Heading Homeward

As our friends Sally and Ange drove us to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on the 6^th of January, Sally, a veteran world cruiser, told us, “You will be getting on the ship today and getting off tomorrow!” We have been reminded of her statement many times as we sailed the world, but never has it been so apt as it is now.  Our stateroom is heaping with items to be packed – some already organized, others a jumbled mess as they try to find a temporary home in the suitcases that are being packed for the journey home.  In some ways it hardly seems possible that we have been living on the ship for nearly 112 days, but when we think of all the things that have happened, it seems like forever since we’ve been home. 

Captain Jonathan announced as we readied for our departure from our last port, Funchal, Madeira that at that point we had sailed 32,759 nautical miles and had somewhere over 3000 more to go to reach Fort Lauderdale, putting us in the vicinity of 36,000 nautical miles or nearly 40,000 statute miles.  That’s a lot of water slipping under the hull of the ms Amsterdam since our departure back on January 6^th, and of course it does not include the miles we’ve done on land.  Our friend Al has been keeping a careful log and was hoping to say that we had gone far enough to circle the world twice.  We probably can’t claim that, but we certainly have gone more than 1½ time around!

During this time we’ve had some amazing adventures!  While doing so, we’ve reestablished ties with old friends that we had met on previous cruises and made many, many new friends whom we hope to travel with again sometime.  We were absolutely delighted to be able to share the first 50 days with our friend Pam from New Lenox, especially since she had always wanted to go to Antarctica and this gave her the opportunity. (We also are so glad that her husband Paul was so understanding to urge her to do it and enjoy herself, as well as her friends who helped out when needed so she could feel comfortable being away.)  We were also thrilled that our friend Al from Arizona joined us on the cruise.  We knew it would be difficult for him being the first since his wife Carol passed away late in 2010.  We had met Ros & Gary from Australia on last summer’s Voyage of the Vikings so we looked forward to seeing them again when they boarded in Sydney (as Pam got off).  We were also extremely fortunate to get to know two wonderful couples who shared our table with us:  Bill & Candy from Atlanta joined us between Buenos Aires and Sydney, and we all hit it off immediately, thoroughly enjoying each others’ company.  We weren’t sure how we would react to having someone replace Pam and Bill & Candy, but when we met Gerda & John who were cruising from Sydney to Barcelona, we couldn’t have been happier to get to know these friendly Australians who thought the way we did and had wonderful senses of humor.  We also established friendships with Nancy & Bob, two retired professors from West Virginia who always seemed to sit near us during lectures.  We had some very interesting conversations with them, and we are looking forward to seeing them again on another cruise.  So many of the people on floor became friends as we met over breakfast, lunch, or in the Neptune Lounge: Sherry & Ron (thanks for the popcorn, Sherry!!!), Marnie & Dennis, Jan & Dick, Brenda & Bob, Peggy & Jim, Jamie & Dan, just to name a few. 

The staff and crew of the Amsterdam have once again done a fantastic job of keeping us happy, entertained, and very well-fed (unfortunately)!  We were so pleased to once again have Yohat as our dining steward and were delighted to find Herfan, whom we had also had as our steward on the 2009 Grand Voyage, promoted to the Pinnacle Grill staff.  That meant that Herfan spent quite a bit of time in the Neptune Lounge, right across the hall from us.  We were happy to see Say, our 2009 cabin steward, frequently, although we didn’t have him as our steward this year.  Instead we had two very friendly and accommodating stewards, Evan, who was always calm and serene and friendly, and DJ, who was quite gregarious and could be a real comic!  We were so pleased to see once again a couple of the Pinnacle staff, Kim, the manager, and Tina a steward, both of whom had been on the 2009 trip, and we enjoyed getting to know the other Pinnacle staff members.  Hanz and Sienna were front desk staff who were assigned to the Neptune Lounge, and nothing seemed to be too difficult for them to do.  We were also glad to get to know Jack and Gloria, AAA representatives on the ship, who were our go-to people for any questions relating to AAA. 

The list could go on and on, but I won’t attempt to name more other than the announcement made at the Mariner Society award reception.  Captain Jonathan had been moved from the Nieuw Amsterdam at the last minute to replace the previous captain, who had had to cancel out of the World Voyage at the last minute due to family-related reasons.  Captain Jonathan hadn’t been able to say whether he would remain assigned to the Amsterdam or if he would return to the Nieuw Amsterdam again.  However he reported that he has been assigned to the Amsterdam now and would be doing the World Cruise next year also!  Those people who choose to do the 2013 World Cruise I’m sure will be as pleased as we have been with him!  He’s by far the most friendly and approachable captain we’ve met on any of the cruises we have done!  So this was great news for world cruisers, in our opinion! 

We’ve learned so much from the Explorations Speakers provided throughout the cruise; these people have provided us excellent insights into the lands and waters we have traveled: history, geography, zoology, culture, and even various aspects of folklore, all of which have greatly enriched our enjoyment of our ports and life at sea. 

As we sailed the world, we have visited all seven continents (Antarctica and Africa are new to us) and four of the five oceans, having been in the waters of the Atlantic, Southern, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in that order.  (I’m not sure when they added that fifth ocean because when I taught Geography as part of History, there were only four.  Now they have added the Southern Ocean.)  The only one we “missed” was the Arctic, which we were in last summer.  So we can honestly say that within the past year we’ve been in all five of those oceans!   Al has also kept a running list of seas we’ve sailed.  I am hoping to get a full list from him, but to name a few, we’ve sailed the Caribbean, South China, Arabian, Red, Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian, Adriatic, and Sargasso.  We’ve visited 15 new countries: Dominica, Barbados, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Indonesia (home to so many of our dining and cabin stewards), China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, and Portugal.  We’ve also added some “distant” islands belonging to countries we’d already visited:  Falklands (owned by the United Kingdom), Easter Island (belonging to Chile and the most remote island in the world, about 2600 miles from the nearest neighbor), and Corsica (a part of France in the Mediterranean). 

We have also been in the Amazon River basin and crossed the Nile River – the two that vie to claim the title of longest river in the world.  We have weathered the waters of Cape Horn, the Drake Passage and the Strait of Magellan, as well as forging through pirate territory and traversing the amazing Suez Canal. We have been to the tops of mountains and witnessed Mount Etna spewing ash into the air. We have passed through deep valleys cut by glaciers and v-shaped valleys nestled between mountains that towered above them.

We have seen the pristine waters and magnificent views of Antarctica with its shining white snowcapped landscape, waters teeming with penguins skimming along the surface as well as icebergs bobbing past, sometimes with seals, other times with penguins.  We have watched whales (at least three different species – humpback, orca, and minke) greet us with a dorsal fin or a fluke, and we have seen dolphins joyously arcing over the surface or spinning in the air as if sending hellos to their human counterparts on the ship.  We’ve been among the fortunate people who have witnessed those magnificent soaring sea birds, the albatross, following us as we sailed through the cold climates of the Southern Hemisphere and have watched the tiny hummingbirds darting about searching for nectar in the rainforest of Dominica.  We were fascinated by the red-footed booby which found a perch on the flagpole of the ship where he sat for hours as we approached Australia.   We’ve seen the very rare platypus, the funny little wombat, the aggressive cassowary, the sleepy koala, and the formidable saltwater crocodile, all fascinating animals indigenous to Australia; and we learned to tell the difference between kangaroos and wallabies.  We visited the island of Komodo where we saw the rare but deadly Komodo dragon.  We saw exotic animals at the Night Safari in Singapore, rode an elephant, and watched wild camels crossing the desert of the Sinai.  We saw more donkeys used as beasts of burden than we had ever dreamed still existed. 

We have visited the ruins of ancient cultures in Egypt and Greece and have visited modern new countries such as Singapore.  We’ve seen war-torn countries like Vietnam and the Falklands.  We’ve seen incredible richness in Montevideo and Singapore and incredible poverty in some of the Southeast Asian countries.  We’ve seen places where we could practically eat off the floor and places where the filth was almost unimaginable. 

Yet everywhere we’ve been greeted with the warm friendly smiles of the citizens who are so proud of their heritage and ready to share their culture, customs, and lifestyles with us.  We’ve been introduced to the various cultures and have enjoyed seeing a wide variety of native dances: the samba of Brazil, the tango of Argentina, the whirling dervish of Egypt, the flamenco of Spain, as well as cultural music and dances from Hong Kong, Vietnam, and India.  We’ve learned about very different religions:  Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist, and agree that we were interested in learning about them.    Everywhere we’ve gone we’ve been impressed by the enthusiastic welcome we’ve received and the eagerness of the people to show off their heritage. 

So as we head across the Atlantic and our thoughts turn toward home, we are sad to see our long voyage coming to an end.  Bruce announced at Good Morning Amsterdam that they expect to unload 18,000 pieces of luggage at the end of the world cruise.  My goodness, that sounds like a lot of luggage!  To get them organized and sent on their way within a few hours sounds like a very daunting task.  Just getting our own items packed seems daunting. 

We so appreciate the help of those who have done so much for us:  Marcia, our travel agent, who continued to problem-solve for us while we were gone; Pat, who so willingly took care of our mail and especially our bills; Rick, who checked on our houses regularly to make sure that all was well; our neighbors, who kept a constant eye out for us. 

Chuck commented that this was the longest he had been out of the United States.  I was away longer when I spent a semester studying in Grenoble, France.  I left the US on February 9^th and returned home on June 21^st of that year, making my time away 131 days, just 19 days longer than this cruise.  So now we look toward making the circle complete when we arrive back in the port where we started our journey so many months ago:  Fort Lauderdale, where we can once again set foot on American soil – home sweet home! 

Breathes there a man with soul so dead

Who never to himself has said,

This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,
As home this footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on a foreign strand!
                                          Sir Walter Scott

BT

A Fitting Finale: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

And so … our last port of call on this amazing trip suggests that our days are dwindling fast.  Our first time ever to Portugal is to the Atlantic island of Madeira and the port of Funchal.  By the time we reached Funchal, this was to be our 39^th and last shore excursion.  Several days ago, Barb had said she was getting burned out by shore excursions and was half wishing we hadn’t booked and paid for one in our last port.  But, having paid for it and too late to cancel with any refund, she decided she would soldier on and do it.  And was she ever glad she did!

For our finale, we chose a long 7½ hour tour, Unforgettable Scenery of West Madeira and the tour couldn’t have been more aptly named!  Our friends, Sally and Ange, with whom we stayed way back in January before boarding the world cruise, had recommended this tour and were we ever glad they did.  It was some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever seen and it wasn’t just one small segment; it was virtually all 7½ hours.  The time absolutely flew.

The excursion description stated, “The magnificent coastal and inland scenery of Madeira will leave you breathless.”  And it did!  As we left Funchal, we began to climb even before leaving this city of over 100,000 on an island of about 250,000 people.  Funchal itself is known for its beautiful flowers, and in fact while we were in port they were holding an annual floral show in the city.  Many people had decided not to book shore excursions and just to enjoy walking around town and looking at the beautiful floral display.  Pasadena, California is noted for its annual Rose Parade and decorative creations with flowers.  Funchal’s is somewhat different in that they are arranged more in carpets for display.  Competitions are held and prizes announced.  On Sunday, a parade will take place but of course we will be at sea.  Had we known that this event would be held while we were there, we might have skipped the shore excursion.  Thank goodness we didn’t!  As we returned to town, the guide instructed the driver to drive down the street where the floral displays were being shown so we could get a taste as to what was happening in the city.

As soon as we left the port in the morning, we began to climb the mountain roads, passing through small picturesque villages.  Our first stop was at Câmara de Lobos.  At one time it had been a nesting place for seals, but now the seals are no longer there, although a lighthouse still stands.  It’s a fishing village made famous by Winston Churchill who had a particular spot that he especially liked and as an amateur painter, he enjoyed his respites in Câmara de Lobos and we understand why.  This was followed by a photo opportunity at Cabo Girão, the second highest sea cliff in the world (behind only a location in Taiwan).  It was a spectacular sight with the cliff dropping off directly below us.  Vendors were beginning to put out the wares for sale which included lots of colorful tea towels, bread holders, embroidered items, and lace products.  They were also selling a locally made hard candy with various fruit flavors.  Madeira being our last port, many people used the opportunity to spend some spare Euros.

Back on the bus, we were treated to continuous breathtaking scenery until we arrived in the village of Ribeira Brava for a refreshment/shopping/photo stop.  It was another village with wonderful seascapes and a nice assortment of products for sale in its shops.  Every place we stopped, we could have stayed longer, just soaking in the local color and unique characteristics of each individual location.  The bus took the road along the north coast, through Encumeada Pass with striking glimpses of dramatic scenery sweeping down from high mountains to valleys below.  Many times we could see villages in the distance. As we drove, everywhere we looked, in the valleys and along the mountain sides, the fertile land was used for agriculture.  Madeira had been created by volcanic action that created lush, fertile lands.  We saw many banana tree groves, some of which had blue bags over the bunches of bananas to catch any that might fall from the trees.  Much of the land was terraced and vineyards were indications of grape growing (which produced the Madeira wine that many people enjoy). 

We saw everything from banana to eucalyptus trees, jacarandas just coming into bloom to pine trees, depending on where we were and what the elevation was.  After steep climbs, we reached the tree line and suddenly the lush forest vegetation ended and the yellow color of gorse predominated.  Cows were grazing in many areas and on one hairpin road below us, we saw several cows meandering down the road.  At this level, the landscape flattened out somewhat and we were actually going over somewhat level ground.

When we came to a good vantage point, once again we piled off the bus for a great look at the seaside town of Porto Moniz which was right next to an excellent display of volcanic rock which enhanced the beauty of the village.  Once again, down the winding road to the village took us to our restaurant for our lunch.  Barb and I and several from our bus managed to get window seats looking out at the sea and the volcanic rock.  We commented how sorry we were that our Aussie friends, Gary and Ros, had had to cancel this tour because Ros hadn’t been feeling well the last couple days.  We know they would have enjoyed it.  Al, too, didn’t go, having cancelled the excursion a few days ago when he found out so much was going on in town.  We were sorry that he had missed this unbelievable scenery, but we were so glad we had made the decision to come on this tour.  The problem was that there is no way to explain to those who haven’t seen it, what we could observe with our own eyes.  After a good lunch, Barb and I had the opportunity to wander along the coast of the village and on several streets as well.  Another beautiful village on Madeira!  Shortly after leaving Porto Moniz, we slowed to watch a spectacular waterfall which dropped from high above us.  The camera batteries certainly got a big workout today from those on this tour!

Yet one more treat was waiting for us in the small village of São Vicente.  It’s located at the base of a dramatic rock cliff which towers high above one part of the village.  Other barriers aren’t quite as steep, but there were mountains on all sides.  In one place, I noticed some stairs seeming to climb to the heavens.  I wondered who had to make regular climbs down and up those stairs – certainly an area that wasn’t handicap accessible!

In each place, our guide gave us free time to wander around and do what we wanted to do.  Barb and I sometimes split up, each going to see whatever we wanted in the time we had.  Consistently, though, we always had to head back to the bus with some unseen treasure around the next bend that we lacked the time to check.  In this village, what stood out in my mind was a lovely small church with a beautiful tower.  It even accommodated my camcorder by striking three times at exactly 3 PM.  I hadn’t planned it, but glad I was able to capture the sound.  The inside was beautiful and ornate, another treat for the eyes.  Outside was a quiet cemetery with flowers adorning nearly every grave.  Barb commented that it seemed that there was an overabundance of 2009 death dates on the makers and we wondered if sections of the cemetery were filled in order of death unlike in the US where families have plots that are used as needed over the decades.

With our ship due to sail at 5 PM, it was getting close to 4 PM when we returned to Funchal.  The time passed so quickly and we had seen so much.  It was time to leave this delightful island and reboard the Amsterdam one last time before setting foot on American soil again for the first time since January 6.  But Barb and I agreed that we would love to come back here some day!  In fact, as we were in line to pass through ship security after our excursion, the lady in front of me said she had done this tour several years ago and had made a note to herself that if she came back, she wanted to do this very same tour a second time! 

It’s the longest I have ever been out of the US.  We now have seven full sea days to prepare to get off our home for the 112 days.  The upcoming week will speed by too quickly, but it’s time to go home and we look forward to seeing friends and family and settling back to our routines.  (However we don’t look forward to plowing through the mail, get income taxes, for which we had applied for an extension this year, completed, and other surprises which await us at home.)

So for now, it’s full speed across the Atlantic, and some serious packing to do before we reach Ft. Lauderdale!

CT

Cadiz: White Villages and the Artistry of Flamenco

As we sailed south and west from Barcelona, we welcomed a day at sea after eight straight days in port.  Sometime during the night before arriving in Cadiz, we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.  The Strait of Gibraltar is only eight miles wide, and as much as we would have enjoyed doing some scenic cruising, neither of us was particularly eager to get up and go out on deck between 1 and 2 AM in hopes of seeing the famous Rock of Gibraltar.  For all we know, it might not have been lit and we would have seen nothing anyway.  So we decided to be content knowing that we had passed through this famous waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. 

So now we are back in the waters where we started in January – the Atlantic.  Cadiz is a major coastal city in the region of Andalusia (a region known for its horses).  Founded as a trading center by the Phoenicians over 3000 years ago, making it the oldest city in the entire continent of Europe.  Its original name was Gadir, meaning “walled city”.  Cadiz changed hands many times throughout its long history, with the name evolving with each foreign possession.  The Romans called it Gades; the Moors renamed it Qadis, from which the modern form of the name, Cadiz, is derived.   The Moors, coming up from Africa, quickly took over the Iberian Peninsula in the 1100s, but were driven out by the Christians by the next century.  In 1495 Christopher Columbus set sail on his second voyage to the New World from Cadiz. 

We were scheduled for two tours in Cadiz.  The first, White Villages and Countryside, took us around Cadiz for a panoramic tour before heading south along the coastline out of the city.  We drove past picturesque seascapes as well as farms dotted with horses and bulls.  Andalusia is an area also known for its bullfighting and is the only region in Spain that has not made this sport illegal.  The tide was out so some of the land was puddled and the boats were high and dry. 

Our first major stop was Vejer de la Frontera, perched high atop a hill.  Following our guide upward, we toured through narrow and winding cobblestoned streets through the picturesque village, peeking into quaint courtyards and passing all four of the watch towers of the village.  As had been described in the tour title, the entire village is white!  It was reminded us somewhat of Santorini, but here the roofs were made of tiles other than the brilliant Mediterranean blue that Santorini is famous for.  The streets were so narrow that it was hard to believe that even the smallest of cars could negotiate them, but they did, as we flattened ourselves against walls to allow the occasional cars that did attempt to navigate the roads to pass. 

We entered a small castle; the only original part left was the stone archway shaped like a large keyhole that had been built when the Moors were still living in the area.  We didn’t get beyond the courtyard as everything else was closed. 

Every corner we turned seemed to present another photographic opportunity as we saw lovely flowers on walls, doors opening onto courtyards that showcased elaborately tiled walls, and always narrow ribbons of cobbled roads that seemed to make us feel like we were navigating a maze. 

Safely back on the bus, we passed through La Brena Nature Park, protected pine forest.  It wasn’t until we were close enough to actually see the trees that I could identify them as pine trees.  They certainly were different from any other fir trees I’d seen.  I usually think of pines as a rather conical shape, but these were shorter and round at the top, more like lollipop trees! 

Fortunately the weather cooperated to some extent because our next stop was very dependent upon whether we would be able to see anything!  Our destination was the Trafalgar Cape lighthouse, famous for the naval battle between the English and the Franco-Spanish troops.  Lord Horatio Nelson used a different battle plan than was traditional, which caused the French and Spanish to be soundly defeated, having lost a very large part of their ships, while the English lost no ships.  Although he was mortally wounded, Nelson died knowing that he had secured a resounding victory for the English.  He is memorialized with a statue perched atop a tall column overlooking Trafalgar Square in London, which is Chuck’s absolute favorite location in that city!  We were both very anxious to see the location of this historic sea battle and were glad that, although not picture perfect weather, we could see the white lighthouse standing out on the point with its backdrop of cloudy gray skies. 

Our final stop was the small coastal town of Conil, where we had the opportunity to wander the streets on our own.  I enjoyed meandering through the small streets and checking out the little shops at my own pace rather than being herded from place to place by a tour guide.  Again, displaying its white painting, the town afforded many photo opportunities.  I popped in and out of various shops and snapped pictures down the cobblestoned streets while Chuck climbed the small watch tower for a panoramic view of the village and seascape. 

We followed the same route back to Cadiz and the ship, but this time the tide was coming in and the boats were no longer stranded.  As we drove, our guide pointed out a small flock of birds.  I had never seen flamingoes in the wild before, but it immediately made me think of our cousin Jenny, who absolutely loves flamingoes!  I wish one of us had been ready to snap a picture, but we sailed past them so quickly that we didn’t have a chance!  Sorry, Jenny! 

During the afternoon Chuck took the time to go out and explore Cadiz while I worked on pictures and the blog.  While he was gone he ran into DJ, one of our cabin stewards, enjoying his time in town with friends.  Earlier in the day I had asked our other steward, Evan, if he was going ashore.  I had asked him the same thing sometime last week, and he gave me the same reply both times:  “No.  I was here on the Noordam last summer.  DJ hasn’t ever been in the Mediterranean so I gave him my time off so he has a chance to see these ports.”  I guess this just shows what a generous person he is!  As far as we can figure, these guys work 14 or so hours a day, always with smiles on their faces, and always eager to please.  Time off is very precious, so I have to admire a person who also gives his time to a friend who would like to see a new part of the world!

Chuck and I were signed up for the last complimentary shore excursion provided by AAA, An Evening of Flamenco.  The night before we had told our dining steward Yohat that we would need to be finished with dinner by 6:30 at the latest, so he took our order that evening and told us to come at 5:20 rather than the regular time of 5:30.  We really appreciated his efforts; we were totally finished with dinner by 6:15 so we were able to get things organized before leaving the ship. 

Before being delivered to the restaurant where we would enjoy an evening of dance, we were given a panoramic tour of Cadiz, our second for the day.  However, this evening it was sunny as opposed to the overcast skies of the morning so picture-taking was much better!  The bus dropped us off at the end of a block and we navigated the extremely narrow street (wide enough for a single car and two very small sidewalks) to La Cava restaurant, where we were packed into seats for the performance.  If we had felt like sardines at the restaurant in Naples where we had pizza, this was twice as tight!  Not only were we wedged in, but we were up against a wall so couldn’t even back our chairs up to get out!  However, we did have a good location in that we were able to see most of the dancing.

First, however, we were served tapas.  Had we known we would be given so much food, we certainly wouldn’t have indulged in a full dinner on the ship!  When we sat down there were plates at each place with sausages, hams, and cheeses.  Bread and bread sticks were in baskets on the tables, and as we ate these samples, dishes of fried cheeses, fish sticks, and a kind of fried potato patty were served.  Neither of us felt like eating much so we sampled some of the things and left others.  About a half hour later, the performers mounted the stage: a guitarist and a singer, as well as three flamenco dancers – two women and a man.  Talk about a high energy dance!  I know what energy it used to take me to do those clogging routines when I was in the dance group, and those routines lasted about five minutes each.  Then we would get a breather.  These dancers would dance for up to about fifteen minutes straight with no break!  With only two exceptions (the first and last numbers), each did solo dancing that involved very quick and fancy footwork and graceful hand movements as they whirled and twirled across the stage.  It was an amazing display of talented artwork!  We were delighted to have been able to see such a beautiful performance!  As we drove the few minutes back to the ship (we could actually see the ship from the place we boarded the bus) the tour guide told us that the male dancer is famous throughout Cadiz for his flamenco dancing skills; in fact he has very recently returned from Japan, where he spent time demonstrating and teaching flamenco to the Japanese!

While we had been at dinner, Captain Jonathan made an announcement indicating that when we set sail at 11:00 we would be entering the Bay of Biscay.  There had been quite a storm a little farther north that would cause tremendous swells in the waters we would be sailing.  He suggested that we secure any breakable items, so when we returned to the ship we got busy stashing things away as we had done so many months ago crossing the Pacific between Punta Arenas and Easter Island.  This time, though, it would not involve winds, just swells that would rock us.   And rock us they did!  The ship has been rolling and pitching for hours.  Considering the length of this cruise, though, it’s incredible to think that these rocky waters are the very first we’ve encountered since early February!

So now we are headed toward our final port of call on our voyage throughout the seven continents, Funchal, Madeira, a Portuguese island off the coast of Africa. 

BT

Lively Barcelona, Spain -- The Heart of Catalonia

Because we had visited Barcelona four years ago and had spent our entire time in this lively city, we decided we wanted to do one of our two days outside Barcelona.  Not having been very knowledgeable about Spanish history (let alone the Spanish language!), my first introduction to Barcelona came in 1992 when I watched the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.  The views of Barcelona that were shown at that time made me want to visit there sometime.  So after our brief visit at the end of our Mediterranean cruise in 2008, I was pleased that Barcelona was included as one of the major ports on our World Cruise.  In fact our tour guide told us that Barcelona is the fourth busiest cruise ship port in the world!  Sadly however, unemployment is 22% in Spain today, up from 8% only a few years ago, and it’s one of the countries in the Eurozone whose economy is on the brink.

Barcelona’s population ranks behind only Madrid as the second largest city in Spain and because it’s on the Mediterranean Sea and in the northeastern part of Spain, it draws cruisers that Madrid isn’t able to attract.  The city has experienced rule by a variety of rulers including the Carthaginians, the Romans, Visigoths, and the Moors before the Moors were driven out of Europe.  Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia and even today many residents consider themselves Catalonians before saying they are Spanish.  Most people here can speak the Catalan language as well as Spanish. The Pyrenees Mountains are visible and separate Spain from France.  The tiny country of Andorra is nestled high in the mountains and our tour guide told us that because it is separate from both Spain and France but is overwhelmed by the sizes of those two countries, that there is an agreement that Andorra will be under Spanish jurisdiction for four years, followed by French jurisdiction for four years and then back to Spanish, a fact I had never known.  But then I don’t consider myself an authority on Andorran history!   Needless to say it causes confusion since the official language shifts back and forth between Spanish and French every four years.  Fortunately both Spain and France now use the Euro so at least the currency remains the same.

Shortly after we docked about 11:30 AM, we boarded our shore excursion called Montserrat Monastery to climb high into the Montserrat Mountain Ridge.  “Serrat” comes from jagged or serrated and the name fits because the mountains in this area are quite serrated.  The Montserrat Mountain Range is the site of a monastery where people come to worship La Moreneta, the Black Madonna, who is patron-virgin of Catalonia.  A Benedictine community includes about 80 monks who still live there.  Roman Catholics come to Montserrat Monastery to pay homage to the Black Madonna and others come to see the monastery and basilica because of its unique location on a natural platform 2380 feet above sea level.

Just before we got off the motorway outside Barcelona, we stopped for a photo of the monastery from ground level, far below the monastery.  The guide noted that she only stops if the weather is good and the view is clear.  On this sunny day (at the time), we had a great view of the monastery.  We turned off the main road and began climbing higher and higher for a second day of hairpin turns and switchbacks which kept hearts in the mouths of those who don’t like heights (like me!).  We had had hairpin turns the previous day in the Prunelli, near Ajaccio, Corsica, and even on narrower roads there, but somehow the sheer drop and the expansive view of the landscape made the drive to Montserrat seem more nerve-wracking.  This was especially true when the driver had to stop the bus on the road with the 40 passengers and then when it lurched back each time when he resumed the drive. I maintained confidence – sort of – that the brakes wouldn’t fail at the wrong time and, since this is being written, I am pleased to report that they didn’t fail us.  I overheard one person say this was worse than the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier Park in Montana, a drive that kept me on pins and needles back in the mid-1980s when I attempted it.

Safely to the top, we found the monastery area jammed with cars, tour buses, and people on a Sunday afternoon.  Our tour guide, Michelle, led us along a viewing platform that we had seen far below. Now we could look down to where we had been and far out to the landscape that included the Pyrenees Mountains (and maybe somewhere in there, tiny Andorra) and out to the Mediterranean Sea.  While we walked we heard a loud motor and realized that it was a helicopter coming in for a landing just ahead of where were walking.  Barb and I could swear there was a person hanging outside the helicopter on the other side from where we were, before they climbed in.  If that was really the case they were hanging outside the copter with nothing but air between them and the ground below.  The helicopter landed and took off again.  It repeated this process two more times while we prepared to enter the basilica.  Our guide assured us that whoever had been rescued was “fine” and was being taken to the hospital.  Several of us commented to each other that if someone is “fine”, they don’t usually head for the hospital!

We entered the basilica along with hundreds of others and looked around at the icons and religious symbols.  We could view the Black Madonna from the sanctuary of the basilica but for a closer look, we would have to stand in a line, about an hour and a half long, to see the shrine.  We didn’t have that kind of time, so had to be content with the distant view.  In fact, Barb and I didn’t know exactly where we were supposed to look, so we asked the Catholic priest from the ship who had come to Montserrat where we were supposed to look and he directed our attention.

As we returned to the bus for the drive down the mountain, the sky had turned black and we could see lightning in the distance.  A few claps of thunder were heard, including one loud enough to make the bus vibrate.  Fortunately we took a gentler path down and as we got lower, the rain subsided and when we returned to the ship, there was no rain.  It was another great excursion and we were happy that the return to the ship was uneventful.

            On our second day we stayed entirely within Barcelona in order to take a tour that focused on the architecture of the great Spanish artist and architect, Antonio Gaudi.  Our friend and Lincoln-Way East Art teacher, Dale Sandoval had told us before we made our 2008 visit to Barcelona to be sure not to miss Parc Güell (Güell Park) because it was built using the imaginative architecture of Gaudi. Our cruise that year had concluded in Barcelona but we had opted to stay an extra day there and had visited the fascinating Güell Park at that time. The taxi had taken us to the bottom of the hilly park and we had climbed up.  Barb was starting to get bronchitis and was just a few weeks away from her knee replacement. Those factors combined with approximately 100° heat made it difficult for her to appreciate it.  Fortunately those factors weren’t present this year, so we took the shore excursion, Gaudi’s Barcelona.  As we drove along the streets of Barcelona, we marveled at the ingenuity of Gaudi.  He was a late 19^th and early 20^th century avant guarde architect whose presence was evident throughout this city.  Although there are few parks, Barcelona boasts over 150,000 trees.  They line most of the busy streets and enhance the interesting architecture.  We made a short photo stop to look at a building at Casa Milà, another of Gaudi’s efforts.  Our guide pointed out the interesting street lamps, also influenced by Gaudi.

           One of the two major highlights of the tour was the stop at Güell Park.  Barb vowed she was not going to hike up park as we had done in 2008, but this time our guide took us to one of the main entrances where we could walk down to the lowest portion of the park.  Needless to say this made it much easier.  Gaudi, from whom derived the word “gaudy”, had developed the park as supposedly a residential area, but it never was accepted in that way, so the financier, Güell, who gave his name to the location, agreed to make it a park that would feature the vision of Gaudi.  It’s rather difficult to explain the park to those who haven’t seen it.  One has to see it or see a number of pictures to comprehend the park.  There are ornate concrete columns that supposedly represent trees. There are cubicles near the top to accommodate the birds and their nests and they are used for that function!  There are long, wavy benches with decorative tiles somewhat similar to what we had seen nearly three months ago on the Tile Staircase in Rio de Janeiro except that in Barcelona the tiles were original whereas in Rio, they were tiles that had been sent from places throughout the world.  This park was a fun place to visit and I could enjoy going back there a third time if I come back to Barcelona.  Any first time visitor should make Güell Park a priority.

            Our guide, as well as the ship’s staff, warned us of pickpockets in Barcelona.  The guide, Maria, said that Barcelona is generally a safe city except for the pickpockets.  We were urged to keep close watch on valuables so we kept virtually everything zipped in our clothing and kept firm control of our cameras. As our guide was explaining the unique benches, we noticed three young men, probably about 20 years old, intently watching us and appearing to be interested in what our guide was saying.  We were pretty sure they were pickpockets checking out their possible victims within our tour.  Later, when we had some free time, I was up a slight hill while Barb was down below.  She motioned to me that she wanted to take a picture, and then called up for me to watch out.  Later she said there were probably some pickpockets behind me but they moved on when they saw her talking to me.

            Our final stop was at the Gaudi masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia (Holy  Family) Cathedral.  It had been started during Gaudi’s lifetime and is still unfinished.  The façade we viewed in 2008 now has the scaffolding away and they are working on other areas.  Revenue comes from the many tourists who pay to enter the cathedral to take pictures without restrictions.  The plan is to complete the work by 2027.  The sculpturing depicts much of the life of Jesus. In fact we entered through the Nativity Façade and exited through the Passion Façade and noted the relevant architecture both entering and exiting.  When we left, we saw cranes moving back and forth working on the upper reaches of the exterior and even saw several men strapped to lifelines as they worked on the façade.

           The interior was much brighter and airier than I had expected.  I anticipated a dark sanctuary as are many old cathedrals but Gaudi wanted light to dominate so many of the windows are not dark stained glass but are either clear or lighter stained glass.  Our guide pointed out some new stained glass that hadn’t been there two weeks ago.  The four main pillars are named for the four apostles and have plaques representing them high and close to the ceiling.  There are 56 pillars – one for each week of the year and four for the four apostles.  The church is not yet used for daily and weekly mass but rather for special occasions.  On November 10, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI came to Barcelona to dedicate the cathedral and hold a mass there.  It is large enough to accommodate 8,000 at one time for worship.

            After concluding our visit to La Sagrada Familia, we returned to the ship, passing the famous shopping and night life street, Las Ramblas.  We had had time to stroll Las Ramblas in 2008 but not this time.  Passing the famous Christopher Columbus landmark statue, we returned to the ship, proudly pleased that we still had possession of everything we had taken with us – no pickpockets for us.  We hope that will be the same when we visit Cadiz, our second to the last port and, from what we hear from others, another very interesting city and one, apparently, that is more representative of a typical Spanish city.

            Once again, visiting a country that uses the Spanish language, reminds us of all the high school Spanish classes we have subbed in, mostly at Lincoln-Way, but for me a number of years ago in Hamburg as well.  Barcelona is a great, vibrant city to visit and I highly recommend it to anyone who has never had a chance to come here.

CT

The Dramatic Scenery of Corsica

Ah, France!  I was so pleased to get to a country where I could finally understand the language – at least to some extent!  Now as citizens babble away in their native tongue, I can pick up the gist of their conversations! 

Chuck and I commented that this was the third year in a row we’ve been to France.  After not having been in France since 2001, it was nice to get back again, and all three times have been areas that have been new to me:  In 2010 we had the pleasure of doing a World War II Venues tour that took us to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, as well as to Compiegne and Reims – all new experiences.  On our 2011 cruise we visited St. Malo, where we had the opportunity to make the climb to Mont St. Michel – another new experience.  This year we’re in Corsica, an island off the coast of Italy which is now part of France. 

Ajaccio, where we are docked, was founded in 1492 (easy to remember) as a colony of Genoa.  It was considered a part of Genoa until 1755 when it was sold to France.  Probably Ajaccio’s (and Corsica’s) greatest claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.  The Corsicans are very proud to claim him as a favorite son, but when he was a child, his mother was driven from their family home after her husband died, something that Napoleon never ever forgot.  The home where he was born is now a museum. 

When we returned to the ship after our shore excursion in Naples, we found a message telling us that it would be necessary to tender in Ajaccio.  Having thought we’d experienced our last tendering in Phuket, Thailand, the entire ship was not very happy, but apparently the weather had been bad enough that the port had not had the opportunity to dredge the dock area to allow for a ship the size of the Amsterdam.  However, to make a long story short, the port put forth monumental effort with a little break in the weather and managed to dredge the port enough to allow us to dock!  Mass relief! 

Arriving earlier than planned and not having to tender allowed us time to get off the ship and wander the town before our afternoon shore excursion.  Being a Saturday, the town was having their typical French market so we enjoyed browsing the booths there, which included all sorts of interesting (and reminiscent) wares.  I absolutely had to buy a baguette, having fallen in love with them when I studied in Grenoble.  I wish I could have found some pain sucré, one of my college favorites (a very small loaf of bread covered with granules of sugar).   We wandered through the fish market and got a kick out of looking (but definitely not buying) the various kinds of seafood, including squid, shrimp, crab, lobster, and what looked like eel and catfish. 

Unfortunately it started to rain, and since I’m still fighting the cough I’ve had since Mumbai, I decided it was time to head back toward the ship – earlier than I’d anticipated, but trying to avoid further respiratory problems.

The entire time I walked the streets, I thought of Lincoln-Way French teachers Dawn Floyd and Karina Tulley and their students, whom I’ve so enjoyed subbing for.  I wished I could have bottled up some of the Corsican atmosphere and taken it home with me to share with them all! 

As we waited on the bus for our shore excursion to begin, Chuck commented that the port seemed to be loaded with policemen, all of whom were well-armed.  He had taken a picture this morning, and when he asked me to translate the sign, we decided that Nicolas Sarkozy had been in Corsica on the 13^th and wondered if that might be the reason for all the policemen.  As we set out on our excursion, our tour guide confirmed this theory, explaining that Corsica doesn’t have a large enough police force to protect the President so they had to bring police over from the mainland. 

All three of us (Al, Chuck, and I) took the shore excursion, Panoramic Prunelli.  We couldn’t have been happier with our choice!  The excursion took us out of Ajaccio and up into the mountainous regions of Corsica.  Driving along narrow roads with lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns was not for the faint of heart, and fortunately we had a very skilled bus driver who made it look easy, even when he was negotiating roads that gave him only inches on each side of the bus!  The scenery was nothing short of spectacular and impossible to put the beauty into words!  We made a few photo stops that allowed us to get off the bus and look out over the picturesque scenery, all the time watching for traffic on the extremely narrow roads.  At one point we encountered several goats meandering down the road, and we wondered how our driver would maneuver around them.  The tour guide joked that she called the farmers and told them to let the goats out to give the tourists a thrill.  We rolled through tiny villages built into the sides of steep cliffs, wishing we could stop and stroll through at our leisure, but realizing that it would be quite impractical to have a tour bus park on the road there and block traffic. 

At one point we stopped at a local restaurant to sample local foods: some cheeses, sausages, and baked goods.  I picked up a map on a side table and asked the waitress to show me where we were.  It took her awhile to find it because, as she explained, the roads were so narrow that they didn’t show up on the map!  That certainly was easy to believe!

Wildlife wasn’t abundant, but we were just as happy not to encounter some of the many wild boars that roam the island.  We would have enjoyed seeing some deer, but all we saw in the wild were birds.  However, in addition to the goats I mentioned earlier, we saw lots of sheep, cows, horses, and some donkeys, which apparently are commonly used by locals in the mountains for transportation. 

Our day wasn’t the sunniest; the skies were cloudy for most of the tour, so we can only begin to imagine how spectacular the scenery would have been with clear skies.  I’m sure the locals were hoping for rain though because we could see that the lakes were very low.  Since they use hydroelectricity for power, they need the water to provide the power.  As a result, and with virtually no industry other than tourism and agriculture, there is practically no pollution on the island – a far cry from some of the Asian ports we visited. 

Since we arrived back to Ajaccio slightly early, our guide was able to give us a short tour of the city.  Apparently, although the people of Ajaccio readily claim Napoleon as a favorite son, the rest of the Corsicans do not.  Her comment was, “He may have done things for Ajaccio, but he certainly didn’t for the rest of Corsica!”  We passed a couple statues in Ajaccio in honor of Napoleon, but we missed seeing his birthplace. 

Our stay in Corsica was far too short:  it was a wonderful surprise to all of us!  Everyone we talked with, most of whom had never been to Corsica before, commented that they would come back in a heartbeat!  With the beauty of the island as well as the friendliness of the people, this will definitely be one of those places we would like to visit again – and hope we have an opportunity to spend more time here. 

BT

Volcanoes and Pizzas in Italy

When some people think of Sicily, they think of The Godfather; or maybe that football being kicked by the boot of Italy.  I think we will now think of the image of an erupting Mt. Etna!

We had been to Sicily once before back in 2008.  At that time we docked in Catania and ventured to the city of Siracusa, from which the city of Syracuse, New York was named.  Having gone to Syracuse University, I was interested in seeing that interesting city.  I remember how much I liked it as well as one of the best tour guided we ever had.  This year though, we docked at Messina on the Straits of Messina separating the Island of Sicily with Italy itself.  

Since we docked midmorning, we had an opportunity to view the sail in and to see this small city from the ship.  There were all sorts of architecturally interesting buildings and statues visible from the ship, particularly since Messina slopes upward on a hill.  There was the dome shaped World War I memorial high on the hill.  There was the cathedral and other churches clearly visible.  Finally we are seeing churches with crosses on their steeples rather than elephants and cleansing pools.  Practically across from the dock was a large flat building with various flags including that of the European Union flying outside.  Barbara Haenni in her lecture about Messina had spoken of the elaborate clock tower with the animated figures that “perform” at noon each day.  We could see the clock tower from the ship.

With an arrival time set for 11 AM and a shore excursion at 12:15, I figured that would pretty much consume our time in Messina.  However, because of heavy afternoon ship traffic, authorities there had asked that we dock earlier.  With arrival pushed up to 10 AM, it gave me a chance to explore the area near the ship for about an hour.  So I set off on foot, not knowing exactly what I would find.   I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of the buildings we had seen from the ship and had the opportunity to photograph them without whizzing past on a bus.  I was able to see the face of the clock and the figures that would “perform” at noon, but knew there was no chance I would be able to see it at that time.  The spring flowers were in bloom as well as flowering trees. It made me wonder if that is happening back home and wonder if the warm winter has speeded it up. 

After an early, quick lunch, we were ready for our planned shore excursion, Scenic Mt. Etna.  Mt. Etna has been erupting regularly recently and we were in hopes that we might see it today if we were lucky.  It was an approximate two hour drive each way to the mountain, one of the highest in Europe and the highest in all of Italy.  We passed on a superhighway for part of the trip, along the Sicilian coast and past a number of small cities and villages.  We saw lots of prickly pear cactus as well as lemon trees full of lemons, cherry and apple trees with their beautiful spring blossoms.

We turned off the highway and began to climb on switchback roads through small villages.  We alternated with the other side of the bus as Mt. Etna came into view.  Our guide, a volcanologist, had said there was an excellent chance that we might see some eruptions from the mountain as it has been active recently.  As we went higher, we saw many areas with volcanic rock and he was able to say “this field is from the 1892 eruption or the 2001 eruption, etc.” The rest of us couldn’t keep straight what lava fields belonged to what year’s eruption.

Partway up the mountain, he had the driver stop so we could view the mountain and sure enough, against a somewhat hazy sky, we could see plumes of the erupting volcano.  What a treat for those of us who have never seen this act of nature!  Still higher, we began to see old snow banks with ash covering it.  He explained that the black soot was from Mt. Etna but there were also some red areas from sand from the Sahara Desert in Africa that had blown there!    From there, we climbed higher to a visitor center with several buildings.  After the required “pit stop”(!), our guide led us on a short walking tour on cinders from volcanic eruptions up one of the craters.  Wherever we looked we saw volcanic soil and rocky volcano stones, much of which was on old snow cover.  We hadn’t seen snow since Antarctica until this visit! While walking around on the loose cinders, Barb had not one, but two, falls.  Both, fortunately, were minor and she wound up both times in the seated position!

After over an hour there, we began our return to the ship, but partway down the mountain, the guide had the driver stop and there it was!!!  Mt. Etna was putting on a show for us with nearly constant eruptions.  We were eight kilometers away but we could hear the thunder-like sound of eruptions deep in the crater of the mountain.  Ash plumes were clearly visible against the now blue sky.  We borrowed binoculars from a couple with the foresight to bring them along.  We could see the rocks shooting in the air and the lava starting to flow down the mountain.  It was a far better show than we had observed on our ride to the visitor center.  We able to add yet one more new event on this amazing adventure of many varied “firsts” this cruise has afforded.

After leaving Messina, we sailed past the island of Stromboli, an island noted for its almost constant volcanic action.  We had seen some small flickers of action when we were in the area in 2008 and hoped for more this time.  At 10:30 PM, the approximate time we would be passing, Barbara Haenni came on the public address and commented that Stromboli volcano seemed to be taking a break that night.  It was disappointing but we commented that given the choice between the exciting eruption we had just seen from Mt. Etna, we preferred to see Mt.Etna’s action.

Our short overnight sail brought us to Naples, Italy’s third largest city (behind Rome and Milan) and second busiest port (behind Genoa).  Since Barb and I had both been to Naples four times in the past, both Al and we opted to do a panoramic tour of Naples followed by an authentic Neapolitan Margherita Pizza.  The tour was called A Taste of Naples:  Pizzas and Piazzas.  The morning had dawned cloudy with a hint of rain.  We had had this happen before, notably in The Falklands, but there the weather cleared and the day was nice.  Not so in Naples.  It was our first fully rainy day of the entire 98 days so far of the cruise.  I guess we couldn’t complain about that given our good record to date. We were glad we had chosen this tour, mostly a panoramic tour of Naples with several brief stops before the finale in the Italian restaurant.   Naples is a launching point for Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, the beautiful Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, and the enchanting Isle of Capri.  But we had been to each of those places at least twice before so decided to do the shorter excursion in Naples itself.  While picture taking wasn’t good from the bus, we imagined walking the ruins of Pompeii or the streets of Capri and were glad we had chosen what we did.  We first passed the imposing Castel Nuovo which is visible from the harbor.  As our guide told us, it dated to the 13^th century and is a symbol for Naples.  There was a massive amount of construction around it because Naples is building a subway system now.  However, in the digging a couple years ago, they found some ancient remains of columns which they of course want to preserve.  We visited the Galleria Umberto, a large indoor shopping and business area with decorative marble floors and high ornate windows.  The guide said it was similar to, but not as large as the one in Milan which we visited in 2001.  Across the street was the Opera House, which was the oldest in Europe.

            From there, we walked, umbrellas held high, to the Piazza Plebiscito where we viewed a large building across the piazza said to be modeled after the Pantheon.  That was across from the Palazzo Reale, the home of monarchs in times past. In the courtyard there, Barb made a new friend.  A large black dog, undoubtedly stray, came up and walked with her.  It even brushed its soaking wet body against her legs to show friendship.  It let her pet it and walked with her partway back to our bus.

            We continued our rainy journey on a drive past the picturesque Bay of Naples, viewing an area which had once been the interior of a long extinct volcano.  We also paused to look out on the Bay of Naples with some yachts for the Americas Cup race apparently set to be held there.  Through the rain and clouds we could make out the faint image of the historic Mt. Vesuvius in the distance.

Our final stop was at an authentic pizza restaurant in the city that invented pizza, much like the chicken wings and beef on weck (it’s the rest of the world’s loss that it doesn’t know what beef on weck is) were invented in Buffalo.  We were escorted to our seats at tables so crammed together they must have though a bunch of seven year olds were coming!  They brought out a tray and demonstrated the ingredients for the pizza as well as demonstrating how the dough was rolled and made into the crust.  Each of us received a large individual Margherita pizza, some wine or soft drink, and a delicious cheese filled pastry for dessert.  Most of us devoured all or most of the authentic pizza.  Al, however, demonstrating his traditional restraint limited himself to just about a quarter of the pizza!

We had anticipated that the weather might improve in the afternoon, but the rain continued as we ended our short two day visit to Italy and headed off for the French island of Corsica.

CT

Glimpses of Greece: Piraeus, Corinth, & Katakolon

Athens is the first port in our last of seven continents before heading home.  Having been to Athens before, we decided to take it easy the first day with the most port-intensive part of the trip coming up in the next week.

We arrived a little later than planned, but that didn’t bother us as we weren’t planning to do much more than poke around a little bit in Piraeus.  The skies were blue, and the port itself was loaded with ships: I counted 14 docked as we sailed in.  Of course most of these weren’t cruise ships, but it was still a very busy harbor! 

After breakfast we went into the terminal and found free wi-fi, which allowed us to get some pictures uploaded and delete some other pictures to make room for our last few ports.  (We’re running out of “free” space in Picasa!) 

As we worked on the computer, it looked to us as if the entire population of teenagers in the city were pouring through security!   We could hear appeared to be teachers or chaperones telling students exactly what to expect, some in English, others in Spanish, and still others in an Oriental language (Chinese?).  That reminded us of the Spanish students and teachers from Lincoln-Way who were journeying to the Galapagos Islands, and we certainly hope they enjoy their journey as much as we’ve been enjoying ours!

 We returned the computer to the ship before heading out of the port and running the gauntlet of taxi drivers looking for business.  We didn’t see much of interest near the port (one of the main reasons we usually take shore excursions), but once we headed up the hill we found a little more, in particular a pharmacy where I was able to get some cough syrup that didn’t cost and arm and a leg.  It seems that about 75% of the people on the ship are still coughing away – apparently the result of the heavy pollution in India, compounded by the sand in Egypt!  One of our neighbors told me that the doctor had told her husband that the cough seems to hang on for about three weeks!  (So if I figure correctly, I’m about halfway there!  Fortunately other than that I feel fine!)  I pretty much laid low for the rest of the day, knowing how busy our upcoming days are!  

The second day in Athens we were booked for a shore excursion, Ancient Corinth & Canal.  We were pleased that our friends Bob & Nancy were on the same bus so we were able to enjoy the sights together.  We headed out of Piraeus on a gloomy, overcast day, proceeding toward Corinth, which is on the Peloponnesian peninsula.  Our first stop was the famous Corinth Canal.  Four miles long and 70 feet wide, it is a gorge of 170 feet deep that connects the Ionian and Aegean Seas.  It was a very impressive site, seeing the depth that was cut out to provide a shortcut between the two seas. 

We then proceeded on to the ancient city of Corinth.  With its many ruins and artifacts, we found it fascinating!  The small museum boasted a piece of pottery that is contains the oldest Greek script found to date, as well as a wide variety of sculptures left over from ancient times, and many, many pottery pieces.  As we wandered the village, we were introduced to the various “Greek columns” that became associated with various periods of architecture:  the Doric column, the Ionian column, and the Corinthian column (which was not “invented” in Corinth, but was invented by a man from Corinth).  Not far away was the place where the apostle Paul spoke to the inhabitants of Corinth.  They believe that at first the authorities wanted to remove him from the town, but he was allowed to remain because he wasn’t bothering anyone.  Later when he was asked to leave, he continued on his way to Ephesus, where he penned his letters to the Corinthians; these later became books of the New Testament.  The site is still being worked on today to preserve the integrity of the times. 

Probably the most impressive sight was the several remaining columns from the temple that stood on the site.  Only six remain, and they weren’t as tall as columns would usually be; usually they’re about 10 meters tall, but these were only six meters because they were all carved out of the same piece of marble.

Someone had commented that we were doing the ancient sites in the wrong order.  It is more impressive to do Athens and environs before going to Luxor!  I can certainly understand why:  while beautiful, these ruins weren’t the works of art that we found in Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. 

That evening I had a wonderful birthday celebration with friends on board the ship.  Several weeks ago, Chuck, Al, & I had made reservations for the Pinnacle for that evening.  Recently I was telling Ros about going to the Pinnacle for my birthday, and she asked, “Would you mind if we joined your party?” She immediately said that it was fine if we’d rather not, but we figured, the more the merrier.  At that point we also invited our table mates, Gerda & John to come also.  So there were seven of us with Chuck, Al, Ros & Gary, Gerda & John, and myself.  This will probably be the only time in my life that I celebrate my birthday with more Aussies than Americans, as Ros & Gary are from near Sydney and Gerda & John are from near Brisbane.   To my surprise, they each brought me a small gift, all of which will bring back wonderful memories of the trip:  nautical earrings, papyrus with my name inscribed, and Aussie socks and napkins.  Can’t wait to put all into use! 

During dinner, Gary filled us in on their unfortunate incident the first day in Athens.  Al had run into them and told us a little, but Gary was able to give us all the details.  They had gone to an ATM to withdraw enough Euros to last for their next several ports.  Gary tucked them deep into his front pocket, but when they boarded the subway, he pulled them out to pay for the tickets.  While getting on he got pushed and shoved and jostled by four apparent passengers who suddenly realized they were on the wrong train. A bout an hour later when he went to pay for some coffee, he realized that they had picked his pocket.  The one good thing was that the cash was separate from his identification and credit cards, so, while devastating, it could have been far worse!  Ros had also gotten cash out, but they didn’t know about hers, so at least they only got Gary’s half, and only the cash!  They commented that they’d never feel the same way about Athens again.  We can certainly relate because it only takes one incident to leave an unpleasant memory. 

We set sail while we were at dinner, and arrived the next morning at Katakolon, located on the Peloponnesian peninsula not far from Olympia, site ancient Olympic games and where the torch for the modern Olympics always originates.  Since we had done Olympia on our last visit to Katakolon, we decided to do the only shore excursion that did not include Olympia.  This was a visit to a local farm that boasts home grown olives and has many farm animals.  We were pleased that Gary & Ros, who don’t often do shore excursions, would be on the tour with us, and we all enjoyed the trip to Magna Grecia Farm, passing through small towns lined with olive groves, and at one point a farmer’s market that was selling sheep and chickens. 

When we arrived at the farm, we were served a small “pasty” and a local wine, then had an explanation of how they prepare and process the olives.  We sat down and were served a small light lunch (at about 10:30).  Although I skipped the olives, I enjoyed the rest.  We got up and browsed through the shops, and made a few small home-made purchases, then attracted by the music, I went back inside to realize that the owners were doing some local Greek dancing.  I especially appreciated their young son (probably about 11 or 12), who also did quite a long and complicated dance routine. 

Being an animal lover, I was particularly interested in greeting the two dogs that I’d seen earlier.  Achilles and Ulysses were large dogs that reminded me of Golden Retrievers, but they appeared to be much larger than Goldens.  Ros had found out that we shouldn’t approach them too closely as they might be cranky, but we didn’t find that to be the case at all!  I slowly approached Ulysses, who was chained but not fenced, figuring that he was probably a little friendlier.  With a few sniffs, soon he was letting me (and others) pet him and talk to him.  Then it was off to the fenced area and a chance to “visit” with Achilles.  Achilles approached very tentatively, and then held up his paw.  Just like Molly, he apparently loves to have his paw rubbed.  Unlike Molly, his paw is absolutely massive!  We did find out that the dogs were Greek Shepherds, a breed I’d never heard of before, but they had that “Golden smile” and they were far friendlier than we’d been led to believe. 

We continued on to visit other animals – several kinds of birds, including pheasants, doves, a pair of peacocks, and chickens, as well as sheep and goats.  Off to the side were more chickens and two huge Tom turkeys, along with several geese and ducks. 

This excursion was a totally different and relaxed pace from the excursions we’d been taking, and we welcomed a chance to visit this lovely farm.

Back in Katakolon, we took the opportunity to browse the shops.  With three ships in port (Costa and Cunard ships along with ours), I’m sure the townspeople were having a wonderfully profitable day!  When we were here in 2008, we had really enjoyed wandering the streets of Katakolon.  Everything is very near to the ship.

In both of our Greek ports we’ve seen Easter displays.  Since the Orthodox church celebrates Easter a week after we do, their holiday is coming up this Sunday.  It was fun to check out the colorfully-decorated eggs that we saw. Now our Greek ports behind us, we look forward to our next stop on this amazing adventure:  Italy!

I had meant last week to comment on the birthdays of two special family members.  While we have several April birthdays, we specifically wanted to wish a Happy Birthday (now belated) to our cousin Beryl and our cousin Dawn, both of whom celebrated milestone birthdays this year!  Dawn – hardly seems possible you’ve hit this major milestone.  I remember how excited I was when you were born!  Beryl – we’re very glad to call you cousin.  You’ll never be an “outlaw” in our eyes!   Happy Birthday to both of you specifically, and also to all our other cousins who celebrate birthdays in April! 

Hopefully pictures will be posted when we're able.  (Very slow Internet - pictures won't upload!)

BT

Egypt: The Modern Story – Sharm el Sheikh and Suez

The visit to Safaga and Luxor was our step back to antiquity, but Sharm el Sheikh and Suez Canal are stark reminders that Egypt is a major players in the world of the 21^st century.

After returning from our long trip to Luxor, we were tempted to skip the Egyptian Cultural Show that Holland America was presenting, but we were pleased that we attended.  There were only four performers for the entire show and the presentation was different from other shows we have seen.  Of particular note was one of the two young men who came out on stage, a Whirling Dervish who didn’t stop twirling for between 10 and 15 minutes.  After about 5 twirls I think I would have toppled to the floor, dizzy!  But he was nonstop, fast and exceptionally precise.  He had two colorful skirts on and they made a dazzling display.  He got them off while still twirling and kept the skirts moving.  He used some colorful boxes and arranged them differently as the twirled.  It was pretty amazing!  We have heard of Whirling Dervishes before but had never seen one in action and we were quite impressed with this Middle Eastern act!

First however, we learned of an incident in Safaga/Luxor that reminds us all too well why we almost never take independent shore excursions.  We have done two of them in all our cruising plus visits with friends in Brian & Margaret in New Zealand, Gretar in Iceland, and Andrew in Australia.  The other two times involved a tour of the Vancouver Olympic venues just a few months before the 2010 Winter Games that Vancouver hosted.  The tour operator got us back to our ship in plenty of time.  Our only other independent excursion was with Jose in Rio de Janeiro early in this trip.  A friend had highly recommended Jose and we did his excellent tour of Rio on the first of our two days there.  No problems getting back on time there either.

However, everyone knows that the rule is that if one strikes out independently, it is his or her obligation to return to the ship by the final boarding, a half hour before sailing.  Our Safaga departure was set for 12 midnight since we had just a short sail from Safaga to Sharm el Sheikh.  Holland America typically will wait for shore excursions which it sponsors or if they have to leave, they will get the people who missed the ship to the next port at HAL’s expense.  If you are not with HAL and miss the ship, you get to the next port at your own expense.  And that expense could be quite considerable!  Our new friends, Bob and Nancy from West Virginia, reported that they had been on an excursion to the sites in Luxor which would include the dramatic Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple.  They were on the last tour scheduled to get back, but their bus broke down in the desert.  The backup bus broke down as well and to make a long story short, they didn’t get back to the ship until after midnight, but the ship waited.  Because they hadn’t eaten in quite some time, Bob and Nancy went for a bite to eat before retiring and saw four people upset and visibly shaking.  These people had participated in a private tour at less expense.  But their driver and guide took a different route home which took longer than anticipated.  They arrived at the ship at 11:57 and saw the ship still there!  They otherwise would have been arriving just in time to see it  sailing away … without them.  They were told by the Hotel Manager that they were very lucky that the HAL shore excursion had delayed the departure as the ship would have otherwise left without them!  That reinforces our belief that the greater expense of the Holland America excursion justifies our choosing to go with their tours.

In Sharm el Sheikh, Barb and I made the rare decision not to do a shore excursion.  Our visit there was only to be about six hours and it would have come on the heels of our very long day in Luxor.  We chose instead to do what many cruisers do at each port and that was to just wander into town, browse the shops and see if there were any bargains.  We had been told that most, if not all shops, would be closed on Friday since that’s the Muslim holy day.  But Sharm el Sheikh is at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and we wanted to say we had been on the Sinai Peninsula.  So after breakfast we went into town.  It turned out to be a greater walk than anticipated but we got to town and found that several stores had opened and more opened while we were there.  There were three cruise ships in port and apparently the lure of cruisers’ business led them to open.  So our trip to town wasn’t in vain.

Sharm el Sheikh has played a major role in “recent” Egyptian history.  I first became aware of Sharm el Sheikh at the time of the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors.  Between June 5 and 10, 1967, Israel took all of the Sinai Peninsula down to Sharm el Sheikh as a buffer between it and Egype, the Golan Heights of Syria, and the West Bank of the Jordan River from Jordan.  The three Arab nations had misjudged Israel’s military capability.   This meant that Israel and Egypt faced each other across the Suez Canal. Sharm el Sheikh at the southern tip was occupied by Israeli forces and it and the entire peninsula were occupied by Israel until after the Camp David Accords in 1978.  Even the Egyptian attack on Israel in Sinai at the time of Yom Kippur in 1973 hadn’t won Sinai back for Egypt.  Ships had been sunk in Sinai and it was out of commission for several years and represented a huge financial loss for Egypt.  But with Israel across the border, firing on Egypt, they couldn’t clean the debris from the sunken ships to allow transit through the canal.

Our new Australian friends, John and Gerda, indicated that Gerda had been in Sharm el Sheikh in 1968 and there had been virtually nothing there.  Now, it is a warm resort city with luxury hotels and a thriving business district.  However the concern over January 2011 revolution in Egypt which overthrew President Mubarek cost untold sums in lost income when tourists refused to come to Egypt.  That part of Egypt has been somewhat safer and quieter and slowly tourism is returning.  Next to Suez traffic, tourism is Egypt’s greatest source of income.

We had to sail from Sharm el Sheikh earlier than usual in order to sail up the Gulf of Suez to get in line for the convoy through the Suez Canal on Saturday.  There are usually two convoys south and one north each day and the convoys meet at the Great Bitter Lake.  If we didn’t reach the southern terminus of the canal by the appropriate time, we would be first in line for the next day’s departure!

We were told that the transit would take up to 12 hours and we would begin our sail about 6 AM.  A few quick facts about Suez, one of the two major world canals.  It had been opened in 1869 after several unsuccessful attempts to build one there.  It was engineered by the Frenchman, Ferdinand deLessups who had become personal friends with the Egyptian pasha at the time. 

When the 101 mile canal opened, it saved the journey of 7,350 miles around Africa!  Today the average toll paid per ship is about $205,600 but toll is dependent of course upon various factors including weight.  Needless to say, maintaining the canal is vital to the Egyptian economy.  We didn’t really know what to expect but now that we have completed the 9¼ hour transit, I would apply the same comment our friend Pam did about Antarctica.  Like Antarctica, we can’t even explain to anyone who hasn’t done the journey.  You just don’t go through the Suez Canal and then explain to others what you saw.  “You have to experience it.”

We were told the transit would commence about 6 AM, so shortly before 6, I pulled the curtains back to see if we had begun. We had just started the transit and Barbara Haenni was already broadcasting commentary to the outer decks and bow.  Much to our surprise, the ms Amsterdam was leading the northbound convoy!  That gave an unobstructed view ahead for us.  (A ship’s officer sat at our table for our formal night dinner and I asked how we happened to be in the lead.  He told us they like to have a very dependable ship lead because there is very little likelihood of a breakdown and it has such efficient navigational capability, sufficient speed, and quality crew, that they were pretty much assured that we wouldn’t hold up any other ship.)

We quickly got ready and went to the bow to view.  Since it can’t be adequately described, I will just mention a few key things we observed.  Most notable was the contrast between the west and east banks of the canal (the African side nearer the Nile River and the Asian side and the Sinai Peninsula).  The west bank was much greener and more lush than I expected, while just a few hundred feet away in Sinai, it was primarily desert sand.  In fact we had a real treat and apparently a rarity because when we were eating lunch, a lady at the table behind me called out, “There are camels out there!”  Sure enough in the distance and in the desert we observed up to a dozen camels.  We dashed out to the aft deck to snap a few pictures which we will try to enlarge to “prove” we saw them in their natural habitat!  We spoke to several experienced cruisers who have transited the Suez several times and none of them reported that they had ever seen a camel there before.  We felt quite proud that we saw them, thanks to the anonymous observant woman.

We also noted a lot of military security:  guard posts, active military with weapons, at least one encampment of soldiers in training, and gunnery positions.  One man commented that there seemed to be much more military presence than when he went through the canal two years ago.  He insisted it meant that Egypt was preparing to attack Israel.  Likewise his theory was that the barricades we saw from time to time along the shore were not meant, as Barbara Haenni told us, to be put in the canal to block it if that was ever needed, rather than have the canal blocked with sunken ships as occurred after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, but rather these large structures had some kind of offensive purpose.  There were also two monuments to war victims, one of which was a World War I monument and another on the Sinai side was to commemorate the Egyptians lost in the 1973 war with Israel.

There were also two small ferries that operated between the two sides of the canal as well as two bridges, one of which was more like a drawbridge with sides that could move into place across the canal when a convoy wasn’t coming through and the other a high span bridge which we cleared with no difficulty.  We spent the day watching these amazing sights and “experiencing” the Suez Canal. 

We certain saw both ancient Egypt as well as modern Egypt in our voyage.  With the unsettled situation in the Middle East, we hope that cool heads will prevail and that some kind of accommodation will allow the people of Egypt as well as Israel and other nations in that volatile region to lead their lives in peace.  But we have to admit that we were pleased to reach the Mediterranean Sea and anticipate the ports of our seventh continent in this amazing voyage, Europe!  Three weeks from now we will be home!

We hope everyone had a very happy Easter!  It seemed unusual to be away from our church and family but we enjoyed a unique sunrise service on the outdoor aft deck in the Mediterranean Sea.  The ship was brightly decorated for Easter and a wonderful brunch was served in the LaFontaine Dining Room.  Before lunch, we had an hour to check out the food carvings and creations.  The artistic decorating of food in all sorts of creative ways was a photo album all its own.  After all the hours of effort in making and displaying the food, it seemed wrong to devour the food in less than an hour!

CT