Sea Days and Suez Canal Transit 10-29 & 30

Oh yes we enjoy them.  Don off to Breakfast and I to Watercolor class.  After the hiatus from pastel I think I have discovered a new medium.  Nel, our instructor, goes back to basic color mixing and gives the “recipe” for discovering the colors along with a template for the project. We attended lectures, on the Suez Canal which we transit tomorrow. At noon the six of us went to Sunday Brunch in the dining room.  Lindi, Glee, Sandy, Brian, Don and I. Of course Mahjong for me and Don to more lectures and then he reads on the Verandah. At four PM we go to the daily trivia in the Billboard lounge next to the Casino. I then go up to stretch at 4:30 in the fitness center.  Perfect for before dinner. Typical dinner on the Lido with attentive table attendants.  Shane gets my two waters and Don two iced teas too save our favorite table.  After dinner we realized we can play our evening card game on our verandah with the light.   

Woke at 5 AM and I zoomed to the Crow’s Nest to begin the Zuiderdam leading the convoy through the canal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal  Before the canal was created one would take a camel caravan for two weeks to get south to the ports on the Red Sea.  For the early risers drinks and Suez buns are served.  Similar to Panama Canal buns, just have salt. Our Verandah gave us spectacular views of Egypt as we spend the day leading the convoy.  

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.

Unknown

Sunday Buffet with a sampler

Starter

Main

Casino

Popcorn for the Movie

Suez Canal

Suez Buns

Leading the daily convoy

7 AM on the forward deck.  See our sign Grand Africa

Egypt to the West

Egypt to the West

Egypt to the East on secondary canal. Not the desert.

 

Limassol, Cyprus 10-28-23

Today we did a ship Shore Excursion.  Lindi, Brian and Sandy were also on the big bus number 26.  The tour is called Nicosia Divided Capital and the Khirokita Archaeological Site (say Hero Ke Ta.) We also visited the site from 7000 BC with reconstructed dwellings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The tour included a visit to a Greek church, and on to the Green Line that has divided this capital city on Cyprus from Turkey since 1974. This is the last divided capital city after Berlin’s wall came down. We did not try to pass the checkpoint as our passports are on the ship preparing for an immigration check for Egypt.  We have a change in plans for our itinerary.  With the war in Israel, an abundance of caution, the Captain has cancelled two ports, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt and Aqaba, Jordan.  We still transit the Suez Canal into the Red sea and will still stop at Safga, Egypt.  We added a port in Salalah, Oman.  Luckily we visited Petra on the world cruise in 2019 however many passengers are disappointed.  Back to our ship after buying olives and olive oil. Full moon as we sailed away.

                                                             Another fun port in the Med

                                                 Early arrival at an up scale port. Ferry port

                                                             Reconstructed homes at site

                                                               Don and Lindi at Church

                                                     Light a Candle for Peace in the world

                                          Check Point at the division between Cyprus and Turkey

                                                                       At the Line

                                                                 Sculpture for Peace

                                                                      Moon on the Med            

                                                                      
 

Souda, Crete, Greece 10-26-2023

I do love the calm Mediterranean Sea taking us back to Greece, having seen Athens and Santorini years ago on a cruise. Crete nestled between the Sea of Crete and the Libyan sea has 700,000 inhabitants, with three ports and two airports, as the largest island of the many islands of Greece. Don along with Glee, Lindi and me are ready to explore the Botanic garden, a 24,000-acre facility with hillside topography. We negotiated for a taxi 25 miles from the small town of Chania (say hi-na). I found the HIKE too challenging for the risk to my bones so held back and took photos, visited with others that decided not to hike and enjoyed the hour while the others were on the path for an hour.  The village of Chaina was fun with narrow streets and worn pastel paint. We enjoyed the twisty alleys and emerged to a café with a view of the harbor.  Lindi treated the group to drinks.  Bougainville hung at every turn and balconies to the second floor were charming. The search was on for olives, the major import along with citrus. Olives won’t harvest until later in November and to tote back to Wyoming needed them to be canned.  O-well maybe tomorrow in Cyprus.

“One of the first lessons of life in Greece is that everything is difficult and nothing is impossible.”  John Mole

Souda Greece

Church on the way to the Botanic Garden

View from Restaurant at the Botanic Garden

Don and Glee beginning the hike

White Hibiscus

Botanic Garden

Vanda

   

Mosque

Bougainville

herb wagon

 

La Goulette (Tunisia) 10-24-23

Our captain alerted the passengers of additional security as we entered the Mediterranean bound for Tunisia.  In addition our friend Glee an avid train buff had police walk with them from the port to the train and on the train, as she led a group to Carthage using the train. We were alerted to not visit the Souk as protests were scheduled. So off we go  to Carthage.  Queen Dido, Phoenician, founded Carthage in 146 B.C. a metropolis of thousands of people. The ruins today are just a small part of this UNESCO Heritage site and now an upscale town of 35,000.  See the plans and video to continue the development of the site at marches-publics.gouv.fr. Romans conquered and destroyed Carthage and salted the area so it could not support inhabitants. The aqueducts and Roman wall are evident today, with a forum where Christians were the entertainment. We visited the seaside village of Sidi Bov Said with white and blue sugar cube homes. The African American cemetery has 2840 graves of those that fought there in the offensive to set the stage to enter Europe from the south.

Carthage

In Tunisia

Hannibal District of Carthage

Aqueduct

In the Souk

Diplomatic Area of Carthage

Market in the Souk

In the Souk

Vicki's group on our private tour

In Sidi Bou Said having a beer

 

Casablanca, Morocco 10-21-23

Beautiful day and a HAL tour to the Imperial City of Rabat, with a population of 700,000, 40 miles up a modern road from Casablanca. First a visit to the courtyard outside of the Royal place now being reigned by Mohammad VI. This is the BIG palace with the others sprinkled across Morocco. After passing the Hassan Tower we entered the old city, visiting a UNESCO heritage site with the ruins of a mosque. Giant pillars from Roman times, left after the great earthquake in the 1700’s. A stop at the Kasbah (was a fort) for the raging sea, pastries and mint tea were served. A long walk through the souk (market) and a one hour bus ride back to Casablanca. Enjoyed an evening onboard and looking forward to sea days. 

Gate to King's Castle

Roman era pillars move here after the earthqake

Darling child

Kings Palace

Hassan Tower

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

Don Vanda Sandy Brian

Sea side at Kasbah

Market

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