on quickly. Anyone with a mobile phone got a city warning text message!

 

They threw the tie up lines (literally) and took off - without a pilot and without a number of passengers. My sister was looking at the ship on the Marine Tracker app and it headed straight out to sea - not on a path to Haifa at all.

 

But they still went to Haifa - the next port where we all met them as planned.

 

All was good

 

Edited May 28, 2015 by AussieVisi2r

[Setting sail for fun]

Amazing adventures!

[joand452]

Just amazing photos and stories! Thank you so much for taking us along.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cruiserking]

Absolutely mesmerized by your epic journey Raina. You had me hooked at the Gardens By the Sea in Singapore and I've been mesmerized ever since.

 

Thank for posting such an interesting travelogue with so many wonderful pictures.

 

Jonathan

[JamesEM]

Enjoying your photos, thanking for posting.

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem Day 2

 

First was up the Mount of Olives where we had an amazing view over Old Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

 

Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times and captured and recaptured 44 times.

The oldest part was settled in the 4th millennium BC. The wall was built round the city in 1538.

 

Now the wall defines Old Jerusalem which is divided into four quarters. Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian Quarters.

Modern Jerusalem spills far beyond the wall.

It is believed that Jerusalem was founded by Northwest Semitic people around 2600BC.

 

1000BC - King David conquered the city from the Jebusites and established the United Kingdom of Israel. King Solomon,his son, commissioned the building of the first temple.

 

Around 300BC Jerusalem fell into Greek rule when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire.

 

In 63BC, Pompey the Great captured Jerusalem for the Romans. Herod was installed as a Jewish 'client king'. Herod the Great devoted himself to developing and beautifying the city - towers, walls and palaces.

 

Christianity took off, and the city was called Aelia Capitoline. Jews were banned from entering on threat of death. During the 4th century the emperor Constantine ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - over the tomb of Jesus.

 

Byzantine Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab armies in 638. Jews were allowed back into the city.

 

In 691 the Muslims constructed the Dome of the Rock. This is the site of the Islamic miracle where Muhammad travels on a steed to the "furthest mosque' where he leads other profits in prayer. He goes to heaven and speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions on how to pray. It's the gold dome in the photos.

 

Around the year 100 the Crusaders came to save the Christians and fought for 150 years.

 

In 1517 the Ottoman Turks took over and had control till 1917.

 

And then the real fun began for the area! ............

 

Mount of Olives

 

Has a fantastic view over Old Jerusalem showing most of the major sites.

 

Jesus spent a lot of time up here, praying and resting, he walked down here on Palm Sunday, told of the second coming and was arrested up here.

 

 

In the foreground is the huge Jewish cemetery. Their most ancient (3000 years) and most important cemetery as it overlooks Temple Mount. Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, and is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is manifested more that in any other place. The area around the gold dome.

 

 

Temple Mount - contains the Muslim Dome of the Rock (Gold Dome), Christian Church of the Sepulchre (where Christ's tomb is) and the first Jewish temple. Image how different the world might be if all these three things were 500 ks apart!

 

 

Garden of Gethsemane - Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with his disciples to pray. The most famous events at Gethsemane occurred on the night before his crucifixion when Jesus was betrayed.

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

We then drove down to Old Jerusalem. And headed off on our 5 hrs of walking around the most amazing rabbit warren of thin winding lanes and amazing iconic places.

We entered through the Jaffa Gate.

 

 

 

And spent many hours walking along the alleys. Great.

 

 

 

Every so often you would come across an archeological site with diggings on places up to 3000 years old.

 

 

[laurieal]

I love following your adventures. Your pictures are beautiful and are confirming that it's definitely a part of the world I want to see one day. Dubai especially.

 

Thank you for sharing!

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

 

 

 

The Wailing Wall.

 

Not so much of a wail - more of a mumble.

 

 

The washing station for hand washing before praying.

 

 

 

I have touched the Wailing Wall. Very cool.

People sat and prayed,

Stood and bobbed as they prayed,

Lent their heads on the wall as they prayed, knelt and prayed, bowed and bobbed as they prayed.

Many kissed the wall. Many people place notes with important messages or blessings in cracks in the wall.

You walk backwards as you leave the wall. Some walked backwards for 20 metres - in the crowds.

I found it all very beautiful.

 

We then walked down more alleys and lanes.

This time into the Muslim Quarter.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

 

 

We then walk the Via Dolorosa - The way of Grief or The way of Sorrow. It's the route that Jesus took for his trail to his death. There are 14 stations along the way. "The road to Calvary".

 

Many people travel to Israel to do a pilgrimage and walk the Via Dolorosa.

On our day there was a large group of Pentecostal people from Angola. They had a priest with them and stopped at each station to pray and sing. Very lovely.

 

 

It must have been an amazing experience for such devout people.

 

 

Station one and two are the site of the trail and of giving Jesus the cross. There is nothing to see there now as it is built on. All of the other stations are identified through archaeological proof. There are small chapels over most of the spots.

 

Station 3 - Where Jesus falls for the first time.

There was a really old chapel there with a big archeological dig underneath.

 

 

Station 4 - Jesus meets his mother.

 

 

Station 5 - Simon helps Jesus carry the cross

 

Edited May 30, 2015 by AussieVisi2r

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

 

Station 6 is where Veronica wipes the blood from Jesus face.

 

 

Station 7 Jesus falls again.

 

This station has a pile of small (1.5metres - 4 ft) high crosses that people carry when doing their pilgrimage.

 

 

Station 8 Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

 

 

Station 9 Jesus falls for the third time

 

 

Station 10 Jesus is stripped of his garments

 

 

Station 11 - Jesus is nailed to the cross

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

 

Station 12 - Jesus dies

 

 

Station 13 - He is taken down from the cross

 

 

Station 14 - Jesus is laid in his tomb.

 

 

This is the rock his body was laid on. People go made over it - fairly obviously I guess.

 

They kiss it, rub their faces on it, lay hands on it and rub hankies, towels etc, to take home to sick loved ones.

 

 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built over the place of the tomb and the sites of station 11, 12, 13 and 14.

 

 

The Holy Church of the Sepulchre - or the Church of the Resurrections is in the Christian Quarter. It is Calvary - the site of the crucifixion, burial ad resurrection. The last four Stations of the Cross are within the church. Control of the building is shared between a few Christian churches with complicated arrangements.

 

Our guide, last year, saw two priest of different denominations, have a physical punch up over something.

 

Another tomb is very close to this other tomb (20 metres), and is the one that gave archeologist a reference to how the tomb of Jesus was done with the rock door etc.

 

So the Stations of the Cross was pretty amazing. When planning with tour guides I remember saying that I didn't want to do too much religious stuff. But this was amazing. All of these event that we have all heard about so many time. So weather religion is your thing or not - it was great to see these historic places. It was great.

[AussieVisi2r]

Jerusalem continued

 

We then left the Christian Quarter and headed into the Muslim Quarter.

 

This area was more of a food area then tourist junk. And was so nice.

 

 

More guns

 

 

No roads means no cars, which mean all deliveries come in hand carts.

 

 

Lunch was the most amazing Kebabs. Made to order from scratch. We ordered then went back 30 minutes later.

He cut meat from the leg of lamb, minced it by hand with a knife, spiced it and cooked it. SO GOOD!

Of course it was with Humus, tomato and cucumber, pita bread and all.

 

 

More guns

 

Bahía Gardens.

 

 

It was then back onto the ship safe and sound. I was in bed very early!!!!

 

Israel was amazing - but I don't want to live there.

 

Thursday 28th Sea day

 

A much needed sea day after the last few days.

 

Slept in, read, caught up on Israel reporting here.

 

Went to the Suites and Pinnacle luncheon!

 

Laughed at my sister playing Shuffleboard.

 

Went on a Bridge Tour and Capt Gustavo said the usual jokes.

 

Dinner in Chops. Food and service were excellent!

 

Lovely day.

[AussieVisi2r]

Greece

 

Santorini 29th May

 

Santorini is the larges island of a circular archipelago and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. The Caldera (crater) is about 12 x 7 ks square surrounded by 300 m high cliffs. It erupted 3600 years ago and led to the destruction of the Minoan civilisation on Crete.

 

 

As we sailed in you could see the rugged island with steep cliffs and what looked like snow on the ridges. Of course it was the famous white houses.

 

 

We tendered into a really pretty bay - and Royal really improved from the terrible tender process in Thailand.

 

We could either go up the notorious Santorini cliff in a cable car, walk the trail or ride a mule.

 

We started the day with a Mule ride up the cliff.

 

Doing internet research I had found many reviews saying how cruel this is..the poor little donkey being forced to clamber up the huge cliff with men beating them with sticks, hot sun etc. But I had never found a review from someone who knows horses. I am very involved in horse ownership with my daughter competing to a very high level - has a third place form a World show in Dallas)

 

We arrived to find mobs of fat shinny Mules (not little Donkeys) some around 14hh. They were all saddled with thick saddle pads and halters - so no one was pulling on their mouths. People mounted using a large mounting block so no twisting of Mule's backs. They also put small people of the smaller mules.

The biters wore large wire muzzels.

 

The Mules marched down the trail in groups of around 10 or 15 and walked up in line towards the mounting block. Only one person was needed to control the mule flow. The rest waited at the top under shade shelters. These guys did not hate their job.

 

 

 

It was the most awesome way to travel up the cliff face and to see the stunning view.

 

 

 

As we neared the top, Crackers guy spun his head into the wall and was going no further.

 

I got my guy going again but then we realised we were at the top. As we got off our mules headed off to various places. Mine went down the track a bit, started braying until a few others joined him them off they went back to get more happy tourists.

 

It really was sensational. I could have done it a few times.

 

Note - I am a rider so it was very easy...but no skill is needed. You don't even steer. The Mule does that. I even made phone calls as I was riding up with one hand while taking photos with the other. BUT I would not recommend riding down unless you are a rider. The long haul down would put some strain on your back. Also they will lead you up if you are very nervous. Cost was 5 Euro - same as the cable car.

 

And trust me - I would not have gone near the place if I was the tiniest bit worried about the mule welfare.

[AussieVisi2r]

Santorini contiuned

 

We found the hire lace and collected our car. We drove first to one end of the island then the other.

 

The southern end was incredible rocky. But sp pretty - even if the cool overcast weather.

 

 

There was a lot of agricultural land with rich soil. The grapes grew as bushes - not trussed.

 

 

Black beaches

 

 

 

But really - Santorini is all about one photo. The post card shot.

 

 

But I loved the geology and the vibe just as much.

 

 

A fun day!

[AussieVisi2r]

Athens - 30th May,

 

I have been to Athens a few years ago on a Med cruise and it was such a magical day. We got a taxi just out of the port and negotiated a price - Today it was around 100 Euro for around 6 hours. On that day we spent about 90 minutes up the Acropolis. Did Temple of Zeus, Stadium, the Plaka, a long time at the markets, changing of the guard etc. Fantastic. So this time I wanted something very different.

I went on a ship tour today as it was the only way I could to Corinth.

 

The Corinth Canal and Ancient Corinth.

 

We stopped along the way for our first look at the Corinth Canal. Mind blowing.

 

 

Then we headed off to Ancient Corinth. But first a stop at a pottery place where everything is handmade. It was excellent. - I did buy a piece as I like to take home one quality piece form each trip.

 

 

Did you know.....this is where the paint brush was first developed!

 

Corninth was a walled state on the Isthmus of Corinth, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. Since 896, large parts of the ancient city have been revealed by archaeologists. It was one of the largest and most important cities in Greece, with a population of 90,000in the year 400 BC.

 

It was made up of three parts; the acropolis on the hill, the city, and its port. Acrocorinth is the giant hill behind the city with an acropolis on top. It was first a Greek acropolis, then a Roman citadel. Later it became a Byzantine fortress.We visited the city.By around 44BC the Romans had built a new city over it and made it the provincial capital of Greece.Pottery remains suggest that it was occupied as far back as 6500 BC and continually occupied throughout the Bronze Age. Population then dropped off until around 900 BC when the Dorians settled there. The Myth is that it was settled by Corinthos, a decendent of the Sun god Hellios.The remains of the Temple of Apollo, built around 540 BC, were beautiful. This temple was built to replace the older one built in the 7th Century BC. Pretty spectacular.

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Athens continued

 

Then the Canal.

 

The Corinth Canal connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf. It cuts through the isthmus and separates the Peloponnese from the mainland Greece. So really the Peloponnese is now an island. The canal was dug down to sea level. It’s 6.4 ks long and only 21 metres wide. It’s now too narrow for most shipping so is of little economic importance. Really small cruise ships and private vessel are the main customers. The ideas was planned in classical time. A failed effort was made in the 1st century. Real construction began in 1881 but was not completed until 1893. It never was really an economic success due to it’s narrowness, navigational problems and occasional closures due to landslides.

 

 

 

 

 

But WOW, it was awesome and fun! As well as being so attractive.

 

Back to the ship for sailaway. It was really lovely going through so many islands - Greece has 6000 of them and only 208 are inhabited.