Haifa, Israel - July 29

Bahá'í gardens

33 degrees and humid

We are taking another relaxing day mostly on the ship. 

more Bahá'í gardens

One thing we do visit is the Hanging Gardens of Haifa.  These are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel.  These gardens are maintained by the people of the Bahá'í Faith.  These gardens are STUNNING.  I have NEVER seen anything like them.  They are immaculately manicured.  The grass is so perfectly trimmed it doesn’t seem real.  My mind is blown.  I couldn’t stop saying: ”I haven’t seen anything like this.”  It was truly amazing.  The pictures of what look like stairs show only half of the gardens.  They are double the height of what can be seen.

Haifa skyline

We hoped for a bit more happening town.  We saw the gardens walked around a bit and ended up back on the ship within a couple of hours.  Not of course before enduring the scrutiny of the Israeli security.  I shouldn’t really say ‘enduring’ because it is very calm, polite and respectful.  Most of all it’s expected…I expect my things to be searched, to go through a metal detector and to be questioned.  It’s interesting that from just the weight of my bag they can tell I don’t have anything to be concerned about.

Jerusalem, Israel - July 28

view of the Dome of the Rock

Jerusalem, Israel – July 27


Our guide tells us it is close to 40 degrees, but I can’t believe that.  It certainly isn’t as humid as it’s been…Jerusalem is 600 feet above sea level, so that has a positive affect on the climate.

chappel of the Dormition Abbey

Haifa is our port as Jerusalem is inland.  It would have been closer if we had gone to Jerusalem from Ashdod, but we wanted a day off after our marathon day in Cairo.  Today being Saturday is the Sabbath which means the traffic is lighter and it is…we do the trip there and back in less than 2 hours - much less than the typical 2.5.  We are a small group today as we opted for a tour that was a bit pricier to reduce the numbers.  Jerusalem was going to be a highlight for us, so we didn’t want to be with a crowd.

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Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Our guide today is terrific!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…the guide can really make or break a tour.  I also particularly like it when a guide tells off some of the others (never me of course) on the tour off.  Jerusalem is a very easy place to get lost and after the first person gets lost because he was taking pictures when the group was moving on she firmly but politely lets him know how that holds the group up etc. - of course he doesn’t care.

Dormition Abbey

Mount Zion is our first stop.  Here we visit the Tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and the Dormition Abbey.  There’s not much to say about the Tomb of King David – it is the first place we have to split men from the women and men based on gender and men have to cover their heads as it is a Jewish sacred site.  The Dormition Abbey is where the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is believed to have happened. 
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Sixth Station Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

The Room of the Last Supper is where I am quite moved.  Even writing this here, remembering the moment I feel moved.  The guide recounts the story of where Jesus told his disciples what was to happen and later when the Last Supper actually occurred.  I remember feeling quite disappointed with the lack of this last time we were here.  The trouble with many of the sites in Jerusalem is that they are so crowded - unfortunately this makes me concentrate more on dodging people than thinking about where I am. 

Our visit to Jerusalem’s old city includes visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Via Dolorosa and the Wailing (Western) Wall.  Although it actually seems more crowded here than last year the line to touch the stone (Golgotha) where the cross is said to have stood is quite quick.  Chris and I originally thought we would skip this part as we did it already and the place was so crowded I’m glad we were able to do it again.

The Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow) is the route Jesus too through the Stations of the Cross.  We stop at stations 5, 6 and 7.  At each stop the guide tell the story of that station – again she is excellent.  Station 5 where Jesus falls has a spot where visitors place their hands as Jesus may have to steady himself.  Over time this had created a significant indentation in the stone.  We visit the wailing wall, say a prayer (men separate from the women) before our visit to the old town is over.

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church at the Garden of Gethsemene

It’s a bit mind blowing visiting places that seem almost mythological to me.  These are places and characters that I’ve pretty much heard of and know of all my life, but I guess because the stories took place 2000 (or more) years ago it’s bizarre that they still exist.

Ashdod, Israel - July 27

Today we are taking a ‘sea day’ on land.  We have learned from experience that we are NOT interested in 2 12 hour days back to back, so planned before we even got on the ship to take today off from touring.  We actually spoke to a 75 year old man who has a new hip and 3 knee operations who is planning on 4 12 hour days!  WOW!  No thanks – for us it ends up feeling more like work and less like vacation.  The heat doesn’t help either.

 It is nice to feel like we have the ship to ourselves.  Most people are on tour so the pool is quiet, the restaurant is quiet, the laundry room is quiet.

The one thing worthy of comment is a bit of food.  I decided to try sweetbreads as part of my dinner.  I had never tried it before, so thought ‘why not’?  I can’t say I loved it, but it wasn’t terrible.  Good thing they didn’t call it offal…don’t think people should eat something called ‘offal’.

Last night Chris decided to become political. He noticed a wrong on the ship that he felt compelled to right.  The ‘beverage’ package ($50 a day per person) that we have opted for includes pretty much any drink they offer.  The have a $20 champagne that I have gotten my money’s worth out of and then some that is included and even a few $25 ports/brandies.  However…Guinness is not included in the package - it goes for $6.  There are plenty of other beers on the list some even for $7, but not Guinness.  This to him is an outrage – I understand.  The first time he discovers this injustice the bartender gives it to him anyway.  The next he happens to be talking about it to our favourite bartender when the beverage manager happens to walk by.  He hears our discussion, picks up the phone and viola…Guinness included in the beverage package.  The next bar we find our selves at is already aware of the change.  As can be imagined…he is quite pleased with himself. 

Cairo, Egypt - July 26

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Mohammad Ali mosque

35+ degrees – HUMID, HUMID, HUMID

WOW was it hot today.  Luckily the AC on the bus was excellent, so as soon as we were back on the bus between sites we were able to cool down.

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citidel

Cairo is about 200K from Port Said which is where cruise ships dock for passengers wanting to visit Cairo.  That means a 3 hr plus drive each way – not pleasant, but that’s what it takes.  Sounds like it should take 2 hours, but I realize that that is Canada time – NOT Egypt.  Egypt requires that tourists travel in a convoy with security.  We experienced this last year, so it isn’t alarming.  This level of security started in 1982 after a terrorist attack.  Apparently today there is ‘absolutely no security concerns’ (as described by the guide) today, but the department of the police responsible for security is firmly established – so they don’t bother dissolving it.  I wonder if it makes people more or less anxious knowing they have a security escort and what that ultimately does for security.  What it does cause in my is a bit of annoyance…why do I have to wait for over an hour for a 25 bus convoy in order to start to my destination???

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Egyptian craziness

As we were in Cairo last year and saw the Pyramids the Sphinx and the Cairo Museum we choose an excursion that hit other spots in Cairo.  Of the 800 people heading to Cairo from our boat this morning the VAST majority are seeing the Pyramids (of course), but that means that our tour is small.  That’s nice, especially when we are on a bus for so only.

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Coptic church

First we visit the Citadel inside which is a Mohammad Ali mosque from the 19 century.  Inside our guide has the 16 of us sit on the floor and spends some time explaining parts of Islam.  This isn’t our first mosque, so we expect to have to take our shoes off and for me to have to cover.  Although I brought something to cover with my t-shirt and pants were enough – I didn’t have to cover my head.  One man in our group was particularly incensed about having to remove his shoes.

mosque inner courtyard

The next mosque we visit, the Sultan Hassan Mosque is stricter and I have to cover my arms which is a good thing I brought something with me to use.  Each of these mosques has a sort of robe available for women to wear, but it is not necessary.  An attendant here wanted the women to also cover our heads, but the guide told him to forget it – I think.  Again we learn more about Islam and meet the Imam who demonstrated the call to prayer.  Not that we needed a demo…you can’t miss hearing it, but it was amazing to see it, rather than just hear it.  That was probably the highlight of the day for me – I wish I had a photo of it, but I hate taking shots of people without asking first and I didn’t have a chance.

Next is a visit to a 7^th century church followed by a visit to a synagogue.  The church is still active, but the synagogue isn’t.  Apparently there are only 60 Jewish left in Egypt!  I find that stat crazy…not because I think there should be more or less Jewish, but because they have the relatively exact numbers.  This synagogue was actually refurbished due to a fund established by a Canadian woman. 

Dips and kabobs – music to my famished ears is the menu for lunch.  I think if it wasn’t for the heat, the mind-blowing heat, I could be of Middle Eastern descent – I could eat this kind of food ALL DAY LONG!!  I still think I must have only recently learned to hate the heat as I have a hard time without a siesta.  Surprisingly, it is very familiar to what we can find at home – I always think our food is ‘Canadianized’. 

After lunch is a quick stop at a souk for a bit of shopping, but it is a pretty disappointing place.  Of course there is the requisite fridge magnet and bookmark brigade, but it’s all pretty junky.  I really don’t have my eye on anything, so I’m not too disappointed.  Good thing too…1.5 hours was originally scheduled for this, but as it turned out we only had 30 minutes.

A portion of the ride is along the Suez Canal.  I remember from last year that at points it is possible to approach a ship and drive alongside it for a while (as though they are driving down the road), but not today.

Finally we are back on board by about 8:15.  A long DAY!

Alexandria, Egypt – July 25

30 degrees – HUMID

It is very apparent from the moment we step foot off of the boat that we are somewhere ‘different’.  The people look different, are dressed differently and the lettering on everything is different.  Chris and I agree that we enjoy the differentness.  Not that we are exactly part of the differentness, cloistered in the coaches as we travel thought town and even when we get off of the bus, but we welcome it nonetheless.

We have a semi-late start this morning as it takes some time for all of the passengers to go through immigration.  Each one of us doesn’t physically have to go be seen, but each and every passport has to be seen.  This is definitely a perk of being on a ship – usually immigration people go through the passports without passengers.  Israel (as we remember from last year) will certainly be a different story. 

The theme of today’s tour is Rome’s influence on Alexandria.  Our first stop is ruin site – Pompey’s Pillar. Mostly a photo stop really.  The guide explains everything on the bus and we have about 15 minutes to take photos.  It’s funny to think that the few artefacts that are here are to us something to be noticed, but in terms of all of Egypt they are quite insignificant.  Apparently of the are uncovered in Egypt only 30% are on display anywhere and most are in storage.  The government is allowing many of the pieces to be displayed in ‘open air’ museums so that more can be enjoyed.  Next we visit catacombs, followed by a visit to a Roman theatre.  

This is my kind of sight seeing day…3 or 4 hours in the morning followed by a leisurely lunch, drinks, reading, napping etc.  Tomorrow is an EARLY call of 6:30 for a 3 hour drive to Cairo!

For those of you who might have tried to get me with my CSSD email – don’t bother.  It hasn’t worked since we left Calgary. 

Aghios Nikolaos, Crete – July 24

30 degrees – not too humid at all

Crete is an island (5th largest in the Mediterranean) with 5 bigger towns and many smaller ones.  Tourism is the main industry as is olive oil.  We learn today that the average Cretan eats 28 litres of olive oil each year!  That to me seems crazy!  That’s about a litre every 2 weeks.  Apparently very few Cretans buy their oil as every family has their own production. 

olive oil jars

The excursion today is to the bronze age archaeological site of the Palace of Knossos in the town of Heraklion.  The drive is about an hour which always sounds like a lot to me until we get going and see all there is to see along the way and of course the guide talks the whole time.  The guide talking the whole time can be a blessing (usually is) or a curse.  I like all of the info the have to impart – today’s guide is fantastic!  The whole way there he tells us story after story of myths – few of ancient Greece, and most of the Minoans.  We learn today that the Minoans were on Crete about 2000 BC (1500 before the ancient Greeks.)  Many of the stories are about the myth of King Minos and the Minotaur which the palace was basically built because of.

relief fresco of the bull and olive tree

frescos of men

The palace has been entirely excavated and all that is being done now is maintenance.  The main attraction is the ruins of the walls that once were the labyrinth of the Minotaur.  As you can see in one of the pics there are walls (now only 2 or 3 feet high) that come to dead ends – very cool.  About 1000 people one lived at the palace so we see a lot of their clay jars and frescos – the ones in the pic are representations of the originals which is in a museum.  It is very hot, crowded and there is little shade, but this tour is very interesting with a great guide – the guide really makes all the difference.  Without the guide we would have walked around and had really no idea we were looking at ruins of a labyrinth. 

labyrinth remains

We are back on board by lunch and have little time for wandering the town, so we have a room service lunch and take it easy for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening we have a reservation in one of the ship’s 4 ‘specialty’ restaurants – theme: Italian.  It is very good, but the unique aspect to this place is their olive oil menu.  With the bread comes a waiter specifically tasked with describing and serving olive oil (and vinegars) – about 10 oils and 8 vinegars.  It is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.  Sure I’ve been in restaurants where oil and Balsamic is served rather than butter (and even had lard a couple of times) but this is on a whole other level altogether – I’m flabbergasted. 

at sea - July 24

Today we are sailing the Ionian Sea, on our way to Crete.  Unfortunately because we are heading east, we had to turn our clocks back last night.  I wake up to what should be 8:15, but is actually 9:15.  Not the end of the world, but I vowed yesterday to get an earlier start today.  The sea is smooth as glass in the morning, but by dinner time it’s a bit rough – not that we have ever experienced all that rough.

We manage to blow our second breaker of this trip!  This time the breaker is no where to be found so we have to call a maintenance guy – seems like it something to do with our power bar.  The maintenance guy seems to think the power bar should be just fine, but when he tries it we blow again – guess we won’t try that again.

I’ve included a few shots of our room here - tad more lux than our Barcelona hotel, but I think I like the shot of Chris in the pink bed a bit better.  We can’t help but compare it to the rooms we have been on with the last cruise line.  This room is slightly smaller – although the deck is MUCH bigger, but as I said earlier our deck size is very rare.  The biggest difference we notice is the lack of a walk-in-closet – how’s that for my biggest problem??  Otherwise the room itself is about 40 square feet smaller – this one 280 and the last ones 320.

My second biggest problem is that I CANNOT get pop-corn from room service!!!  I mean really??

Valetta, Malta - July 22

36 degrees and not a cloud in the sky

Valletta is a very pretty city – the capital of the small island nation of Malta.  It is just off the coast of Italy, 90 K south of Sicily.  We take it easy in the morning and head out after lunch.

The morning gives me a chance to explore the ship a bit more – you notice I say ‘me’ and not ‘us’, the casino last night took a lot out of Chris (it actually left me ahead by 100.)  This ship is the biggest we have been on.  It has a maximum for 1200 passengers.  Our last year’s ship held 650 and before that we were on one that would hold just 450.  Of course the ship is bigger to accommodate more passengers.  It never feels crowded other than at the pool yesterday as it was a sea day and at lunch – oh and at the Captain’s cocktail reception where the bar was open.  On this cruise line (Oceania) alcohol is not included as it was on our last few cruises with Regent.  We purchased their offered alcohol package, so we aren’t worried about an open bar.  Compared to previous evenings the bar was full. 

This is a brand new ship – sailing since May of this year.  It is very sparkly and the décor is very much to our taste.  Definitely the nicest ship we have been on.
We tour the island in the afternoon, do a bit of souvenir shopping and are back on board by 5:30.  The sail-away around 8 PM is delightful with a band send-off.  The weather is lovely – warm, but not too warm.  We eventually head to dinner although we could have easily have lingered on our deck all evening.

One thing of note was my straight flush at the casino tonight…very exciting – I’m still ‘UP’.

at sea - July 21

popcorn appetizer

Sea days are delightful.  Mostly because there is absolutely NO reason to get up with an alarm.  After a leisurely morning in our room (mostly on the deck) we eat a Mexican themed lunch (very tasty) grab a drink from the pool bar where we linger for a while and return to our deck.  It never ceases to amaze me how I can dedicate sooooo much time to doing nothing.

The deck we have is fantastic.  We knew it would be oversized when we booked – on cruises you book specific rooms.  Because of the design of the ship, it is big enough to accommodate 2 lounge chairs, a table and 2 regular chairs – and really much, much more.  Ours is a baseline cabin on this ship, but because of the ship design there are a few cabins that have big decks – it really feels like a bigger cabin.

The day ends with dinner and some time at the casino where I am able to double my (Chris’) 100.00!  To start out dinner there is a small bite of something that I have never tasted before, but would be happy to eat EVERY day for the rest of my life!  It was a small glass filled with a layer of corn chowder, parmesan cheese, corn foam and a piece of pop-corn – WOW was it ever delicious, one of the more delicious things I have ever tasted.

And no…Chris was actually quite adept with his snails.

Ibiza, Spain - July 20

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Ibiza landscape

29 degrees and humid

This morning we are up for an 8:30 tour of the south part of Ibiza island.  Although we have been to Ibiza in 2006 I didn’t realize that the island and town are both called Ibiza.  The island has enough mountains that we are frequently high enough to see both sides of the island from the highway – it is 8 miles across and 25 miles in length.  When we were here the first time we toured the town of Ibiza, so this time we chose something different - honestly, there isn’t much to this tour which is a bit disappointing.  We visit salt fields, a couple of towns, a world heritage site (from the time of the Phoenicians) and head back. 

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Street Strongbow

Ibiza is certainly filled with tanned, mostly slim white (very few non-white – meaning NONE) young people.  And by young I mean less than half my age (or had you made that leap?)  The phrase `no shirt, no, shoes, no service` does not apply here!  There are bunches of people eating at various restaurants without shoes or shirts or pants or…you name it…basically they aren’t wearing them.  

We also see (drive by and don’t visit) the original disco of the island.  It holds 10 thousand people and costs 70 € (90.00ish) to get in.  I assume that includes booze, but we weren’t given details.

Probably the highlight was my street Strongbow!  Although I’ve drank many of those, I’ve never bought one in a corner store, walked down the street with it and finished it on a bus – ahhhhh Europe.

We are back on board by lunch and spend the rest of the day lounging, napping, doing laundry.  Tomorrow is a sea day, so we are in bed late.  Before I got to sleep I spend a little time on our deck/balcony/veranda as I love to do before I go to sleep (or at any time of the day really.)  Tonight it is pouring – the rain is wonderful…although I get drenched, I LOVE it.

Barcelona and the ship, July 19

Escargot at dinner

How long does it take to shake jet-lag?  I didn’t think it affected me much until I am up at 3 AM wide awake for the second night in a row.  Today is a low-key day with us checking out of the pink palace and checking into the Oceania Rivieria – our home for the next 15 days. 

before dinner

Being on the ship is delightful!  Although we haven’t been on this ship or cruise line before being on the sister-line of this ship for the past 3 years quickly familiarizes us with the basics of the ship.  Essentially the ship is the same other than size – the ship is bigger and the room is smaller.  Bigger – 1200 passengers and room smaller – slightly smaller although we have a MUCH bigger balcony.

 After unpacking, lunch and the safety drill we are off to dinner and an early night.

Hotel Continental - special edition

self-serve refreshments

Thought I'd post a couple more pics of the pink-palace we have called home for the last 3 days...

controls...heat, light, A/C etc.

Barcelona, July 18

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia 

Today is the Sagrada Familia (church of the holy family) – a church designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.  WOW, is all I can say.  This place is breath-taking.  It is huge – size for 1000 choir members and 9000 worshipers.  My words will really do nothing to describe the wonder of this place.  Aside from its size it is a  beauty – I have seen nothing that compares to it in terms of style.  I’ve been in big churches, but none in the style that is Gaudi.  This pics we were able to take aren't great in terms of the size of the church.

Sagrada Familia

It is a crazy hot day – not sure how hot, but I am never in need of a WC.  We get to the church via the hop-on-hop-off bus.  After our visit we head to Camp Nou which is Barcelona`s football team stadium.  For me, it’s nothing great…but for the soccer fan (not even Chris really) it seems to be something like Mecca.

Parc Guell

Barcelona Football press-conf room

Next we are off again on the ho-ho bus around the city and end at the sea.  We have a couple of drinks and a bite to eat before calling it a day.