Friday, May 1, 2015


Apr 20 -- At Sea

In addition to the sea day routine, we attended today’s movie, Still Alive, which concerned one woman’s descent into Early Onset Alzheimer’s.  It was well-done but depressing.   Following the movie, D went to cash in our Grand Dollars.  With the cruise ending soon, CD Gene decided to have an early Grand Dollar Redemption primarily because he was running out of cash to throw at the passengers.  Of course, there is still time to win GD at the assorted Trivia games, so we will probably be able to pick up more cheap ship stuff before we finish packing.

Apr 21 – At Sea

We followed the Sea Day Protocol again today with lots of reading, trivia and nothing.  We ate dinner in the Canaleto specialty restaurant with the Starrs, the Shopshires and the Siferts, the regular gang.  As soon as we were finished, some of us rushed to the theater to get seats for the performance by the Beatles tribute band.  The songs were mostly familiar [they did the biggest hits several days ago but we skipped that one] but we both thought the ABBA group was better.

 

Apr 22 – Ponta Delgado, Azores, Portugal

We were supposed to visit 2 of the Azores before starting the final leg of the trip.  The weather gods caught up with us again and the captain decided to spend 2 days docked in Ponta Delgado rather than try to send tenders into Horta in 15 foot seas.  We have missed several ports in the past four months in the interest of passenger safety; we have no complaints.

Ponta Delgado is a quaint little town with white stone buildings trimmed in black stone.  The sidewalks and many of the streets are also done in black and white stone.  The sidewalks exhibit a variety of patterns while the streets often use the black-and-white motif to indicate the walking area in the absence of raised sidewalks.  The streets are narrow once one leaves the waterfront and the hillside is dotted with churches.  Higher up the hill are well-tended fields.  The local economy thrives on tea, pineapple and tobacco in addition to tourism.  The people are friendly and most seem to speak English.  We certainly do not speak Portuegese.

The island is another volcanic cone which accounts for the black stone and black beaches.  The slope from the volcano reaches right down to the waterline; breakwaters have been installed along the main thoroughfare at the harbor and the rest of the town rises above it.  It is lovely to see but requires some exertion to walk around.

D went out today in search of more analgesic patches for MA’s back and, if possible, some local cookies.  MA left the ship with him but decided to return to the ship before we had gone very far because she had not applied a patch or taken Tylenol.  It was blustery as we left the ship and cool in the shade although D worked up a sweat on his journey.  He followed a map provided at the terminal and eventually found one of the indicated pharmacies, but they did not have any pain patches.  So as not to return empty-handed, he bought lidocaine cream “just in case.”

The staff at the first pharmacy gave him directions to another.  They told him to go to the next set of stairs to the street above and then take the next set after that.  The directions were simple enough but after he left the pharmacy, he could find no stairways to climb the hill.  However, when he stopped to consult the map, he realized that he was at the right cross-street and had “merely” to climb several blocks to find the pharmacy.

Not surprisingly, it was right where is was supposed to be.  The staff here was as friendly and well-spoken as at the first, but they, too, had no lidocaine patches.  They did have circular ones designed to numb a much smaller area in preparation for insertion of an IV line.  Our friend Barbara said the ship had gotten some for her when the larger patches were not available and that they worked well, so D bought some of these, too.  They were better than nothing.

Now for the cookies.  The pharmacy staff gave directions to a bakery and off D went.  It would have too easy if they had sent him down the hill toward the harbor, so he began to climb the hill.  The route wasn’t complicated – turn left at the corner and keep on going.  When he thought he must have walked to Michigan, he asked a policeman who pointed him to the bakery just 100 yards farther up the hill.

It was a small bakery and the selection was more limited than in Cartagena, but D managed to find meringues and heart-shaped cookies half-dipped in chocolate. [As it turned out, they were not as good as the cookies from Cartagena, but they were much less expensive.]  The transaction completed, D started down the hill and back home.  On the way he saw a sign which he thought indicated a market, so he diverted and walked toward the cathedral.  There was no market there, just outdoor seating for adjacent cafes.  Disappointed, he returned to the ship in time for lunch.

The after-dinner entertainment was a one-woman show by a singer who paid homage to the best female vocalists of the 20th Century.  Again, we knoew most of the music and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Apr 23 – Ponta Delgado

Today’s adventure was a shopping trip to a grocery store on the main street practically across from the ship.  On information Ken and Lois provided yesterday, we bought six one-liter boxes [yes, boxes] of red wine from Spain.  At less than one euro per box, how could we not?  We threw in a container of crackers which taste remarkably like Ritz.  Even if the wine is terrible, some apples and oranges will turn it into a passable sangria.  We’ll find out when we get home.  Carrying the wine home reminded us of the time [2001] when we bought 9 liters of olive oil in Florence and D schlepped them all over the city.

After lunch, D tackled the first round of packing and was able to stow all of our pillow gifts and purchases in our suitcases and the 2 small rolling bags HAL gave us.  The timing was perfect because we ave been warned to secure items or put them on the floor tonight; the high seas the captain avoided in Horta will find us and we will rock and roll through tomorrow morning.  To further emphasize the dangers, tonight’s dance show has been canceled for safety reasons and Into the Woods will be shown.  We will probably watch it on television tomorrow because we will never make it until 12:30 or later.

We had dinner with Barbara and Roger tonight, rocky seas or not, and our waiters made sure our tempura vegetables were delivered to their table.  We are going to miss being spoiled.

TOMORROW – The long trip home begins

Apr 24 –  29  Heading Home

Not all sea days are created equal, but they all bear a striking resemblance to each other.  Eat, sleep, trivia, eat, trivia, sleep.  There were other things interspersed:

Arthur gave his three-part lecture on de-mythologizing the Old Testament.  He called it “The Bible: Fact or Fiction?” and tried to give rational and even scientific to explain some of the best-known OT stories.  We have heard these talks before, so there was little that was new.  D did ask him to draw an analogy between Jonah’s 3 days in the belly of the great fish after which he asked why God had forsaken him to NT stories [3 days in the cave, Jesus’ asking why he had been forsaken, etc.] but Arthur copped out and had the priest respond.  Except that he didn’t offer anything except platitudes.

We had the last of the Cruise Critic meetings and it was difficult not to call out 2 members who tried to hijack the process by scheduling their own CC meeting.  Despite HAL staff and D’s misgivings, the meeting was scheduled, a room was prepared and no one showed up.  These 2 were involved in other questionable actions throughout the voyage, so we were not surprised, but we were disappointed in their manners and methods [in all things].

Team Trivia finally ended after almost 80 competitions spread over the 114 days.  We all collected Grand dollars and then cashed them in for cheap ship stuff on the last day.  By that time, the staff was not counting dollars, they were just trying to get rid of everything.  We obliged but asked only for little things that we could cram into the luggage.

Even though we felt like the Vanderbilts in January, we still ended up with 3 more bags than we arrived with.  HAL had given us rolling duffel bags into which we shoved “things,” but we ended up buying a third nylon bag from the on-board store before we found room for everything.  The last night, we placed 8 bags in the hallway and still had to roll off with one more piece plus our 2 carry-on bags [and the computer].  It was a good thing we were not flying.

In summary, we saw places we never thought we would.  We saw places we never want to see again.  We met people we want to see again.  We met people we don’t want to see.  Ever.  And, despite colds, flu, intestinal distress and back pain, we had a great time.

Sunday, April 19, 2015


Apr 16 – Sailing to Spain

Today was another sea day as we approach the final leg of the journey.  Tonight was Spanish Formal Night, but there wasn’t much about it that was Spanish.

TOMORROW – Cartagena, Spain

Apr 17 – HB HJ

Happy Birthday, Harper Jane!  We missed your second birthday but expect to be there for your third.

We have visited Cartagena twice before. It is an old town with a lovely pedestrian shopping area filled with locals and tourists.  We love the many sculptures, many in bronze, which dot this area.  We especially love one of the local bakeries.  We have entered and sniffed on our previous visits, but today we actually bought things.

We met Ed and Roxanne Pettus on the dock this morning.  They are here on the Eurodam, a HAL ship half-again as big as the Amsterdam.  We wandered through the mall until we found “our” bakery and were able to secure a table for four outside.  We ordered cappuccinos and tea and Ed and D went inside to select pastries.  The four of us sat and talked for about 2 hours, perhaps more.  When it was time to leave – they had a 3:30 departure – D paid for the cakes and coffees and ordered a kilo [2 pounds] of cookies to take back for trivia.  Ed, who was trying to break a 50 euro note, insisted on paying for them in return for the coffee.  D tried to dissuade him but was unsuccessful. 

We had brought presents to Ed and Roxanne, albeit small ones.  The biggest, by weight at least, was a plate of sticky buns from the Amsterdam.  We knew from an earlier blog by Roxanne that he liked them and we didn’t know if they were available on the Eurodam.  The second present was a handful of bull’s-eye candies [Goetze’s Caramel Cremes] for Roxanne who used to eat them every day at Trivia.  Third, and funniest, were sugar packets from the Elvis Café which they visited with us in 2011.

Once back on the ship, we went to the Lido for lunch and pretended it was a sea day.  Later, we went to visit the ship’s doctor in search of Lidoderm [lidocaine] patches to relieve the pain in MA’s back which has gotten worse since we bounced around Israel in the back of the van.  Linda Starr had given her an expired one to try and we used that to dupe the doctor into thinking she had run out when, in fact, she never had a prescription from home.  The medical staff said they will call us tomorrow to let us know if the port agent was able to secure any.

TOMORROW – Malaga, Spain

Apr 18 – Mishaps in Malaga

“On the 18th of April in ’75 [hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year]” Paul Revere rode through the countryside around Boston to warn the residents of the British invasion.  Our travels through Malaga were not as historically important but they had the potential for being historic for us.

We really only wanted to do three things today – find a vendor for saffron; find a pharmacy in the hope of buying the analgesic patches; and getting lunch.  We walked into town and directly to the information kiosk where we were directed to a spice shop and given a map to facilitate finding it. 

Malaga is a lot like Tenerife and other Spanish towns.  Most buildings, but not all, are less than 6 storeys and the architectural style is similar in them all.  Malaga, like Tenerife, has a large pedestrian shopping area and it is a town filled with life.  That we were here on a Saturday only made it busier and more crowded.

Following the map, sort of, we wandered through the streets and pedestrian areas as we worked our way toward the spice shop.  We stopped for a drink along the way to rest MA’s back and then tried to find a shopping center instead.  What we found was a tremendous market building filled with nuts, spices, vegetables and proteins.  It was packed to the rafters with locals doing their weekly shopping and we found it difficult to navigate.  In fact, it was so crowded that we abandoned any hope of finding saffron and left.  We were told later that a Cortes Ingles department/grocery store was just 2 blocks further along; it would have been the perfect store but it was too late. 

Pharmacies were all over the town.  We stopped in several to inquire about the patches and were disappointed to learn that none of the ones we went to had any in stock.  The good news is that they seem to be an over-the-counter item in Spain, so perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow in Cadiz.  We know where the Cortes Ingles is there.

Having struck out twice, we attempted to have lunch before returning to the ship.  The cafes near us were all quite busy, but we found a table in the pedestrian mall which was perfect for people-watching.  No one came to clear the table from the previous diner or to offer a menu, but we got one from a neighboring table and discovered that there was nothing of interest available.  Strike one.  We found a table at another café and had the same problem – there was nothing appealing on the menu.  Strike two.  Finally, we returned to a place where there had been no open tables earlier and found several, so we sat down and waited.  After a few minutes, D went inside and took an English-language menu from the pile to we could see what was offered.  We waited some more.  D went inside again and indicated to one of the staff that we would like service outside.  Still no one came, so we left.  Strike three.  We did stop for gelato on the walk back to the ship and sat on a bench to eat it before it melted.

Malaga is a pretty town with parks near the water and we thought it would bear a return visit, but today was a complete bust.  We returned to the ship and got lunch on the Lido where we shared a table with Barbara and Roger and talked about travel and pain patches. 

When we got back to the room, there was a message from the medical center informing us that they had the patches!  We hurried down to get them before trivia so we wouldn’t forget.  MA has a supply which will last past our return and maybe longer if we can cut them in half without losing to much of their effect.  The one she got from Linda was great when we were in Cartagena, so we are hopeful that fresh ones will be even better.

After dinner tonight, we went to a flamenco dance performance but found it repetitive so we left during the fourth number.  We have seen better in Buenos Aires and Disney World.

TOMORROW – Cadiz

Apr 19 – HoHo Home

Today marks the third time we have been to Cadiz, Spain.  We passed the Rock of Gibraltar in the middle of the night as we steamed out of the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic Ocean.  Cadiz is about as far west as one can get in Spain and was an important trade link with the United States for many years.  Before that, it was important a vital seaport for a series of cultures and conquerors.  Today it is a tourist haven while still maintaining a shipbuilding industry.

On our first visit, in 2009, we took the Hop On/Hop Off bus around town and ended up at El Cortes Ingles, the Iberian department store which is a presence in both Spain and Portugal.  We were looking for a lemon meringue pie to present to Mukti who had, if you remember, eaten a slice intended for MA on that cruise.  We were unsuccessful in Cadiz but eventually found one in Bermuda.

In 2011, we followed a walking tour [the purple route] through the old town and ended up in front of the Cathedral.  From there we walked to the Flower Market and had lunch at an outdoor café before winding our way through narrow streets to the harbor.  There, too, we stopped for gelato on the way.

Our initial hope was to find the saffron at Cortes Ingles today and maybe the pain patches at a farmacia.  Reality set in when we realized that very few shops would be open because we were here on a Sunday.  We took the HoHo around again anyway and stared at the shuttered Cortes Ingles store.  Once back to the ship, we had to change buses to continue around Cadiz again.  This time, we left the bus at the Cathedral stop because we knew there would be shops and cafes open there; it might be Sunday but here were tourists with money to spend.  We thought the cafes would also be catering to the locals after church.

Before looking for lunch, we did a little shopping and found more tchotchkes and some potato chips for one of the Pub trivia people.  We found Ginger and Dave eating what we discovered was Round 1 of their lunch at a café directly in front of the Cathedral, but we continued on and settled on one around the corner, away from the tourist crowds.  Our version of tapas included a version of a stuffed pepper, artichokes and peas, and stuffed eggplant similar in taste to moussaka.  Since we were picking blindly from the display inside the café, we had no idea what to expect and were surprised at how good everything was.  Even more surprising was the fact that the eggplant was our favorite.  With the obligatory bread and 2 Diet Cokes, lunch was about 14 euros.  Boy, do we know how to live! 

Rather than walk uphill to catch the HoHo back to the ship, we walked downhill through the main plaza and across the street to the ship.  Of course, we stopped for gelato in the square.

Once back on board, we booted up the computer for a Skype session with Harper, Caiden, Carter, Briton and Emily.  Briton had brought the boys to Baltimore for Harper’s birthday while Jon was in Jakarta and we had a good but disjointed conversation with them.  HJ wasn’t so interested in her grandparents, but C&C were. We also got our first fleeting look at Em’s remodeled basement.  We will probably not talk to them again until we are in Florida.

TOMORROW – A Much-needed Sea Day

 

Wednesday, April 15, 2015


Apr 9 --  At Sea

With no more shore excursions planned, the cruise is, in one sense, over.  All we have to do from here to Florida is relax.  We canceled the last trip [to Grenada from Malaga] and found people who were willing to pay to take our place.  We lost a little money because the euro has declined since we reserved the space a year ago, but we didn’t lose it all.  More importantly, we have no obligation to walk long distances or climb lots of steps.  This has been a difficult cruise because of the walking and climbing.  Uluwatu was not the only place where we struggled to climb hills and stairs.  Still, we have no regrets.

D spent most of today in or on the bed – the stress and exhaustion finally caught up with him.  MA went to the movie and didn’t even bring popcorn home with her.  We had such a good nap that we missed Pub trivia today.  Now that’s relaxing!

TOMORROW -- Athens, Greece

Apr 10 – Athens

We have entered a stretch of days where we will be in port every day.  We are docked in Piraeus today, the closest port to Athens, and will be here tomorrow as well.  We had hoped to take the metro into Athens and have lunch in the Plaka where the cafes and tchotchke shops are, but the temperature was predicted to climb to 62 today and we did not feel like freezing for the sake of lunch.  So, we stayed on board the ghost ship and read and relaxed.

TOMORROW – Day 2 in Athens

Apr 11—Athens Again

It was not as cold today as yesterday – maybe 65 – but we stayed on board anyway.  With an “all aboard” of 3 p.m., we did not want to rush in and out of Athens.  Others who stayed back wandered through Piraeus and said it was a lovely town.  We thanked them for getting our exercise for us.

We were subjected to another mandatory boat drill today. The ship has to conduct them every 30 days or so and everyone has to assemble at the lifeboats.  The nature of this cruise implies that everyone knows the speech by heart, but we all trooped to Deck 3 when instructed.  As far as we know, no new passengers boarded in Athens and we are well below 900 travelers now.

TOMORROW – Katakalon, Greece

Apr 12 – Cute  Katakalon

We visited Katakalon in 2011 and remembered it well.  Of course, there is not too much to remember.  The town consists of two streets which run parallel to the water.  We were told that the shops and restaurants in this part of town open only when a ship is in port.  Even though today was Greek Easter Sunday, almost every store was open.

It is early in the season here and was still a wee bit chilly, but we were brave and walked off the ship and into the town.  It took about 5 minutes.  We did some shopping to support the merchants who came to greet us and then ate lunch at a café at the far end of the street two blocks from our last stop.  We each had salads big enough to be lunch by themselves – a big bowl full of ripe tomatoes, some onion and peppers and a big wedge of feta cheese on top.  There was bread, too, and olive to dip it in.  We also order fried calamari which were as tender as any we have had, certainly much better than the ones at Jimbaran beach a lifetime ago.  Rich and Peg, who ate their way through Ephesus with us, joined us after we had ordered and we had a pleasant conversation while we ate.  The café was filled with both staff and passengers either because it was good or because not all of the others were open.  Lunch was delicious.

We did a bit more shopping for MA on the way back to the ship and had plenty of time before trivia.  D met with the couple who are buying our spaces on the Granada trip and explained as many details as he knew.  They, in turn, said they would have cash to pay for it in a few days.  No problem.

We had trivia at 3:30 and again at 5, so we had no nap today, but we did read a lot.

TOMORROW – Messina, Sicily, Italy

Apr 13 – Munching in Messina, Italy

Compared to Katakolon, Messina is New York City.  It is a metropolis which serves as a major port for Sicily.  As such, there was not a picturesque walk or view to be had when we walked off the ship.  Instead, we were faced with a mixture of old and older buildings and lots of traffic.

D misunderstood Port Expert Barbara’s directions, so we took the long way into the downtown.  Expecting to find cafes and pizzerias, we found office buildings and closed store fronts.  We finally found a locals’ café, Vulkania, advertising pizza and other goodies and went in.  Although there were several people drinking and smoking on the porch, we were the only customers on the inside.  We decided to split a tomato and pesto pizza and had sodas as well.  We had made a good choice because the tomato, pesto and green olive pie was really good.  The small pizza was just the right size for the two of us and at 7-1/2 euros, was a bargain.

D wanted to find a BNL bank so he could withdraw euros at an ATM.  Bank of America has a reciprocal agreement with BNL just as it has with WestPac in Australia.  As a withdrawal from the checking account, the transaction would guarantee a good exchange rate and carry no service fees.  We tried to get directions from the staff at Vulkania, but language barriers prevented an exact path.

We started walking in what we hope was the right direction until we happened upon a tourist information office.  The five staffers there gave a series of contradictory and/or confusing directions, but one person tried to show the location on a map which she gave to D.  We followed the pseudo-directions and found the main square – and all of the quaint cafes.  We also saw quite a few passengers at lunch.  After stopping to admire the clock tower by the church, we walked downhill toward the ship.  Ours was not the most direct route home, but we were still hoping to find the bank.  We didn’t, though, and limped back to the ship at 2:30, passing our cabin steward who was on his way out.

TOMORROW – Naples

Apr 14 – Neapolitan Specialities

Naples, Italy, is the birthplace of pizza.  The original pizzas were much less exotic than many we see in the States and consisted of tomatoes, a little cheese and maybe some basil.  No pineapple, no chicken, no anchovies.

Barbara had said that the passenger terminal here was nice to walk around in, so we had that as the only item on our agenda.  We hoped to find a bakery there and maybe pizza, but we found neither.  The terminal was big and had very wide aisles.  The shopping was a mix of high end jewelry and fashion mixed with souvenirs.  The crew was very happy with the free wi-fi.

We were disappointed with the terminal and made two abortive attempts to find something to our liking by going down to the street-level areas.  D still wanted to find a BNL bank, as a matter of principle at this point, so MA returned to the cabin to read while D braved the traffic, construction and crowds of Naples.  Naples is a very busy commercial city which comes right to the harbor.  Across from the terminal is an old fort which dominates the area while offices and shops fill the rest of the downtown.  Since it is built on a hill, the walking was all uphill at the beginning.

After a series of starts and stops, D got vague directions from a man on the street.  By sheer luck, he turned at the right cross street and the on to the bank after three more stops for directions and reassurance.  The street was crowded with shoppers very few of whom had HAL written on their faces.  People rushed in every direction but the people D asked for help were sympathetic and polite and spoke better English than he spoke Italian.  Once at the bank, he completed his business in about 90 seconds using an ATM which had offered him a choice of a half-dozen languages.

Returning to the ship was easy because it was all downhill.  He knew he was bound to find water somewhere and knew the ship would not be far away.  He had not seen any pizza shops on the way up the hill so stopped at the first one he saw on the way down and bought a pizza to bring home for lunch; it was like yesterday’s except it had basil leaves, not pesto.  Further down the hill, he stopped at a coffee shop in search of cannoli and found the Neapolitan version, a tube of pastry reminiscent of pie dough filled with crème.  There were three flavors so he bought 4 of each and continued to the ship.

We ate the pizza on the Lido accompanied by sodas from our stash.  The pizza was tasty but would have been much better hot.  On the other hand, this one had been baked in a wood-burning oven and the crust was really flavorful even if a bit soggy as a result of its journey.  Back in the room after lunch, we split a cannoli and decided to share them with the waiters at dinner.

Our Pub Trivia teammate Ramona joined us at the table tonight and, as they say, a good time was had by all.  The waiters were thrilled with the six cannoli we gave them and they decided to split them with some other staff members. After dinner we went to the evening show, a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John and had a surprisingly good time.  Some of these shows aren’t worth seeing, but this one was good.

TOMORROW -- Rome

Apr 15 – Civitavecchia, Italy

As Piraeus is to Athens, Civitavecchia is to Rome.  Rome is an hour or more from the port city [depending on traffic], but is easily reached by rail, taxi or bus.  We chose option D, none of the above.  An hour on any form of bouncing transportation was more than we could handle and, having been to Rome before, we did not want to spend the day in agony walking around the ancient city.

So….Once again we had a sea day in port.  We talked to others who took a shuttle to town and walked around, but they told us it was still hilly in the city.  We did not want or need to shop and there were apparently no ruins or historical sites nearby, ironic since Civitavecchia means “old city.”

We slept late, had breakfast in the Lido, solved the NYT crossword puzzle and then went to the movies.  Today’s feature was Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love, a collection of stories about relationships, set in Rome.  We recognized sites and scenery from our previous visits most notably a fountain from the Villa d’Este gardens in Tivoli.

Lunch in the Lido ended with conversation with Roger and Barbara.  We talked so long we did not have enough time to do the laundry before trivia.  We went from Trivia to Pub Trivia with just enough time in between to read and update the journal. 

TOMORROW – Approaching Spain

 

Friday, April 10, 2015


Apr 5 – An Ecumenical Adventure

When we visited Israel in 2011, we stumbled upon Avitours and booked two marvelous days led by Anat, an eighth generation Israeli.  A retired teacher, she answered all of our questions and told us more things than we could remember.  To this day, though, we talk about our stop at the Elvis Café [All Elvis, all the time].  Immediately after canceling the tours in Egypt 2 weeks ago, D wrote to Avinoam, the owner, to try to book two days of tours.  Not only were we able to reserve tours, but we were able to secure Anat’s services again.  Despite some back and forth with Avinoam, we sealed the deal and were excited to get started today.

Anat was waiting for us when we emerged from the cruise terminal in Ashdod, the first of two ports in Israel.  Although there were just seven of us in the group, we pretended there were eight and that one could not come.  Even though everyone had to pay a bit more for the tours, we were given a Mercedes van which could have held as many as ten passengers.  We all thought the extra space was worth the additional expense. 

Anat kept up a running monologue for the hour’s drive to Jerusalem.  Because of Israel’s topography, one does not “go to Jerusalem,” one “climbs to Jerusalem.”  The drive was uphill all the way, a contrast to 2011 when we went down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the planet, to see Masada.  That day, we climbed even more to get to Jerusalem.

We were especially keen to visit Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial.  In 2011, Anat had miscalculated the hours Yad Vashem was open and we had barely 20 minutes there; we were so late that day that she had to bully her way in the exit as guards were clearing the exhibition areas.  When we mentioned this to her today, she remembered it clearly but did not realize that we were the tourists involved; she was still a little embarrassed about it.  There was no question, then, that Yad Vashem would be our first stop.

Of the seven in the group today, only we and Lecturer Kate had been here before.  Kate studied at the old Yad Vashem facility 30 years ago and was anxious to return and just walk the grounds reminiscing.  Steve & Maryann and Toya & Bob had never visited Israel and were “game” for anything.

The Yad Vashem complex has several components – the Holocaust History Museum, by far the largest area; the Children’s Museum; and the Garden of the Righteous.  There are education facilities as well.  We began with an overview by Anat and a look at a scale model of Yad Vashem, then walked toward the Children’s Museum.  The walk took on additional significance when Kate found the tree dedicated to Father Bruno, one of the Righteous Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews, especially children, during the Nazi occupation of Europe.  Kate had studied here with a woman who had been saved by Fr. Bruno.  They had searched for and found his tree 30 years ago, but Kate was astounded – and teary-eyed – when she saw it again.  There is also a tree and plaque for Oskar and Emilie Schindler who were made famous in Schindler’s List.

After Kate recovered, we went to the Children’s Museum.  It is dedicated to the million-and-a-half children who died during the Holocaust.  Walking through it was like walking through a house of mirrors because it is dimly lit and the pathway is not straight.  As we made our way into the Museum, we were surrounded by candlelight.  There were thousands of points of light in the darkened space.  In fact, there may have been one for each of those children; at least, that was the impression the designer wanted to create.  In fact, Anat said, there are only five candles in the entire display, but heir effect is multiplied by the clever placement of mirrors.  Obviously, no photos are allowed inside for they would break the mood which was quite somber. 

Although we had much to see in Old Jerusalem, we spent about two-and-a-half hours at Yad Vashem, most of it in the Holocaust History Museum.  In cross-section, the building is triangular, but in three dimensons it resembles a Toblerone candy bar without the ridges.  At the apex of the triangle, the roof has a narrow skylight.  The illumination in the exhibit halls is subdued, so the skylights offer some light and symbolize hope to all who enter.  Exhibits zig-zag back and forth, from side to side.  At the points where visitors have to cross the center of the museum, under the skylight, there were additional displays such as a pile of books or the undercarriage of a burned out railroad car.

The exhibits trace the rise of National Socialism and Adolph Hitler from the beginning and show how the campaign against the Jews built gradually over the years.  Book-burning and Kristalnacht were only manifestations of an effort to deprive Jews of every, and any, opportunity to be part of German society.  From exhortations to boycott Jewish merchants to vandalizing synagogues to humiliating Jews whenever possible, the government supported the German people’s actions.  The holocaust, “The Final Solution,” was simply the logical outcome of everything which had come before.  At each step, the average German either ignored what was happening or endorsed it, too.

At the time that National Socialism was on the rise, Germany was still suffering from its defeat in World War I.  Over and above the humiliation of the loss was the devastation the loss brought to the German economy.  War reparations were enormous just as the world was heading for the Great Depression.  Hitler capitalized on citizens’ frustrations by giving them someone to blame for their troubles – the Jews.  Everything was blamed on the Jews and the anti-Semitism built gradually and then snowballed.  Once the process was started, it was impossible to stop.  Otherwise kind people became monsters, killing men, women and children for no other reason than that they were Jews.  For their part, most of the Jews had assimilated into the culture and thought of themselves as Germans first, Jews second.  They could not understand what was happening and reassured themselves that everything would be fine; as a result, they did not fight back and went meekly to the trains and death. 

The Historical Museum’s exhibits include posters, newsreels and newspaper articles showing what the Nazis were doing, but there were also “oral histories” of filmed interviews with survivors of this dark period in history.  There is one room which holds records of every known survivor and a computer available for people to search for relatives.  As the years pass, there are fewer and fewer survivors still alive; like all of the veterans of World War II, their numbers dwindle every day.

Because we had to do the Passport Dance for the Israeli officials, we were a bit late leaving this morning but stayed at Yad Vashem until after noon anyway.  The “newbies” in the group were astonished and amazed at what they saw having no real background in the Holocaust.  It was time well-spent for all of us.

When we finally left Yad Vashem, we drove through increasingly heavy traffic to the Old City.  Today was Easter Sunday and we expected this area to be jam-packed with both Jews and Christians celebrating Passover and Easter.  It was certainly crowded but was not as bad as we had feared.  It was no worse than when we were here in 2011 on Good Friday.  We do have an impeccable sense of timing.

The Old City is surrounded by walls which date to the time of Suleiman the Magnificent and the Ottoman Empire.  There are seven gates to the city, each named for the city and road which lead to it; for example, there are the Damascus and the Zion Gates to name just two.  Because of its history, the Old City is divided into Jewish, Christian and Arab sections which are especially noticeable in the warren of streets which form the marketplace or souk. 

Our goal today was to get to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was laid out and anointed prior to burial in the church.  We were unable to get near this church in 2011 because we could not cross the Via Dolorosa which was blocked off by the military.  While we tried then, we saw part of the re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross as the Jesus re-enactor carried the cross up the Via Dolorosa.  We were luckier today.

Anat told us we would have no chance of getting in before 2:00 p.m. because of Easter services, so we wound our way through the Old City, around several blockades, up and down steep stairs and into the Christian section for lunch.  Because this was Passover week, restaurants and cafes in the Jewish Quarter were closed, so we found a café and made ourselves comfortable.  Lunch was casual as we sat outside and watched the parade of people passing through the adjacent square.  We both had falafel sandwiches, as did most of the others, but some got shawarmas instead.  After lunch, we walked up the street to a tchotchke shop to browse and support the local economy.  We did both and came away with a small hamsa for The Table.

We learned from Anat that Holy Sepulcher is actually six churches housed in one building.  Among others are an Ethiopian church which we peeked into at the end of the visit and a Coptic church, the Coptics being Egyptian Christians.  While we were there, the Coptics came in and conducted their Easter service.

Once one enters the main door of Holy Sepulcher, one sees the slab on which Jesus was placed after his death while his body was prepared for burial.  We didn’t see this because the crowd was so thick.  We had arrived just as the general population was allowed to enter and they swarmed the slab.  Many were laying hands on it or praying, hoping for some kind of divine intercession.  We swam through the crowd to the main altar but, again, could see very little because of the crowd and the pall of incense smoke.  We moved to the rear of the altar and saw more people crowding into a small area which Anat said was supposed to be the crypt where Jesus was buried.  Again, there were too many people and too many candles to get a picture.  From here, we completed the circle of the Church.  The entry was at 12 on the clock and the crypt at 6 and we were walking clockwise heading back to 12.  Once we exited the front door, we had a chance to look into the Ethiopian church, but there was not very much to see.

Anat led us away by way of the Cardo, a Roman era shopping area.  Much of it has been excavated and there is a long row of Roman columns still in place.  At one end of the reconstruction is a mural showing what the Cardo would have looked like two thousand years ago.  Several members of the group posed for pictures in front of the mural just as we had in 2011.

Neither we nor Kate wanted to see the Upper Room or David’s Tomb again.  The Upper Room is allegedly the place where the Last Supper took place.  Considering the time of year, and today’s calendar, the Last Supper was a seder celebrating the Exodus.  David’s Tomb purports to be the coffin of King David and is in a small room where rabbis pray over it all day.

We waited for the others in a square where we had sodas while we waited.  While the drinks were refreshing, the best part of the rest stop was the people-watching.  Families were out in force and we watched literally dozens of youngsters pass us eating ice cream.  Strollers crowded the little plaza and everyone seemed to be having fun.

Of course, the high point of a visit to Jerusalem is a trip to the Western or Wailing Wall.  We fought through the people and strollers to get to the entry checkpoint where we were separated by gender.  Once through, however, we regrouped to make plans.  We picked a meeting point and time [20 minutes later at the trash barrel] and headed to our gender-specific areas of the Wall; like so much in Judaism, men and women are separated for prayers.  Anat, MA and the other women headed to “their” section of the Wall and D lead the men.

The other men were rendered speechless by the number and variety of worshippers on the men’s side.  Ages ranged from pre-teen to octogenarian and the clothing ran the gamut from shirtsleeves to formal with many of the men in long black coats and enormous black, fur-trimmed hats.  Men were praying out loud at the same time that others were praying at the Wall itself.  We had no trouble finding spaces between the others and each had his moment of introspection at the Wall.  We met at a pre-arranged spot after about 10 minutes.

It was time to explore.  Anat had pointed out a hidden synagogue under the wall at the far left of the Wall itself.  Low-ceilinged and crowded, it was a narrow space tucked between two Ottoman-era walls and dimly lit.  There were side corridors branching out from it and everyplace we look we saw Orthodox men muttering prayers and responses to an unseen rabbi.  It looked like a scene from the Inferno; all we needed were flying devils to set the mood.  When we realized that there was nowhere to go and nothing more to see, we tried to get out but were blocked by men pushing what seemed to be another ark with torah scrolls into the area we were trying to leave.  It was a tight fit, but D and Bob made it past while Steve found his way out through one of the side passages we had seen.  Soon, we were reunited with the ladies and continued our adventure.

It was getting late. But we still had things to see and do.  We left the Old City by what Anat called the Dump Gate because it was the one used for garbage removal.  From that side of the Old City, we were able to see where two more entries had been sealed by earlier generations, perhaps for security reasons.  We were also able to see the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque clearly even though we could not actually get to them.  Ironically, HAL sent crew members on a tour today [underwritten in part by a passenger] and they got into the Mosque because they were all Muslim.  This is a sharp contrast to our 2011 waiter’s being denied permission to leave the ship and visit the Wall.

Our last stop was definitely non-cumenical.  On the way back to the Amsterdam, we stopped at the Elvis Café where it is all Elvis all the time.  We had been here in 2011 and that visit is still what we talk about, not the Wailing Wall or the Stations of the Cross.  Our group relaxed with a variety of goodies from fries to ice cream to beer all the while enjoying the Elvis posters on the walls, the Elvis songs playing non-stop and the Elvis statues inside and out.  We got pistachio gelato and sat with a bronze Elvis wearing a chai, the Hebrew word for life.  Finally, we left the building even if Elvis didn’t.

Because it was a port day, the original Easter formal night was moved to later in the week.  The menu included lamb chops but no ham, a major disappointment. 

TOMORROW – The New Testament Tour

Apr 6 – North to Nazareth

The ship moved about twenty feet last night and carried us from Ashdod to Haifa, south to north.  Like Ashdod, Haifa is a city with little of historical significance but serves, for us, as a gateway to important sites from the New Testament. 

We were reminded constantly today that Israel is the crossroads of the Middle East. Although it is geographically to the west of almost all of the Arab countries, many them [too many, perhaps] are on its borders.  On our cruise from Aqaba to Haifa we have been able to see a least a bit of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordon and were within spitting distance, as they say, of Gaza and the Golan Heights.  Suddenly, world events have a different feel. Despite their propinquity to countries which would like to destroy them, Israelis continue to lead normal lives; we saw this in the square yesterday as the children played and ate ice cream.  Fortunately, Israel has peace accords with Egypt and Jordan, but Syria and Lebanon are another matter.

In Nazareth, we saw the Basilica of the Assumption, built on the alleged site where God’s messenger told Mary that she was pregnant.  Mary is revered in Christianity and this Basilica was covered inside and in the courtyard with large homages to Mary sent from countries around the world.  They ranged in style from the stark image sent by the US to traditional poses sent by the Czechs and many others.

Beneath the floor of the church, but open to view, are the remains of the house where Jesus was raised.  Stairs are still intact and appear to lead to a second floor or perhaps to the roof.  The floor of the Basilica is open in this area and visitors can look at the interior of the house from above or descend a flight of steps for a closer look.  An altar has been placed in the open room of the house, obviously a later addition.

Another part of the complex is the Church of St. Joseph.  Built in 1914 on the site of a Twelfth Century church, it lies on the spot identified through the years as the site of Joseph’s carpentry shop.  The shop’s remains are also open to viewing and include cellars, granaries, cisterns and a mikvah.

Although born in Bethlehem, Jesus made his home in Nazareth, hence the nickname Nazarene.  There is little left of the city from that time, but some efforts have been made to preserve what purports to be his childhood home.  On the way to the Basilica of the Assumption, we passed Mary’s Well and Cana.  Mary’s Well has dried up but stands now on a corner surrounded by non-stop vehicular traffic; in her days, the well she used would have been one of the most important places in town where people gathered to exchange news while they hauled their water out of the ground.  Cana is best known as the site of Jesus’ first miracle when he turned water into wine at a wedding feast.  According to the NT, he did not want to do this but Mary asserted maternal authority and he acquiesced.  We stopped at neither place because of traffic concerns.

Tracing Jesus’ path from Nazareth brought us to the Sea of Galilee where he spent most of his time and did most of his preaching.  The Sea of Galilee is really a fresh-water lake which supplies water for the Jordan River [and, ultimately, the Dead Sea].  It is well-below sea level and we stopped at the sign marking sea level to take photos of the Sea and the valley below us.  The whole Israeli side of the lake was green with agricultural activity, but the opposite shore in Jordan was brown.  The valley is filled with kibbutz, socialist communities in which every resident is an equal partner and no one owns anything for himself.  There are community kitchens, community meals, community televisions, etc.  Each kibbutz has its own specialty and one of them operates a store where the goods from the others – dates, clothing, jewelry, honey – are sold.

Conveniently, this kibbutz non-profit store is located on the shore of the Jordan River at Yardenit, the semi-official baptismal site on the River.  There is a certain irony in its placement, but the kibbutz residents probably sing What a Friend We Have in Jesus regularly.  Since most of our group were Christian, they were thrilled to be here even though there is no information to suggest this spot over any other on the river.  On the other hand, none paid the fee to be immersed in the waters of the Jordan.  While we were wandering around, Anat bought potato chips and fed the catfish, carp and ducks which swarmed around her.  After an obligatory, and expensive, stop in the kibbutz shop, we headed to lunch.

Ari’s is a water-view restaurant on the Sea of Galilee.  We could see vacationers swimming and boating in the bright blue waters while we stuffed ourselves on lunch.  Once we were settled at the table, we were bombarded with appetizers such as hummus, tabouleh, olives, peppers, several slaws, carrots and cauliflower.  If a plate was empty, more was brought.  Once we were full, lunch arrived.  We each had a whole grilled St. Peter’s fish.  This fish, we were told, is related to the tilapia but is not as thick so steaks cannot be cut from it.  We peeled back skin and ate it and the fish being careful not to get any bones.  We had coffee with cardamom and ouzo, for those who wanted it, courtesy of Anat.  The food was so good that one of the others took home the leftover tabouleh. 

We drove past Tiberias and on the the Mount of the Beatitudes.  There is an ancient synagogue on the spot where Jesus is supposed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount, but it was closed.  We were able to visit the Church of the Beatitudes built on a hillside above the synagogue.  Offering a breath-taking view of the Sea of Galilee, it is dedicated to the Beatitudes.  MA’s favorite is “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”  There are plaques with the Beatitudes on the pathway leading to the church and stained-glass versions in the church itself.  Before we entered, Anat asked one of the group [who did not need glasses!] to read that section of the NT.

And, finally, Caparnaum [or Capharnaum].  The excavations at Caparnaum have revealed most of an entire town.  Houses grouped around central courtyards are clearly visible.  While not complete anymore, the synagogue is easily recognizable [and very similar to the one we saw at Masada in 2011].  The highlight for the many was the remains of Peter’s house.  Although added to by later residents/generations, the original house was very small, just one room.  Again, structures like storerooms and the cistern were visible.  The stonework here was magnificent with elaborate carvings on most of the remaining facades.

The trip home involved heavy traffic but no worries since we were not leaving Haifa until 11:00 p.m.

TOMORROW – A Necessary Sea Day

Apr 7 – Rest and Reception

We needed to rest and recuperate after two long but fulfilling days in Israel, so we did.  We attended a cocktail reception before dinner because the drinks were free.  There were speeches by the outgoing and incoming chief executives of HAL and recognition of personnel who had worked for HAL for 30 years.  Mostly, it was a chance for bigwigs to strut.  They will do more of that tomorrow night.  We sat with Steve and Mary Ann who had gone to Israel with us, so it wasn’t a total waste.

Tonight was the rescheduled formal night we didn’t have on Easter Sunday.  We ate at another table because we couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough.  The meal was good but the evening was excruciating.

TOMORROW – Talking Turkey

Apr 8 – Eating Our Way Through Ephesus

Kusadasi is the port nearest Ephesus, an ancient city whose ruins have been [and are continuing to be] excavated and restored.  It is best known for the façade of the library, an image which adorns countless travel posters.  Visitors also marvel at its amphitheater, houses and public toilets.   Through clever engineering, residents of ancient Ephesus were able to have hot and cold running water.

Ephesus was a seaport whose sea dried up.  More exactly, access by sea slowly disappeared as the harbor filled with silt from the Meander River.  Where once there was a harbor there is now a five-mile swath of green and urban development.  The same thing happened to other port cities in the area as we saw at Prienne in 2011.

Having seen Ephesus once, and trying to avoid its sloping walkways, we opted to eat our way through the area today.  We used the same tour operator we used in both previous stops here and were not disappointed.  There was little to the tour per se, but we had a good time and were fat and happy at day’s end.

We were to visit two villages but were told there was no village at the first village; it was just a crossroad.  Undeterred, we went to the Ephesus Lodge in the village of Kirazli.  The village got its name because of the cherries which grow there.  By a mere coincidence, the Ephesus Lodge is owned by one of the partners in the tour office.

Before breakfast was served, we enjoyed orange juice; olives [a breakfast tradition here]; at least four kinds of cheese; tomatoes; cucumbers; quince and blackberry jams; honey and more.  After that, we had eggs and the local bacon prepared together in one pan.  Whatever the smoked meat was, it was yummy as was the whole breakfast.  Not one of the eight of us could even think about food by the time we were finished.

In order to kill time before our next meal, we made a tourist stop in the village of Sirince, “the pretty one.”  Its former name meant “the ugly one,” but the area was cleaned up and is now quite charming.  We stopped at a local restaurant which offered a good vantage point to see the entire village and outlying valley before walking from there through the shopping area.  The guide warned us that what we would see was aimed at the numerous tourists who come every year and he was right.  There were no stores offering anything the locals would want or need, but we had our choice of souvenirs.  We saw spices, honey and lace, all locally produced.  Once again, we made a small contribution to the local economy so the trip was not in vain.  We allowed 90 minutes to wander around, way more than we needed.  We assembled gradually in the courtyard of the restaurant where started and chatted until our driver and guide reappeared.

We had not walked off much of breakfast yet, but it was time for lunch.  We drove a short distance to Bizim Ev Hanuueli Restaurant .  This one was not owned by the tour company but the food was just as good.  We were amazed at the display of food on the buffet table.  There were thirty different dishes from meat casseroles to fried cauliflower, pasta and chicken, stuffed peppers and grape leaves.  And so much more.  We were also amazed that we could even think of eating again, yet we managed without any hesitation.  There was bread, too, and we could buy drinks which were not included in the tour price.  We had sodas, but others had tea, beer or wine.  When we were full beyond imagination, desert was served, a semolina cake which reminded us of a cross between rice pudding and bread pudding in texture and taste.  We all waddled when we left.

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at an overlook to view the town of Kusadasi.  It was this spot that the Turkish leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, proclaimed that Kusadasi was a beautiful town.  Since Ataturk was the man who unified Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, his word was revered and there is now a statue of him on the lookout.

We could have actually eaten more of Ephesus is we had wanted to.  With corporate bigwigs on board, an event which occurs during each Grand World Voyage, HAL had arranged to have an extravaganza at Ephesus tonight.  They must have made arrangements and greased palms a year ago.   Everyone on board was invited and passengers were ferried to the ancient city which is only 20 minutes from Kusadasi.  Guests enjoyed open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts before a performance by a chamber orchestra and dancers. 

We chose not to attend because of the poor walking conditions in Ephesus and because the temperature was around 50 this evening.  People who went raved about it, but we had no second thoughts.  Instead, we had an enjoyable dinner in the Lido with Bob & Kathy and Roger & Barbara.  We had so much fun, in fact, that the staff finally asked us to leave so they could clean and set up for the nightly 10:30 buffet.

We also decided today to forego the walking tour of Grenada and the Alhambra scheduled for later this month.  Again, we were concerned about the walking and possibly the weather.  We have been asking around about replacements, but, if none are found, we are reconciled to losing the money we have already paid.

TOMORROW – More R & R as we sail toward Athens