Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sofia from the Ship

In case you are unfamiliar with “Constantinople”, it has 16 million inhabitants, 99.9 % are Moslem but only about 35% of those are practising. It recently displaced Rome as the third most popular tourist destination city in Europe (even though only half of the city is in Europe). I can see why, what a city!

The Blue Mosque From the Ship

This morning we traded in our hard earned Big “O” points for a baseball cap and a visor. It was fun mini-golfing and playing trivia to earn them.  We know they do this points thing to try and keep people active and interacting and it seems to work.

We made a point of being up on deck as we sailed through the Sea of Marmara and watched Istanbul loom closer and closer. Stunning architecture in a beautiful location. We can see Asia on one side of the harbour and Europe on the other. This is as close as Norma has been to Asia.

We had booked an afternoon tour which started shortly after docking at 1 pm. We first visited the Hagia Sophia Museum (originally a Christian church, then a mosque, now a museum slowly being turned back into the original church). The interior was breathtaking. It felt really emotional visiting and two women had tears in their eyes.  At one time it was the largest single building in the world. There are wonderful paintings on the ceiling. When it was transformed from the Christian church to the mosque, a beautiful mosaic of Mary and Baby Jesus had been painted over. This has now been restored. The alter was also moved to face toward Mecca so to this day it is still not central. This was a awe inspiring visit and started lots of questioning around how they accomplished this architectural feat all those years ago in 400 AC.

Hagia Sofia Interior

Restored Mosaic

We then walked over to the Topkapi Palace, the home of the Sultans who ruled the Ottoman Empire. It also is now a museum which houses most of the national treasures of the middle east including an 86 carat diamond and the emerald-encrusted dagger of Sultan Mahmud I which a movie centered around. No photography allowed in this area. As you can guess there are also guards in these rooms protecting the treasures.

Sultans Palace

School Class in the Palace

On the way back we stopped in the Old City and the Grand Bazaar which has been a part of Istanbul for 600+ years. It is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.  It is customary to bargain in the bazaar. We did a little bit but our hearts were not really in it – why haggle for a couple of dollars one way or the other? Of course we were not dealing with big ticket items (real carpets) either.

Grand Bazaar - Note Intrepid Shopper in Foreground

You think you have seen traffic problems? You ain’t seen nothin’! Cars, buses, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians trying to go in multiple directions on way too narrow streets. It seems like there are more cars than the 16 million people in Istanbul.

As I write this evening prayers have started. We know this as there are over 7,000 mosques in the city and lots of them have loud speakers on the minarets that broadcast the 5 times a day prayers. The first one of the day is at 5 am so we won’t need the alarm in the morning. Bet this evening they were praying they won’t be stuck in gridlock until morning!

We were both feeling a little sad this morning realizing this is our last day on the Marina. We have had some wonderful adventures and will spend lots of time reminiscing and reviewing our pictures. Lots of stories to tell. Thus this will be our last post- thanks for reading about our cruise.

Good Night from Istanbul

Kusadasi, Turkey

We cleaned up on trivia last night and guess who the star was? Wrong. It was “Name That Tune” and Norma carried our team. Lucky she had listened to all those old tunes her parents used to sing. One of the couples felt so bad they didn't know any of the tunes so they gave us their “O” points. We now have enough to buy something at the big "sale" tomorrow.

Tacky Tourists

We sailed into Turkey this morning at 7:00 a.m. – 180 nautical miles from Rhodes - and departed for our morning tour of Ephesus, a biblical city of magnificent proportions (another UNESCO site). In case you are a little fuzzy check out the biblical chapter “Ephesians”. Nile, our tour guide is an English teacher so we had no problems understanding her. Besides various temples (including the area of the Temple of Artemis – one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) we saw the terrace houses which housed the upper class Ephesians.

The Library

The Grand Theatre

They had running under floor heating from steam, fresh water and sewer in their homes– pretty amazing to see the terra cotta pipes they have found and realize how civilized they were 2400 years ago. The agora or market was fun to walk through and visualize what it might sound, smell and look like in biblical times. The library was impressive (especially with its underground tunnels to the brothel - our picture was taken in front of it) and the Grand Theatre which once hosted performances by Elton John and Sting. Apparently the acoustics are magnificent and until recently had been used for a variety of concerts. After the fans attending the “Sting” concert caused a great deal of damage and destruction, it was decided not to permit any more such concerts there.

Terrace "Apartment"

Sandals Need Repair? How About an Anointment?

At the end of our tour we were invited to view a carpet shop demonstration. It was designed to get you to buy a carpet but was very informative, nonetheless, including a demonstration of how silk is harvested from silk worms. The carpets were magnificent (so were their prices!). They told us the silk worms feed exclusively on the mulberry trees. They harvest the cocoons, place them in hot water and stir them with a broom until the silk begins to separate in a string – about 4,000 feet long – which is then combined with many strings and spun onto a wheel for later dying and weaving. They also gave a demo of how it is double knotted into a rug and then spread out over 50 rugs for us to see the comparison. It was all pretty impressive but we did not buy.

Carpet Demo

We spent a bit of time in the bazaar of Kusadasi. Turkish bazaars must be experienced to be believed. There were so many shop keepers who “wanted to be our friends” – we did not realize we had such captivating personalities.   “Madam – you forgot your leather jacket” or “Sir, over here for that new watch”. Again we are impressed with how clean things are in Turkey. There is constantly someone sweeping the streets and picking up garbage.

The weather has been excellent the whole trip. No rain and mostly equitable temperatures, Today it was in the mid 20s. The archaeological site could be oppressive in the summer heat so obviously this is the time to visit.

Rhodes, Greece

The Old Walled City

We sailed the next length of the journey – 274 nautical miles, into the wind and waves. A bit rougher than it had been but we have our sea legs now so didn’t find it bad at all. Forming the central part of Rhodes City the old walled city is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe and was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1988. A number of sites are worth looking at. Upon entering the harbour there is a tower that looked really neat the way the rising sun was hitting it at 7 this morning. 

Tower Protecting the Rhodes Harbour

Upon entering through the walls we were greeted by the method we are getting accustomed to – a small feral kitten came running over looking for attention. We toured the Grand Master’s Palace which was built in the 14th century by the Knights of Rhodes, who occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1522.It is now a museum. Minimal furnishings but amazing mosaic floors and marble staircases. They didn’t have much labelled as they wanted you to hire one of the many guides sitting around throughout the building. The signs consisted of “don’t step on these stairs” and “Don’t walk on the mosaic floor”.  

Palace Entrance

Artifact in Palace

We also walked by the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent who kicked the above Knights out in 1522. Like many places we have seen in this part of the world they have been razed, conquered and raised again many times. And in between there probably was an earthquake to boot. Wanna building permit in these parts? Chances are you will be digging up history and will need to get a clearance from the Archaeological Service. Contractors are constantly covering up ruins to prevent lengthy construction delays. There are many visible archeological digs evident throughout the city, including the temple of Aphrodite. You would walk up a street in the most unlikely area only to find a fenced offed area smack dab in the middle of the street, wrought iron fenced in and old digging evident.

Roadside Dig

We visited a Jewish Synagogue and overheard a young gentleman translating for the rabbi about his family’s WW II trials in Auschwitz. The synagogue was beautiful and to honour their beliefs we were not allowed to take any photos. Even though a part of the old town is lined with tourist shops it is possible to escape into one of the narrow back streets and experience Rhodes as Rhodians live it. The narrow streets are made from cobblestones so are bumpy. 

Narrow, Cobblestoned Street

We had some fun wandering and even found ourselves in someone’s back yard. Rhodes is neat. Norma did manage to find a charm for her new bracelet: a genuine gold and silver motif of Greece. Tonight they are treating us to an authentic Greek buffet so we are looking forward to seeing what that will entail. We are also busy trying to collect our “O” points so will play trivia and take part in a name that tune special trivia tonight.

Perhaps you have read about one of the seven wonders of ancient world: the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue of Helios which stood over 30 meters high. The statue stood for 56 years until 226 BC when an earthquake snapped it at the knees. The Rhodians, afraid that they had offended Helios declined to rebuild it although there are plans afoot now to replace it.

The Colossus of Rhodes

Limassol, Cyprus

Tea Towel

Happy Thanksgiving! There are 214 Canadians on board so they can’t ignore us and are putting on a turkey dinner in the grand dining room. In case you are wondering there are about 1200 total passengers. There even was a “Happy Thanksgiving” message on our daily newspaper.

Last evening the ship set sail from Haifa to Cyprus, 161 nautical miles. The lights of Haifa and the surrounding area were beautiful. We stood on our veranda watching for quite some time. Calm seas so again we don’t even feel we are traveling. It continues to amaze us how they can maneuver this huge ship into a tight space without any aid from the tugs. They just glide right on in.

Limassol is the second largest city in Cyprus (after Nicosia) and the major port in the country. We took the shuttle bus into the “Old City” (about a 10 minute ride) and spent some time in the Medieval Museum of Cyprus housed in the Lemesos Castle. According to the literature it is not supposed to be open on Mondays  (perhaps they opened it for the ship?). This low ceilinged, steep staired structure displays artifacts from 324 AD to the end of the Ottoman rule in the 1800s. The castle has been subjected to many conquests, earthquakes and destructions. At one point it was destroyed by the owners to prevent it following into enemy hands.

Room in the Lemesos Castle

Dionysus

We then took a walk to the beach promenade, a tree lined boulevard along the seafront. They are in the process of extending and improving the walk and should be very nice indeed when it is finished.

Beach Promenade

The Old Town is quite tourist oriented but with reasonable prices compared to Israel, so another chance to do some more Christmas shopping. Family will be getting a wide variety of items we are finding along the way. It has been fun for us thinking of each of them as we carefully pick up something we think they might like. It wasn't nearly as hot today so much more pleasant for walking around. Maybe we are getting acclimatized. Cyprus is famous for hand made lace and leather goods among other things. They even have a Cyprus delight, which is supposed to be close to Turkish delight but to us was a bit more sugary. They had some spice and nut markets as well but not as fragrant or big as what we saw in Israel. 

Spice and Nut Market

Haifa, Israel (Day 2)

No tour today. After the past two long days on the bus we were happy to do some exploring on our own. By the number of buses – at least under half of what was on the pier yesterday – it appeared many other passengers had made the same decision.

The Bahá’í Gardens From the Bottom

We can see the Bahá’í gardens from our veranda so knew it would be walk-able, albeit uphill much of the way. These gardens, a 2008 addition to UNESCO list, are located in the heart of Haifa, and comprise a staircase of nineteen terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel. The golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá’í Faith, stands on the central terrace.

Shrine of the Báb

Anyway after doing some extensive research on the net to see times of opening etc. off we went. It was a pretty steep climb uphill in the sun but we made it. The gardens are beautiful and it is told there is never a single blade of grass out of place. At the bottom, we were met by security who informed us they were washing the stairs so we could only look from the bottom courtyard, and during normal opening you still can only walk up one flight of the 19 flights or down one if you start in the middle, unless you are on a tour and then you get to walk around a bit more. That explains why we haven’t seen people climbing up or down (basically enjoying the gardens).  We were disappointed and saddened that such a beautiful area is considered to be a potential target of terrorism to the point where it is effectively closed. There was one English speaking tour at noon but leaving from the top of the gardens (accessible via taxi/bus). With no Israeli currency in our possession or ATM we could find, we just took pictures and made our way back to the ship via the German Colony (a section of Haifa) and downtown. The parking situation in Israel is crazy. We witnessed it here as well in some other cities we visited. Drivers just pull up on the sidewalk or into any small space they can find.

No Parking Spot? No Problem!

We did see an outlet mall so decided to take a look. We were met by a security guard who went through the camera case and Norma’s purse. Apparently this is a normal situation here but once again were saddened that the Israeli people need to make this a part of their life. There never seems to be a peaceful day here – even yesterday the Israelis tracked and destroyed a drone which invaded their air space. They are also watching Syria very carefully as they share a border. A quote from our tour guide Shai - "we live for today as we are never sure about tomorrow". Pretty sad way to live. We look forward to sailing to peaceful Cyprus tomorrow (peaceful? Cyprus? an oxymoron you say? we shall see).

Another observation is how dirty it is here. There is garbage everywhere, which is probably why the Bahia gardens are so refreshing. We even witnessed a driver in Nazareth just open his window and throw out a plastic cup onto the busy street. The ditches on the sides of the roads are full of bottles, bags and cans. It would take hundreds of container ships to even make a dent in all the rubble. We wonder if the same situation applies here as in Mexico where the natives throw away their containers because culturally they are supposed to rot.  Unfortunately plastic cups are not coconut shells or gourds. 

Downtown Haifa

Haifa, Israel

Haifans Call It the Bullet

We arrived at the “San Francisco of the middle east” at 8:00 this morning. Today was our tour to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. I vaguely remember some of those Sunday school lessons and wish I had listened more. We did pull a fast one though. We watched the tour buses pull in early this morning and used the binoculars to pick out the bus our yesterday’s guide Shai was in. He had told us last evening he was coming up to Haifa for the Nazareth tour. We had enjoyed our day with him so much yesterday we decided to give it a try and requested his bus number when they were handing out bus assignments in the lounge. Easy peasy!

Church of the Annunciation

Inside the Church

Nazareth was the place where Jesus spent his early years. We stopped at the Basilica of the Annunciation where Mary learned from the angel she would bear the son of god. Kind of the bible’s version of a positive pregnancy test, I guess. Anyway the building was spectacular. The guy ahead of us was not allowed on the grounds – he wore shorts. Women must keep their head and shoulders covered and the keeper of the gate wasn’t the least bit shy about making sure these rules were followed. He was telling males and females alike what they needed to wear to get in. When we entered the church there was a mass in progress – they still allowed all the tourists in –and the priest broke out singing “Ava Maria”. The acoustics in the huge main church were amazing.  Besides Mary’s house nearby  there was Joseph’s church supposedly built over his carpentry shop. She really was the girl next door! With this many tourists a bathroom break had potential to be a lengthy ordeal. On top of needing to pay to get in – 0.50 E – there was a very long line up. When Norma got into the line everyone was looking at their watches as we all had a time to be back on the bus. The lady in front, with a very strong German accent, suggested using the mens so that is what we did – in and out in a flash! How innovative of us.

Arab Nazareth itself was chaotic as opposed to quiet Jewish Haifa (being a Saturday).

Sea of Galilee

We then headed to the Sea of Galilee and the sights in that area. We can see how you could spend months and not see everything there is in this country. This would be a particularly wonderful experience for any practising Christian (or Moslem or Jew or. . .). We were told at the start that we would stop at three churches, which we did. We were to stop at Tiberius to learn how the Jews pick, cut and present diamonds along with an opportunity to purchase. For some reason wires were crossed and the area was locked up so we – the occupants of the bus – voted to bypass it. We went to lunch at a resort at Ginosar on the shores of the “sea” (it’s a lake. . .) – another great meal – lots of Arab specialties to sample.

Next stop was Tabgha, where Jesus was supposed to have walked on water and multiplied the fish. Norma’s theory – no insult to believers intended here – was that he stood on one of the many submerged rocks you could see near the shore, had fished there the day before and knew the fish were going after grasshoppers, so got the men all using that for bait and the fish catch was ample.

Religion is the major business here. Many conversations with fellow bus mates about being believers or not. Anyway we did feel the waters of the Sea of Galilee and one lady from our tour filled a small bottle to take home for her grandchildren’s baptism.

Capernaum was next. This is more like an archeological site. They have built a new church totally suspended over the pillars and stones walls of the site where it is believed Jesus preached. This was very interesting. You could almost feel the people of old walking around, pressing olives for oil, etc.

Capernaum Site

The third church/synagogue was atop a mountain – very beautiful grounds and wonderful view of the Sea of Galilee. This was the Mount of Beatitudes and as the tour guide stated each one of us probably breaks one of these each and every day. This was a wonderful church to boot. We were told to visualize the multitudes on the hillside (waving their cigarette lighters as Jesus preached?).

Our last stop was the River Jordan baptismal site – though it is disputed that this is not the true site of Jesus baptizing his followers people come here in droves. For a fee you can purchase and don a white gown and go into the river to baptise yourself or family members. There were many people doing this, singing, chanting, etc. The one and only lady from our bus that was going to go in chickened out when she saw the size of the catfish frequenting the baptismal site and their big mouths! Our tour guide aptly described it as a “religious circus”.

Baptisers

Remains of a Baptiser After the Catfish Finished

Soon after it got dark very quickly (they are on standard time here already to reduce fasting time to dusk) and we returned to the ship.

Ashdod, Israel (Second Day)

Jerusalem

Today was our tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. After we cleared Israeli immigration the tour started from the dock and travelled toward the Dead Sea. The bus driver, Sammy, took a detour so we were able to see Jerusalem from the distance. We were happy about this as we were not going to see it otherwise. There is so much to see in just four short days in Israel. We went through one armed checkpoint in the process. Israel and Palestine are still sorting things out and will be for a while yet. We saw many roadside war monuments on the way as well. These were to commemorate the efforts made by troops to get supplies into Jerusalem in 1946. Many convoys were ambushed and destroyed for their efforts.

Along the way we kept seeing these very rough tin houses – mostly with cars outside. There are apparently over 250,000, yes 250,000 people who live in these types of accommodations around Jerusalem and surrounding cities. These are the Bedouins. Some of the roofs on these rough "homes" are made from signs they have “borrowed” from the highway.  Much concern about their hygiene, children’s education, etc.  Several camel spottings along the way as well as camel crossing signs on the highway.We also saw sheep, goats, donkeys and they two young herders resting in the shade. Doesn't seem to be much for them to eat, it all appears so barren but that is their life.

Bedouin hovels

Masada is a mesa-like mountain (plateau) upon which was built a fortress/palace by King Herod (remember him?).  The site is a National Park and accessible by a cable car that travels 3,000 feet in just 6 minutes. They pack about 60 people into each car for the journey up and down. Once on the top you can view and walk about the fortress. There is also an amazing view of the Dead Sea. One of the most interesting aspects was the water collection and storage system. Herod’s “engineers” designed a method to capture the rain water – only about 5 torrential rain storms a year – and have it run where they wanted it so they could collect it into “cement” lined cisterns. Pretty fascinating. This came in handy when they came under siege by the Romans. There were the thirsty soldiers of the Roman army besieging the fortress while the Jewish people were swimming in their pool on the top of the mountain! To learn more about this fascinating site see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada. Our tour guide Shai (pronounced Shy) had a wealth of knowledge about the area and its history which really added to our day.

Masada

Masada Fortress

After Masada we proceeded to the Hod Hotel on the shore of the Dead Sea. 

Dead Sea Scroll Cave, Date Palm and Israeli Flag

We were treated to a wonderful buffet lunch then off to experience what the resort and Dead Sea had to offer.  Norma went for a float but Doug chose to be photographer. This was on her bucket list – check! It was totally amazing. It is impossible to keep your feet on the bottom. You just sit there suspended in this warm, salty bath water. With difficulty you work to get your feet back on the bottom. The bottom is crunchy with salt as is the sandy beach.  When you get out your skin appears as if you have just applied an oily salt scrub and after showering it feels silky soft. I guess this is why they use it to make all the beauty and skin aids. Norma rinsed her swim suit but still found it crystally with salt when we got back to the ship.

Dead Sea Float

After the tour bus arrived back at our dock the trouble began. After making it past the Port Authority gate check we encountered a bus traffic jam at the dock gate! Our tour guide and driver were very agitated and many angry words were exchanged with the port authority personnel. Apparently they were only allowing 2 buses at a time to enter the dock area and our guide did not know why. Remember we had NOT cleared customs yet! When we were finally let in, sure enough the dock was lined with uniformed personnel all carrying something – I looked away before I could ID whether they were AK 47 assault rifles or bazookas. It mattered little at that point. We were doomed! Now for Norma’s version: the ship had requested they only allow two buses in at a time. I assumed it was to allow easier access to the customs and ship entry as there was a huge number of tour buses all coming back at the same time. When we got closer I saw our cabin steward, Freddy, holding a tray of rolled up face cloths and a pair of tongs and one of the waiters from the dining room holding a try of drinks. This was a “Welcome Back” celebration and for the crew to do it to the standard they thought they should they needed to have us return in a controlled fashion.  There was music and the staff were all clapping and smiling. We were all so desperate for a bathroom break by this time there were not many smiles among the travelers, but a good gesture on the part of the crew I guess.

It has been a wonderful day but as you can guess we are tired after a full day of sightseeing. The temperature had been around 34 degrees all day but it is a very dry heat. This is our first of two back to back long days.

Dead Sea Snooze - Floating is Hard Work!

Ashdod, Israel

Stateroom View

We had a first last night! Our trivia team scored a perfect score and won first prize (of course). Our regular team consists of four couples: us as well as one each from LA, Vancouver and Hawaii. There is a buzz about the ship as the mighty “Seafarers” (our team name) are the force to be reckoned with! We shall see how we do today.

Our Trivia Team

Today we opted not to leave the ship in spite of being docked in Israel. We arrived at noon and waited some time before being called for the face to face matching with our passports.  Everyone on board needed to meet with the Israeli immigration with their passports and issued and stamped landing card which you must have in your possession when you leave the ship. They had taken our passports in Barcelona and this will be the first time we have seen them since and we hand them back in again when we leave Israel.  Apparently unless you are going on an organized tour there is not a lot to do or see in Ashdod. The shuttle goes to a three story mall and we would rather shop for authentic items. The attached picture will be the view from our cabin deck for two days. I think you get the idea.

We can practice people watching instead.  Already we have encountered a few interesting shipmates. We don’t mean to be catty but some personalities are clearly showing as you spend a lot of time with a group of people. Who knows what they are saying about us.

1. We were having dinner a few nights ago when we first met “Morticia”. Escorted by her husband in a tuxedo this bleached blonde entered wearing an evening dress and a mink stole, pounds of makeup including ruby red lipstick and white 50’s style glasses. Has Halloween come early this year? Both Doug and the fellow at the next table commented simultaneously about this.

2.  Next are Judy and we don’t know his name. The first encounter was in the theater when they came in yelling at each other, he stormed to the front stating loudly that was where he was going to sit and she eventually went to the front row but did not take a seat next to him. The next night they did the same thing but sat together, then left arguing in the middle of the show. Next we saw them in Antalya yelling at each other in the market.

3. There is the cheating oriental golfer. She gave us reason to watch when she keeps winning yet we see her take 3 and 4 strokes per hole – we usually do it in 2. Today we learned her secret. She pretends to have a practice round then stands near the activity co-ordinator listening to the scores people are recording then knows what she needs to beat, heads out on her round merrily writing her scores to match or beat. What a sad lady. We keep thinking we should offer to keep score for her!

4. Then there is the lady souse who joined our trivia team yesterday cause “I know all the answers” though she kept telling Doug her head just wasn't clear when she didn't get any. Her “friend” – she made that very clear – thinks he is a pianist and keeps making his way to the piano in spite of being asked by the cruise personal to leave as the real pianist will be “along shortly”.

5. And the cancer researcher from Melbourne University who we have seen many times now laying baking in the sun by the pool in his skimpy swimsuit.

Sunrise on the Mediterranean

They told us there are 54 nationalities in the service staff. They all have their names, area they work as well as country of origin. Interesting that the majority of the waiters, busboys, room attendants, etc. are from Central America (e.g. Nicaragua, Honduras), Asia (e.g. Indonesia, India) and eastern Europe (e.g. Romania, Croatia) whereas the “higher” staff are from USA, Britain, Canada, Germany and the like. There is apparently a large number of Canadians on board as guests. We opted not to go to the Canadian get-together cocktail party a few days ago but have met a few anyway.

Antalya, Turkey

Antalya Skyline

We are in Turkey. Visions of “Midnight Express” flashed through one’s mind as the ship docked. Sure enough, those thoughts were reinforced as there is more razor wire than I have seen in my life. The terminal is a fortress. Don’t know who they are expecting to keep out or in but it’s gotta be working.

For the first time we were provided with a “landing card” to keep in our possession. The cruise personal were pretty vague about it but insisted we have it. After being directed through an official looking building with unintelligible writing, documents in hand, knees shaking, we were met by a gruff port official who begrudgingly welcomed us to Turkey and told us to stand in line for a shuttle bus. Not that we were going anywhere else anyway with all the razor wire. Of course right behind us in line a brash American (instead of keeping his mouth shut) was trying to talk to one of the line guards until one of the guard’s buddies drew him away before anything else happened. Whew. I suppose another option would have been to sign our lives over to one of the snarling taxi drivers (our cruise director referred to them as the “Pirates of the Mediterranean”) as several times when he secured a price for the ride the driver “palmed” a smaller note and accuse him of underpaying. So we stood in line. When we got the shuttle bus back, through security and the razor wire, they didn't even want to see the “landing card”. We still have them in our possession. No doubt they will be looking for us and our cards soon. And that will be it – Midnight Express all over again.

OK – that was Doug’s version of our arrival. We did receive a “Landing card” which no one seemed to know what to do with. We did go into the official looking building but it was very calm and we were met by a lovely young lady with very good English, who welcomed us to Turkey and directed us to the shuttle bus, answering questions as we went. Yes, there was a brash American behind us but the man from the shuttle bus company was very politely answering all his questions. I think we agree on the rest. Signed: Norma

We took the 30 minute city shuttle provided by the cruise ship to the city center called Cumhuriyet Square, where we found the old town and the remaining gate to Hadrian’s Wall.

Hadrian's Gate

It was a pretty busy and interesting Turkish market with every corner trying to entice you to shop. Some of the shops had signs stating “safe shopping”. Nearly all attempted to speak to us in English. The spice markets were amazing with the great smells and presentation. Several of them had interesting designs created in the spice bin, i.e. flowers and mosaic designs. The fresh figs were huge. Again, lots of stray cats including the kitten "playing" on the cushion covers.

Spice Market

Hard to Keep Your Displays Neat With This Guy Around

Lots of possible items to purchase but we were just busy taking in the sights and sounds and people watching. We did sample some varieties of Turkish Delight as they were trying to get us to buy.

In the old town there were two Mosques that you could tour but only if you were appropriately dressed (no shorts and head/shoulders covered) and prepared to remove your shoes. The bigger one had a separate visitor’s entrance with no place to leave your shoes but on the sidewalk. The other was for the locals and it had a special place for people to wash their feet. They were also supplied with wooden thongs to wear once they had washed their feet. There was a rack for them  to leave your shoes on.

Foot Wash Station

We are constantly reminded of the different cultures and how so much is religion based.  One god but let’s all fight about how to worship and which belief is better!

WC stands for water closet. In Turkey this means you pay 1 tl (Turkish Lira) to squat over a hole and hope you don't get your feet wet. When you gotta go you gotta go!

Port Akdeniz is a very busy commercial port as well as the dock for the cruise ships. When we got back from our excursion to town we spent quite a bit of time watching container ships come in and be unloaded as well as yachts coming into the harbour and going to a seaside restaurant. Again, we are so glad to have our own veranda.  It is a great place to kick back with a free cappuccino specially made by one of the coffee shops on board or in Doug’s case a coke (kept stocked in our room fridge), and just be outside watching the sights.

Last evening we had an amazing Thai dinner in the “Red Ginger” specialty restaurant. Each course was better than the one before – all five of them. They kept bringing us items we had not ordered as well as they said they were the chefs specialty.  We cannot complain about any of the food so far. They give you smaller portions, which is great, so you can try all courses and not feel stuffed at the end.

We have been busy earning "O" points at the various activities, like golf and Trivia. If we get enough - we are now up to 26 combined - we can trade them in for Oceania memorabilia  It has been a fun way to meet people and our team the Seafarers are doing quite well.