I am staying tuned!!

Are your eyes back in your head yet from the belly dancing !

Wow! two taxi drivers did not know the hotel, I would
be worrying about now.

Waiting for more.

Nice report IST is cool brings back fond memories.

Thanks guys. . Actually here were 3 belly dancers, one of which was quite "ample" but she could move let me tell ya.
So today we checked out of the hotel thinking we could board early, drop off out carry ons and see more of IST with an aquaintance we made. So we got to the ship aorund noon only to find out boarding was delayed by 2 hrs. due to the noro virus which had beset the previous cruise and the need for extensive cleaning and that we could not get into out cabins until around 1700. Bummer. So off we went with our carry on bags to explore more of IST. we met our new friend, Yesim who was so gracious to escort us arounf IST. Our 1st stop was Topkapi. However it was closed today as well. Darn. So we had some pomegranite jiuce which is fressh just about everywhere and some roasted chestnuts and off we went when Yesim arrivesd to see the hag Sofia. Pretty amazing really and it actually has a bigger dome than the Blue Mosque. Afterwards we went to the ancient cisterns built as a resovoir by emperor Justinian I think and its so amazing that its still structurally sound. There are several carvings of the head of Medusa to ward off evil spirits. I'd stay out of her way, beleive me. So after lunch it was back to the ship which was finally ready to take on passengers. I must say we have never felt so welcomed when embarking as we were on the Connie. Except for one person whom I'll get to later but who made a big difference' that level of hospitality persisted thropughout the length of the cruise. Our room, 8099, a concierge level cabin was immaculate and had the welcome bottle of champagne, fruit and all the amenities ofered by the CC service inc. binoculars which were kinda bad really. Oh well. We exploerd the ship a bit and strolled to dinner well past the 1815 assigned 1st seating time. Well I though that on the 1st night it would be open seating but it wasn't. The staff greeted us graciously and hustled to get our dinners b4 the next seating began. Nice job guys. Now lets geot to a really good story. we met the famous Dogster!! I once asked him to post a pic of himself here and he declined saying he sort of looked like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones afte a bad night. Ok I got the image. We had joked a bit here about how in my entire life I had never had a Martini but would break that virginity on the Connie which has a Martini bar. Well I saw a guy standing by the elevators who sort of reminded me of Dogster described himself so I strolled over the Martini bar, hint, hint. He got it and asked if I was jacket and bingo! So we went to the bar and talked like crazy, like we were old frinds even tho we just met of course. He is fun, charming and quite glib as we know from his posts here. Actually we had a blast and my wife affectionately renamed him "hotdog" So my 1st Martini, a dirty Martini was enjoyed with good old Dogster. I had a second one the next day but with gin. I'll stick to vodka. Stay tuned. More to come. It will be more interesting.

From Athens:
Heya jacket. I've been looking forward to this...

Sorry to keep everyone waiting. When we got back we had to restock our newly remodeled kitchen, unpack all the pots and pans, etc. and put them away several times b4 she decided how she wanted them situated. Then shop for all kinds of new stuff. Did you decide to stay in Athens after Azamara?

Nice ship experience for day one.

Remember dogster said he was an old lady from Arizona !!

I am following your trip ! Waiting for the next episode!

Nope, I'm still on Azamara bound for Mumbai.

Mumbai , this is a nice place, if you mean Mumbia Kenya

Larry, you should know the trick. Ask for a hotel busniess card from the hotel staffand show the taxi driver the busienss card. Never gor lost yet.

Are you sure you ate the food and not the napkins? I bet you can't even describe what you ate. What did your DW thinks about the food and the dancer? I thin she would say the food was tasty and the dancers were tastless ...

So, does Dogster looks lke Kieth Richard after a bad night?

I am waiting for the next installment, and then the same TR from Sass and Dogster. Keep it coming ...

Well I will get very serious tomorrow with updates as I just got home from work and we have to buzz out to dinner. Yep, shoulda had a card. good idea though I didn't plan on getting lost but again thats why i should have had a card. Duh. You are right about one thing. I can't describe the food. It really was bad. I mean isn't this the part of the world where the spice route started?? Actually that self description of the dogster is pretty funny, just like he is. We had a great dinner with him and Sass and her hubby at the Tuscan Grille. Well she's home now. Gotta go. You know how it is.

OK guys thanks for being patient. Been running errands all day but lets get back to the TR. We had the great fortune to meet two lovely Turkish gals, the aforementioned Yesim and her SIL Isil. Isil I met very briefly while she was doing a study at the Univ. of Ill. med. center where I work. She has a Phd in nursing. She agreed to meet us in IST but sent Yesim as she was 4.5 hrs. away on assignment. Well she drove all that distance just to meet us on departure day. Very nice person. She and Yesim came to the ship to see us off and we chatted at the nearby Starbucks like old friends. Sue and I decided to give them some Indian snacks we had brought on board so I hustled to our cabin thinking as we had 40 mins. B4 departure we had plenty of time. Well when I came back I was freaked out to see that they had closed the exit lines! Entry only. Well slight problem as Sue was still on shore and I had her seapass card. Well i sort of panicked and told them they HAD to let me out to get my wife!! Anyway they did, all was well and we were fine, and better for having met such nice people really. In fact today I got a few things to send them, some more Indian snacks and a few other goodies like Indian spices which Yesim wanted. Our night was uneventful though events would come later. We met our table mates, saw a show,not bad and got ready for Kusadasi the next day. We were met as promised by a rep from "Hello Ephesus" for a half day tour. Our guide was a lovley gal, Oya and there was a driver so off we went. Ephesus is over 2k yrs. old and represents Roman times. Its pretty big though I understand its only about 20% excavated. The sights we saw included the odeum which has to this day amazing acoustics, the Celsus library, the temple of Hadrian, the public baths and toilets and the terrace houses where the wealthy Romans lived. Some of the murals and floor mosaics are still present to this day. Amazing stuff. We also saw where the hospital and pharmacy were as marked by a caduces and an apothecary sign. Its amazing to me to think how advanced they were over 2k yrs. ago. On the way back Oya suggested a local place for lunch and folks it doesn't get much better than this. It was a small, Turkish place which was all organic and served a buffet lunch which had about 20 different dishes to try including fresh veges and various meat dishes. All that I tried were excellent, full of flavor, nothing tasted alike and the meat was cooked perfectly. It was an utterly delightful meal. And cheap. Lunch for 4 inc. sodas and a beer for me was about $38.00 USD. Well Israel would make up for that. Next stop Rhodos. Stayed tuned.

Very good

I liked Ephesus.
Amazing how the Romans lived.

Enjoying this , waiting for the next one

Well Larry .... Seapass is the only ID one has to get back on baord ... I'll say you are very lucky to get back out ...

Intereting comments on the Terrace houses. Our guide said the rich and priviledged local (possibility local officails or merchants) lived there and not the Romans. I don't think there really is a way to find out now who lived there...

Great post. Keep it coming.

From the Suez Canal:

yup, I'm following along...

dogster how long is that cruise?
The next day we were in Rhodos and we again arranged a private tour. Well maybe things are different there as when we got off the ship there was no one with a sign with our name on it so a few guys were trying to sell us a tour. I mentioned the guy we were using and someone called him so OK he was a bout 15 mins. late but I suppose the pace of life is a bit different here. Today we pretty much did scenic driving and thankfully for my wife a lot less walking. . We went to the site at the harbour entrance where the famous Colossus once stood or so they say. There are two pillars now and each on has a stag or deer on top of it proudly looking out to the sea. Mike our guide told us they are the symbol of Rhodes as when they were introduced to this island they killed the snakes. Well that is what he said. We drove the coast on a beautiful sunny day to the neat little town of Lindos which from a distance stands out as most of the buildings are painted white, like Santorini I suppose. Along the way we stopped at several places for scenic views and pic ops. We also went past the spot where the great WW II movie was filmed The Guns of Navarone." Man I loved that movie when it first can out. Still do in fact. You see the place where the guns were. Then he dropped us in Lindos for about an hour. As this day was a Greek holiday the local kids were dancing to live music in the town center which was shaded by several large trees. We decided to get a light lunch so we picked a small, unassuming place next to the kids, a restaurant by the sea. I noticed a sign in front of the place so I checked it out. Well lo and belold this place, Mavrikos, has quite a following. In fact it has been awarded the Greek version of a Michelin star and has had write ups in many intl. papers inc. the NY Times, London Daily Mirror and the German paper Der Speigel. What a stroke of luck. And the food we had, roasted eggplant with goat cheese and fava beans with a green leafy veg, like spinach was quite good. Very flavorful. Washed it down with a local brew, Mythos which was pretty good as well. Hey when you are on vaca a local brew always seems good. . We saw some more ancient sites and some not so ancient which had large round stones stacked up which our driver told us were used by the Turks to catapult into the walls but proudly noted the wall and of course the Greeks prevailed. We saw some beautiful country side and a neat, small hotel with a secluded beach which Mike said was popular with northern European vacationers , esp. at this time as they were more accustomed to cooler temps. It was around 70F so it was a bit cool for sunbathers but they ere there so this seems plausible. We also stopped at a pottery/souvenir store and watched a guy effortlessly transform a hunk of clay on a spinning wheel into a vase. Of course its a skill that takes a lot of time to perfect but he made it look easy. There are many steps to making it beautiful. After comes baking it in the huge kiln they have but you should see some of the finished products. Amazing. I asked Mike what he thought about the bail out of 50% debt relief which at the time was being offered by the European union. I thought it wasn't bad but he, like many Greeks called it "half a haircut." He spoke to the shop owners about their financial crisis and though I could not understand the words one gets the sense of how stressful this situation is for them. You can see it in their faces and body language. All I could think of was how hard it must be to live this way not knowing what tomorrow will be like. I do hope things will improve for them. On the way back Mike dropped us in a shopping area close to the ship and his wifes shop as well. We had a chance to met her. Seems like a very nice lady. Mike is actually a bit of a watch collector like me so we had a chance to talk shop a little and I think he appreciated my advice on a new watch purchase for himself. Anyway it was fun. We did a bit of shopping and headed to the ship. Then we decided to go back! Well sue hadn't had enough shopping I think so we got a few more things, some nice scarves and so on. NOW she was OK. We headed back to the ship again. When we will ever see Rhodes again I don't know but it would be great and if so I hope its during a time when the Greeks are happier with their economic situation. Next stop planned is Ashdod but...... Stay tuned.

scarves ... hmm ... DW picked up a bunch too while we were around the area ... speaking of watches, did you stop by the "Genuine Fake Watch" store at Ephesus?

Oh yeah. got a pic of it. i will post my pics under a separate thread.

I am staying tuned.

About a hundred years, jacket. Ends up in Mumbai December 11 - unless I kill myself first. Keep writing.

OMG! It sound like you need more that Coca-Cola.
Ok so we were supposed to port in Ashdod or the main southern israeli port, them spend two days there and see Masada, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. So at 0230 I got up to use the bathroom and saw a note under our door. Well Palestinian Gaza had launched a rocket attack and the port had to be closed to cruise ship traffic so we were headed to Haifa to spend 4 days there instead of the two as planned Now what. I went to the internet cafe to check my email and our guide Avi told us this and to meet him in Haifa but we had to get started early. OK so off we go at 0730 and we see a whole bunch of private tours guides waiting at the pier but not ours so I asked one of them whats going on and he said some of us know how to sneak in. Huh?? There was like a dozen or so. I thought this was the land of the super secure. Oh well so off we went on the bus to the terminal. And on and on we went. Well the driver got lost. He called to get directions and finally we arrived after a 20 min. ride which should have taken five. Well I must say that Haifa is one of the most confusing ports I've ever seen. We bussed it to the terminal 4 times and twice the driver got lost. i counted like 13 turns just to get there. It mush have been designed by someone obsessed with mazes. . So we met Avi our gude, a big bear of a man who was a former Israeli tank commander and off we went. Avi suggested we go for coffee so we stopped and an Israeli Starbucks like place called "cafe in cafe out." I later learned that the out part refers to a pit stop. Anyway here is where there is a lost in translation moment. There was coffee on the menu so I ordered it along with a shot of expresso. The guy looked at me like I was from Mars. So I repeated it and he said "I never hear this before." So I said again, "yes, coffee and put an extra shot of expresso in it." he said "you must like it really strong." I do. Well when i saw him bringing a tiny cup I knew what happened. To them reg. coffee is like Turkish or Arabic style. The add expresso and look out. I put milk in it but the color didn't seem to change . Well so as to keep my cool and hide my mistake I drank it and on the way out said "thanks,thats just the way I like it. hey, gotta keep my cover. Soon I needed "cafe out." So on to Masada. Along the way we passed the caves where the dead Sea scrolls were found and approached the formidable flat top mountain that is Masada. This is where Jewish rebels held out for quite some time against the roman army rather than surrender and becomes slaves again. They decided on mass suicide and left out their weapons and food so as to show the Romans they could have held out longer but would never be slaves again. One can walk up Masada BTW but most take the cable car for a nominal fee. So after this I asked Avi to take us to lunch at a place where I can get a local brew which i like to do when we travel. Unfortunately this place was our actually. Darn! So now it was on to the Dead sea. It is so called because nothing can live it in due to its mineral content. Its best described as minerals in water really. Its the lowest place on earth, some 1100 feet below sea level and its impossible to sink in it due to the bouyancy the mineral create. So even though I can't swim I floated with the best of them. Now I told Sue and Avi told Sue DON'T taste the water. Well sometimes she listens like Lots wife and all of a sudden I heard her shriek "oh yukky it tastes so bad! I can't get the taste out of my mouth." Hun, I tried to tell ya. So were about to go to the indoor pool here at the spa which has the same water BTW when I see Avi coming towards me with a big grin. And a can of Goldstar a local brew. Eureka! Pretty good too. We showered, had the freshest dates I've ever had (the fruit 0f course. ) and went off to go back to the ship. Along the way Avi told me to look. Remember the rocket attacks. Well we saw at least 5 Merkavas or Israeli super tanks headed into harms way. Thats life here. Avi said that as israelis we have to be better because the country is so small and is surrounded by enemies or potential enemies. You see armed soldiers every day and Avi calls them our "babies." He says this with a sense of pride but also with the knowledge of what can happen if things become hot. I really can't say enough good about Avi. he had to take us because the regular guy had a family emergency and it was up to him. That day his own mother was getting chemo for rx. of leukemia so there was a lot on his mind and he was in contact with her several times. However his expertise as a guide was 100% and I admire him for that. We asked if he could drop us at the ship vs. the terminal so he called a colleauge who told him how to do this though it was about as difficult to find as our ride to the terminal in the morning. We arrived safe and sound and will have memories and knowledge that will last
forever. We had a late dinner. Tomorrow Jerusalem. Say tuned.

Ok. Here we go again. Coffee out so lets get started. Our driver today was Jacob who works for the same company we used the day b4. So off early again to meet him as of course we are in Haifa and not Ashdod. This time the bus driver didn't get lost so we got to the terminal in about 5 mins. jacob met us and on we went in his nice Toyota land cruiser to Jerusalem and yad yashem or the holocaust museum. BTW a few nights ago I was speaking to someone I had met for the 1st time that night and was having a nice conversation about our trip and mentioned yad vashem. She sort of shuddered and mentioned about how that is only one perspective. Now I know she meant the overall situation in the middle east but I wasn't talking about that. So I asked what other perspective there is inre to the events depicted in yad vashem. Well lets just say I don't think that if we ever meet again we will talk about this as I'm still waiting for an answer. Oh well. So we begin our long drive to Jerusalem. Jacob takes us to an elevated spot overlooking the dome of the rock or perhaps the most famous structure on the Jerusalem panorama. Here we view the walls of the ancient city and it just takes you back in time. Its amazing to think the ancients could build as they did not matter what country they were in. Its fascination. We then drove past the mount of olives church and went to the Garden of Gethsemane church. This is where Jesus was betrayed and where the term the "kiss of Judas" or kiss of death originates. This is depicted in a mural inside. What is so fascinating about Jerusalem is this is where history was made over and over again as you will see. There was a group of Filipinos there who sang a religious song in the garden and you saw several latino groups as well. Of course as these cultures are primarily Catholic its easy to see why they would flock to Jerusalem. We took some leaves from an olive tree for my mom and learned that they can live to about 900 yrs! Amazing. Afterwards in was on to old Jerusalem to shop and observe. Walking thru was like being in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The shops seemed to go on forever and we saw the 4 quarters there, the Jewsish, Christain, Muslim and Armenian. I don't imagine they have changed much since they we built centuries ago. Our next stop was the Church of the Seplecure or the church built around the spot were Jesus was crucified and buried. This is one of the holiest places for Christians in the world. The slab he was cleansed on and his tomb can be touched and many do, some even kiss the slab. The rock that supported the cross is encased as ell. Some have asked me how all this is known and the best answer I have is that it is a question of faith or belief. After this it was on to the western or the wailing wall. This is the only part left of the original structure or platform that supported the temple of Herod. What you notice is that there are many pieces of paper in the crevices of the wall and these are private prayers that worshipers put there. You also notice that sexes are divided here. Men and women are separated by a barrier. There were also two bar mitzvah ceremonies taking place and really it was pretty neat. It was Israelis celebrating their faith in a sense and our guide just spontaneously began singing with the celebrants. I sort of got a few goose bumps really. Afterwards there was more sightseeing, a drive past the Israeli parliament or the Knesset and then to a more modern shopping area for lunch. Well as we found Turkey to be economical Israel is quite expensive, easily at least 30-40% more for a lunch out. But hey lets eat! As I am a watch collector I had to check out a jewelery store here to see the prices. Wow! Prices are very high, in some cases about double for a watch I can get back home. Well gas is $10.00 per gal. here. We then went to Yad Vashem. Part of this memorial is a separate children's wing. There were 1.5 million children who were victims and it was dedicated by a family who survived the holocaust to thier son, Uziel, around age 6 who was a victim of it. His smiling face is carved in the stone wall as you enter. There is also a statue of a man who was head master of a Jewish orphanage who went with his children to the camps rather than leave them alone. The children's memorial is basically like lights surrounded by reflecting glass walls or like prisms really and the effect is like looking at and infinite number of stars in the sky. W/I the holocaust museum which has zig zag like walks ways are all sorts of depictions of the events leading up to the camps including the propaganda, all sorts of photos of the times, letters, artifacts and so on. We have seen the holocaust memorial in DC as well. Yad vashem is bigger but the effect of each is the same. How such a thing could have happened is beyond me and do remember this is only a page back in history. I am not trying to be political but I will say this is why there has to be a state of Israel. I also wish that lady I had mentioned could see this. We also saw the beautiful Bahai temple and gardens and I learned that B4 the British had control of Palestine it was part of the Turkish empire which changed after WW I, something I didn't know. Well now it was time to return to the ship. Unfortunately Jacob could not negotiate the maze that is Haifa and return us directly to the ship. And he tried! He even called Avi who found the way the day B4 but despite this it was just too difficult so he got us to the terminal where the bus took us back to the ship. We have a late dinner in the buffet restaurant. I had osso bucco. Not bad but last night I had it a a nice ital. place in downtown Chicago. A lot better but to be expected of course. I must say that I was very pleased with our tour company, Avitours. Along the way back we got a call from the office to be sure everything went well. They took great care of us. Tomorrow Galilee, Nazareth and Akko. Stay tuned.

Hey jacket. I'm too mean to write more - you know hoew expensive the internet is at sea - but in 48 hours I'm on the ground in Mumbai. More praise then.

OK. I sort of thought you might be cruised out by now. I look f/w to hearing about your adventures. Or lack of them I wonder if you will still be a fan of Azamara after this. Anyway all is well here. Been running all day after this latest installment of the TR. Gonna make some Indian food for sweetie and later sip the only regional award winning Scotch (Cragganmore) I have yet to sample. Life is good. Thank God. Cheers, Larry

Well its about 0200 on the 11th in India so the dogster is close to disembarking. Can't wait to hear all about it.

oops got Mumbai mixed up with Mombasa in Kenya !

Heya jacket: yup, I'm, finally back on dry land, snug in my low-life hotel in Mumbai. Like all cruises, I've forgotten my month on Azamara completely.

But this is YOUR report, not mine. Keep writing, eh? Oh, and consider the word 'paragraph'... lol.

I'll give you the juice on Azamara later. I was certainly paid back for my previous articles... the words 'persona non grata' come to mind. Right now, I'm deep in Mumbai. It's a lot more fun.

OK. I am at work 12 hrs. today so not enough time to continue. Will resume Tuesday at the latest.

Stay tuned.

Jacket, I'm enjoying your trip report. I was just in Haifa last week (work, though, so no time for fun). I'm truly amazed, though, that you went from Haifa all the way down to Masada and the Dead Sea as a day trip, and then on the very next day, went back down to Jerusalem. Those must have been VERY long days! Israel is small, but the traffic sucks. I guess given the last minute change of ports, it would have been too hard to try to change the itinerary (e.g., spend a night in Jerusalem instead of returning to the ship in Haifa).

(And Dogster, I'm eagerly awaiting your next Azamareport.)

Thanks a lot SPT. I'll continue tomorrow as it was pretty busy at work today. Fortunately we had little traffic except for day one leaving Haifa. After that it was fine. I was offered the chance to stay overnight in Jerusalem but my wife was skiddish about that after the rocket attacks. I think she felt safer on the ship and she could get her special food request there as well. Yep those were long days and as you will see we did that trek a 3rd time to see Bethlehem. Well I drive 35 mi. one to work so it wasn't too bad really. Stay tuned. Larry

Larry is being positive. I took the vastly expensive ship's tours - SPT, that shlep was horrible...

Ok let us continue. I thought the long drives were over by now but tomorrow that would not be the case. More on that later. We met our driver Omri for a tour designed to start from Haifa so basically we were going east. Our bus driver, a different guy, got lost going from the ship to the terminal. Again, 2 of 3 days a 5 min. trip took like 15 mins. Oh well. We met Omri who is working for GTI (guided tours Israel) and off we went . Our 1st stop was Nazareth and we began at the church of the Annunciation or the spot where the angel announced to Mary that she was pregnant with the son of God. This of course is a sacred place in Christianity. There are many works of art here from many countries which depict this sacred event, perhaps 18-20. I don't recall exactly how many. What is interesting is how Mary is depicted as having Asian features in the portraits from Asian countries. You can see this in the pics I posted. I also found out that its quite likely that mary lived in a cave, which I never knew. Many people from this time were cave dwellers.

After seeing this church it was on to the sea of Galilee from which you can see the Golan heights. Today would turn out to more relaxing and refreshing. Jerusalem is pretty involved but of course thats what makes it so interesting. We next went to the mighty river Jordan which surprised me for a number of reasons. One, swimming in it were nutria, a large, rodent like animal about as big as a beaver or a bit bigger. They were introduced here somehow as they are not native to this region of the world and have thrived. I remember seeing an episode of Bizarre foods with Andrew Zimmern who trekked to the bayou waters on this particular episode. His guide basically clubbed one of these animals and cooked it Cajun style. I was more than surprised to see them here. what else is surprising about the "mighty" Jordan was that its pretty small and very green. It reminded me of the Chicago river on St. Patricks day which is dyed green. I suppose I was expecting something more, well mighty but it was kinda small really. The Jordan is used commonly to baptize people as Jesus was baptized here. There is a souvenir shop which seemed to have pretty high prices but had some neat stuff like old Roman coins and other ancient artifacts.

Afterward it was on to lunch. Omri picked a nice local place. Well of course it was time for a local brew so this time I had an Israeli beer called Maccabah. This one I realy like, nice and clean and crisp. Soon our waiter was putting about 10 or so appetizers on our table. It was all sorts of snacks like olives, cheeses, eggplant and many others. Utterly delicious. We had a main course followed by some of the best coffee, and I like coffee, I've ever had. Its cardamom flavored and is served in a metal carafe. Wonderful flavor I must say. They we had some fresh, plump dates and some halvah. Great meal.

We then decided to meander the markets in Nazareth. what struck me was the many young men just sitting around smoking hookah pipes. Omrii said the unemployment is high around here so I suppose that is what many do to be active. As a health care professional I am always saddened to see young adults smoke . we continued to explore which to me is a great thing to do while on vacation. Omri was helping himself to samples in the bakeries and no one seemed to mind so we did too. Fresh baklavah folks. Not bad and you can't beat the price.

Our next stop was decided upon on the fly so to speak. I've always wanted to see the ancient city of Akko which was the scene of many battles throughout the Crusades and exchanged hands several times between the Christian forces and the Saracens. So here we are now in the ancient city with its ancient walls, small streets and of course more modern structures as well. The crusaders built an escape tunnel to the Med in case the city was taken and they had to use it at some point. Omri took us there so we had to crouch down to enter then followed it to its exit point which is actually the Med. Pretty cool. we waled along the sea and all of a sudden our great guide from day one, Avi was driving past with another client so he stopped, and we exchanged a few pleasantries. As Avi is very sociable we could have talked a lot more hey this is his livelyhood and he was on business so we cut things short so he could continue his tour. Actually the three guides we had during our 4 day stay all knew each other or of each other. They seem like a close knit group. Avi knew of Omri and as it turned out on day two with Jacob he chatted to another guide who turned out to be Omri. All three were terrific.

So we had a long but more relaxing day and tomorrow was to be more of the same in the Galilee area but Sumi decided she wanted to go Bethlehem. All the way down there again. Well when the ladies start working their magic you just gotta go with it. . As a married man for over 30 yrs. I have learned that for certain things you just say yes. So tomorrow Bethlehem. Stay tuned.

I am staying tuned.

So sorry for the delay in posting folks. Been very, very busy. So on to Bethlehem. Actually the day B4 Sue decided on the way back from Akko that she wanted to see the church of the Nativity. I'm like huh, you want to go that far again?? We were to go see the more of Galilee and of course have shorter commutes but she sort of got that look so, well you know you have to have peace and with that look comes memories that won't fade if we don't go so married guys guys you know what we did. Omri was very surprised BTW that we had not seem Bethlehem while in and around Jerusalem. In retrospect me too.


Of course Omri our guide can't enter beth. as its Palestinian but he has connections so he arranged for a pick up near the check point. We stopped at a souvenir shop just outside of Bethlehem to await our next escort. By now unfortunately my stomach was beginning to wall off what turned out to be the noro virus. I felt like nothing I had for breakfast had gone down at all but I was OK to move on. Our Palestinian driver came and we went past the check point where a sign clearly said "no Israelis allowed." It felt like we re going into forbidden territory and one notes that instead of seeing the IDF with western weapons you now see soldiers with the unmistakable symbol of the "other guys" . AK 47's of course. We were met near the church of the Nativity which marks the birth place of Jesus. Our Palestinian guide Ramzi was rather tall and quite friendly and along with another couple who were honeymooning we toured the church. BTW the new bride was Jewish and I could not help but think what she must be feeling. I mean the sign at the entrance would be clear even to Ray Charles God rest his soul. Anyway on we went. Of course the highlight here is the famous star below the altar which commemerates the birthplace of Jesus. Now you see two lines here, well one really long one and one very small. On the left side of the church is the line formed by people from bus tours. I read that sometimes its a two hr. wait just ot see and touch the star and today that was the case. However for folks from private tours (translate that as a lot more $$$$) the entrance is on the right side and the wait is practically nil. We crouched down to see the star, touched it and saw the spot where the manger was as well. Again folks Israel IS history. Amazing stuff. We toured the church more but by now I was feeling a bit worse and we decided to go back to the ship. Anyway that was the plan to begin with, to see this church, then head back and try to have a lighter day. I tipped Ramzi as as he smiled broadly i assume he was satisfied. Well as I was getting chills by now I asked our driver who was with another fellow, Chris, who actually works at the shop just outside Bethlehem to take me somewhere so I could get a jersey or sweater so he took us to a clothing store where he buys his goods. Pretty nice. I got a nice sweater for a nicer discount and was surprised to see the monetary unit is the Israeli sheckel. He then gave us a tour of the wall. Bethlehem is completely walled and of course you will see lots of graffiti which translates to political expressions. It reminded me of the Berlin wall and of course its quite sad. I was told that for most Bethlehemites leaving is cumbersome. There is a lot of paperwork and red tape to navigate and that they must leave through Jordan if they want to go abroad. Normally I would have liked to soo more of this and hear more but my stomach was getting worse by the minute so I had to ask the guy to get me to the shop. he understood and obliged. There I had to use the WC rather urgently. Chris saw i was not looking too well so he offered me a shot similar to ouzo or rahi, the anise liquoer. This stuff is made in Bethlehem and i must say for me it was the best tasting anise liquoer I've ever had. Well maybe I just have Greece and Turkey a reason to come closer together. I was glad for the sweater as the chills were coming on and I was feeling rather so so by now.

By the time we got back in our cabin what ever I had eaten came up a few times and I was at least grateful we got to see what we wanted to see. Well the next day was a sea day which could not have been better timed. I was Ok by the next morning but of course was wiped out a bit by a temp and fluid loss. For the 1st time ever I order room service breakfast, just hard boiled eggs and toast and tea and basically stayed in bed. The next day, Athens. More tomorrow. I hope.

Oh my goodness, sorry to hear about your discomfort on the tour to Bethlehem.

But like you said better to be "under the weather" on a Sea Day , than a touring day.

Waiting for Athens ( since I was there ,never been to Bethlehem )

Well fortunately it was OK all in all. The ship had 97 reported cases of NV though upon debarkation we were asked to report if we were ill so those particular cabins could be given special cleaning. I'll bet the actual number was much more. Unless you are really sick you don't want to report it for fear of being asked to stay in your cabin.

Well its between periods now. Old school original six, Hawks vs. Habs. This is always good. See ya!

Yep, nothing like the Old Six, last I heard it was 2-1 for the Chi( rhymes with sky) Hawks !!

Hey Larry - it's me, recovering from a complete computer melt-down - hence 'dogster1'. All my passwords are gone, all my E-mail, lordy - what a mess when I'm traveling..

So that why I havn't been responding. I guess the above chapter might explain why I didn't see you around the ship.. lol. Poor old thing. It was YOUR fault we all had to wear plastic gloves and hospital gowns after Israel. As you know, I jumped ship in Athens so my part in your report is over. Tell us about the last bit and Istanbul...

dogster(1)--the time has come to move at least your electronic life to the Cloud.

Wow, dogster, what a drag! So you jumped ship in Athens? When do we get the story?

jacketwatch - so sorry to hear you got sick. It's so miserable to be ill when traveling.

Right now, Marija, my normal life is already there. But you are right. I'm well and truly stuffed without my e-mail account - I can't even access my website as yet. I'm growing tired of this learning curve. I'm old. Aren't I meant to know something by now?

Obviously not. I remain as incompetent as ever.

'Twas a pre-planned abandon ship, thursday - to connect with my very dreary month on Azamara. I did have some very good adventures in Athens, tho'.

But this is jacket's post - not mine. I am muzzled.

Well I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Its about time for a new chapter in this TR so here goes. First of all I was wondering about the new title for our dogster and wow what a drag that must have been. We had a brief power outage today and I was nuts just rebooting my Imac and TV's.

thursdaysd: Thanks for the sympathy. It is a drag getting ill while on vacation but it wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't like coming back to the USA in 1982 with a little present from India... typhoid fever!! Two weeks in the hospital, a 10 lb. wt. loss and a long recovery. Dr. Percy will appreciate how scary it was as was the ATB of choice at the time, chloramphenicol which can be pretty nasty as well.

Well I left off with my head in the toilet basically. had a bit of a temp and some mild chills that noc but by the next day I was recovering, getting down some fluids and had become afebrile. Again it was a day at sea so if one has to be sick this is the time. We had a full day planned in Athens with Dennis who Percy had recommended and I was sure he would be fine. Funny thing is that the private drivers seem to be a close knit bunch. As mentioned the guys we used in israel seemed to know each other or about each other. Well the fellow we used in Rhodos much to my surprise knew dennis. Wow! Small world. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to find out for ourselves. By the afternoon of the day B4 we ported in Athens it became clear that if we went out at all a full day was out of the question. Just not well enough for that. I called Dennis and I felt really bad about canceling as one knows how bad their economic situation is and now he had little time to drum up more business. In fact I had emailed him a few days B4 to firm up plans as wildcat strikes were being called inc. cabs and private drivers. We were all set to go. I must say he handled it very professionally and I hope some day we can tour with him.

By the next morning we decided to just cab it to an from town so at least we could say we saw some of Athens. So off we went. We took the shuttle to the terminal and the driver didn't get lost like in Haifa . So now there is a line of cabs but some guy came up to us and asked if we wanted a cab. I asked how much and he said I'd have to walk with him first. Uh uh. I was born in the morning but this this morning. So I asked a cop how much the cabs cost, got that reaffirmed by the cabbie we hailed and off we went. Now this guy was a sheer riot. And very nice. His English was pretty limited but his manner and smile made up for it. He reassured us several times he was not "taking us for a ride" so to speak by using the phrase "its good. No mafia,no mafia." So for a nominal extra fee which we agreed to ahead of time we saw a few places including Hadrians Arch, the Acropolis which I was in no condition to climb, the 1st Olympic stadium from 1896 and some Greek soldiers on patrol in their traditional uniforms.

So after the quick tour he dropped us off near the plaka and made sure we had a map and gave us some directions and suggested a nice area to eat. Pretty nice guy indeed. definitely "no mafia." Bear in mind that we have been traveling north so Athens was pretty cool compared to Israel. I had a LL Bean safari jacket with like a million pockets but it was pretty thin so we stopped at a souvenir place to get a hoodie for me. It was just too chilly. We strolled the plaka, got some souvenirs for our family back home and decided to head back as I was still down about 1/4 tank or so and was getting tired as was Sue. We got a cab to the terminal and as luck would have it the driver had been raised in the US and had moved to Greece as an adult so he spoke fluent English and he was able to explain the debt issues this proud country is having. He said once they switched to Euros prices skyrocketed and they have not been able to catch up at all. Instead they had to borrow more and more and now are near default. It seems many Greeks feel that way. However they feel now it seems like there will have to be significant concessions made to restore stability.

We got back to the ship just fine and I was able to have a meal in the MDR though my appetite was down a bit. The next day was a sea day which we spent for packing. We decided to self disembark which I think was handled by Celebrity, well lets just say it could have been better. All of us had to meet at a certain time by a 4th floor lounge. So there we went with many others as well. And we waited. Then they said its OK to go. So all of us who were waiting now had to get on the elevators which of course became jammed so we finally had to get on an up elevator just to get space. I think they should have let us go in groups as long as they had us in one place. They just turned us loose and it was like one of those Black Friday moments when the doors opened and everyone barged in. Or just say the self disembarkers can exit between a certain time or by certain elevators. I do think that some better planning is in order. The way it was done was a bit haphazard.

Next will be final impressions overall and a ship review. BTW dogster you can read about IST up top. Are you still in Mumbai amigo?

My goodness , you were really under the weather.!

I would not wanted to have had to use Chloremphenicol antibiotic.

Too bad about Dennis, but at least you got to see some of Athens.

Were you at the top on the Acropolis...I guess not, because you said you were too weak to climb.

I recall strolling the Plaka area, only it was 90+ F, nice for beer but not for a lot of walking.

Okay , waiting for the ship review

So as for impressions inre of the cruise line. First fo all I must say we have never felt so welcomed B4 on any other line which includes 4 cruises on Princess and 2 each on CCL and RCI. I was amazed at how nice everyone treated us. Not that the others were inadequate, its just that X was that much better. The room was ready though later than planned 2/2 all the extra cleaning and disinfecting necessitated by the NV on the prior cruise. Our cabin was immacualte and all the nicities promised for conceirge level service were there though I must say the binoculars w/ this package were just so so.

The ship itself was clean as a whistle and the on board service was generally ver good. Now bear in mind that except for a few days during the middle of the cruise the wait staff had the added burden of passing out all the condiments even to the extent of putting salt/pepper on the food and passing out all the food in the buffet and even pouring the drinks from the coffee and H2O dispensers. One could tell the onus it put on them but I never heard them complain. Well done guys.

We saw a few shows and liked what we saw as far as song and dance routines were presented. We did walk out on the hypnotist show which we found pretty boring, even after waiting 30 mins. or so.

Food is always a subjective issue so lets go there with my opinion. For the most part dinner in the MDR was pretty good. The aged sirloin and the gorgonzola crused sirloin were really good. Osme nights the entrees were just Ok but for the most part the food ws good for me. However we had one big problem. My wife preordered Indian food like we usually do and x noted upon arrival in our cabin their acknowledgement of this request. Howeve every night for the 9 or 10 nights we ate in the MDR out of 12 the chef served pretty much served the same thing. It was chicken curry, rive, lentils or chick peas and rice. We asked Alex the maitre'd to ask the chef to make a vegetable dish and that she didn't wasnt fish as Alex asked if there was something she did not want. The next night she got fish and no veges. We then asked Alex to write our requests and present them to the chef. So what happened? Zero. No changes. Even our table mates commented that she was getting the same stuff every night. On the last night he served a chicked (of course) biryani which was inedible. We and our table mates tried it and could not get past one bite. It has more mint flavor, which never is in a biryani, than a mojito. I even asked if the chef was Indian. Alex said he was from Goa. Geesh. This was truly disappointing. Of all the other 8 cruises we ahve been on the Indian food was way superior to what we got on the Connie and its truely uinfortunate as most other personnel performed very professionally which is why I would try X again.

I wrote a letter to X about everything, the good and the bad and ended up speaking someone in CS. Given the circumstancs of bad food for all those days I felt something should be done in the way of compensation even just a little. After all that would ensure us of returning pretty much and I think we were due. I mean how would you like the same food all the time? Fugedaboubit!! I convinced this guy of my POV and we now have credit for speciality restaurants for two.

Speaking of that lets talk about our dinner at Tuscany. Well the food and service were great but more important the company was even better. This is the night we dined with sassafras, her hubbie and the one and only dogster now rechristened dogster1. Or as my wife said "hotdog." It sort of fits. I must say we had a ball and talked like old friends. Sass is a super gal and Nigel or the dogster is funny, charming, affable and put a smile on our faces. In short we had a blast and I hope someday we can meet again.

In sum the cruise despite the dreaded NV rearing its ugliness was one of the bset we've ever had. The sites of historic importance are amazing, the people we met both on the ship and on shore, esp, the guides I will never forget. If you ever get a chance to see the Holy land by all means go, go, go. Just be sure to wash your hands a lot so you won't have to go, go, go.

lol. Well now dogster is back. Yesterday I regained my Hotmail and with it my access to the world, phew. Lordy, I hope that doesn't happen again. So dogster1 will be abandoned - till the next time.

Yup, still in Mumbai.

Fascinating to read your take on it all, jacket. Really interesting. Now, if Sass will write her report... lol. I'm not sure mine will pop out. I'm kinda ambivalent, without any major insight, right now.

All I really determined was that I must never go on any ship's tours in Israel, ever again.

I do look f/w to something from Sass. And you if you feel so moved. As for the tours though we had to pony up more $$ for private tours for me it was well worth it. Now Sumi is not so keen on history but I am, esp. the ancient stuff so wow! this was something I'll never forget.

As for the future vacas we'll see. We had planned Alaska on Princess again but cancelled this as all we wanted was the land tour stuff really. Now we are thinking about RCI's mega ships, the Oasis or the Allure though the ports are not too exciting really. However the ships are a big part of the attraction. Then I brought up the idea of Kuala Lumpur as I would like to see it, have a friend there and most importantly she can get her Indian food as there is a significant Indian population there. Cheers guys. Larry

Celebrity food quality had slipped through the years. I won't call them sub-par, but they are just like the rest, an also-run. They used to stand out. We too had similar experience like Larry on "boring" food. There were choices, but always the same choices. When you choose the same appetizer for 10 days, there really isn't any chocies (viable choice).

Larry, you have not mentioned anything about the ship's coffee so far ... how did you like their "brew" coffee on the buffet?

Oh God. I almost forgot. its was for me pretty bad, both that and the coffee in the MDR. Glad I brought the Starbucks Via. BTW the Bistro on 5 which was the crepe place was I thought well worth the $5.00 cover charge.

Enjoyed the whole report.

Why is coffee in many places in Europe so much stronger than our own here. !

Oh well, I just drink less of it.

Happy New Year

Not just Europe but also from whatI have seen Central America as well. I do like it that way personally. BTW have you ever heard of the most expensive coffee in the world, kopi Luwak which goes to about $300.00-500.00 per lb? if not I'll give you the low down.

Jacket, I just got back in town and caught up on your wonderful trip report. Really sorry to hear you got sick, but you timed your symptoms quite well! It's always been a fear in the back of my mind to get really sick right in the middle of some incredibly inconvenient travel.

Tell me about this $$$$$$$$$$$ coffee !

Thank you SPT. The timing was pretty lucky. Would have hated to miss a day in Israel. Percy here's the "bottom" line on kopi luwak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

Thanks for the info.

Guess I will stick to regular coffee.

I am tempted to try it actually. You can get it in 4 oz. portions, around $90.00. Maybe one day.

Oh jacket, if you like I'll swallow a few dozen beans.

You can have the results for free.

That is a really good one. BTW R U still in Mumbai?

Nope, Bangkok now. Lordy, I've been on the road a long time. Three months now. I jumped to Thailand 'cos I just couldn't do any more Indian food. My stomach blew up - or out, as the case may be. I think after your norovirus experience you'll understand what I mean.

I sure do. You have to be so careful eating there. When do U go back home for a while?

Larry, you are so lucky! Did you see this on CC?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1612445

Holy Land Cruise No More
We're booked on the Pacific Princess for the Oct 3, 2012 sailing to the Holy Land. I went onto Princess a little bit ago to check some shore excursions and found the itinerary completely changed. Gone were Israel, Egypt, Patmos and Kusadasi. I called my TA, who called Princess. She was told that the itinerary was changed yesterday, and an 'email blast' was going out to TA's tomorrow with the new itineraries.

I wonder if all cruises to Israel will be cancelled, and if this is due to Egypt's unrest. Or not.

Never mind, I didn't read the whole thread

They only changed one date as it was not selling fast enough. Black Sea is selling much faster.

Later cruises have the old itinerary.