Europe – 2009 – day 12

The pictures are:
1. Our guide for today on the right and our guide for tomorrow in the middle.
2. A Pyramid
3. Our camels
4. At the Sphinx
5. Our sailboat ride.
6. A store at the market.

We had hoped for a fun day and WOW – did we ever have fun. We walked to the gate of the port and were met by our guide for the day. Her name was Miral and she was a young college grad and fluent in 3 languages. What a wonderful guide she was.

After meeting her, she called the driver and we rode 3 hours to the complex of Giza, just outside Cairo where we saw 9 pyramids. I don’t know if our pictures can really describe what they look like up close, but are they big. Not only are they tall, they are really wide. We went in one small pyramid and saw a burial chamber and set of rooms.

After that, we rode camels for about 10 minutes out into the desert and back. You don’t realize how tall they are until you are up on one. What else can I say – they were fun.

Next we visited the Sphinx and it was beautiful. We were told it was formed out of a solid block of granite that was left over from the building of a pyramid.

We then drove a little ways and had lunch at a local buffet. Thank goodness we had our guide to explain the food and it was really good.

Then we rode into the city of Cairo, a city of 23 million people, thousands of cabs and a lot of donkeys pulling carts wherever they wanted to go. We drove to the River Nile and the three of us boarded a small sailboat for about a ½ hour sail on the Nile.

After that we went to the main city bazaar and all the shops and restaurants that you could imagine.

Because this is the Ramadan period, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking from dawn to dusk and so at exactly dusk, about 6pm, almost everything stopped so that the people could eat. It was an amazing sight to see a shop with four to eight people on the floor or on small tables. Several people eating invited us to eat with them but we said no.

After the bazaar, it was time to get back in our van and head for Alexandria and our ship. We made if back in 3 hours and immediately went upstairs to find food, including pizza since we hadn’t eaten since 2:00 pm.

Tomorrow we meet a new guide and driver for a tour of the Alexandria.

Europe – 2009 – day 11

The pictures are:
1. Our guide and the first handoff outside Bethlehem.
2. The security wall between the Palestine side and the Israeli side.
3. The old city of Bethlehem.
4. Lunch.
5. The Wailing Wall.

When we looked out from our deck in the morning we saw 52 large tour busses parked at the side of the ship ready to take tour passengers on their tours. Were we glad we had booked a private tour. Being on a bus with 50 other tourists is not so bad, but it is when you get off and try to hear the guide and try to stay together, that is when it is not fun and somebody always take too much time in the bathroom!!

Anyway, the port of Ashford is Israel’s largest and is one of the oldest cities in the world.

Our guide for today was a former State Policeman for Israel and had also been a tour guide for 30 years.

We had only booked a tour of Jerusalem and asked our guide if he would take us to Bethlehem and cut out the shopping time in Jerusalem. He said he had to make some calls to set it up and if he could connect with everyone we could go to Bethlehem first.

Calls were made and we changed directions to go to Bethlehem. The problem that he had to solve was he was not allowed into Bethlehem because he was a citizen of Israel. So we stopped at the top of a hill at a really bad hotel and waited 15 minutes for this car to arrive fast and a great big guy got out and said that he would take us thru the Palestinian check-points and into Bethlehem.

Right at this point it looked like we were the central characters in a really bad movie and we were more than a little nervous but it all worked out. He took us to a gift shop where we transferred to a mini-bus with some more tourists and drove to the Church of the Nativity. The driver handed us off to another guide we took us into the Church. There was a 2 hour wait for the tour bus people but our new guide talked at length to a policeman and got us in the back way!

The Church is build like a citadel over the cave where it’s believed that Jesus was born and it is one of the world’s oldest working churches. We were able to go down into the grotto to see the cave – what an experience.

We then got back on another mini-bus and back to the gift shop where we had been told earlier we needed to buy about $30 or more in souvenirs as it was the gift shop owner who our original guide talked to that enabled us to get into Bethlehem. We bought “stuff” and were taken in another car back out of the Palestinian area across the checkpoints and to our original guide. All told, there were 5 different “guides” who got us in and out of Bethlehem.

Yesterday the Syrian, Jordan border with barbed wire and landmines and then today with people showing up and saying get in the car, driving like crazy and being transferred from an Israelite to a Palestinian citizen, we are ready to just ride camels tomorrow!!

We drove to the Mount of Olives and then traveled along the Kidron Valley to view the Garden of Gethsemane and the walls of the city.

We entered the 500 year old city and parked the car. For the next three hours we walked the city. First we went to the site of the crucifixion, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is actually the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, while control of the building is shared between several Christian churches and secular entities in complicated arrangements. Google the Church to read all about it – it was an absolute maze of rooms and churches within a church.

Then we went into the bazaar to a local place to eat. They only served one dish and had about 10 seats in the “restaurant”. The dish was chickpea humus. They had taken the chickpeas and pureed them and mixed some spices and gave us bread to go along with it. My words to describe it – “interesting”.

We then walked the Stations of the Cross and ended up at the Wailing Wall – what a site. Barb and I each placed prayers into the wall. We then walked back to the car through the Jewish section of the old city.

After getting into the car we went to the Children’s Holocaust display and I cannot describe it to you in writing but suffice to say it was moving, very moving.

Back to the car and 1 ½ hours later we were back at the port and watched a lot of the busses unload their exhausted passengers.

We had to wait for 1 hour to leave the port because one entire tour bus was late. If you take a ship’s tour and it is late, they will hold the ship; however, if you take a tour on your own like we do and you are late, they leave and you have to make your own way to the next port – we have only been close once, in Venice.

Anyway, dinner was fun and we all sat around at our table talking after dinner because they did not have a show tonight. Finally we all left and we went to the casino and for the first night, we were both winners and left the casino before midnight.

Tomorrow we arrive in Alexandria, Egypt and we stay at that port for two days before setting sail for Rome and our final two days. Egypt should be fun and not as emotional as our last two days in Israel.

Night

Europe – 2009 – day 10

The pictures are:
1. Barb with our tour guide – Avi.
2. Behind the alter is the cave at Nazareth where Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived.
3. The Jorden River where Jesus was baptized.
4. Two fences with landmines inside!!
5. Samples at lunch

6. The main course

We took over 200 hunderd pictures, wish you could see them all.

After a very short night we woke up in Haifa, Israel. Haifa is Israel’s largest port and industrial city and is located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Neither words nor pictures will be able to describe the sights that we saw and the emotions that we felt. It was truly one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable days we have ever had in a foreign country.

We were met at the port entrance at 8:30am by our tour guide, Avi Avinoam. He has lived in Haifa all his life and also is a war veteran who was wounded in one of the wars. His parents escaped Nazi Germany; however, his grandparents were killed in the concentration camp – what a guide to have.

We started off by driving for about an hour from Haifa to visit Nazareth and the visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation, where the Angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah.

Following Nazareth, we visited the Jordan River and where

Then we drove to the Sea of Galilee and then onto the Golan Heights. We took a long drive around the Golan Heights and stopped at the border of Israel and Jordan and then saw the border of Syria. The border looked very plain at first, just a tall fence with barbed wire on top. Then Avi told us that the fence was electrified. Then he showed us the second fence inside the first and then he told us that the space between the fences was mined!! We then drove by a number of outposts for Israel, Jordan and Syria. We were actually in the exact place where the Syrian’s would send bombs down on the Israel people in the valley below. We drove by Syrian pillboxes and other fortifications. The Six Year War drove the Syrians off the top of the Golan Heights and the area has been relative peaceful ever since.

We then ate at a local restaurant in a Kibbutz (commune) where we had a fish called St. Peters Fish because it came from the Sea of Galilee – it was Tilapia. We also told Avi to order for us and not only did he order the fish, but he ordered samples of 14 local dishes – what an experience we had eating lunch. Yes, Ed tasted everything and loved most and really liked the fish!!

After lunch we drove back around the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where the miracle of the fishes and bread took place and then onto the site of the Sermon on the Mount.

Then it was a one hour drive back to Haifa and a tour of the new city and back to the ship.

Just an indescribable day – I hope that I have conveyed some of the wonders to you.

Europe – 2009 – day 9

The pictures are:
1. Winning the blackjack tournament.
2. On the deck.
3. Going to dinner
4. Our table at dinner

This was our second sea day and we needed it to rest from the trip so far. Also, Ed has a cold or something. Benadryl tablets seem to be helping. Since we stayed up so late last night, we slept till almost 10am and it felt good.

Nothing much happened except walking around the ship visiting and talking to people and then at 2pm we went to the blackjack tournament. Barb also played in the tournament for only her second blackjack tournament and we both qualified for the finals.

In the finals, Ed won first and Barb won second!!! Wow was that fun. We won $500 and a genuine 100% 24 caret gold plastic trophy. The pictures is of Barb and Ed just after winning with Helen, our casino host.

It is a formal night so we dressed and were out of the room by 7:30pm so we could have pictures taken and then we just people watched.

Then we went to a marvelous dinner, saw a great show with the music of Broadway and onto the casino. We have had lots of people come up and say congratulation for our success in the blackjack the tournament.

Went to sleep about 2am and onto Israel.

Europe – 2009 – day 8

The pictures are
1. Bazaar
2. More Bazaar
3. Lunch
4. The beach
5. The Equinox at dockside

On to Turkey and we woke up in Kusadasi which is one of the most beautiful cities on the Aegean Sea. Situated on Turkey’s west coast, it is one of the country’s main vacation destinations. It is also the gateway to Ephesus. We went to Ephesus two years ago from the city of Izmir, so today we stayed in Kusadasi.

There are really only three major things to do in this city if you don’t want to go to Ephesus and they are shopping, eating and going to the beach and we did all three.

We spent the morning shopping in the bazaars of Kusadasi and we had a lot of fun. They said that there were over 1000 shops in the Grand Bazaar and I think that we went into them all. Barb bought a beautiful leather jacket, so maybe it is the year of the leather jacket, I just don’t know.

The weather was 89 at noon and it was really hot so it was time to head to the beach.

We found a lovely little sidewalk restaurant on the promenade above the beach and had a platter of beef, chicken, lamb, sausage and some other food that I didn’t quite know what it was but it was all good.

We stayed at the beach until 3 and then rode the local bus back to town and shopped some more. Shopping in the bazaars of Turkey is quite an experience. They get right in your face, grab your arm and almost pull you into their shop if you even look at something on display, but it was all fun.

Back on board we set sail for Haifa, Israel and will arrive there after a day at sea and rest tomorrow. Hope everyone back home is having a great weekend – we are.

It was a wonderful evening with dinner, a show and a great time in the casino. We left the casino at 2:30am very tired but tomorrow is a day at sea and we can catch up on our sleep and energy.

Europe – 2009 – day 7

The pictures are:
1. The walled City of Rhodes from the ship.
2. Lunch
3. The beach
4. Part of the harbor
5. The Equinox.

We woke up to another beautiful day and docked at Rhodes, Greece. During the day, the temperature was typical of the days we have had, clear and 84. Can’t beat the weather.

We walked into the old city and yes we did buy something. Barb bought a bracelet, imagine that!!

Rhodes was formed in 408 BC because it was located along a major trading passage. The old city is pretty and now is shops and shops. As we have been here before, we did not tour the city and countryside, but after shopping went to lunch at a local café. We split a Gyros plate and it was very good.

After lunch we went to the beach. Rhodes is now a major tourist destination and there are miles and miles of beaches, all with umbrellas and beach chairs to rent. If you go to Google Earth and key in Rhodes, Greece, you can see the beach that we went to. It is on the north point of the island. From Google Earth you can see all the beach umbrellas lining the beach – it is quite a sight. The beach and the sun were wonderful, but the “sand” is really volcanic rock, a lot of small rocks, not sand like we know of in the US. This was almost impossible to walk on with bare feet.

We walked back to the beach and bought a bottle of Kahlua at a local market and poured the contents into two soda bottles in order to bring it onto the ship.

We had a wonderful evening – seeing a show, eating with new friends, dancing and then a great casino visit.

At 5:45pm we set sail for Kusadasi, Turkey and seeing the island by sea as we rounded the north end of the island was a real treat.

Then after midnight it is on to bed because we will be in Turkey soon.

Night – Night!!

Europe – 2009 – Day 6

The pictures are all from the Market – an amazing place.
1. Fish
2. More fish
3. Chicken
4. The head of something

5. Cutting meat
6. Pork

Everything is just sitting out on tables, some most of the fish was on ice and the meats were just on table.

We were in the port of Athens when we woke up at 8am and by 9 we were off the ship and on the shuttle bus to take us off the docks. From there it was a 20 minute walk to the city train station and the train into downtown. The train was very crowded and while standing on the train the couple next to us said that they were from Texas and when we said we were from Bloomington, Illinois they said they had lived there. The end of the story is that Ed used to work in the same data processing department as he did. His name was Don Dugan and they left Bloomington in the late 70’s. What a small world!!

Our first stop when we got to the town was the Agora, the fruit, meat and vegetable market of Athens – what an amazing sight. The market was built in 1985 and they have 108 butcher stalls, 150 seafood stalls and 80 fruit and vegetable stalls. A stall is about 30’ wide x 40’ deep and has an average of 5 employees. The meat, fish and everything is displayed right where you can reach out and touch it if you want. Anything you want to eat is at this market. We have never seen anything like it. I hope the pictures that you see will show you how the market was.

We then found a local stand in the market and ate lunch. I do know that I had some kind of liver and other parts and Barb had some kind of sausage. That’s all we could understand but it was really good.

Then it was on to the old city to do shopping. Guess what – Barb bought 2 purses – they were a great bargain and it must be the year of the purse. We also bought a neat statue to put out by the ponds.

After shopping it was time to get on the train and head back to the port – what a fun day.

The evening was walk around, dinner, show and then the casino. Not bad for a fun evening.

Our tablemates and the ship are simply wonderful – this is probably the best ship we have ever sailed on and are looking forward to the rest of the cruise.

Night