Hopefully "Live" Ryndam Athens to Tampa 2014

[Mtn2Sea]

What is the condition of the ship? We are sailing on her in January/February.

 

Thanks

 

D

 

Overall, the ship is in very good condition. I did notice the cushions on our veranda furniture are pretty worn, but the cabin itself is in excellent condition.

[Mtn2Sea]

Good morning! We're in Rhodes Greece today. During the middle of the night, we had the alarm go off. The officer on duty said a fire had been discovered in the galley. A minute or two later an announcement was made that everything was fine. A second all clear was made less than a minute after the first all clear. Needless to say, the alarms woke us up. Here's today's program.

 

 

Until later

[Mtn2Sea]

We were last in Rhodes seven years ago, which is just a nano second to the Greeks. Since we had done an extensive tour on our last visit, we chose to just walk around the old town. Here's some of the things we saw.

 

 

 

 

We decided to take another tour of the Palace of the Grand Masters, which was orinally built in the 7th century AD. In the 14th century, it housed the administrative center for the Order of the Knights. In 1856, it was destroyed in an explosion and at the end of the 1930's, it was rebuilt by the Italians to be used as the home of the Italian Commander.

 

 

 

 

Got to finish my lunch. Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

This is the lunch (which cost 18 Euros) we shared at an outdoor cafe.

 

 

During lunch, a cat found DW, who of course fed some of our lunch to it.

 

Until later.

[blue whale]

Thanks for the report about the ship condition.

 

D

[Mtn2Sea]

Although all aboard today was scheduled for 4:30, the ship's crew left the gangway in place well past that time. Shortly prior to 5:00, I noticed a young woman walking towards the ship. A security person started talking with her and then a local person jumped in a car and zoomed down the pier towards the gate. The car stopped, picked up a young man and then zoomed back to the ship's gangway. While the man was walking up the gangway, he was given a hearty applause by people on the seaview deck. I just wonder what the Captain or his designee said to the couple. Some captains would have left as scheduled. By the way, we haven't seen our passports since they were taken by the HAL agent when we checked in for the cruise.

 

Another point I need to mention is the Adagio is down to one musician! Before anyone gets too excited, the violinist explained on the first night that the pianist had developed tendonitis and had flown home. So, we only have the violinist playing one hour each evening. Hopefully, we'll see Adagio back up to two members on the next leg of the cruise.

 

The young man who's playing 60's music in The Mix is quite good, so we've been spending a lot of our after dinner time listening to him.

 

Until later

[Himself]

Have a wonderful cruise and a safe voyage across the ocean.

[detroit70]

Another point I need to mention is the Adagio is down to one musician! Before anyone gets too excited, the violinist explained on the first night that the pianist had developed tendonitis and had flown home. So, we only have the violinist playing one hour each evening. Hopefully, we'll see Adagio back up to two members on the next leg of the cruise.

 

Until later[/size]

 

I'm relieved! We're booked on the Ryndam from Tampa to London (Harwich) next April. I was discouraged as I read your Daily Explorer and saw "violinist" as Adagio was a string quartet on our first cruise in 2011 and had gradually dwindled in size to a pianist and violinist on our Baltic cruise this past summer. Before your explanation above, I really believed Holland had simply continued to down size Adagio and it would completely disappear soon. The Adagio has been our primary evening entertainment every evening and I'm glad to know that, at least for the moment, they plan to normally offer a duet.

[Mtn2Sea]

Today we're in Kusadasi, Turkey. Since this is our fifth visit here and we'll be here again next week when I think we'll be the only ship in port, we decided to just walk around the town. We have an excursion planned for next week. Here's today's program.

 

 

 

Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

Finding a decent internet connection in Kusadasi was impossible! We stopped at a small cafe near the beach area for lunch and then at a coffee shop in the port area and the internet at both locations was extremely poor. With patience, we were able to surf the web a little, but I was unable to upload any photos. You know it's bad when the ship's internet seems fast!

 

We started the day by walking through the Bazaar area and then started looking for a particular jewelry store that is off the beaten path. The store is run by two young brothers and they were particularly nice when we were there back in 2007 & 2008. Although the store is near a shoe store that we were able to find again, we couldn't find the jewelry store.

 

At this point, I need to digress a little. A few days prior to our leaving for the cruise, my aunt called to wish us a safe trip. She also told me to keep an eye on DW. That comment was based on something that happened in 2007 here in Kusadasi. After finishing our day's excursion, we had extra time prior to the ship's departure, so we decided to walk around town. After seeing several signs advertising "Genuine Fake Watches," I decided to take a closer look, so we went into a store selling these watches. DW soon became bored and decided to go outside and sit on a bench in the middle of the pedestrian way right outside the store's front door.

 

While I was trying to make a final decision on which watch to buy, I looked out the window to check on DW. Instead of sitting on the bench, she was sitting on the back of a scooter, with a Turkish guy sitting up front! I immediately starting walking towards the door when DW began getting off the scooter. They both were laughing. As you may imagine, DW loves to interact with locals when we're traveling. At that point, I turned around and made my watch selection. The store check said he would put in a new battery. As he was going to the back, I turned around to check on DW again. She was back on the scooter and before I could take my first step, the scooter zoomed off. A thousand thoughts were flying through my head. I finally decided that I might as well wait a few minutes to see if she returned safely before I shouted an alarm. She was either going to be okay or not, but I wouldn't know for a couple of minutes. The clerk finished replacing the battery and I paid for the watch. As I turned to go outside, the scooter with DW and the Turkish guy returned. When I approached, DW excitedly introduced me to her new friend. At that point, I just wanted to get back on the ship and never leave DW alone in a foreign country again. That vow lasted a few days until we got to Egypt, but that's another story for another time.

 

No scooter rides for DW today! We simply wandered around and sat on a couple of benches to people watch. To us, it appears Kusadasi has a lot more shopping opportunities than the last time we were here. DW bought two pairs of sandals from a store that is going out of business (or at least that is what they claim). Here's some photos from our day in Kusadasi.

 

 

 

 

 

I bet this shop has good coffee!

 

 

Here's the view from the small cafe where we had lunch.

 

 

Until later.

[cruz chic]

Wow, your wife likes to live dangerously! You never know what kind of freaks people might be. Thx for the latest installment.

[SilvertoGold]

Fantastic photos and commentary! Thanks for taking the time to post and thanks for paragraphing: makes this so easy to read and I don't want to miss a word!

[chrispb]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Anyone else notice how the locals are pretty much wearing warmer clothes than holiday-makers?

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Anyone else notice how the locals are pretty much wearing warmer clothes than holiday-makers?

 

Absolutely, in these photos and in my own travels. I felt I was going to faint from the heat in pretty much every port in the Med on every spring cruise we've taken, while the locals are going around in jeans, long sleeved shirts, sweaters. Maybe just more formal?!

Edited October 15, 2014 by SilvertoGold

[chrispb]

Absolutely, in these photos and in my own travels. I felt I was going to faint from the heat in pretty much every port in the Med on every spring cruise we've taken, while the locals are going around in jeans, long sleeved shirts, sweaters. Maybe just more formal?!

 

No, for them it is getting cooler so they feel it more and dig out their winter warmers. For us it would be positively balmy:D

[Mtn2Sea]

Tonight's show featured Lance Ringnald, a former Olympic gymnast, who's been performing on cruise ships for ten years. His strength was amazing. He started out dressed as a has been, but then began tricks on his walker. Most of his performance involved his hanging from silks, but he also did some juggling. At one point, he said he needed a short break, so he introduced the band, but instead of resting, he went to the piano and began playing. Next he started singing, finishing with his version of the song Yesterday that has been adjusted to reflect all the food on a cruise ship.

 

 

Until later.

[RuthC]

Tonight's show featured Lance Ringnald, a former Olympic gymnast, who's been performing on cruise ships for ten years.

I saw him once on a cruise, and went to the show somewhat skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised, and would go to the show again. Nice performance.

[Mtn2Sea]

This morning we heading towards Volos, Greece and will be there shortly. We'll be leaving shortly after docking on our excursion to the Meteora Monasteries. Here's today program.

 

 

 

Until later.

[MaisonRose]

You are having great weather, I see.

It is quite cool here (near Marseille)

Bon continuation....

 

S

[Mtn2Sea]

You are having great weather, I see.

It is quite cool here (near Marseille)

Bon continuation....

 

S

 

Yes, the weather has been nice. Today in Volos, it was overcast, but no rain.

[Mtn2Sea]

Our bus for the excursion to the Meteora Monasteries left around 9:00 AM. One of the things I noticed during the two hour trip was the significant number of solar panels that we didn't see the last time we were in Greece. For most of the way, Anna, our guide, talked about the area we were passing through as well as a history of Greece from the time of Alexander the Great to Greece's independence from the Ottomans in the early 1800's. She was one of the most informative guides we've ever had on a HAL excursion.

 

We visited two of the six remaining monasteries that were built in this area of Greece. The first one is now being used as a nunnery and is relatively new, having been built in the 1800's. They are in the process of restoring the frescoes, so the colors are quite vivid. The wood carvings inside the church are extensive and quite detailed. Photography within the monasteries is prohibited, so the only photos I have are outdoor shots.

 

The second monastery has 36 monks living there. Photography of the monks is prohibited if "they can see you." This monastery was originally built in the 12th century and then rebuilt. The frescoes are original from the 1500's. The colors are now quite subdued. To get to the buildings from the parking lot involves 131 steps. At least that is better than being hoisted up in a basket as they once did. Our guide commented that in the olden days the monks always replaced the rope whenever it broke. Hopefully, it broke when supplies were being lifted up!

 

After we finished our tour at 2:00 PM, we then went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Here are some photos from today's tour. The first set shows what the mountains look like, including caves that were used by monks very early on.

 

 

 

I have other photos, but the ship's internet isn't cooperating. I'll try to post additional photos tomorrow.

 

Until later.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Mtn2Sea

[Mtn2Sea]

Additional photos from today.

Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

Our excursion yesterday returned to the ship an hour late, but other than a few passengers, no one seemed that concerned. Since six buses went to see the monasteries, I figured the ship would definitely wait for us all to return. Because we were pretty tired from our full day excursion, we chose to dine in the Lido, rather than getting ready for the main dining room where formal attire was required. We were able to sit right next to a window where we could watch the sunset. Since we weren’t very hungry due to our late lunch, the Lido matched our needs perfectly. After dinner, we went to the show put on by the ship’s cast. Droom was a mystical production with numerous contemporary songs. Neither of us particularly cared for the show, although I thought the dancers did quite well in their colorful costumes.

 

Today is the closest thing we’ve had to a sea day since the cruise began. We aren’t scheduled to arrive in Instanbul until 4:00 PM. We’ll have to eat early in order to catch our 6:30 excursion to see the Whirling Dervishes. Here’s today’s program.

 

 

 

Until later.

[Mtn2Sea]

Our Captain got us to Instanbul an hour early despite all the water traffic we encountered. We ate an early dinner in the Lido so we could meet in the Showroom for our evening excursion to see the Whirling Dervishes. The bus left promptly at 6:45 and immediately met heavy traffic. Less than 30 passengers went on this excursion, which meant almost everyone got a good seat for the show. Photography is prohibited during the ritual, but is allowed during the first few minutes. The ritual begins with the Sheikh, the spiritual master, making a recitation/chant. Here’s a photo of the Sheikh.

 

 

Following a set protocol, the dervishes begin their whirling. I would have been on the floor within a minute and totally dizzy if I had tried to swirl around like the dervishes did! Their whirling was constant and lasted at least ten minutes. The entire ritual lasted approximately 30 minutes. Afterwards we had apple tea prior to returning to the bus.

 

Here are the three dervishes before they removed their cloaks.

 

 

A photo of the apple tea we were served.

 

 

After getting back to the ship, I went to an upper deck and took some photos.

 

 

 

Here’s the big bridge that connects Europe with Asia.

 

Until later.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Mtn2Sea

[cruz chic]

Thx for the updates.