Trekking the Globe with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2017 World Cruise - 126 Days

[Ferry Beach Kayaker]

Marianne,

Sorry to hear that nasty respiratory infection is still on board. I first noticed "the cough" on January 21 as we were sailing between San Diego and Hawaii. I saw certain passengers blowing their nose and leaving their infected tissues either on the table or in the chairs in the queens lounge. So the surfaces became contaminated. We took half the world cruise and I was glad we've got off in Hong Kong. I came down with the infection when we were docked in Shanghai and my husband two days later. We were both very sick and it lasted for about three weeks. It is a bacterial infection. We saw a doctor in Hong Kong and both got put on Antibiotics and I on prednisone and an inhaler. We were in Hong Kong for 5 days and remained pretty sick and miserable. We flew home and we saw our family doctor then a speciality doctor, it took 2 more rounds of different antibiotic and another round of prednisone for me. All I can say is shame on the ship for not doing deep cleaning and changing their air filters. With norovirus, the ship has to report it to the CDC and the ship actively works to bring the numbers infected down, with a respiratory infection they do not have to report in to the CDC unless a certain percentage are sick which is measured by the passengers seeing the doctor onboard. And we all know most of the passengers on these long trips carry antibiotics and self treat. So the numbers seeing the ship's doctor with the respiratory illness is artificially low.

[bettty45]

Marianne,

 

Sorry to hear that nasty respiratory infection is still on board. I first noticed "the cough" on January 21 as we were sailing between San Diego and Hawaii. I saw certain passengers blowing their nose and leaving their infected tissues either on the table or in the chairs in the queens lounge. So the surfaces became contaminated. We took half the world cruise and I was glad we've got off in Hong Kong. I came down with the infection when we were docked in Shanghai and my husband two days later. We were both very sick and it lasted for about three weeks. It is a bacterial infection. We saw a doctor in Hong Kong and both got put on Antibiotics and I on prednisone and an inhaler. We were in Hong Kong for 5 days and remained pretty sick and miserable. We flew home and we saw our family doctor then a speciality doctor, it took 2 more rounds of different antibiotic and another round of prednisone for me. All I can say is shame on the ship for not doing deep cleaning and changing their air filters. With norovirus, the ship has to report it to the CDC and the ship actively works to bring the numbers infected down, with a respiratory infection they do not have to report in to the CDC unless a certain percentage are sick which is measured by the passengers seeing the doctor onboard. And we all know most of the passengers on these long trips carry antibiotics and self treat. So the numbers seeing the ship's doctor with the respiratory illness is artificially low.

 

 

 

We will be on the Grand Asia in the fall and I hope things are better then. I don't really know how we can avoid it other than hand washing and sterilizing within our own room. We always put our remote in a baggie and we do a thorough sterilizing of our cabin with clorex wipes. We are careful about what we touch always but if they are doing more remodeling it will be tough to avoid those germs and dust [emoji20]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WCB]

Report # 87 SailingTowards Al’ Aqabah, Jordan March 27,2017 Monday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees

 

With the recent times changes, two in a row going back onehour, the sunrise was at 5:35pm? What? Guess they really mean “am”. Even with the clocks going back, it ischanges your body clock. You tend towake up too early, and begin to get tired before dinner even starts at8pm. So being able to spend some time atthe aft pool, reading or relaxing tends to help with the changes. This was our fifth day of doing this.

 

The weather has gradually cooled down. Even though the forecast was for 80 degrees,it was really in the low 70’s when Captain Jonathon gave his afternoon talk. There was also a slight chill in the breeze ,keeping most swimmers out of the pool. Not bad when you are in the water, but once you get out, it is downrightcold.

 

We spent half of our time visiting with friends who pass byon their way to lunch. We all seem tohave our routines established at this point of the trip, so we know how tolocate most folks. One person we miss isour tablemate Ruud, who was always gambling in the casino in the lateafternoon. Now that he is home inHolland, we notice there are very few people playing the slots or even at thetables. Maybe night time after dinner isa busier time.

 

Might as well get a jump on our next country, Jordan, whichwe will visit tomorrow. Jordan has apopulation of 6,343,000 mostly Arabic-speaking people. They live in an area of 34,486 square milesthat borders Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the PalestinianTerritories. All countries that haveserious conflicts. Jordan, however, isthe most stable of the Middle Eastern countries. Great historical events include stories fromthe Bible, mysterious lost cities, and the fame of Lawrence of Arabia. All of this has kept Jordan at the centerpieceof history.

 

Jordan is home to Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea, to namea few. As for us, we have always had apositive experience while visiting these sites.

 

April to May and September to October are the best times tovisit this country. Again, things to seeare Petra, the rose-red rock-hewn Nabataean city. Or see the Roman ruins of Jerash, theCrusader castles, and the bastions of Karak and Shobak. Mt. Nebo is the spot where Moses looked outupon the Promised Land, another spot to visit.

 

Things to do are a visit to the Bedouin camp at Wadi Rum to listenfor the echo of Lawrence of Arabia. Based on a novel written by TE Lawrence,Lawrence of Arabia took place around WW II, when he and the local forces tookthe area back from the Ottomans. The movieis a classic. Another good movie to watch is “Indiana Jones and the LastCrusade”, where the stunning climatic scenes of that flic were filmed at theTreasury building in Petra. Seeing itfor the first time back in 2001 was quite a thrill.

 

You can also dive or snorkel in the Red Sea, but wearing awetsuit is a good idea. The one time wedid this, the temperature of the water was crippling. A different type of swim can been done in theDead Sea, with extremely salty water. Weunderstand you cannot possibly sink in this stinging sea.

 

A good place for hiking is in the Dana Nature Reserve. A totally opposite experience is a visit tothe capital of Amman, one of the Arab world’s most hip and sophisticatedcities.

 

What do the locals eat in Jordan? Lots of spit-roasted lamb, brushed withspices, and served on a bed of rice with pine nuts. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pita bread,hummus, white cheese, veggies and fruit are big here. Dips made from fava beans mixed with oil,pepper, and cumin seasoning is delicious. Other items you will find everywhere are falafel, lamb or chickenkebabs. Minced lamb or beef combinedwith spices are grilled and served with a skewer. Rice dishes with lentils, roasted chicken andseared fish are found at many restaurants. Also popular is the grape leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice…..an acquiredtaste for sure.

 

What do you drink with all of this? Lots and lots of tea. Alcohol is available, but only in licensedhotels and restaurants, due to the fact we are in a very Muslim-orientedcountry. Or at least this is what wehave been told.

 

Trademarks: Obviously,Petra, Wadi Rum, Bedouins in robes and checkered head scarves.

 

Random fact: In 2000,the Pope authenticated the place where Jesus was baptized at Bethany Beyond theJordan. But didn’t we visit that verysame place claiming to the baptismal river when we visited Israel?

 

The port city of Aqabah is our port of call for tomorrow, sowe shall write some more then.

 

Today we got the low down on last night’s 1000 ArabianNights deck party. Crowded like sardineswas the general opinion. Especially whenviewed from deck nine. There has to besome serious drinkers among us to bring out such a showing. Oh yes, it was free drinks, duh. And more food. Wish these events would be timed for a sailaway for instance, when more people would be able to participate. And once again, it was observed by some ofour buddies, that those who could get away with squirreling numerous cans ofbeer or soda did just that. Alwaysentertaining.

 

Seems that every day at sea had produced a lot of ship salessuch as $10 fashion accessories, casino game tournaments, Greenhouse Spaspecials, always future cruise sales, shore excursions, and photo gallery. And every day, the new free Navigator programfor cell phone owners gives directions on how to connect to it. We sure hope that this does not replace thepaper version of the Navigator, as we do not own a cell phone, and don’t intendto get one.

 

Another interesting promotion for future cruises is the waythey are being promoted. For those folkswho may not want to do the grand voyages, they suggest putting back-to-back cruisestogether to create a 74 to 110 day summer trip. This would appeal to those who like doing the Mediterranean with notrans-oceanic flights. Then there isanother long one with back-to-back Prinsendam European cruises but with freeprepaid gratuities, an airfare credit, extra shipboard credit, and better suitebenefits. The future cruise consultantshave gotten quite creative, and probably do sell these special combos.

 

If all of this gives you a headache, then you can get reliefwith special indulgence spa packages. Seventy-five minute treatments will set you back $109 for back, neck& shoulder, scalp, hand, arm, foot and ankle massages. Or try a mini-facial or body exfoliationtreatments for the same price. Bet theyget a lot of customers……..

 

Seems that our cruise director has been quarantined with aunknown illness. He has been absent fromthe 9:30am coffee chat, as well as doing the 10am talk and the follow-up talkafter Captain Jonathon gives his pm talk. With so much contact with the general population, we are surprised ittook so long for him to catch the super bug. Hope he is better soon.

 

Mel Foster gave a talk on painters, poets, and philanderersof the Med. Barbara H spoke about thingsto do and see in Athens. And a moviecalled “Mr. Church” was shown in the Wajang.

 

Dinnertime was nice with just five of us. Hearing thatCarole, our watercolor instructor, was looking for a table to join, we checkedour table first to see if anyone was missing. Didn’t know at the time that three would be gone, so we asked Endrien togo find Carole and bring her to our table. She gets along fine with all of us. So he did, and she did, and it worked out fine. Although there was a 24 ounce porterhousesteak offered for an entrée, we allchose the breaded sweet and sour shrimp. It was so good, that we were glad to have passed by the monster steak. Besides, when you do order this massive pieceof meat, everyone teases you all night. Hardto consume it all, we always feel bad when we leave half of it. This way, we had a little room for an upsidedown apple/walnut cake, and a scoop of cheesecake raspberry swirl icecream. Good company and good food, whatelse could we ask for?

 

The entertainment was Graffiti Classics, a very good andfunny act, we heard. Sometimes, they dohave winners.

 

Be nice to be in a port tomorrow, as well as the following day,as the Amsterdam will be staying overnight. By the way, after dinner, we took a walk on the lower promenade deck to findthat all of the lights were back on….no more dark center. Bet the razor wire disappears soon.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS Konni and Del…..suremiss you at the back pool, it’s way too quiet back there. And when the 2019 world cruise itinerary isannounced, we will make it a point to report it.

[timbom]

Allways concerned about the food on board ships on long voyages. Never taken a long cruise on Holland but have on Princess and RCL. After about ten days it seemed like they ran of new menu's and they repeated them.

 

What do they do on HA?

[mame42]

I wonder if the encouragement by the Future Cruise Consultants to put together longer itineraries only occurs on World Voyages. The Consultants certainly were not eager to take the time to help me on the 90 day Passage to the Far East. I finally pieced together my desired itinerary, which included B2B2Bs, once I returned home.

[Stakeout]

I wonder if the encouragement by the Future Cruise Consultants to put together longer itineraries only occurs on World Voyages. The Consultants certainly were not eager to take the time to help me on the 90 day Passage to the Far East. I finally pieced together my desired itinerary, which included B2B2Bs, once I returned home.

 

same here.. just got off the Rotterdam a couple of weeks ago..he could care less.. trying to put together a 91 day B2B2B2B for early 2018.. not too helpful--I'll just leave it at that.. guess it depends who you get these days.. if it can be done for what we want I'll do it on my own..

[WCB]

Report #88 Al’Aqabah, Jordan March 28, 2017 Tuesday Sunny & 86 degrees Part #1Of 2 86 Pictures

 

Aqabah is Jordan’s only sea access, and was built around 610AD as a trading post between India and the Mediterranean. Originally called Ayla, earthquakes andCrusader attacks turned Aqaba into a fishing village.

 

During WWI, TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and localforces took the area back from the Ottomans. Today it is a popular vacation spot for Jordanians, especially from thecapital of Amman. Major activities hereinclude diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea among the coral andshipwrecks.

 

Around 7am, the Amsterdam joined the Pacific Princess at thecontainer dock of Aqabah. We woke up withthe local tug right outside our window, as a matter of fact. By 8am, we were secured alongside the pier,and the ship was cleared by the local authorities.

 

Breakfast was at 7:30am as usual, but there were fewcustomers, since there were several tours leaving early from here. Of course, the number one destination was thered-rose city of Petra. Located 2 hoursfrom Aqabah, Petra was carved out of the pink-colored cliffs around 312 BC bythe Nabataeans. It was the center of thecaravan trade between Egypt and Persia (modern day Iran). It was unknown to the western world in 1812,and eventually became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We totally agree….it is a most impressivesight, and that is why we made at least four visits there. For those who would like a little moredetail, there is a horse-drawn carriage that can be rented for a round tripride from the top of Petra to the Treasury. It is a one mile ride for two people of medium weight for $30. There is an expected $15 to $20 tip at theend of the ride. Since there are fewcarriages, it could take up to 1 ½ hours to wait for the ride. Or you can walk the mile, like we have alwaysdone.

 

Other tours today were to Wadi Rum in the Valley of theMoon. About an hour lout of town, thissite is a desert landscape of dramatic rock formations, which has an active Bedouincamp. It was made famous when the film,Lawrence of Arabia, was filmed here. Itwas the rally point for the Great Arab Revolt back in 1917.

 

One 7 day, 6 night tour ended in Aqabah today. It left from Muscat, and took in every majorsight, including the city of Amman, the capital. It was expensive at $4800. per person. Therewere three different overnight tours from here today, which included Petra,Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and Amman. Theyran from $650 to $700 (double occupancy).

 

Shorter tours were to see Shoubak Castle ruins, a sunsetcruise with dinner, and Aqabah highlights. These cost from $70 to $150.

 

We went to the lower promenade deck to find that the razorwire was being removed. Always glad tosee that gone. There was a free shuttletaking guests from the ship to Municipality Square in the center of town. It was a good thing for us that we could getto town, because the crew were doing some kind of very noisy hammering near ourroom. We know that maintenance has to bedone, but if we had been staying onboard today, it would have been torture.

 

Right before we left, we went to the front desk andrequested the personalized stationery we did not get in the beginning of thecruise. It was no problem asking for it,and when we returned in the afternoon, it was already placed in our room. We have a feeling that this will be the lastof the grand voyage stationery.

 

We caught the shuttle at 10am, and the ride only took 15minutes. They have a good informationtrailer in this square, as well as a few places to book tours independently. Taxidrivers were numerous, although backed off when we said no thanks. With a few booklets and maps of the city, wewalked it from one end to the other.

 

Going uphill from this square, we walked the streets full ofshops, cafes, and hotels. Somehow, weremembered our way to the local food market, where butchers were selling wholegoats, produce, and spices. These spicescould include saffron, allspice, cardamom, ginger, cumin, and peppers. They are also big sellers of almonds andpistachios.

 

We wandered past numerous clothing shops, as well as a fewjewelry stores that were selling 21 carat gold jewelry. This would be the last chance to purchase thistype of gold for a good price, since our next ports will be in Europe.

 

There is also a bazaar-type of building at the top, whereyou can buy lots of clothing and footwear. Not sure they take dollars, but maybe tomorrow we will ask. From here, we made our way back down to thewater. We headed for the Great ArabRevolt Plaza and the world’s tallest free-standing flagpole. Sitting on top is the flag of Jordan flyingin the breeze. This flag measures 65.6feet x 131.2 feet. It’s massive.

 

In this square is also the Noor Foundation, a handicraftshop where items used to be sold from the village ladies. It seems to be closed down now. Remains of the Aqabah Castle are there, alongwith the Sharif Hussein Bin Ali House, where the great-great grandfather of thecurrent King lived for 6 months after the Arab Revolt. It is also abandoned. Further up the coast, we made our way down tothe only stretch of public beach in town. Many local families were here, either sitting under umbrellas, orswimming in the gulf waters. No onewears typical swimsuits here, especially not the women and girls. If they go in the water, they are dressed int-shirts and shorts, or similar clothing. We saw mostly young boys in the water, and no foreign tourists there atall.

 

On the opposite side of the walkway, local people were tendinggardens, using water pumped from a well. It looked mostly like salad greens andsome herbs. In the water, there weresmall boats for rent, as well as glass bottom boat rides or speedboat trips.

 

We headed back up to the main road, and made our way to theRoyal Yacht Club. It is the nicest placefor lunch, although the entrance was a little hard to find. The main drivewaythat leads you to this club was closed, because they are building a newshopping complex next to this club. Whatis good about that, is that few people from the ship will find it. Better for us, because it was not crowdedyet, even at noontime.

 

We were seated near the window, although we could have satout on the patio. Since it was so warm,we chose to stay inside. Of course, weordered the margarita pizza, which we remembered had been excellent. So were the draft beers, Amstel, althoughthey were expensive, it was a treat. Sowas the dessert of an apple/walnut torte with a scoop of pistachio icecream.

 

Since we will have another day here tomorrow, we decided togo back to the ship. There were threeshuttles…….one for the Princess ship, one for us, and the other for the smallercruise ship. The ride back was quick,getting us there by 2pm, where we worked for a few hours on photos.

 

By 5pm, we went out to watch the sunset. The mountains behind the city were startingto look golden with the sun dipping behind the Sinai Peninsula right before6pm. That was when the prayer call beganalso. It is so eerie to hear, knowingthat this same tradition is being repeated throughout the Arab world.

 

A ship happened to be loading grain or wheat, creatingmassive clouds of dust in the air. Attimes, it was so bad, we could smell it. So we did not hang around too long.

 

While we were getting ready for dinner, we noticed that thePacific Princess was leaving the port. Wonder if we will cross paths again, since she is also on a worldcruise.

 

At dinner, there were only six of us. Martha went overland, and Scoop was MIA. For a change, it was nice, because we gotserved quicker. All of us were tiredfrom a full day either in Petra, or here in town.

 

There was a surprise letter waiting for us when we got backto the room. Our cruise director, Gene,had to disembark the ship today on an unforeseen medical leave. Must be serious, as he will be replaced byErin Duffey, who will join us in Piraeus (Athens), Greece. However, Jody, Gene’s wife, will remainonboard until the end of this voyage, keeping her obligations to the fitnessprogram. We wish him well, and we arecertain he will be missed.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Ferry Beach Kayaker: OMG, so sorry to hear of your extended illness. It is no surprise to us that this bug is abad one. Thanks for sharing yourexperience, and get well soon.

[ger_77]

How upsetting to learn that your great cruise director had to disembark for medical reasons. We certainly wish him well and hope his recovery is quick and complete!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[ON cruiser]

Folks, again, thanks for your evocative reports--they make each place come alive. Question, given the various changes you have noted this cruise (the latest being issues with the stationery): will you take a grand voyage next year, or are the cut-backs, perhaps not that much each one, when combined getting to be "too much"?

 

While my wife and I still enjoy our HAL cruises (none so long as are yours) we occasionally do wonder...

 

Thanks for your insights, whenever time allows, including after this trip when you weigh the pros/cons.

[bcummin]

Thank you again for your great blog and photographs.

 

Your Cruise Director Gene and his family are in our prayers.

Wonder who will fill in until you get the replacement in Athens?

You realize that you do have a former CD aboard.

 

Barbara

[WCB]

Report #89 Al’Aqabah, Jordan March 29, 2017 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 88 degrees Part #1 Of 2 87 Pictures

 

We cannot remember ever spending the night in Aqabah onprevious world cruises. This gave thepassengers more time to spend at Petra and Wadi Rum, for instance, because theywere spending a night there in a hotel. Although it did not work for the folks that were on the one bus thatbroke down, and had to turn around and come back to Aqabah. It didwork great for the folks that arranged their own overnight 2 day tour inPetra. Sometimes it is wonderful not tobe tied to a group. Seeing Petra is oneof those places, as it is nice to move at your own speed. Some folks like to hear every single littledetail while walking on the way to the Treasury. And some do not. Most folks we have talked to fall somewherein the middle. They also admitted it wasa good idea to watch some PBS or Discovery programs on this area prior toleaving on the cruise.

 

The dining room was about empty this morning, because mostall of the same tours were available today. We heard one of the funniest stories thismorning from friends that had gone on the dinner cruise last night. Guess some of the passengers expectedsomething a whole lot different than what was delivered. The wooden traditional boat was not a yacht,and the meal was not served, but a buffet. Some demanding guests were horrified that they had to get their ownfood, then sit in plastic chairs with no tables. You had to balance your plate on yourlap. We would love to have been a fly onthe wall when these disgruntled passengers went to the shore excursion desk thefollowing day. It probably would nothave been so bad, if the excursion cost under $100, but it was much more. So more was expected. And this is why we don’t do tours anymore……

 

Right before we left the ship, we went on deck three tocheck the temperature. It felt like itmight be warmer today. That’s when wesaw a lady in a wheelchair being loaded into a waiting ambulance, obviouslyhaving injured her leg. Looked like shewas going off for good. Seems that wehave lost quite a few folks along the way with injuries or sickness. Accidents happen no matter where you are, butit pays to be careful and know your limitations.

 

It was 10am by the time we left the ship. With a quick ride in the shuttle, we wereback in town where we started yesterday. Except this time, we headed down the main street to check out the largerhotels built on the gulf. At the veryend of the road, there was a new complex under construction. The Westin has taken up this project, and itis going to be fabulous. Although it wasfenced off from the gate, the guards told us all about the build as well aswelcoming us to his country. We took afew photos, and continued on to check out the Intercontinental Resort next.

 

Now this place was so nice, we could have spent the dayhere. Perhaps the newest of the 5 starhotels, this resort had it all. Impressiveand spacious lobby, fountains, and a stairway that led down to the “backyard”. The pool area was gorgeous. When we came out of the doors, an attendantsummoned us over to his desk, and offered to sell us a day pass. He added that it was 20% off for cruise shippassengers. We thanked him, but let himknow we were just checking the property out for a possible future stay.

 

Once past the meandering pools, we ended up on the manicuredfine sand beach. Local guests were sunbathingor swimming. The younger crowd woretypical swimwear, some quite brief, while another couple was in the water….thefellow in swim trunks, but his lady was dressed in a full length burka. Looked strange to see her up to her knees inthe surf. Oh well, you have to expect tosee such things in such a Muslim country.

 

There were some very nice restaurants in this resort, but itwas still too early for lunch, We continuedon to the next hotel……the Kempinski Hotel Aqaba. This property was a bit older, we think. Nice, but not as impressive. They also had a great pool and beach area. We did not ask about a day pass, but it wasprobably the same as the Intercontinental……about $30 per person. That would give you the use of the pool andbeach, as well as the towels, lounges, and access to the restrooms. Food would be extra.

 

We passed by the Movenpick, only because it was across thestreet, and did not have a beach front pool. We had also run into three sets of friends who were off exploring likeus. While we were talking along theroad, a Ho-Ho bus went by with local Muslim girls having a fine time. They were cheering and singing, and waving toall that waved back. When we were on thebeach, we saw several boats giving glass bottom boat rides. Some of the drivers were spinning the all-girlpassengers in tight circles, making them yell even louder. Nice to see they havethe freedom to at least have fun.

 

Knowing where the best pizza in town was, we headed back to theRoyal Yacht Club and Romano Restaurant. We had the same lunch as yesterday, except this time we tried an Arabicdessert called muhalabeyeh, which was a pudding (more like a flan) sprinkledwith chopped pistachios and drizzled with honey. There may have been some shredded coconut inthe pudding. Our friends had told usabout a special dessert they had while in Petra last night. They described the chef coating a flat panwith sugar, then spreading goat cheese over it. Placing the pan on a burner, the sugar melted and the cheese gotbrowned. It was taken off of the heat,then drizzled with honey. They admittedthat they were not a fan of the cheese, but made this way, it was mostdelicious. There has to be a name tothis delicacy, but we don’t know what it is. Something traditional for sure.

 

It was already 2pm, and we did not need to do anyshopping. So we caught the next shuttleback to the ship. This time, we checkedthe signs on the buses, mostly to find out the name of the other ship inport. The bus had a sign in the windowthat said Thomson Cruises. So when wegot back to the ship, we looked it up in our Berlitz book. The other ship in port with us was either theold Nieuw Amsterdam or the Noordam, both used to belong to HAL. Well at least that solved one mystery. Our tablemate Jim said he was sure this shipwas the old Noordam, and we thought it was the Nieuw Amsterdam. All of us could be correct, because these twoships are sister ships….identical. Bothwere built in the early 1980’s, are almost 34,000 gross tons, and hold up to1200 guests. This ship ended up leaving the port around 7pm, sailing past our window. However, it was too dark to make out thename.

 

Once again, we went up to deck nine to catch thesunset. A gigantic car carrier hadpulled into the dock, and a group of drivers were busy loading it with new vehiclesfrom a parking lot on the hillside. There was still loading happening with what we found out was phosphate,that powdery substance that put clouds of yellow soot in the air. At least the direction of the wind hadchanged, and it was drifting away from us instead of over the decks all day.

 

Soaring overhead, very high in the sky, were a dozeneagles. They never came close to us, soit may be hard to ID them. Could it bethat is why a new high rise apartment development in a canyon on the hillsidesis named Eagle Hills?

 

Same as last evening, the minarets began sounding off rightbefore the sun dipped behind the hills. There was a little color in the clouds overhead, but it did not last toolong. It was so pleasant outside, that westayed out until 7pm.

 

There were six of us at dinner since Martha had still notreturned from her overland to Petra and Amman. Scoop was still MIA. Dinner forus was the beef brisket entrée with creamy mashed potatoes…..quite tasty. Conversation kept us in the dining room until10pm.

 

There was one show at 9:30pm in the Queen’s Lounge, the Ma’anFolkoric Band, a local group of 25 young members performing popular folk andtraditional songs. All of us missed it,since we were still dining at that time.

 

The Amsterdam ended up leaving the port around 10:45pm. The advertised sail away on the front page ofour Daily Navigator said to join us for hot appetizers and drink specials inthe Crow’s Nest to bid farewell to Puntarenas. Whaaaat??? None of knew we were in Costa Rica…… Does anyone ever checkthese things? Oh well, at least it gaveeveryone a laugh.

 

We are now headed towards the Suez Canal, and the entranceto a whole different culture in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 90 SailingTowards the Suez Canal, Egypt March 30,2017 Thursday Partlycloudy & 72 degrees

 

After leaving Aqabah, Jordan late last night, the Amsterdamsailed south and out of the narrow finger called the Gulf Of Aqabah. By this morning, we were heading in anorthwesterly direction in the Red Sea on our way towards the beginning of theSuez Canal. The biggest thing we noticedwas how much it had cooled off since yesterday. We were greeted with a strong, almost cool breeze when we went out forour morning walk.

 

It would have been most pleasant if it was not for the noisymajor deck work taking place off and on all day. For most of the morning, the deck was ropedoff while one crew did some heavy-duty grinding on the metal railings, some ofwhich were rusted through. Thenmid-ship, the air-conditioning exhaust panel had been taken off to bepainted. From the looks of it, thisgiant duct has not been painted for at least 100 years. This was also roped off. So the people had to walk like yo-yo’s,flipping back between the two closures. We gave up after a couple of miles. Later in the day, some painting was being completed, but at least thedeck was opened. It feels like this shipis being spruced up for the next cruise, although we know this work continuesall the time. Anyway, by the timeeveryone gets off in Florida, it should be looking good.

 

As we approach Europe and the Med, the next currency will bethe Euro. We are not sure what the moneyis in Morocco, but we do know that Euro will work in all the other ports. It is available at the front desk, althoughit may be cheaper to get it in the upcoming ports.

 

Talks today included one on Nafplion, Greece, another newport for us. There is still the speakerfrom India, who delivered a speech about understanding India. Mel Foster also spoke about emperors, empires,and the Barbary pirates. We know hislectures are always entertaining. It ispossible he and his wife will be guests at our table tomorrow evening, we havebeen told.

 

There was another good movie in the Wajang….Patriots Day. Hope it’s on TV tomorrow. We always try to watch a movie after dinner. Most times it is a good alternate to going tothe show.

 

Early this evening, we met friends Joe, Connie, and theirdaughter Michelle in the Crow’s Nest for cocktails. We met back in 2007 while on the world cruise,and have shared many other cruises with them since them. We got to know Michelle quite well, as we allturned up on a pre-cruise trip in Turkey in 2008. We still talk about the great time we hadtouring Ankara, and the countryside on the way to Cappadocia. We ended up in Istanbul, seeing the majorsights there before joining the ship. Sincethere were only nine of us traveling in a van, we had the best almost privatetour you could get. Sure glad we saw itwhen we did, because that part of the world is not particularly safe anymore. And that is why the port of Istanbul wascancelled this year.

 

For an hour, we compared notes on the tours we have all doneon this cruise. They went to the TajMahal and the Pink City of Jaipur. Theyalso did the Angkor Wat tour in Cambodia, which we have not done yet. They confirmed our thoughts about the heatand humidity, which can be overwhelming for some. We told them all about our China excursion,which seems like months ago now.

 

The ship arrived at the stopping point before going into theSuez Canal tomorrow. Captain Jonathonmentioned that he has to register the ship tonight for tomorrow’s transit. A pilot would be picked up sometime around3pm, and we would have to be cleared by an inspection team to verify that theship is fit to transit the canal. Atsome point, two small rowboats would be taken up alongside the lower promenadedeck for local crew to tend to ropes. Aslong as we pass inspection, we will be given a slot in the convoy. Usually military ships go first, then cruiseships, followed by the cargo ships, tankers and freighters. A pilot will board for the beginning, thentwo more will be picked up along the way. The pilot will keep the ships between ¾ and one mile distanceapart. The distance of the canal is 98miles, and the usual time to transit is about 10 to 15 hours. We will be entering in the darkness ofmorning, about 5am or so, and expect to exit between 4 to 6pm. As usual, we are looking forward to thistransit. Some find it uninteresting, butthere is so much to see if you pay attention to the activity of the locals,especially on the Nile side. And to top that off, they will be serving “Suez”rolls in the early morning. Nothing betterthan those treats.

 

Dinner was good with hot tortellini soup, and roastedchicken with bacon-flavored stuffing. The pasta dish was also good with slices ofchicken breast….moist and tender. Icecream and frozen yogurt ended the meal just fine.

 

Sometime after 10pm, the anchor was pulled, and we movedcloser to the entrance, about a seven mile trip. The captain announced earlier that we shallbe number one in the convoy.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[MMDown Under]

Thank you for providing such an enjoyable detailed blog of your world cruises. Enjoy the Suez Canal.

 

When I did my first cruise overseas to London, the Suez Canal was closed so I had to cruise the long way home, via South Africa, India and Ceylon.

[WCB]

Report #91 SuezCanal Transit March 31, 2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees Part #1 Of 3 80 Pictures

 

The Suez Canal scenic commentary began at 6:00am thismorning on all outside decks and the Crow’s Nest. Barbara H, our location guide, also was heardon channel 41 on the room TV. Were we upthat early to hear any of this? No,since we have been through this canal many times over the years. The best part of the transit, in our opinion,would be later in the morning.

 

It was breakfast as usual in the dining room, where we didhave the pleasure of being served “Suez Canal Rolls”, an off-beat version ofthe Panama Canal Rolls. To make thispastry a little more interesting, chopped pistachios were inside with a creamypaste. We detected some fruit, such asdried apricots and perhaps apple slices. We really prefer the mandarin orange filling the best, but these wereOK. The ones that were way off were thebean curd filled pastries they served a few years ago……..never to be repeated.

 

We took a quick walk on the lower promenade deck to findthat two rowboats had been hauled up and tied off. They are only used if necessary by localcanal workers. We are certain they werenot needed today.

 

Once the ship had pulled anchor, and left the holding area,we were off to Bitter Lakes, where numerous ships would line up to make theconvoy. We were number three today, withthe Thomson ship leading the pack. Itlooked like the car carrier in front of us may have been the one docked near usin Aqabah loading trucks all day. Hardto say for sure, since they kind of all look alike. Several ships were behind us, although wecould not get a count.

 

Here is a little info on this “Big Ditch” through thesands. It took 10 years to build thiscanal back in 1869. It saved thousandsof miles to take this short cut between Europe and Asia, instead of sailingaround the tip of Africa. The transitfor us began at Port Suez, past Ismailia, ending in Port Said in the Med. The length of the canal today is over 120miles long, 673 feet wide, and is 79 feet deep.

 

There are no locks, as the two seas are the same level,unlike the Panama Canal. Some supertankers over 240,000 deadweight tons need to be partially off-loaded at oneend, and re-loaded at the opposite end. We would love to know how much it costs a ship like ours to transit, butwe did not hear it mentioned today.

 

The only thing we did not expect was that 22 miles of thiscanal are separate channels now. It hasbeen a project for several years now, and has recently opened for two waytraffic. Northbound ships like us, hadto take the new side, which pretty much blocked our view of the cities andvillages we would pass.

 

We could see the upper parts of container and cargo shipspassing by, but it looked as though they were sailing in the sand. We could not see the water until we passed anopening in the sand dunes.

 

On our side, we could see a whole new city being built. They were all new high rise apartments, thenew suburbs of Ismailia, we guess. Thiswhole area is surrounded by sand, although they did build some fresh waterponds and planted many palm trees. Perhaps in time, it will be home to thousands of Egyptians., who work inthe city and the canal zone.

 

There was still the presence of local fishermen pulling in theirhuge nets into small rowboats. Somefellows were sitting on the shallow banks, apparently clamming. Bird life was minimal. We did see a few cranes at the very beginningof the transit, and eventually there were some gulls and terns. The neatest birds we saw were the pigeonsthat roost and live in the tee-pee like domes scattered on farmhouses andalongside the road. The birds will enterthese domes through holes in the side, where they lay eggs. Their fertilizer is collected for thegardens, and when they have too many adult birds, they are eaten. We know the dish as squab.

 

The few farm animals we spotted were cattle, and some goats,and maybe lamb. The fields surroundingthis side of the canal (Egypt side), were green with crops. We understand that water from the Nile ischanneled here for irrigation. Not surewhat causes it, but there was a thick haze in the air. In the distance, we could see the fine sandbeing blown up in dust clouds, common this time of year. We could also smell smoke. At times it was difficult to see the Thomsonship in the lead, as it disappeared in the haze.

 

At one point where we were in divided traffic, we passed thenow obsolete swing span bridge that used to be for the train that crossed fromthe Nile side to the Sinai Peninsula side. The only other bridge that actually crosses over is 2.4 miles long, andwas built with the help of the Japanese. Other crossings in this canal are accomplished by ferries, which transportcars and trucks with their drivers. Itwas not unusual to see lines of vehicles for one mile on both sides, waiting totake their turn in the small ferries.

 

The only break we took today was to meet Barb in the diningroom for lunch. It was sure nice just tohave the three of us where we could have a private conversation. Then we went back outside until we were outinto the Mediterranean Sea sometime around 3:30pm. The temperature dropped by the time wereached Port Said, and the shipyards and industrial area of that city. It was at this point that the pilot waspicked up by a local boat, and the rowboats dropped back down to thecanal.

 

This was about the only place we saw the most birds. Gulls and terns mostly. There must have been lots of food for them inthe waters, since the terns were diving. Once we got out of the canal zone, the breeze got cooler and the waterschoppy. Time to go inside, and work onphotos all afternoon. But not until wewere served fruit skewers by a couple of the deck fellows. They had something going all day, such asjuice, cold face towels, ice water and lemonade, and finally the fruit and moreface towels. The weather was the nicestwe have ever seen it. Not too hot for achange.

 

We had company for dinner tonight…….the guest speaker MelFoster and his wife. He has been a lectureron many cruises we have been on, and we have heard most all of his talks. For the first time this trip, one of us triedthe alternate sirloin steak. It was verytasty…..not exactly Pinnacle Grill quality, but better than most of the unusualentrees on the menu.

 

We had been told that the clocks were going forwardtonight. Thinking maybe it was an April Fool’sDay joke, we found it was not. There wasa card on the bed for clocks ahead one hour. Sure don’t remember doing this last year when we headed for Israel afterleaving the Canal. Oh yeah, we also gotpersonalized certificates for the Suez Canal Transit we did today.

 

We have one day at sea, then we will be stopping at Rhodes.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Ferry Beach Kayaker]

Hi Marianne,

I do love your description. We been home for 3 weeks now and we are finally well. That respiratory infection we pick up on the Amsterdam was quite ferocious. It funny we came home to two late snowstorms. The second being a powerful northeaster. Have a great rest of your trip.

[Turtles06]

Report #91 SuezCanal Transit March 31, 2017 Friday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees Part #1 Of 3 80 Pictures

 

The Suez Canal scenic commentary began at 6:00am thismorning on all outside decks and the Crow’s Nest. Barbara H, our location guide, also was heardon channel 41 on the room TV. Were we upthat early to hear any of this? No,since we have been through this canal many times over the years. The best part of the transit, in our opinion,would be later in the morning.

 

 

Here is a little info on this “Big Ditch” through the sands.

 

There are no locks, as the two seas are the same level,unlike the Panama Canal. ..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Thanks for taking the time to post about your amazing journey.

 

One point about the Panama Canal, though: the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are at "the same level" -- sea level. The reason the Panama Canal has locks is because the only way it could be built was to dam the flood-prone Chagres River, creating Gatun Lake, which is 85 feet above sea level. The locks are needed to lift ships up and down on either side of the Lake.

[WCB]

Report # 92 SailingTowards Rhodes, Greece April 1, 2017 Saturday Partly cloudy & 72 degrees

 

Last night, somewhere around 2am, we were awaken withthunder, lightning, and sleet or hail hitting the port side of the ship. Since our window garden takes up so muchspace, we never close the drapes. So we wokeup with our room glowing blue from the lightning. Now the funny thing, is that absolutely noone saw or heard what we did. No, wewere not dreaming….honestly. Even thelower promenade decks were soaked this morning, evidence that we did go throughsome kind of storm. Guess we could checkwith an officer in the navigation team as they would know for sure. There were some pretty colorful clouds afterthe sunrise this morning.

 

The air was clean and crisp too, now that we are in theMediterranean Sea. We discovered todaythat the reason we had to put the clocks ahead one hour last night, was thatGreece may be on daylight savings time, while the area we came from was not. Seemed strange to us that since the Amsterdamwas heading west, the clocks should be put back an hour instead. Perhaps when we leave Greece, we will go backagain.

 

We spent the morning working on reports and photos. Way too cool to go to the pool, which wasexpected. And even though the forecast stated72 degrees, in reality, it was really in the high 60’s.

 

At 12:15pm, we had a lunch date with friends in the diningroom. We had made a tentative date weeksago, but after coming down with the cold bug, we had to delay the lunch. It was nice to visit while in the quietdining room, but we were a bit surprised when the waiter (one we really do notknow) suggested we leave around 1:20pm. He mentioned that the table had to be set for the gala dinner thisevening. Really? Were there decorations going up? No. Itwas simply a gala dinner. Makes usappreciate our regular waiters, Agung and Kris, who have never said a word toBarb and us, even if we stay talking until 2pm. In fact, there were still other diners in the raised area, and no onewas asking them to leave.

 

Later on, we took a long walk with Bill & Leta. They always try to walk 2 miles or 7laps. We have quit counting, because itreally does not matter. We know how longit takes us to walk, so we go by the time, not the laps. And we certainly do not need the electronictoys to tell us our heart rate, or anything else. You just do it and enjoy it. Today was even better, because the four of ustalked the whole time, and continued after the two miles were up. Wish we would have stopped on the sunny side,because that breeze really cut through our sweatshirts and jackets.

 

Time to go inside, and check out the music on deckfive. Also a good time to go over themenu that is posted outside the dining room. Saves time when we get to the table, if we know what we will beordering.

 

Today there were two lectures. One was all about the upcoming ports ofIraklion, Crete, and Mykonos. We havenever been in either place, so we made it a point to watch the lecture onTV. The other talk was on ocean linersthat went to war, given by Mel Foster. Most all of the fellows like his talks, because he keeps theminteresting. Never boring.

 

Today, of course, was April 1st, and April Fool’sDay. The big funny was that the DailyNavigator was printed upside down, with the morning flip-flopped with theafternoon activities.

 

Like we said, dinner was gala tonight. You might find this interesting. While we were entering the lower dining room(dressed appropriately, by the way), a fellow ended around us dressed in sweatpants and a long sleeve t-shirt with a cap on his head. One of the head waiters spotted him, andstopped the man before he entered the dining room. We doubt that he was going in to eat, but hewas not allowed to even enter the room to give someone a message, as we couldn’thelp by overhearing the headwaiter saying he would deliver the message. So, they still do enforce a dress code, andwe are most happy about that.

 

Then from 9 to 10pm, there was a costume party in the Crow’sNest. Have no idea what one would wearto a costume party for this occasion, but there was a notice that these costumeswere NOT to be worn in the dining room this evening. We do remember when there was a pajama partyheld in the Crow’s Nest at 9pm, and yes, a lot of people wore pajamas and robesto the dining room. Complete withslippers no less. These affairs do notwork for the late 8pm diners, as we never get out of the dining room untilclose to 10pm. To tell you the truth, wenever feel like we missed anything special.

 

The entertainer this evening was a repeat performance byNaki Ataman, a pianist, we think. Thoseshows are usually good.

 

Looking forward to seeing a new port tomorrow. We have learned that the ship docks close totown, and we should be able to see a lot on our own. And the forecast is for sunny skies and tempsin the 60’s. No rain, or did we dreamthat???

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[bennybear]

Just wanted to add my thanks for all your detailed information. Enjoy Greece, one of my favourite places!

[WCB]

Report #93 Rhodes,Greece April 2, 2017 Sunday Mostly sunny & 63 degrees Part #1 Of 3 87 Pictures

 

Well, here we are in Greece, our first European country wewill visit for the better part of this week. There are 10,737,500 citizens that speak Greek. The capital is Athens. The best time to visit here is from Easter toJune, which is not the peak season, and the weather is simply fine.

 

There are so many things to see and do here such as visitthe Parthenon on a hill overlooking Athens. A sunset viewed from the island of Santorini’s Oia Village is amust. The Monasteries of Meteora wasunbelievable, and experiencing a Greek Easter in Corfu, seeing priests in theircolorful vestments during a midnight candlelight church service is moving.

 

Greece is also the birthplace of springtime sweet breads andcolored Easter eggs. The knights Quarterand Turkish relics of Rhodes walled old town really was a most wonderful place to tour today for us.

 

Other things to do are hopping a ferry in Piraeus to access nearbycountless Greek Islands. Some of ourfriends will be doing that tomorrow, after arriving to the port of Piraeus forAthens. Having spent countless previous visits to Athens, they will ferry tothe next port of Nafplion, and spent the day and night there.

 

Dining in a harborside café to enjoy the world’s most under-ratedcuisine is a destination in itself. Youcan hike up Mt. Olympus to watch for the mythical centaurs and satyrs, or even spotGreek gods. Seeing the dramatic viewsfrom the Holy Monastery of Rousanou, Meteora was a trip our buddy Ruud tooklast year. The timing was perfect,because their group was there right at Easter time. He did get to see the candlelight Mass andwas most impressed.

 

How about the food? One specialty is saganaki, or fried cheese. Gemistes are stuffed peppers, and spanakopitaare spinach-filled cheese pastries. I have mastered the art of making thesetreats, finding them a big hit at dinner parties. Another specialty are soutzoukakia, ormeatballs. Grilled octopus, calamari,and roast lamb are on the top as well. Andto finish a meal, you can sip ouzo, a grape brandy with anise flavoring. Also popular are retsina, wine with resin,and Greek coffee.

 

Trademarks are the Acropolis, of course, Kalamata olives,old women in black, Zorba the Greek, white/washed villages, and Homer.

 

Ourport of call today was Rhodes, the fourth largest of the Greek Islands. The Medieval City has 10,000 residents andworkers combined. The total populationof Rhodes Town is 117,000 people. Thereis evidence that this area has been populated since the Stone Age. The island has 157 miles of breath-takingcoastline. And it has been occupied for213 years by the Knights of the Order of St. John. They are the ones that built the city’s walland gates, along with hospitals and so many churches you cannot countthem.

 

Todayit is considered a most beautiful paradise with a temperate climate with mildwinters. It earned the distinction ofbecoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

 

Tourshere today were from 3 ½ to 8 hours and cost from $55 to $175. The longer tours went to Lindos, while theshorter ones took in the walled city near the ship.

 

Wehave never been here, so we decided to stay in town and see the old walled city.We were not disappointed since this city was within walking distance from thepier. Yes, we do have to agree that itwas touristy, but if you look beyond the numerous shops and cafes vying foryour business, then the true beauty revealed itself.

 

Withinthe double-walled city surrounded by moats and steep rock walls, we foundstone-paved streets that led to castles, narrow alleyways, small houses,mosques, fountains, quiet squares, and so many churches we lost count. The walls are massive with old gates dating backcenturies ago.

 

Weaccessed the Virgin Mary Gate across from the harbor. We spent over four hours exploring one end ofthe city to the other. At 10am, it wasnot crowded yet, and many of the businesses were not opened yet. In fact we learned that this area just openedup for the season yesterday, when the Pacific Princess was in port. Some of those establishments were not openedat all today, because it was Sunday.

 

Findingour way to the top and the Palace of the Grand Master, which was not opened, wehappened to cross a bridge that took us out of the old city. Now we were sort of lost, but found we werewalked parallel to the outside walls and moat. Truthfully, the scenery from this end was even better than being in themiddle of it. A series of wooded parkslined the roadside. So we followed itwhile walking under the shade of cypress, cedar, and sycamore trees.

 

Weended up going back into the walled city at another gate that crossed over thedeep moat. Somehow we found a narrow streetthat brought us to a café called MangoRestaurant. What caught our attention was the sign advertising pint draft beersfor 2.50 Euro. Since it was high noon,we thought it was a fine idea to sit for a spell on the outdoor patio and sipsome ice cold beer. We were the onlycustomers there, which was great. All ofthe cafes down at the main entrance near the harbor were way too crowded forus. So this was a lucky find.

 

Sittingin a sheltered corner of the patio was so nice, we asked if they had amenu. Of course, the first thing we sawwas margarita pizza. That sealed thedeal. We stayed to enjoy a deliciouspizza cooked perfectly. Our waitresssuggested some dessert, so we indulged in a vanilla sundae with strawberrysauce on top. So good. By the time we were ready to leave, some of ourcruise buddies happened to be passing by, asking if this place was good. So they took some seats, and ordered lunch aswell.

 

Followingsome street signs, we found our way back to the port. But not before passing by several barkers forcafes, trying to get us to go to their restaurants. It sort of got annoying, so we left a gate tothe harbor road. The day was stillearly, and there were more places to watch along the water’s edge.

 

Wemade our way past Kolona Harbor, over the thin peninsula that faced Mandraki Marina. Got some awesome photos from here, beforeheading back.

 

Westill wanted to find a small treasure that had Rhodes printed on it for akeepsake. So we headed back into the OldCity at the Arnauld Gate to check out those shops. We ran right into Susie and Woody, who weredining at a very nice outdoor café. Tookabout ½ hour to catch up on current ship news before we continued onward.

 

Finallywe located a small shop that was selling pottery, jewelry, and clothing, wherewe found the perfect souvenir……a shotglass in the shape of a boot with “Rhodes”printed in the design. Perfect. One of us was tempted briefly with some ofthe silky tops we have bought in other ports such as Phuket or Singapore. The big difference was that the price was 20Euro ($22 USD) compared to $5 in Thailand. And they do not bargain here from what we saw. One shotglass was fine.

 

Wemade the great escape past the pesty vendors and went directly back to theship. By the way, we found a small buildingthere that had a wonderful detailed map of Rhodes and the Old City. Better late than never.

 

Allaboard was 4:30pm, and the planned sailaway was held in the Crow’s Nest. We found out why when we went out on decknine. The winds were fierce, and gettingreally chilly. Going down to the aftpool deck was a bit better, and we stayed there as the Amsterdam swung aroundand headed out into the Aegean Sea. TheCaptain followed the west coast as we took a southwesterly course towards ournext port of Piraeus (Athens), where we will spend two days. It should have been Istanbul for our next twoday stop, but that was scrapped months ago…….way too dangerous, which was ahuge disappointment to all. Safety comesfirst.

 

Welasted outside until well after 6pm, visiting with friends, Diane and Mike. They had also enjoyed this port, as did manyfolks that have never been here before. By the time we were sailing down the coast, the aft deck had cleared outcompletely, as it was way too cold. Weneeded some of that special tea that Diane and Mike were drinking to warm up.

 

Dinnerfor us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. Normally, this venue is not crowded on a port day, but since tomorrowwill end this segment, many folks were celebrating with their final meal inhere. We understand about 56 folks willleave, and about 37 new passengers will join for the final segment back to Ft. Lauderdale. Cannot believe three months have already goneby since we started in January. It goesby faster every year……

 

Bill& Mary Ann

[ger_77]

I am really enjoying your descriptions in every port - it makes me want to visit new places, and re-visit ones we've been to before! You're getting a new Security Officer at Athens - Copper 10-8 is joining the Amsterdam - please say hi to him for me!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[bettty45]

Report #93 Rhodes,Greece April 2, 2017 Sunday Mostly sunny & 63 degrees Part #1 Of 3 87 Pictures

 

 

 

Well, here we are in Greece, our first European country wewill visit for the better part of this week. There are 10,737,500 citizens that speak Greek. The capital is Athens. The best time to visit here is from Easter toJune, which is not the peak season, and the weather is simply fine.

 

 

 

There are so many things to see and do here such as visitthe Parthenon on a hill overlooking Athens. A sunset viewed from the island of Santorini’s Oia Village is amust. The Monasteries of Meteora wasunbelievable, and experiencing a Greek Easter in Corfu, seeing priests in theircolorful vestments during a midnight candlelight church service is moving.

 

 

 

Greece is also the birthplace of springtime sweet breads andcolored Easter eggs. The knights Quarterand Turkish relics of Rhodes walled old town really was a most wonderful place to tour today for us.

 

 

 

Other things to do are hopping a ferry in Piraeus to access nearbycountless Greek Islands. Some of ourfriends will be doing that tomorrow, after arriving to the port of Piraeus forAthens. Having spent countless previous visits to Athens, they will ferry tothe next port of Nafplion, and spent the day and night there.

 

 

 

Dining in a harborside café to enjoy the world’s most under-ratedcuisine is a destination in itself. Youcan hike up Mt. Olympus to watch for the mythical centaurs and satyrs, or even spotGreek gods. Seeing the dramatic viewsfrom the Holy Monastery of Rousanou, Meteora was a trip our buddy Ruud tooklast year. The timing was perfect,because their group was there right at Easter time. He did get to see the candlelight Mass andwas most impressed.

 

 

 

How about the food? One specialty is saganaki, or fried cheese. Gemistes are stuffed peppers, and spanakopitaare spinach-filled cheese pastries. I have mastered the art of making thesetreats, finding them a big hit at dinner parties. Another specialty are soutzoukakia, ormeatballs. Grilled octopus, calamari,and roast lamb are on the top as well. Andto finish a meal, you can sip ouzo, a grape brandy with anise flavoring. Also popular are retsina, wine with resin,and Greek coffee.

 

 

 

Trademarks are the Acropolis, of course, Kalamata olives,old women in black, Zorba the Greek, white/washed villages, and Homer.

 

 

 

Ourport of call today was Rhodes, the fourth largest of the Greek Islands. The Medieval City has 10,000 residents andworkers combined. The total populationof Rhodes Town is 117,000 people. Thereis evidence that this area has been populated since the Stone Age. The island has 157 miles of breath-takingcoastline. And it has been occupied for213 years by the Knights of the Order of St. John. They are the ones that built the city’s walland gates, along with hospitals and so many churches you cannot countthem.

 

 

 

Todayit is considered a most beautiful paradise with a temperate climate with mildwinters. It earned the distinction ofbecoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

 

 

 

Tourshere today were from 3 ½ to 8 hours and cost from $55 to $175. The longer tours went to Lindos, while theshorter ones took in the walled city near the ship.

 

 

 

Wehave never been here, so we decided to stay in town and see the old walled city.We were not disappointed since this city was within walking distance from thepier. Yes, we do have to agree that itwas touristy, but if you look beyond the numerous shops and cafes vying foryour business, then the true beauty revealed itself.

 

 

 

Withinthe double-walled city surrounded by moats and steep rock walls, we foundstone-paved streets that led to castles, narrow alleyways, small houses,mosques, fountains, quiet squares, and so many churches we lost count. The walls are massive with old gates dating backcenturies ago.

 

 

 

Weaccessed the Virgin Mary Gate across from the harbor. We spent over four hours exploring one end ofthe city to the other. At 10am, it wasnot crowded yet, and many of the businesses were not opened yet. In fact we learned that this area just openedup for the season yesterday, when the Pacific Princess was in port. Some of those establishments were not openedat all today, because it was Sunday.

 

 

 

Findingour way to the top and the Palace of the Grand Master, which was not opened, wehappened to cross a bridge that took us out of the old city. Now we were sort of lost, but found we werewalked parallel to the outside walls and moat. Truthfully, the scenery from this end was even better than being in themiddle of it. A series of wooded parkslined the roadside. So we followed itwhile walking under the shade of cypress, cedar, and sycamore trees.

 

 

 

Weended up going back into the walled city at another gate that crossed over thedeep moat. Somehow we found a narrow streetthat brought us to a café called MangoRestaurant. What caught our attention was the sign advertising pint draft beersfor 2.50 Euro. Since it was high noon,we thought it was a fine idea to sit for a spell on the outdoor patio and sipsome ice cold beer. We were the onlycustomers there, which was great. All ofthe cafes down at the main entrance near the harbor were way too crowded forus. So this was a lucky find.

 

 

 

Sittingin a sheltered corner of the patio was so nice, we asked if they had amenu. Of course, the first thing we sawwas margarita pizza. That sealed thedeal. We stayed to enjoy a deliciouspizza cooked perfectly. Our waitresssuggested some dessert, so we indulged in a vanilla sundae with strawberrysauce on top. So good. By the time we were ready to leave, some of ourcruise buddies happened to be passing by, asking if this place was good. So they took some seats, and ordered lunch aswell.

 

 

 

Followingsome street signs, we found our way back to the port. But not before passing by several barkers forcafes, trying to get us to go to their restaurants. It sort of got annoying, so we left a gate tothe harbor road. The day was stillearly, and there were more places to watch along the water’s edge.

 

 

 

Wemade our way past Kolona Harbor, over the thin peninsula that faced Mandraki Marina. Got some awesome photos from here, beforeheading back.

 

 

 

Westill wanted to find a small treasure that had Rhodes printed on it for akeepsake. So we headed back into the OldCity at the Arnauld Gate to check out those shops. We ran right into Susie and Woody, who weredining at a very nice outdoor café. Tookabout ½ hour to catch up on current ship news before we continued onward.

 

 

 

Finallywe located a small shop that was selling pottery, jewelry, and clothing, wherewe found the perfect souvenir……a shotglass in the shape of a boot with “Rhodes”printed in the design. Perfect. One of us was tempted briefly with some ofthe silky tops we have bought in other ports such as Phuket or Singapore. The big difference was that the price was 20Euro ($22 USD) compared to $5 in Thailand. And they do not bargain here from what we saw. One shotglass was fine.

 

 

 

Wemade the great escape past the pesty vendors and went directly back to theship. By the way, we found a small buildingthere that had a wonderful detailed map of Rhodes and the Old City. Better late than never.

 

 

 

Allaboard was 4:30pm, and the planned sailaway was held in the Crow’s Nest. We found out why when we went out on decknine. The winds were fierce, and gettingreally chilly. Going down to the aftpool deck was a bit better, and we stayed there as the Amsterdam swung aroundand headed out into the Aegean Sea. TheCaptain followed the west coast as we took a southwesterly course towards ournext port of Piraeus (Athens), where we will spend two days. It should have been Istanbul for our next twoday stop, but that was scrapped months ago…….way too dangerous, which was ahuge disappointment to all. Safety comesfirst.

 

 

 

Welasted outside until well after 6pm, visiting with friends, Diane and Mike. They had also enjoyed this port, as did manyfolks that have never been here before. By the time we were sailing down the coast, the aft deck had cleared outcompletely, as it was way too cold. Weneeded some of that special tea that Diane and Mike were drinking to warm up.

 

 

 

Dinnerfor us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. Normally, this venue is not crowded on a port day, but since tomorrowwill end this segment, many folks were celebrating with their final meal inhere. We understand about 56 folks willleave, and about 37 new passengers will join for the final segment back to Ft. Lauderdale. Cannot believe three months have already goneby since we started in January. It goesby faster every year……

 

 

 

Bill& Mary Ann

 

 

 

Thanks again for another great blog. I too feel as though I am traveling with you!!! I can't believe how quickly your trip has gone.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

We're living your voyage vicariously! So much so that we're thinking that we need to cancel our 2018 HAL WC. ;-)

 

Seriously, your comments make our mouths water in anticipation of our WC next year.

[WCB]

Report #94 Piraeus,Greece April 3, 2017 Monday Mostly sunny & 68 degrees Part #1 Of 3 87 Pictures

 

Our second stop in Greece was Piraeus, the port city ofAthens. One of the world’s oldestcities, Athens dates back as far as 7000 years. It happens to be the capital of Greece, and also the birthplace ofdemocracy. Probably the most famous iconin this city is the Acropolis Of Athens and the Parthenon dedicated to theGreek goddess Athena. Constructed in 438BC, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And a must see.

 

Other sites include the Panathinaiko Stadium , the site ofthe first modern Olympics, but that was back in 1896. It was made entirely of white marble, and itquite impressive.

 

The National Archaeological Museum houses the largestcollection of Greek antiquities in the world. And the nearby Plaka is quite popular, especially if you like shoppingor dining on Greek cuisine.

 

An interesting fact about Athens is that it has 148theatrical stages…….the most in the world. The most famous of these theaters is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, whichsits on the Acropolis. It was erected in161 AD.

 

Ship tours offered here ran from 4 hours to 8 ½ hours,costing from $55 to $225. Most of theexcursions toured the sites in Athens with a lunch, or a simple transfer for 4hours in total. A few trips took peopleout of the area to see Cape Sounion and ancient Corinth. As for us, we have been on every tour offeredhere….some more than once. By the way, one good option for the transfer toAthens from Piraeus is taking the hop on hop off bus for 20 euro. And that would not restrict you to only 2hours in town. You could spend all daytouring Athens, and come back before or after dinner today, since the ship was stayingovernight.

 

So we spent the day in Piraeus, which we find just asinteresting as Athens. There is a lot ofhistory here as well. Much of thehistory here has been lost over the centuries, but there is evidence that itcould be as old as 2000 BC. Back in theearly days, Piraeus was the only shipping port for Athens. It was also the site for the navalships. Even today, there are numerous shippingcompanies and ship owners offices. Thereis also evidence of ruins of tobacco factories, tanneries, textilemanufacturing, and oil and flour mills.

 

By the 5th century BC, Piraeus was the largestnaval and commercial center of the entire Mediterranean and the Black Sea. That’s some big shoes to fill. The opposite harbor across the peninsula fromthe Central Port is Zeas Port and Marina. This is where the ancient naval shipyards were located. Today it is a beautiful sheltered harbor forsmall boats to mega-yachts. This was oureventual destination today.

 

We left the ship around 10pm, to mostly cloudy skies. Until the sun began peeking through the clouds,it was chilly. So we did wearsweatshirts just in case, although as the day wore on, we did not need them.

 

Our hike began from the ship, which was docked much closerto town today. Last year, we had to takea shuttle bus to get to the terminal building. We picked up a tourist guide booklet,complete with maps of the main part of the city, and plenty of excellentinfo. We walked the waterfront, past thebig Greek Orthodox church, St. Nicholas. Last year it was undergoing restoration, and this year it looks beautiful. Continuing on, we went to the ferry docks towatch them load up with cars and passengers. Even though today was Monday, they were busy here. Weekends are much more crowded though. And summertime must be ridiculous forsure.

 

This is the point where we always cross the street, and findthe central marketplace. There is a hugebuilding with fresh fish by the tons, young fresh lambs, cut in half, veggies,fruit, and kitchen utensils. It is alsovery noisy with the vendors calling out their prices for the day. Or should we say yelling their prices. The Greeks are very high energy people. All the surrounding streets are full of small traditionalshops selling everything to do with food. There are shops that sell herbs and spices, local bakeries, nut shops,olive and olive oil shops, soaps, and housewares. Many places sold affordable clothing ontables outside their stores. This iswhere we found a good deal on leather belts. Yesterday, one of us was looking for dress belts, but they were mostly10 to 20 euros each. Today we foundexactly what we wanted for 3 euro……same belts, but not in the touristy arealike Rhodes.

 

From here we planned on walking over the hills to get to theZeas Port. But somehow, we took a wrongturn, and ended up lost. From thestreets up on the hillside, you cannot see the water on either side of thispeninsula. You get buried in apartmentsand highrise buildings. When the streetsdid not look familiar, we pulled out the map, but could not find any of thestreets. One problem was that many ofthe streets were not marked, and we discovered where we were walking was noteven on the map.

 

So the next best thing was to ask someone fordirections. That happened to be a niceelderly Greek lady dressed in black, of course, who did not speak one word ofEnglish. We showed her the map, andindicated that we were looking for the Zeas harbor. She understood, but had a hard time pointingout the correct streets. Lucky for us,we happened to be standing outside a car shop, and the owner came out to help. He did speak some English, and said we werenot far from the correct streets. He musthave asked the lady to take us to the right intersection, because she motionedfor us to follow her. Obviously olderthan us, she could outwalk one of us going uphill. Up at a main intersection, she pointed for usto go left, where we would find the harbor. We thanked her as she continued on her daily walk going the other way.

 

By the time we walked about one mile, we began to recognizethe side streets and the cafes and taverns. It was a bit early for lunch, so we walked to the far end of the harbor,and sat on a bench, enjoying the warmth of the sun that had finally peeked outof the clouds. We have done this on previoushikes here, but never went down to the water and walked around the outside ofthe marina. We were surprised to comeacross some of the nicest yachts…..some of what you would expect to see inMonte Carlo for instance. And rightacross from this area was a row of very nice-looking restaurants and taverns. We discovered at dinner later that ourbuddies Barb, Susie, and Woody went to one of these restaurants for lunchtoday, and also had great pizza. Sincewe were walking around there about 12:30pm, we must have missed them by ½ houror so. Guess where we are going tomorrow? Right here, especially after seeing Susie’sphotos of the food on her phone at dinner tonight.

 

We hiked all the way back to the opposite side of the harborto the Parmigiani Restaurant, where we have gone to lunch for the last threevisits here to the harbor. We orderedtwo draft beers, one margarita pizza, and one order of Bolognese spaghetti withparmesan cheese. The meal began withfive slices of salted pizza bread with assorted olives. Sure tasted good. Even though there is a restaurant, we havealways sat outside across the road. Several other establishments also serve food from across the street,because sitting on the seawall is so pleasant with the view of the harbor below. We stayed until after 2pm, when the all ofthe cafes were starting to get busier. Locals eat much later in Greece, often having lunch at 3pm, and dinnerat 9 or 10pm.

 

Taking no chances on the side streets for any short cuts, wewent back over the hills by the street we know will take us to the Central Portand the ship. It really is not as far,but we still did 7 or 8 miles today. Forsure, we will sleep good tonight. Got torest up to do it again tomorrow.

 

We had hoped to do a little grocery shopping, but the localCarrefour market was gone. Stopping at asmall market yielded nothing we needed. So tomorrow will be a day to find some new markets for some room snacks.It might be worth mentioning that this is one port, where everyone goes throughthe security check in the terminal. Whatis different about that is the fact there is a duty free store after thesecurity checkpoint. Besides the typicalsouvenirs, they sell some food products, as well as alcoholic beverages. Many folks were purchasing bottles, becausethere was no xray on the ship. We didsee the wine, beer, and alcohol collection table on deck A, but when we gotback onboard, it was unmanned.

 

There was a nice surprise waiting for us at the ship. A new security officer joined the staff today…..CopperJohn, as he is known on Cruise Critic. Having just gotten an email from one of our friends telling us he was onthe way, it was surprising to see him standing at the gangway so soon. Still recovering from jetlag, he was ready toget working. Nice to see that he didremember us from previous cruises, and also nice knowing that he still followsour blog.

 

The rest of the afternoon, we worked on the computer whilewatching Barbara H’s talks on the upcoming ports of Nafplion, Iraklion, andMykonos. They are all new to us, so weneeded to catch up on all the info we can absorb.

 

Dinnertime found that we had company….Susie and Woody. All of their tablemates had other plans, sowe welcomed them to our table for the evening. For the first time in weeks, we had a full table of ten, with verystimulating conversations, sharing our exploits of the day. Mostly, we were glad that a new pizza placehad been uncovered for us to try.

 

The show in the Queen’s Lounge was a local group of Greekfolk dancers. It was a one-time performanceat 9:30pm, so none of us were able to attend. We have seen similar show, if not the same as recent as last year.

 

So today ended another segment, with the final segmentbeginning tomorrow. And one moremandatory muster drill left to do.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Underthemoonlight]

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[ger_77]

I'm glad to hear Copper John made it onboard - you know you'll be well taken care of with him around!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)