We Saw Another Sea Day

Friday, April 29, 2011

A very quiet day on the Prinsendam.  The big thing on the ship today was the Royal Wedding.  The Showroom at Sea was turned into a British Pub equipped to show the TV coverage on the “big screen”.  The timing was great because we were in a time zone that meant the coverage started at 10 am… better than that 4 am time slot for most Americans.  The TV’s in all the public rooms were “tuned in” and the only place of refuge was your own cabin.  Of course in this cabin, the TV is always on.  Barney spent most of the day reading and I read between naps and organizing photos.  We had lunch on the Lido and it was not crowded at all – guess Kate and William were walking down the aisle. 

The chef at the Lido was offering a special Greek dinner so we decided to meet Liz and Bob, and Jan for the Greek dinner.  It sure didn’t meet the Poulos family standard but we had a good time anyway.  We rushed through dessert in order to make the entertainment show.  It was the Katzenjammer show, two brothers who play one piano.  They were fantastic and very entertaining.  We had heard them play on our 2006 cruise.  In fact, we bought one of their DVD’s for Christina and Dylan at that time.  They are on board until Cadiz, so we are looking forward to hearing them again. 

A relaxing, fun day.  Tomorrow we are back in Italy and on the search for the best Gelato.  Wish us luck. 

Katakolon, Wonder of the World Number Five

Thursday, April 28, 2011

                              

It’s really a treat to wake up in another interesting port each morning, or as our guide in Bodrum said “every each” morning.  It was pitch black the first time we peeked out but soon we could see 4 other cruise ships trying to get into the same small harbor we wanted in Katakolon, Greece.  This is a small port which is very busy because it is the best location for tourists traveling to the ruins of Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games.  Our Captain told us on the PA last night that the harbor would be crowded and that it was very close to the little town with its numerous shops, bars and restaurants.  He promised that he would get a good “parking place” and that he might push our bow into a local taverna,  He has a marvelous sense of humor and seems to enjoy his little talks on the public address system.

                                

According to our guide, the sun shines here 333 days a year…what are the odds that we would have rain?  In the long run it may have been a blessing as when the sun finally peeked through, it turned hot and humid very quickly. 

                                

We took a tour to Olympia, the little town at the site of the Ancient Olympic games.  We had a very nice guided hour-long tour of the museum adjacent to the Olympic site.  The museum contained all the movable art works which were discovered when the site was uncovered, beginning in the early 1900’s.  It was one of the best organized displays we’ve seen and had everything labeled in three languages, including English.  The guide was very complete in his descriptions, but kept us moving at just the right pace.  The museum was particularly easy to understand because all the artifacts were from the Olympic site and all were pertinent to each other.

        

  

Then we set off on a 1-1/2 hour tour of the Olympic grounds.  The site included the ruins of several dozen buildings, two temples, a gymnasium, a Church, a Priest’s house, the artist’s studio, dozens of statue bases, alters, a bath, a surrounding wall and, of course, the Stadium.  The first games were part of a ritual in honor of Zeus and involved only local athletes.  These started about 1000 BC. and by 776 BC they had been expanded to include most of the Greek city-states.  They were still held in honor of Zeus, but were also a ritual for peace and required that those city-states which were fighting must cease hostilities during the two week period of the games.  In 393 BC the Olympic structures were demolished by order of Theodosius II (the father of Alexander the Great) because the structures honored Zeus and other Greek gods.  So the games were discontinued until 1896 when they were reinstated but just for Greece.  They did not become truly international until 1936 when the games were held in Berlin.

  

There were many interesting locations on the site, but the remains of the massive Temple of Zeus were the most impressive.  It’s sheer base size was overwhelming and the height could be realized by that of the single remaining upright pillar.  We were able to touch the top of another of its pillars because it was lying on the ground.  Another place of note was the location where the Olympic Flame is lit every four years and then carried to the site of that year’s Olympic Games.  

          

The entire site was crowded with young and old, locals and tourists.  There was an energy that you could literally feel.  Every photo op included strangers, but that made it even more fun.  Once we got to the stadium it was interesting to watch as most visitors pretended to run an event, pose at the starting line, set up small races and even crown the victor with a wreath of olive branches – the same “trophy” that would have been awarded the Olympians at the first games. 

  

        

All of the events were done in the nude because they were very proud of their bodies.  Thank goodness today’s “re-enactors” left that part to the imagination.  Women were not allowed in the stadium, even as spectators. However, there would have been a statue of one woman at the stadium, the goddess of Agriculture because the games were in honor of a good harvest.  40,000 spectators sat on the grass slopes surrounding the 192 meter stadium. 

The bus ride back to the harbor was more enjoyable because the rain had let up and we  had a better view of the countryside.  The redbuds were in bloom and the deep red poppies were beginning to dot the fields.  A new crop of corn had been planted and it stood about 5 inches high and did not look very promising.  It looked like they were expecting a bumper crop of watermelons.  The homes were grouped in small villages and our guide pointed out all the businesses that had closed because of the economy.  He stated that “they were Greek, though and they would survive, it just might take a few extra shots of ouzo.”

  

Once back at the harbor we got out of our wet clothes and returned to explore the little town of Katakolon.  We strolled on the waterfront, visited with friends, made a few new ones and just enjoyed the afternoon. 

  

The ship sailed at 4:30 and we have a sea day tomorrow.  The program has been distributed with the schedule for the entire “Royal affair” and you can be sure that we will attend all functions.   Rumor is that we are going to be given back one of the hours that they have taken from us. We really missed that hour and will be happy to get it back…that will make the Royal wedding an hour longer.  

A Flash From Monemvasia, Greece

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

                              

The lightning and thunder continued through the night and we didn’t need our alarm clock to wake us up to prepare for today’s tour.  Monemvasia was scheduled to be a tender port.  This island was on our itinerary primarily because it is a quaint little place in the Greek Peloponnesian Islands and is an interesting medieval fortress.  It also provides close access to two other medieval ruins, Sparta and Mystras.  We had tours scheduled to these two villages and also planned to walk about Monemvasia on our own at the conclusion of our tour.  However, Monemvasia is an extremely small island and the dock is also very small and a bit primitive.  In windy weather this would make it difficult to tie our tenders secure enough to make it safe for us old folks to get from the tender to the dock.  It was also raining.   The winds were gale force 6 and building, causing the captain to make the decision to cancel the port.  His first priority is always the safety of all of us and getting in and out of tenders, even from the ship, in this type of weather is not advisable for even the ablest of passengers.  The only shore excursions offered were visits to castles and involved climbing numerous steps.  No doubt those steps would have been marble and stone and would be slick even without being rain-soaked. 

  

                              

We had watched from the comfort of our dry cabin as cars lined the road across the isthmus into the little port town.  Very few people live in the town so we suspect that all the cars were hurrying to their shops to open up for a rip-roaring business trade with all the cruise ship passengers.  I imagine they were as disappointed as we were to see the Prinsendam sail away. 

By 8am, the ship’s personnel were in full gear to rearrange the day’s schedule to accommodate another sea day.  I was back in bed for a nap at the time and Barney was reading a new book.  There’s nothing like a rainy day to just hunker down and relax.  Later in the day Barney attended a lecture by the Rabbi on “The Bible: Fact or Fiction”.  I will attend another of Chris’ lectures on photo manipulation. 

The ship’s chef is preparing four nights of Greek specialty dinners in the Lido in celebration of our time in Greece.  It appears that a lot of people have tired of the dining room and more and more are showing up in the Lido every evening.  The ship restocked its supply of coffee ice cream yesterday morning and by the time evening came, it was gone.  In the spirit of cooperation I ate my share. 

Yesterday morning in Athens we watched as an ambulance pulled up to the dock even before we had received clearance.  The gentleman who had fallen in Bodrum was taken off the ship with a broken hip.  We didn’t know him, but it does make you think about life on a ship.  By the way, many of you have asked in emails about Dorothy – she is doing well and the pain was so much better once she got on steady ground.  However, we did just hear from her daughter and the pain has returned so she is going back to the doctor.  We do miss her. 

                                        

The sun is shining now and the sea is calming.  This bodes well for tomorrow in Katakolon, Greece.  We plan to visit Olympia, the site of the Temple of Zeus, another of the Seven Wonders of the World.  It isn’t a tender port so we should be able to dock, even if it means we tour in the rain. 

Friday is a scheduled sea day and Barney is just thrilled that we will be able to watch the Royal Wedding uninterrupted!   

Piraeus, Gateway to Corinth

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

                             

Most of the passengers were all abuzz about their visit to Athens, but we wanted to see some Greek countryside and visit the ancient city of Corinth.  Today was a real treat.  We had a prime docking spot so it was just through the terminal and into the bus for our excursion.  Piraeus, the harbor for this port, is extremely busy and industrial.  The city was quiet because many were still on holiday from Easter.  The guide explained that traffic would pick up by the time of our return and she was correct.

The skies were gray and rain was forecast.  The sea was also gray and it was hard to distinguish the sky from the sea.  The marvelous wonder of the Corinth Canal was about 1 1/2 hour drive.  Our guide spent most of that time talking about the down side of being a part of the European Union, and the problems that Greece was enduring due to all the unrest in the Middle East.  She explained that the EU didn’t provide a fair price for agricultural products so Greece was just “dumping” the citrus and olives rather than selling them.  Could this attitude be partially to blame for the financial situation that Greece finds itself in?

The canal was cut through the land between the Greek mainland and the Peloponnesian peninsula in 1893.  This 4 mile waterway connects the Ionian and Aegean Seas and saves many miles for the small ships and boats traveling between the east port of Greece and points on the Ionian and Adriatic Seas.  The cut for the canal is 170 feet deep with only 8 feet of water.  It is only 70 feet wide so the lack of water depth and width considerably restricts the size of vessels which use the canal. Our ship is much too large to transit the Corinth Canal but Barney and I walked across the canal and got some nice pictures.   We saw only one boat in the canal and it was just leaving.  Prior to the canal being built, boats were pulled across the isthmus from sea to sea on a wheeled vehicle.  

  

                                       

The canal was built by Ferdinand De Lesseps, who also built the Suez Canal and tried to build the Panama Canal, but was not successful.  We have transited the Panama, Suez (twice) and Kiel Canals, and have now crossed the Corinth – that’s the four major ocean canals in the world. 

The ancient city of Corinth was another 20 minute drive from the canal.  The countryside was dotted with olive and citrus trees, and clean neat Greek homes.  We could see the Acrocorinth on a conical mountain.  This fort was built in ancient times to protect the city. 

  

The Greeks had built a very advanced city here in the 6th Century BC. It was similar to Ephesus and other ancient cities in the Mediterranean area.  The Greek city was destroyed by earthquakes and abandoned.  Julius Caesar built a Roman city on top of the Greek ruins.  Today you find a mixture of Greek and Roman artifacts.  (They all looked Greek to us.) There was a large Grecian Temple of Apollo, a well developed agora, or market, water systems, stadium, public pools, an aqueduct and everything else that ancient cities contained.  The Apostle Paul arrived here via boat on his second journey,  working as a tent maker and trying to convert the citizens to Christianity.  He stayed here about 18 months.  We stood on the location where he preached to the citizens.  Two of his letters in the New Testament were written to the people of Corinth.

  

  

  

Restoration of this area was started in the early 1900’s by American archaeologists and is still underway, mostly with US work and funding.  We may find an Elderhostel that is doing work here and sign up.  Would that ever be interesting work!

  

The area had a very well developed museum with artifacts from both the Greek and Roman times.  It was easy to get “up close and personal” with some of the items. 

                

                              

Back at the ship we had a late lunch and then relaxed in anticipation of the upcoming tours.  We booked the next two formal nights in the Pinnacle Grill with our Israel traveling partners – the best of both worlds.  Don’t think we will miss the dining room at all. 

                             

Sail out isn’t until 11 pm because they are bringing on local folklore talent to entertain us. We love the local entertainment so it is our intent to stay awake.  We hope the Greek dancers are as good as the ones we love to watch at the Greek Festival in Omaha. 

We are now in the midst of a loud thunderstorm with lightening and heavy rain.  Time to shut down the computer. 

By the way, if there was “chaos” at sea last night, we slept through it.

Second Helping of Turkey!

Monday, April 25, 2011

                            

This is our third visit to Kusadasi so we elected not to repeat the popular tours.  It was a welcome and relaxing change to simply walk about the bazaars around the port.  There have been many changes since we were last here in 2006.  We did find the leather shop where we had purchased leather jackets in both 2001 and 2006 and the  salesman, “Elvis”, was the same goofy guy and he claimed to remember us but we think maybe that was just salesmanship.  We didn’t buy anything, but it was fun visiting with him.  The shop owners loiter in front of their shops and use clever conversation starters to entice you into their shops  For instance, “the shortcut is through my shop”, “how can I take your money?”, “I’ll give you $10 for your hat”, and any comment that made them stand out among the rest.

  

  

We had never been to the nearby Pigeon Island before.  It is an old fort which protected the harbor in past centuries.  It was a sunny but cool (53 degree) day so we decided to walk over and check it out.  There was no crowd and the castle on the island was peaceful. 

  

        

We were back on board in time for lunch.  Chris, the techspert, was teaching two classes on photo techniques using Windows Live Photo Gallery.  They were great and I should have attended sooner because I would have saved a lot of time knowing these great tips.  Expect to see photos cropped to the correct proportions and even a panoramic or two in the upcoming blogs.  I am looking forward to his next series of classes.

                            

Today we officially “resigned” from table 161.  It was becoming a very unpleasant experience and having gone through that on two previous cruises, we just said “NO!”  We have requested a table for two in the smaller (quiet) dining room but there isn’t much of a chance that will happen.  For now, it will be the Lido Deck for us.  Our plan was to sit at a table for two, but two other couples invited us to join them this evening.  The story they told will be our incident of the day:

The couple went to Murano for the day from Venice in search of a glass sculpture.  After visiting most of the shops they decided on a large sculpture of a toucan.  It was paid for and wrapped in bubble wrap and they continued shopping both in Murano and on the island of Burano.  All the while, the toucan was resting comfortably in the gentleman’s shoulder bag.  Upon returning to Murano the couple decided to go back to the first shop and purchase a small glass dog for a gift.  As the husband went to pay for the dog, the shoulder bag slipped off his shoulder and the toucan was now in pieces.  The owner of the shop offered to glue it back together, but of course, the woman was terribly upset as the toucan was just what she had wanted.  The glue job was not successful and the toucan now had a nose sliding down its face.  Brokenhearted they left the shop with the broken toucan and the little dog.  At the last minute the woman found another shop that had not closed and was able to get a parrot that she liked.  The gentleman said he will proudly display the toucan in his garage.  Barney thought it might make a great hood ornament for a model T

Tonight we sail through the Straits of Chaos on our way to Pireaus, the port for Athens.  This makes us a bit nervous.  Chaos at sea might be dangerous.