Nautica/ Mumbai to Rome/ April 29-May 27, 2018 with Taj Mahal pre extension...Live

[dkbustr]

We then went to lunch at a restaurant with a direct view of the Luxor Temple. We had a nice meal cooked in a charcoal oven. Choices were chicken, lamb or fish with a soup and salad. If you would want a quicker meal, there is a world renowned restaurant with a three story view of the Luxor Temple also...McDonalds

We moved on to the Luxor Temple, which is a much smaller area than the Karnak complex, and was constructed in 1400B.C. Upon entering, you are greeted again by an imposing figure...

 

 

After a quick visit we returned to the front of the temple and viewed a row of sphinx that has recently been excavated, which travels all the way to Karnak. When funds are available, the remaining sphinx will be uncovered. This is a common thread that the return of the tourism to the area will allow more research and excavation. Tourism is still way off but is starting to recover.

 

 

We then moved on to our hotel for the night, the Jolie Ville Kings Island, a five star resort on an island in the middle of the Nile River. It is a beautiful location, but five star standards in Egypt are not five star standards in other areas of the world. We all complained about the beds being a plywood slab with a sheet, and although that may be beneficial for spine alignment, it makes for a difficult nights sleep. For one night, and being exhausted from the day, we managed to get some sleep. The dinner and breakfast buffet were acceptable. The infinity pool made it look like it was a part of the Nile..

 

 

That evening we went to the Karnak sound and light spectacular. This was a nice event but spectacular is pushing it IMHO. A setting that could be made into something amazing, but of course we don't want to get Disney-fied to do it, and that is understandable, but it needs more...

 

[dkbustr]

The next morning, we were off to the Valley of the Kings. This site is composed of the tombs of the Pharaohs and nobles during the period from 16th to 11th centuries B.C. With recent discoveries in 2008, the Valley has yielded 63 tombs and chambers, but there remains, they believe 5 tombs yet to be found. This is based on the fact that there are 5 Pharaohs in recorded history that tombs have not been discovered for, and the thought is that they must be in the valley somewhere.

 

The tombs are open for public viewing on a rotating basis, to help preserve the enclosures from the damage from perspiration and humidity. When you arrive, your ticket includes a visit to three tombs of your choice, as well as the ability to purchase a visit to three additional tombs, Seti I for an additional $65US, Ramses V/VI for $12US and of course Tut for approximately $18US. You can also purchase a photo permit for still and video for $17US. Do not attempt to take photos without the permit, as the repercussions are not nice. Every tomb has many attendants who watch for people trying to sneak a picture.

 

We elected, with our guides help, to view Ramses III, IV and IX, and paid for Ramses V/VI and Tut. We also bought the photo permit. I carried the permit in my hand is I took photos and never had an issue, except that the tomb attendants always wanted to show you the best spots for your pictures, of course for monetary gain. We avoided them, and no one hassled us.

The following is the walk into the tomb area...

 

 

And the following pictures are from Ramses III, IV and IX.

 

 

 

Unlike the sound and light show, these were spectacular. The colors and extent of the decoration of these tombs just took your breath away. They are not claustrophobic or hot, for those who may worry about that.

We next visited King Tut, and being on a special ticket, no photos are allowed. It is the only tomb where the mummy is still present, and he is indeed a frail child King. The tomb is small but has some nice decoration in the burial chamber itself, where a replica of the sarcophagus is present. The sarcophagus seems so much larger than the King himself, but that may be on purpose.

 

Our last tomb was to Ramses V/VI, which is the second largest tomb after Seti I, but the most elaborately decorated. I would absolutely pay for this tomb. It again doesn't allow any photography, and when we entered the tomb, we were the only guests there. The tomb attendant at the gate was very friendly, and I caved in and let him show us the tomb. He was very informative, and we learned so much more than we would have on our own. When we arrived in the burial chamber it was huge and amazingly decorated. I had left my camera with our main guide outside the tomb, so I couldn't get accused of sneaking a picture, but the tomb attendant glanced up the entrance hall and noted that no one else had entered, and asked if I had a cell phone. So we managed to get some amazing photos (don't tell anyone, he said...which I'm sure he tells everyone). I tipped him 150 Egyptian pounds...$8US and two of the following photos are from there.... Psst don't tell anyone!!

 

 

[dkbustr]

After we left the Valley of the Kings, it was a short ride to our last stop, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple. The Queen was the second recorded Pharaoh queen, and reigned for 21 years. Our guide said that history records her as a "manly" queen, for what that is worth. It was said that she was more authoritative than most of the male pharaohs of the time. Two views of the Temple follow, and it is in a beautiful setting against the mountain background...

 

 

 

This concluded our visit to Luxor, and on our return, our guide managed to gain access to the highway by, he said "purchasing a permit from the police guard" at the entrance of the highway. Hmm, but it saved us 90 minutes on the return. If you take a private tour, you may want to enquire ahead of time if you can get the permit for this highway because of the time savings. Some from the ship did a one day tour to Luxor, and I would not recommend that in any way. Either stay overnight or don't go...just too much travel time. The overnight private tour was still less than half of the one day O tour, so it is a no brainer IMO.

 

We are now transiting the Suez canal, and I will get back to you later. As someone on a previous blog said, it is a strip of water with a lot of sand. And to this point of the transit, I have to agree. An engineering feat, but not much to see.

[TLCOhio]

After we left the Valley of the Kings, it was a short ride to our last stop, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple. The Queen was the second recorded Pharaoh queen, and reigned for 21 years. Our guide said that history records her as a "manly" queen. On our return, our guide managed to gain access to the highway by, he said "purchasing a permit from the police guard" at the entrance of the highway. Hmm, but it saved us 90 minutes on the return. If you take a private tour, you may want to enquire ahead of time if you can get the permit for this highway because of the time savings. Some from the ship did a one day tour to Luxor, and I would not recommend that in any way. Either stay overnight or don't go...just too much travel time. The overnight private tour was still less than half of the one day O tour, so it is a no brainer IMO. We are now transiting the Suez canal, and I will get back to you later. As someone on a previous blog said, it is a strip of water with a lot of sand. And to this point of the transit, I have to agree. An engineering feat, but not much to see.

 

More and more super wonderful pictures and details from Mike. Great sharing and insights!! Looking forward to Cynthia's excellent narratives, plus her husband's great pictures. These are really spectacular areas. The "prize" seems worth the effort, time and costs to get there to Egypt, Jordan, etc. Our excitement is building higher and HIGHER.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting, dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 38,945 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

[palakika]

Dkbustr..great photos and blog. It's quite amazing how well preserved the tombs are today. Thanks.

[cbb]

We took the shorex entitled "Luxor and the Valley of the King's Overnight" and we were very pleased with our choice.

 

I wish I could say disembarkation went smoothly but that wouldn't be true. Our bus number was called, off we went-- only to get to the bottom of the stairs Deck 3 and discover that we couldn't leave and so the line backed up the staircase all the way to the Lounge!

 

People who took the elevator down to 3 then tried to cut the line only to be told "Nope....end of line is where you got on the elevator." Grumblings......

 

There were probably 6-8 people in front of me, many of whom did not have US passports and were pulled aside. Then it was my turn, and I too was not permitted to leave the ship....what????

 

Turns out that the guy(s) who had stamped the Egyptian Visa into our passports the night before forgot to roll the date forward so that everybody's passport was stamped with yesterday's date.

 

One older govt man ordered a younger man to simply take one of Oceania's pens and change the date, but another man who evidently was in a higher pay bracket overruled that idea.

 

Poor O GM did not quite know what to do because everything was out of his hands. Other O people were concerned and powerless.

 

Finally someone decided that "yes, we could leave", only to be held up AGAIN at the bottom of the gangway by another man. Our Visas were 'smeared' and therefore could not be read....sigh.

 

FINALLY, someone decided to simply add what appeared to me to be a simple pen stroke to the bottom of the date, and VOILA.....we could now leave. One man, one stroke, hundreds backed up....wanting to leave the ship.

 

Dave was only about 10 or so behind me and soon we were reunited on the #3 bus....and waited for our 21 other bus mates.

 

A word here about getting off ship, regardless of DIY, private or Shorex tours. There are some folks on board who have started a line where the hard wood floor and the carpeted section in the Lounge meet.

 

Others arrived and despite the best efforts of the Destination Services staff, those new people see the line and they join. Repeatedly DS staff said, "You must have your passport in your hand before we give you your ticket#," but evidently that rule didn't apply to them.

 

Rejected at the DS desk, some stormed off, but they only have themselves to blame because when we entered the Lounge, staff was stationed at both doors to say "Please get your passport first" which I did, and to make it more efficient, only one person per travel unit had to stand in line.

 

Then many did not stay in the Lounge as requested but took to the steps down to 3, and I must admit, I did the same. I obeyed the rules every single time until then and did not acquire good seats on the bus--lesson learned--hit the stairs if others are. (Good seats= chance at photography)

 

Off we went; 3.5 hour drive in a great bus, comfy seats, excellent driver and guide Ash. She had multiple degrees in Egyptology and appeared to be unflappable.

 

Lunch was at the Royal Sonesta St George Hotel, our home for the next 2 days. The buffet lunch was abundant with many different options, including vegetarian, and each option was clearly labeled.

 

The view out the restaurant was of the Nile River......sigh. Magnificent!

 

After lunch we left for the Karnak Temple located about 2 miles north of the Luxor Temple which is in the heart of Luxor city. A beautiful Avenue of Sphinxes links one to the other and is gradually being recovered and restored. It must have been extraordinary back then.

 

Karnak Temple was the heart of those ancients devoted to Amon and each Pharaoh added his own pylon and court.

 

Karnak Temple is stunning in its 2000 year old architecture. All I could do was marvel at the ingenuity and abilities of the people to build this Temple without the use of bulldozers, cranes, and modern stone cutting techniques. Just....wow!

 

Ash guided us at Karnak from 1:30-3:15 and we were given much free time to take pictures and rejoin the group. Cameras are allowed free of charge.

 

At 3:30 we took off for Luxor Temple and were there about 1 hour. Again, there is no charge for using your camera and ample free time was given for photography and questions.

 

This Temple was built by Amenhotep and Ramses II ---and it is just sitting in the middle of town!!! Cabs whiz by, kids play, moms shop....and there are structures right there....3000 years old!!!

 

There was an annual celebration when the statutes of Amon and others were brought in a long procession, with music and dancing, and rejoicing from Karnak, along the Avenue of the Sphinxes and placed here at Luxor Temple during the flooding of the Nile.

 

You can see carvings on the walls showing this procession. On some of the carvings original paint can be seen--coral, yellow, red, aqua.

 

All too soon we left for the hotel to check in and we were delighted to see that we had a view of the Nile from our balcony.....sweet.

 

Ash offered to take us for a brief shopping visit and we decided to go. We first visited a papyrus shop where we learned how it was made, then we could buy small art works that had been painted on the papyrus.

 

For $5US i bought a 9x11 piece of papyrus with nothing painted on it and they rolled it into a tube for me that is decorated with Pharaonic art.

 

We went next door to a 2 story building where one could purchase magnets and other objets d'art in the lower level and jewelry in the upper level. Sorry family, no jewelry for anyone!!!

 

We did not attend the Sound and Light Show and from multiple sources it sounds as if we had made a good decision. Instead we went to the hotel for dinner at 7:00pm and dined on tables covered with white linen set up in the wide lawn on the Nile (Lawn = astroturf) and the temperature was mild.

 

A wide variety of food was offered on long tables outside and drinks were included. Once again, the wine producing areas of the world have no fear of competition with Egypt.

 

A wonderful and long day full of excitement reduced us to mere lumps of humans so we showered and were in bed shortly after 9pm!

 

What an incredible day we had had....and I got to see the sun set over the Nile....how blessed I am.

[cbb]

Day 2 in Luxor:

Breakfast buffet was inside the hotel but we walked outside to some veranda tables that had been set up for us. The food was fine and the location ....unbelievable.

 

This day we crossed the Nile to the West Bank to the Valley of the Kings, hidden in the sandy folds of the Gourma Mountains.

 

Once there we boarded little train cars that took from the Visitors Center to the tombs. Bathrooms are at the Visitors Center.

 

My first thought was....how in the world did modern archaeologists ever find more than 60 tombs? One stony hill looked just like all the others on the West Bank. All of the tombs were a few meters from each other, not the great distances that I had expected.

 

At the Valley of the Kings we visited 3 tombs all dating from the 16th to the 11 centuries BC; Rameses IX, Rameses IV, and Rameses III.

 

We were told that the tombs have suffered greatly over the years from mass tourism; carbon dioxide and humidity-produced sweat left by visitors have affected the stability of the paintings so the tombs are on a rotation schedule.

 

Each of the tombs was magnificent and I had read to bring a flashlight to help us safely descend--it is not necessary as the ramps are very well lit.

 

About 10 steps into each tomb I was blown away by the color and the art--every square inch was covered in hieroglyphics, both on the walls and on the ceiling. Remember to look up!!!

 

One must purchase a camera ticket as photography is forbidden in the tombs. The photo ticket is $18 and I'm so glad we both bought one. The tickets are checked in the tombs more than once so have them in a handy pocket.

 

Our tour included the cost of the 3 tombs but for an additional $12 we could visit King Tut's Tomb. It was the best $12 I've ever spent.

 

Because it had not been opened and therefore exposed to the elements until the 1920s, the art was pristine. Bright vivid oranges, blues, red, and yellow; absolutely breathtaking--literally. Howard Carter and his workers must have been blown away the 1st time they saw it all.

 

Continuing on down the ramp we entered a small chamber and to the left was the small black mummy of King Tut. I usually don't like looking at skulls and remains but in this case it was ok. He was approximately 19 when he died so it was like looking at a man-child.

 

To the right of the ramp, and looking down we saw the gold sarcophagus of King Tut!!! WOW!

 

From there we got back on the bus and drove to Hatshepsut's Temple for a 15 minute photo stop. It is a beautiful huge Temple carved out of the mountain side but it would be at home in an exhibition for modern architecture--very lineal and symmetrical.

 

I had read that the architect was the lover of Hatshepsut and was determined to build one of the most beautiful of all temples in Ancient Egypt--I think he succeeded.

 

Hatsepshut was to rule as Regent for her small step-son but decided she liked being in power and promoted herself to Pharoah and did not give up power when he came of age. After her death, he intentionally damaged the monument and all references to her.

 

Back on the bus to visit the Habu Temple for an hour. This is Ramses III's memorial temple and contains workshops, offices, temples, a royal palace, and was the center of life of Thebes for centuries.

 

Next on the itinerary was a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Built 1300s BC there are 2 statues that stand more than 20 meters high and stand very close to the Nile and was once part of a huge Theban necropolis.

 

From here it was a quick drive back to the hotel and lunch and check out. The hotel was lovely, the bed was great, but our toilet would not flush.

 

Dave diagnosed it as a circuit breaker problem because even the manual flush didn't work, so we filled the basin with water from the attached hose (think of the one on your kitchen sink) and it worked fine.

 

The drive back was on a modern highway with few police stops or traffic humps to slow down traffic as there was on the road headed to Luxor.

 

We noticed that all the homes appeared to be unfinished. Rebar stuck up out of the top floor and all work had stopped. Our guide told us that if the house was 'unfinished' the taxes were lower, and that the eldest son and his wife were expected to build and move into the 2nd floor house, and their roof would soon sport new rebar!

 

In both our bus rides to and from Luxor as well as our trip to Petra we had a member of the tourist police that sat directly behind the driver. At each stop he leaned forward so that the police could see him and we were soon on our way. At a couple of places I swear he and the guys on the ground talked smack..

.

It was great getting back to the ship. We headed to happy hour, then Terrace, then showers, and an early bedtime. Kalpesh, our drinks waiter, now sees us coming in and brings over our faves without us ordering! Ahhhh, the joys of cruising!

[cbb]

Today we transversed the Suez Canal....one of my bucket list items. This is another example of ' humans are amazing.'

 

It was much wider in places than I had imagined but it did periodically narrow but so much of the work was done by the shovels of forced labor numbering over 30,000.

 

Sometimes there are sand dunes on the port side but are not 'real' dunes, but rather the spoils from the dredging that occurs to keep the canal open. Dig up the sand and throw it off to the side.

 

The canal has been divided into 2 'lanes' in one long area so that a ship going the other way appears to be land sailing through the sandy hills!

 

There is a WWI memorial on the port side as well as a winged woman who represents the spirit of the Egyptian people.

 

Many years ago, Frederic Bartholdi wanted to sculpt an Egyptian peasant woman holding a light at the entrance to the Suez Canal; it was to be called "Egypt carrying Light to Asia."

 

The Egyptian government could not afford it, so he changed the design and offered it to the people of the US. We know her as the Statue of Liberty.

 

The Canal is a sea-level waterway running north and south and connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean--no locks or dams needed. This canal was completed in 1869 but there has been a canal in part of this area since 1850BC.

 

Napoleon personally investigated the ancient remains when he occupied Egypt in the late 1700s but decided not to attempt its construction across the Isthmus.

 

In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps then received an order from the government of Egypt to build the Canal linking the 2 Seas and it took 10 years to build--climate, cholera and labor troubles all slowed construction.

 

Americans know de Lesseps as the guy who tried to build the Panama Canal but climate, yellow fever, and labor troubles caused him to quit the project and President Teddy Roosevelt took over and the US Congress took over.

 

We have just exited the Canal and are in the Med. We are all very interested in whether we visit our next scheduled port of call--Haifa, Israel.

 

Tensions are high in that area with the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and O may decide not to visit.

 

I'm so glad we went through the Suez. There are towns along it, a huge new bridge that spans it with no vehicles on it, and towards the delta end, agricultural fields that have fed Egyptians for millennia.

 

Another great project by humans through centuries....pretty darn amazing.

[cbb]

pictures of Luxor at drdavebradley.blogspot.com

 

 

some of them are mine!!!

[TLCOhio]

Today we transversed the Suez Canal....one of my bucket list items. Tensions are high in that area with the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem and O may decide not to visit.

I'm so glad we went through the Suez. There are towns along it, a huge new bridge that spans it with no vehicles on it, and towards the delta end, agricultural fields that have fed Egyptians for millennia. Another great project by humans through centuries....pretty darn amazing.

pictures of Luxor at drdavebradley.blogspot.com

 

Appreciate these many added details from Cynthia, plus the excellent pictures from David and his DW. Good luck for being able to visit Jerusalem. We have our fingers crossed!! I might "borrow" some of your pictures and those by Mike to share on the roll call for our Nov. 16-Dec. 6 Athens to Dubai Nautica sailing that makes most of your key port stops in the Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, etc. I have given them a link to these live postings in order to help us prepare for our late year "adventure". Will have more questions later after you complete your cruise.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

[palakika]

Cbb..Thanks for the great descriptions of your travels to Luxor. Both Dave's and your photos are really good and add a lot to the blogs. If you can imagine it, we first went to Egypt and Luxor in 1980 and could freely wander around Valley of Kings into all the tombs! It was virtually free of charge. Hope you get to Jerusalem, but safety is always first. If you don't stop in Haifa, will be interested in seeing where O takes you.

[cbb]

YAY....great news! We got into Jerusalem yesterday and there were absolutely no problems.

 

We had been to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Masada & the Dead Sea, so we opted for a shorex called "Jerusalem, Old City."

 

Our guide was a history professor from Haifa University and the only "bad" thing about him was that he wanted to make sure we knew everything that he could think of to tell us--in detail.

 

As an old history teacher I know about attention spans of students and adults are no different--especially when it was really crowded and hot hot hot!!!

 

This tour company used "whispers" which provided us with the opportunity to wander away from him and take pictures and still hear him. He was really good!

 

Our first stops were to a scenic drive into the Judean Hills so that we could see an overview of the Old City and its walls, Temple Mount, the Church of Ascension, Garden of Gethsemane and the Jewish graveyards just outside the walled city.

 

We entered through the Jaffa Gate, past security, and into the walled city. Immediately we came to a standstill as there were a bazillion people around us.

Our guide told us that Thursdays are a very popular day for bar mitzvahs.

 

So....we saw lots of well dressed boys hoisted on shoulders, drums playing, people singing, canopies swaying, professional videographers, candy on the ground, strings of white and blue balloons and a festive atmosphere everywhere. Periodically, they would stop, the celebrant would read from a scroll, and off they went again.

 

Yes, the paths inside were often blocked, but that didn't stop people coming from the other direction so there was general shoving and pushing. Our group said a lot of "excuse me" and "pardon me" but no one else did....just all part of their lives getting from one place to the other in the old town.

 

Our guide took us through part of the Moslem section, part of the Jewish section, and part of the Christian section--we did not go through the Armenian section.

 

Hasidic Jews, young Israeli army soldiers, Orthodox priests, tourists speaking many languages, and women shopping in Moslem or Jewish dress, little kids, and vendors suggesting that their goods were the very best to everyone who walked by their store---all there and cohabiting peacefully.

 

About 80 from the crew also got to go and one of our guys said everybody in his bus was so surprised about how well everybody in Jerusalem got along. He had been watching TV news and was concerned about going but partying plans on the bus overruled caution! The young people were thrilled by what they saw.

 

Our guide took us on 3-4 stops on the Via Dolorosa and explained the importance of these stops. Most of us had been raised with some religious training or had had religion courses in school so seeing it all was history brought alive.

 

Next we went to the Western (Wailing) Wall and men headed to the large spacious area where many of the Bar Mitzvah guys were and women to the very small section reserved for them.

 

Many of the women in the Bar Mitzvah celebrations stood on white plastic chairs to peer over the barrier at their men--didn't look particularly safe to me--and they were in high heels!!!

 

It was hard for me to get to the actual wall, but I made it. Place a hand on it and pray or just revel in the fact that you are there surrounded by women from around the world doing the same.

 

While others shopped in 1 place I found another and was able to buy a pair of earrings from a Moslem gentleman whose family has been in business there since 1907. The earrings are hand-made by a Jewish silversmith in Haifa. His shop was so cool...old maps, old coins, old art work....and 6 pairs of earrings--now.....minus 1!

 

Our last major stop was to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. One must climb stone steps to see a piece of rock framed which believers say is part of Calvary /Golgotha.

 

In the foyer of the building is the rock table upon which Jesus' followers say his body was placed after death. Many people from around the world were praying here and rubbing scarfs and cloth pieces on it to then take home.

 

Around the corner from the rock table is the tomb of Christ which has a very small Eastern Orthodox Church over it. Lots of red and gold lamps, gold paint, and not the way many people pictured that it would be.

 

From there, we wended our way out of the Holy City to a viewpoint of the gold-topped Dome of the Rock with gorgeous blue and gold tiles, then on to the bus to head for lunch at the Olive Tree Hotel restaurant.

 

Standard buffet offerings including soft drinks and Egyptian beer and red and white wines which were much better than what we had been offered.

 

Our trip to Jerusalem was 2.5 hrs which included a rest stop at the old place that celebrates all things Elvis Presley. People could buy beverages but primarily it was to use the bathroom facilities.

 

Return trip we did not make any stops and it was about 2 hrs back to the Nautica and was very quiet....lots of wine and beer to sleep off. Not me.....I might miss something!

 

So many cruisers were exhausted. It had been a very long hot day filled with walking very slippery stairs and walkways. Again wear good shoes and lean against the walls if there are no handrails.

 

Day 2: Today we opted to stay on board, although we did walk to the German Colony here in Haifa and took pictures of the Baha'i Gardens and then walked back to the ship--it's already well into the 30s!! I'd forgotten how peaceful a ship is when all the passengers are gone!!!

 

Come to Jerusalem and see how everyone lives together and makes co-existence work--you don't have to live and worship as your neighbor does but you accept the differences and live in peace.

[TLCOhio]

We got into Jerusalem yesterday and there were absolutely no problems. We had been to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Masada & the Dead Sea, so we opted for a shorex called "Jerusalem, Old City." Our guide was a history professor from Haifa University and the only "bad" thing about him was that he wanted to make sure we knew everything that he could think of to tell us--in detail. Come to Jerusalem and see how everyone lives together and makes co-existence work--you don't have to live and worship as your neighbor does but you accept the differences and live in peace.

 

Glad, Cynthia, you were able to dock in Israel and go to historic Jerusalem. Great news!! Appreciate these wonderful details about your guide, sights, etc., from visiting there. Loved the aspects for your shopping there, visiting the wall, seeing the famed sites, etc. Looking forward to seeing the pictures from your husband, Mike's summary, etc. Keep it coming!! Really enjoying traveling along with you and preparing for our first visit there in Jerusalem, Nov. 20-21, via the Nautica.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Finished June 2017 sailing on the Silver Spirit from Portugal to France along the scenic Atlantic Coast, plus great pre- and post-cruise experiences. Many interesting pictures and details on history, food, culture, etc., from my live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[palakika]

Glad to hear you and fellow Nautica passengers and crew were able to go to Jersalem and other places in Israel. Sometimes the lives of everyday folks aren't as affected by dangerous events as portrayed by the news! Looking forward to your photos. Thanks.

[cbb]

at trivia today, i talked to several people who were on different shorex in Israel...here's what i came away with,,,,,

 

the company(s) that O used for guiding us were great, except every single one of the guides told us that the water was $1US.....all of the other shorex this whole cruise the water, chilled, was offered as part of the excursion.

 

therefore, when you get to Israel, make sure you grab 1-2 bottles of Oceania water that is handed out as you disembark.

 

Prices people paid for cruises one shouldn't have to pay for water....that's just tacky.

 

(one trivia participant reported that his guide said all he had to do was be good enough to get good tips......several on his bus revolted and the monetary tip was $0 but they gave him a verbal 'tip.' )

[Pearl64]

Dkbustr and cbb,

 

Thank you so much for your details about this cruise. We are doing the same one next April on the Nautica so you information is invaluable. Again, thank you for taking the time to share.

 

Question for dkbustr—Did you need to give your tour company copies of your passports during the booking process? I know we just had to give names and passport numbers in St. Petersburg but this request seems that the Jordanians want more. The tour company said this was Jordanian government procedures so they can access the port. Can you enlighten me on this? Thank you.

 

Patty

[msn123]

Yes, in Jordan, in order for the tour company to meet you in the port, you do need to provide the passport information. The port is large and no walking is allowed. I think we had to provide that for Egypt, also. Between Cynthia and Mike's descriptions and pictures, not much more to add except we were fortunate to do the jeep tour in Wadi Rum as the sandstorm cleared by the time we got there. The movie "The Martian" was filmed there and the scenery is unbelievable. Both can be done in one day....if you start very early (6:30 AM for us).

[TLCOhio]

Yes, in Jordan, in order for the tour company to meet you in the port, you do need to provide the passport information. The port is large and no walking is allowed. I think we had to provide that for Egypt, also. Between Cynthia and Mike's descriptions and pictures, not much more to add except we were fortunate to do the jeep tour in Wadi Rum as the sandstorm cleared by the time we got there. The movie "The Martian" was filmed there and the scenery is unbelievable. Both can be done in one day....if you start very early (6:30 AM for us).

 

Appreciate these great details and this follow-up from our "neighbor" to the north near Cleveland. Very helpful background!! Keep it coming. Am copying these various notes to my laptop computer file for this trip.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 201,818 views for this posting.

[cbb]

Today we arrived in Limassol, Cyprus, right on time at 8:00am. We had signed up for shorex Kourion, Temple of Apollo and Osmodos Village-- #3 "free" OLife shorex!

 

We are now turning in our shorex cards in the Lounge and then everybody makes their way off ship and finds the appropriate bus, port shuttle, or private tour vehicle. Makes much more sense to me that waiting in the Lounge for the bus to be called.

 

We climbed aboard our bus with 18 others and off we went for a 20 minute drive. Everybody on board was always prompt and agility was not a problem. Stella was our guide and she did a fine job.

 

As we drove along, our route took us past the Kilossi Castle that was built by the Crusaders in the 1200s AD and perhaps Richard the Lionhearted stayed here. We also saw lots of olive trees and orange trees--two important products of Cyprus.

 

We arrived at Kourion, a city-state dating to 200BC, which is being carefully preserved by archaeologists. They have installed a roof over the mosaics and ruins of the home of a wealthy man. The tile floors still can be seen and it is pricey real estate because it has a glorious view of the Med Sea below!

 

From there it is a short walk to the Greco-Roman theater built in the 2nd century BC which has a stunning view of the sea below--it is still being used today and is in excellent condition.

 

From there we drove a short distance to the Sanctuary of Apollo with its gorgeous Corinthian columns. Apollo was a significant god to the ancient Greeks and many came on pilgrimage to this Sanctuary to worship the god of light, sun, and music.

 

Then it was off to Omodos Village--a small and lovely village with rock walls and little cobble stoned lanes to visit the Monastery of the Holy Cross--still an active church.

 

We were given free time to wander around, take pictures, buy handmade goods from local artists, and have coffee, ice cream, or in our case, a 70 cent can of cold Coke from the mini-market!

 

The weather was wonderful, although quite hot, but the people are gracious, and had many lovely handmade things for sale. Vendors are very low-key and nothing was "just a dollar."

 

This is a shorex to wear good shoes as all of the sites have uneven walkways (they are old after all!) and wear sunscreen. Currency is the Euro and English is widely spoken. A port shuttle bus in provided into Limassol, a popular tourist town.

 

Cyprus has had her share of occupational armies over the centuries and today the island is divided between Greece and Turkey. The Greeks consider the Turks to be invaders and apparently little trade or communication between people exists.

 

The Turks are given Constitutional rights and can elect representatives to the legislature but each side distrusts and dislikes the other side. All of our stops were on the Greek side.

 

Cyprus is a sunbaked island with centuries of history. The sites we visited were about 30 minutes from the port and well worth a visit.

 

pictures of our Suez Canal traverse are at drdavebradley.blogspot.com

[dkbustr]

Dkbustr and cbb,

 

Question for dkbustr—Did you need to give your tour company copies of your passports during the booking process? I know we just had to give names and passport numbers in St. Petersburg but this request seems that the Jordanians want more. The tour company said this was Jordanian government procedures so they can access the port. Can you enlighten me on this? Thank you.

 

Patty

 

Great question, Patty. I see it was covered by another cruiser, but I will verify that the Jordanian government wants this info and also requested a copy of the front and back of my CC. I gave them a copy of passport, but balked at a copy of my card. Others on our private tour were also asked for the same info, but I told the company one person in the group should be enough for the governments satisfaction, and I never heard any more about it.

 

Mike

[dkbustr]

Cynthia's reports have been excellent covering the areas we have seen, and Dave's photos on his blogspot, great also. I will just add a few photos here to accentuate the areas visited with some short references.

 

The Suez canal is amazing considering it was done in the 19th century. As to what they did with the sand from the canal, it is just piled along the side of the canal. Someone else wrote that it is just a strip of water, surrounded by sand, sand and more sand, and while that is true, the accomplishment is what you should "see" here.

 

Our queue of ships transiting the canal...

 

A WWII memorial to the side of the canal. The canal takes 11 hours to transit and costs Oceania $100,000USD...

 

[dkbustr]

To the relief of the passengers, we did make it into Haifa. We had two one day tours scheduled with the same guide and organized by a fellow passenger. The first was to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and the second, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

 

For the first time that I can remember in a long time, I ran into a guide that just didn't mesh with my preferred guiding style. She was a prior high school teacher, and treated the group like school children, including quizzing us on what we were to see. I am paying her, I do not need Christianity 101 exams. Besides, I have a book at home that includes everything she was talking about. Talking in an off the way spot for fifteen minutes in extreme detail and then giving us two minutes to wade thru the crowd and get a photo is not my style. Coupled with the extreme heat and humidity, it made my decision easy to not go on the second day's tour.

 

In that respect, I need to mention something about private tours. When someone organizes a private tour for the group, it is important to understand that if you elect to not participate in the tour for any reason, you are responsible for the payment of that tour regardless. It is unfair to the group to burden them with redividing the cost of the tour amongst the smaller group, or worse yet expecting the tour organizer to pay the difference. If I elect to drop a tour as we did for the second day, I fully expect to pay for the full tour. Here Endeth the Lesson for the Day.

 

Now onward to the pictures I got between the lecture....

[dkbustr]

A two hour drive between Haifa port and Jerusalem, yields the Holy City. For those of us in the USA, our president is a point of contention, but with the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem, you can tell where the Israeli viewpoint stands.

 

We dropped off our guide at a monastery, as she is unlicensed to guide in Bethlehem, and crossed the border into The Palestinian controlled area. Our guide said that since they have built the wall surrounding this area, peace has come to the region. I personally say that all they have done is separate two combatants, and to call it peace is a stretch. But we arrived to the Church of the Nativity with a new Palestinian guide, a very friendly, informative guide who had excellent concise information to enlighten us with.

 

 

Restoration is taking place in the church, removing soot and grime from the columns, and uncovering a hidden floor mosaic....

 

 

The Church is believed to be the site of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and within the Grotto of the Nativity, a silver star marks the spot where you can reach in and touch the granite where it is said His birth occurred. Here is the entrance to the Grotto...

 

[dkbustr]

From Bethlehem, we drove back to Jerusalem and picked up our guide. We then drove to a viewpoint of the Old City, where various sites we would be seeing in the next hours were pointed out. You can see the walled city here with the Dome of the Rock

 

 

We then traveled to the Old City, pedestrian only, and were guided thru the market toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried. Below is a common market scene with shops selling a multitude of Chinese goods especially T shirts from your favorite college and pro sports teams, lettered in Hebrew, that I'm sure were licensed by their respective organizations...

 

 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is attended by three main groups, Armenians, Greek Orthodox and Catholic. The exterior view is below..

 

 

The Greek orthodox area is highlighted by this view...

 

[dkbustr]

The Roman Catholic side of the Church is fairly subdued by Catholic Church standards..

 

 

Located within the Armenian section is the location of Jesus' grave, it is believed...

 

 

After leaving the Church, we continued thru the market toward the Dome of the Rock, which can't be entered, but adjacent to this is the Western, or wailing Wall. The men and women pray at different sections of the wall and leave prayer notes between the rocks of the Wall. We then proceeded back up thru the market to meet our bus and drive back to Haifa.