Grumpy and Slinkie explore the Roman Empire

[Southbound]

Thanks, Grumpy, for taking the time to share what, I'm sure, is the beginning of a wonderful experience. So glad you were able to hook up again with your luggage; had my fingers (and toes) crossed for a successful retrieval before you had to board. And a big HI to Slinkie.

[Margi]

Grumpy,

 

Enjoyed your 1st installment and boy, I am glad you and Slinkie recovered your lost luggage. The luggage and failure of your private transfer from the airport have given me a bit of trepidation. I fly Lufthansa via Munich to Rome and the Prinsendam on Monday.........

 

Thanks for posting,

Margi

[ekerr19]

Dear Grumpy & Slinkie -

 

I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but wanted to let you know of a fantastic excursion we did in Kusadasi, Turkey.

 

We took the afternoon excursion to Ephesus, there were only about 20 or so of us - and by that time of day, many of the usual crowds at Ephesus were cleared out - we had a fantastic guide and seemed to have the place almost to ourselves. It was a bit warm, but not as bad as it had been in some of the other ports.

 

We were truly amazed how well preserved the ruins at Ephesus were and the kids really enjoyed seeing firsthand a part of history they'd only seen in text books.

 

I will try and post a photo or two this evening. We spent the morning before our excursion shopping, my sister and I really enjoyed the shopping in the port area stores as well as in the bazaar - though the bazaar vendors could be somewhat aggressive, most we encountered were very friendly.

 

We ended up in the nice little cafe in the port (right beside the water) sipping a glass of local wine before it was time to be back onboard - it was truly a delightful day.

[hammybee]

Dear Grumpy & Slinkie -

 

I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but wanted to let you know of a fantastic excursion we did in Kusadasi, Turkey.

 

We took the afternoon excursion to Ephesus.

 

We spent the morning before our excursion shopping, my sister and I really enjoyed the shopping in the port area stores as well as in the bazaar - though the bazaar vendors could be somewhat aggressive, most we encountered were very friendly.

 

We ended up in the nice little cafe in the port (right beside the water) sipping a glass of local wine before it was time to be back onboard - it was truly a delightful day.

 

Oh my Ephesus is fabulous. Our first time, we took a taxi and did not use a guide. The second time, we hired a guide and it made a world of difference. There used to be a tacky elephant picture for a fee opportunity, along the way, which made for a good holiday card cover. On the other hand, given your travels, this year, I am sure you have plenty of other pictures to amuse for your holiday card list. I echo the shopping in Kusadasi. Although aggressive, I think the shopkeepers are still in training for the big one, Istanbul. Watch out for offers of apple tea.

[ger_77]

Hello Grumpy & Slinkie, thank you for taking me along on another of your wonderful journeys.

 

I have to say, you've scared me with your tales of transfers in Frankfurt - we do the same thing in October and I'm sure our luggage won't make it again. I was almost disappointed to find out that you located your bags - I'm sure Slinkie was just itching to buy something new with the insurance $$! I already know of a few pieces I'm ready to buy to "tide us over" until our luggage reaches the ship - DH has his eye on a couple of Tommy Bahama shirts that we're pretty sure will be onboard in his size.:D

 

One question - did you have any trouble with your carry-on luggage? Did you have more than a lap-top each, or did you also have a roll-aboard with you? I'm honestly thinking about bringing along a clear purse so they don't have to go rifling through the darn thing while going thru security. I'm going to put my jewelry case in the purse and carry it on the plane that way.

 

Till next time ...

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Bucky3]

Just bringing this uptop so Grumpy & Slinkie can find it easily as we all aniously await the next chapter!

[johnnyi]

I hope you are having a great time on the Noordam!! Wonderful to see your posts again.

 

Have a blast!!!! :)

 

Johnny

[Blue Eyes]

Thanks Grumpy and Slinkie for such a wonderful travelogue. Hope the rest of the trip is not as eventful as the first leg. I, too, support the Freedom Alliance, so from one "Georgia Peach" give Newt a big hello...from deep in the Okefenokee Swamp.....

[AlohaPride]

Thanks Grumpy and Slinkie for such a wonderful travelogue. Hope the rest of the trip is not as eventful as the first leg. I, too, support the Freedom Alliance, so from one "Georgia Peach" give Newt a big hello...from deep in the Okefenokee Swamp.....

 

Give a hello from me too please! What I wouldn't give to be there!

 

And Blue Eyes, I was born in GA and lived there half my life. Except, I'm from Columbus/Ft. Benning area. I actually miss GA.

[slgjhg]

Hi All,

 

Great your next adventure has begun. I was relieved to hear that your luggage did finally arrive. When we were in Italy in March, we went from Rome to Napolie by train and then on to Catania by Ferry without any luggage. It was pretty awful. However, the luggage arrived the same day in the early evening. It all worked out. If we had been on a cruise it wouldn't have been so good.

 

Ironically, one of our Bridge students has just disembarked your beloved Princendam. She like the two of you, loves the ship. She didn't want to get off.

 

I am anxious to hear how your tours go in Istanbul and Ephesus, we used Levant and I know you have made other arrangements so I want to know how it goes.

 

 

Best to you both, and thanks for taking the time to post your wonderful doings.

 

Best Regards,

 

Shannon

[Grumpy1]

22 August, 2006 Corfu, Greece.

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The Noordam arrived at Corfu right on schedule, but Slinkie & Grumpy were a little lazy as there was no reason to be first off the ship. The weather was a little hazy and warm, but not uncomfortably hot. The ports in this area had some days in the high 90's recently but seems to be cooling off a bit. After breakfast, Slinkie & Grumpy got ready to head into town. Colonel North was in the elevator lobby, very anxiously waiting for an elevator to show up. He had already hit the call button for the interior elevators and the ones for the glass elevators, but it seemed deck 7 was being ignored. Finally, one showed up and Slinkie & Grumpy rode down to A deck with him. Grumpy asked him how the cruise was going so far. He responded that it would be a lot better if his best friend, meaning his wife, Betsy, were with him. She had stayed home to set up hospice care for her sister, who was in the terminal stages of cancer. Colonel North said he was going off the ship to find a reliable communications link, as he was having difficulty using the ship system. Slinkie & Grumpy learned later in the day that Colonel North had left just before time to sail, as his sister-in-law had passed away earlier in the day. Slinkie and Grumpy hope that you will all join in a prayer for Ollie and his family.

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It's not too long of a walk from the ship to the terminal building in Corfu. There was a free shuttle from the ship to the terminal, but it wasn't on a very frequent schedule. One was pulling away as Slinkie and Grumpy exited the ship, so they decided to walk. Of course there was plenty of duty free shopping in the terminal, but Slinkie & Grumpy quickly passed through and found the cab stand outside. $10 Euro later, after a short drive along the seaside, the driver stopped, pointed to an archway in the wall and said that the shopping area was "through there". At first glance, it didn't look like anything more than an alley being used to park a few dozen motorcycles, but a few steps inside and one could see that there was indeed a large shopping area beckoning. Shop after shop, street after street, uphill, downhill, through narrow twisting streets they went. Grumpy was looking for a couple of CD-R discs and finally found a shop that had them. The proprietor pulled a pack of three from the shelf that was marked 3,30Euro. Behind it was a pack of four marked 4,40Euro. Grumpy said he would take the pack of four. The proprietor started to open the package to remove one, saying that was the price for each one. Grumpy turned around and walked out very quickly! Around the corner was another shop that also had CD-R's in jewel cases, individually packed. Price? One Euro. Still higher than Best Buy, but reasonable, so Grumpy bought four. Note to Grumpy: remember to pack blank discs in the future.

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Slinkie, of course, wasn't looking for anything as mundane as blank discs. She was looking for.... Shoes! Seems that Grumpy isn't the only one that packed too light. Slinkie didn't pack her white shoes. Now Grumpy thought her black shoes would look just fine with her white formal dress, but then he's never been accused of being a fashion expert. Slinkie out voted him on that one. So through the many, many shoe stores they trod until Slinkie finally found a pair that she was happy with. Except for a souvenir or two, Slinkie & Grumpy were kind enough to leave the shops stocked with merchandise for others to peruse.

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Corfu is a very picturesque town, and Grumpy found a few opportunities to take some pictures. The walk from the terminal to the ship was great for getting pictures of the aft starboard side of the Noordam, and Grumpy got some that should help answer all of the questions about the balcony sizes and overhang on the aft cabins. Now, if Grumpy would just get around to posting them...

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Thanks for all of your responses to the first post. Grumpy doesn't know what happened to the spaces between paragraphs in the first post. They were there in the Wordpad document, but were stripped in the copy/paste into CruiseCritic. So now Grumpy has to remember to put in a hyphen after hitting the "enter" key and then hit "enter" again, so there are no empty lines. OK, it's time for questions and comments gleaned from the first 25 posts.

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localady... The Captain at the present time is John Scott, HM is Ron Bontenbal and CD is Vuk Rajcevic. Slinkie and Grumpy have met them all a couple of times and have chatted with a couple of the ACD's, but haven't gotten well acquainted with any of them. The activities of the group seem to conflict with most of the CD's planned activities.

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Jhannah... Grumpy doesn't remember ever being mentioned in the same breath as Rowling, as far as writing goes... Maybe it's because she has a better agent and publisher?... Oh, it was just a comparison of the anticipation, not the writing... well, Grumpy thinks that's probably stretching things a bit also, but thanks...

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Ekerr19... Grumpy figured out that "Saldi" thing very quickly in Rome. Every store he saw was having their 30 to 70% off Saldi. Slinkie did see a few things that were attractive and reasonably priced, but passed them by.

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sarawr... Grumpy sure hopes that you and Karen have a good flight and no lost luggage worries. See you on the Prinsendam next week. Starboard side, lido pool after muster drill!

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jhannah... again... Ahem! Grumpy prefers his writings being compared to Rowling instead of "Walter the Farting Dog"....

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23 August, 2006 Katakolon, Greece

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Greetings again from the Noordam. This is another port that will be visited on the next segment, so no shore excursion was booked. It's just a short walk from the ship to the shopping area in Katakolon. After sleeping in a little later than normal and enjoying a liesurely breakfast, Slinkie & Grumpy wandered off to see what treasures were awaiting discovery. The shopping district is only a couple of streets, each one perhaps a 1/4 mile long. As in most ports the shops are very repetitive. Jewelry stores, clothing stores, leather goods stores, souvenir stores and restaurants, or a combination of two or three categories pretty well describes the choices. Grumpy figured they could make the rounds quickly and escape with little damage... Slinkie had other ideas. With fewer stores she could concentrate more. And concentrate she did. there was not a jewelry store that didn't get the onceover... sometimes a twiceover, since it was easy to retrace your steps. Of course, the big attraction in Greece is the "Greek Key" design jewelry... and, wouldn't you know, Slinkie doesn't, or didn't own anything in that style. Well, Grumpy's lovely lass found a pair of trapezoid shaped, key design dangly earrings, nicely studded with small diamonds... a little haggling, a quick flash of the credit card and now Slinkie owns a pair of key design earrings... Why does Grumpy have the feeling that he and his credit card have not seen the last of the key design? More Greek ports, more areas and appendages to adorn, that's why... But the earrings were enough for one day. There has a 7000 Euro necklace that one shopkeeper insisted she try on that looked very good on her, but in the end, Slinkie and Grumpy left the shop, the necklace stayed behind...

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24 August, 2006 Santorini, Greece

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Santorini is not a repeat port on the next cruise. Grumpy was somewhat inclined to book a long tour, but ended up tendering in and taking the cable car up to Fira. He thought about the donkey ride to the top but had been warned that he would share the donkey's BO for the rest of the day if he did. Besides, some of the donkeys have a habit of scraping there sides on the walls, which tends to be hard on knees and shins unless you're wearing the heaviest denim. The line for the Cable Car was long and it took about one half hour before Slinkie and Grumpy were able to climb aboard and lurch to the top. Grumpy has had much smoother rides on aerial trams, but it did arrive at the upper station without any vertical detours, so all is well.

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Once at the top of the tram, Slinkie & Grumpy set out to explore Fira. There are several places with fantastic views of the harbor, there are lot's of restaurants overlooking the harbor, there are a lot of picturesque streets... and there are shops. Lot's of shops! The descriptions would be pretty much the same as was described for Corfu. Slinkie was in paradise. It wasn't long before Grumpy knew that the Greek Key design jewelry was going to figure prominently in any purchases. Slinkie & Grumpy mostly wandered up and down the streets looking in the windows, seldom going inside. Slinkie has trained Grumpy that he must pause respectfully in front of any jewelry store window while she admires the trinkets and he tries to figure out ways to distract her. There is so much of the Greek Key jewelry on display, but few items that catch your eye as unique. Several stores had been perused and left behind when Slinkie spotted a ring that wasn't really unique but just seemed to be a little nicer than most of the others. The one on display was a little too small, but after a bit of searching, the clerk was able to find the proper size. One more trophy added to the collection. The next street had almost wall to wall jewelry stores, but little variety. After pausing at the window on some and wandering inside on some, Slinkie & Grumpy walked past one store with little more than a glance in the window. that's when they became acquainted with Penelope. Stepping out of her shop, she said " I've watched you look in nearly every shop on the street and you barely looked at mine. Now you really should give me a chance because I'm sure I have what you are looking for."... And she was right! She brought out a bracelet that was a nice Greek Key design and had some small stones set in links between the key design links. While Slinkie was trying that on and also comparing to a few others, Grumpy was looking at some of the other displays. He spotted a necklace in the Greek Key style that wasn't the usual style of the links that got progressively larger and then receeded in a totally symetrically manner. This one started out that way but the larger central links were set with white sapphires, which isn't unusual, but those two links curved opposite of the ones leading up to it so that the largest link was pointing somewhat downward. The next link joined to the side of that one and then continued to receed up to the clasp. It just seemed a more elegant and unique design. After considerable haggling with Penelope Grumpy finally came to terms. The Greek Key collection was officially declared complete. Dayum, Grumpy's glad Slinkie never got into ankle bracelets and toe rings... The bracelet needed to have a link removed to better fit Slinkie's dainty wrist, so Slinkie & Grumpy wandered around some more and had lunch before picking up the treasures and heading back down the aerial tram. A short tender ride later, they were back aboard the Noordam and back to the group activities.

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One thing that has been different is the dining arrangements. The group has set aside enough tables for 8 or 10 to accomodate the entire group at late seating. All are on the lower level, but somewhat scattered around the dining room. The Group ID cards had a different table for each night listed on the back and each night you have a different set of tablemates. One of the persons or couples at each table is one of the speakers that has been on board with the group, so it has been possible to get better acquainted and chat on a personal level. Grumpy feels that the service isn't quite the same, as he has a different waiter every night. Having a different waiter has given him some insight into how two reviewers of the same cruise can have such differing opinions of the dining experience. There have been nights when the service was excellent and the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. There have been two nights when the waiter rushed everything through, forgot a course for some people, and just didn't seem to care much about what he was doing. Pity the people that had to put up with that kind of service for 10 nights. They probably wouldn't be impressed with the Holland America service. Grumpy believes that the service received also colors the perceptions about the food itself for many people.

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Overall, though, Grumpy's impression of the Noordam has been very good. He has talked to many people that have cruised other lines, including Crystal, Raddison, Seaborn, Cunard, etc and has not found anyone that were not pleased with their cruise. A few said that they never realized that HAL was such a fine cruiseline and would likely be back.

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Grumpy has been a bit... well, a lot... lazy about getting this posted. He'll get this posted and report on Kusadasi, Suite Luncheon and Mariner reception later.

[Williebill]

I'm glad to see another post from you; I was wondering if you were having internet problems or were just to busy to post. Glad to see Slinkie is still enjoying her jewelry shopping and you are still enjoying paying for it!

 

Bill and Shelia

[PH8]

Another Grumpy/Slinkie adventure............I love it and am so jealous............someday I hope to be as lucky as you two to take such wonderful trips.......

 

Tell Slinkie hi from the Floridian friends!!:)

[jhannah]

Thanks for your most excellent travelogue of your continuing Noordam adventure. I'm glad Slinkie is obtaining worthwhile pieces to add to her collection of cruise baubles. You da' man! :cool:

 

In case you missed the other thread, I posted a shot of you all in Santorini at nighttime, with the Noordam (and other ships) all lighted up. Click here to see it.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Grumpy, excellent as always. I am looking forward to your pictures of the starboard aft of the Noordam since I am planning on booking that for Alaska next year. Also with your description of Slinkies purchases I am now curious to what this looks like. Possibly you could take a picture of Slinkie modeling her new jewlery :) Your port stops sound a lot like Tom and I with how we go looking thru the shops. I too am usually on a mission with Tom helping me to scope out what I am looking to purchase.;)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Grumpy, obviously Johnny didn't greet you at the port of Corfu or else you just missed my post and didn't even think to look for him!

I just love reading your travelogue and it is much easier with the paragraphs. Thanks for putting that hyphen in there for us old folks with pathetic vision.

That is so sad that Ollie's wife lost her sister while he was away and not able to be with her. At least he was able to get home. Cancer is such an insidious decease and few of us remain untouched by it.

Perhaps a better dining arrangement would have been for the Speakers to each take turns sitting at the different tables yet you would all keep the same waiter throughout and still be able to enjoy the company of the different Speakers. Maybe they could think about that the next time. Of course, this way you got to meet others as well, but with all the other functions you could have done that anyway.

I was so glad to see another post from you! Thought maybe you were out of range!:)

[bdcbbq]

[quote name='LAFFNVEGAS'][SIZE=3]Also with your description of Slinkies purchases I am now curious to what this looks like. Possibly you could take a picture of Slinkie modeling her new jewlery :) Your port stops sound a lot like Tom and I with how we go looking thru the shops. I too am usually on a mission with Tom helping me to scope out what I am looking to purchase.;) [/SIZE][/QUOTE]

I was curious so a quick Google for [URL="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-25,GGGL:en&q=Greek+Key+jewelry+"]Greek Jewelry[/URL] found some links to the design.

[KathieKata]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Grumpy & Slinkie..........So glad you're cruising again!! And always to such interesting and beautiful places. I feel like I'm right there with you both everytime I read your posts. [COLOR=blue]Note to Slinkie: I love your style of shopping. Buy the "Jewelry items early into the cruise and save the small stuff for later"!![/COLOR] :D [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#ff00ff][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#ff00ff]Enjoying every minute of reading so far!! Thanks for posting.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

PH: Thanks for the reminder!!

[Margi]

"Still higher than Best Buy, but reasonable, so Grumpy bought four. Note to Grumpy: remember to pack blank discs in the future."

Grumpy,

I am going to pack some CD-Rs for you. I have a tower of 100. Of course they will be in my checked luggage and I will hope my luggage finds it way to me at baggage claim in Rome.

Enjoyed your 2nd installment very much.

Margi

[Grumpy1]

[SIZE=2]25 August 2006, Kusadasi
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The Noordam was scheduled for a long day in Kusadasi, arriving at 7a and depqarting at 7:30p. By contast, The Prinsendam will only be there for about 8 hours when Slinkie and Grumpy are there in another week or so. Having found a couple of people on the rollcall thread that wanted to do something different from Ephesus (S&G will do Ephesus on the Prinsendam stop), Grumpy set up a tour through a private company to go into Turkey over 100 miles to Afrodisias, Hierapolis and Pamukkale. This is a tour that few will get to take from Kusadasi, as most of the ships do not stop there long enough to consider it. 4 people plus guide and driver in a new, air conditioned Volkswagen bus designed to hold 10 plus luggage made for a nice comfortable ride. The driver spoke little or no English, but he was a good and careful driver. No problems. Our guide was Turkish Muslim, (Turkey is about 95% Muslim), educated, and works as an archeologist in Ephesus during the off season and guides tours from May to October. He has excellent command of English. Many of the tours he guides are one and two week treks that trace the path of Christianity through Turkey. He was a fountain of knowledge on the history, the culture and and the current events. With a lot of driving time, there was ample opportunity to ask questions.
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The first stop was at Afrodisias. The city is partially excavated and restored and work is continuing. There is a museum building that houses the more important statues and artifacts that have been found there, and there is a path through the ruins that cover many acres. The site predates the Christian era by several hundred years. Most of construction was by the Romans about 100 B.C. There is a large stadium with a field of about 300 meters by 80 meters. With a seating capacity of 30,000, it is the largest in Turkey. With a little work it could be ready for an NFL football game. There is another stadium with a capacity of about 10,000 that has a stage and horseshoe shaped seating area. Tha acoustics are excellent. This stadium seating was not heavily damaged by the earthquakes that destroyed the city. A much small theater that had been covered originally still has the seating area and stage largely intact. Again, the acoustics are excellent. There are partially restored temples and there is one temple where a church had been built within the temple ruins about 300 A.D. when the area was largely Christian. Water was abundant and the remains of many fountains and reflecting pools can be seen, along with the aquaducts for supply and drainage canals to carry away the overflow. There are large fields of puzzle pieces awaiting the time, money and manpower to put it all back together again. The time spent there was very educational.
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The group stopped for lunch at a buffet just before arriving at Pamukkale. 5 euro for all you can eat, plus a couple of more euro for a beverage. S&G sampled a variety of dishes. Some were excellent, some would take some getting used to. No one went away hungry though. S&G had the Efe beer, which is quite popular in Turkey. It was quite good. After lunch, the tour continued with a drive up to Hierapolis. The roadway winds through a long cemetary. All of the graves were in sarcophagi on the surface as was the custom prior to the Christian era. One had to pay respect to the dead before entering the city. During the Christian era, below ground burial was the norm and there are several circular stone walls with dirt mounds filling them that are from that era. Hieropolis was the center of medicine at that time, and the warm mineral springs were considered to have great curative powers, The water comes from the ground at 95 degrees F and is very carbonated. There are pools where many people swim. The fizzy water has a flavor similar to Alka Seltzer, which is about what it is. There are acres of ruins there, including another 10,000 seat stadium. It is currently in the process of being excavated and restored.
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The water from the springs runs over a cliff and leaves white calcium deposits as it evaporates. If it weren't for the 100 degree heat, you would think you were looking at a glacier. You can walk out on the deposits, but you must be barefoot. The appearance of the surface is similar to ripples in the sand at many beaches, but the ripples are solid rock. Walking is not very comfortable unless your feet are tough and calloused. Grumpy's aren't! A great number of visitors there are Russians that fly in and stay in the hotels nearby. Most of the hotels are also built around mineral springs. Some are even warmer than the calcium springs. Most have more dissolved iron, so the overflow is very reddish colored. There is an area where the mud is supposed to be very curative, and there were several people walking around smeared head to toe with mud. Grumpy thought the Russian girls up at the calcium baths with their thong bikinis were much more attractive... the guide commented that the Russian women seem to be quite bold about displaying their bodies... more so than the other nationalities that visit.
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There were a few souvinir stands around, but no shopping... Poor Slinkie... the tour arrived back at the port about a half hour before the gangway was to be raised, she was tired and Grumpy didn't encourage her to stop at the Grand Bazaar. She'll have another opportunity for that, though. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day.
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26 August 2006, a sea day.
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The day was pretty much filled with lectures and discussions with the group, but the Mariners' Reception and the Suite Luncheon were also on the agenda. Grumpy thought the timing would be pretty tight, but the morning group session in the Crow's Nest ended about about 11:40, the Mariner's Reception seating started at 11:45. There were Hhandshakes with the Captain, HM and CD for the 100 day or higher Mariners, who were ushered in through the port side entrance, seating in the first three or four rows, a glass of champagne and the ceremonies were underway by noon. Captain Scott said it was the largest group of Mariners that he had seen on the ship. Ones that were holders of blue or red pins, whether new or previously awarded, were asked to stand and be recognized. The new recipients of 100 day copper medallions were asked to come forward individually or as couples to receive their medallions and have their picture taken with the Captain and HM. The existing 100 day holders were recognized as a group, as were the holders of the higher awards. Ceremonies were over by 12:25 and it was just a few steps down the hallway to the Pinnacle Grill for the luncheon. another handshake with the Captain and HM, another glass of champagne, a luncheon of appetizers and desserts... all quite good, but Grumpy did not see the caviar if it was there... and it was time to head to the Queen's Lounge for the group afternoon session. It was also the last formal night and Slinkie even managed to sneak in a hair appointment somewhere along the way. The twin lobster tails were excellent and of course the dinner ended with the baked Alaska parade. The Captain was kind enough to give back the hour that was stolen earlier in the cruise, so there was extra time to spend in the piano bar with Randall. All in all, another enjoyable, but busy, sea day.
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Earlier in the cruise, the ship's photographer took photos of the group. The instructions were to meet in the Vista Lounge, Deck 3, starboard side, on a port day prior to sailaway. The assembled group was then led up one flight to Deck 4, forward through a watertight hatch with a high sill and out onto the bow of the ship. There was a little time to look around before the photographer got set up on the deck above. Grumpy poked his head in the open hatch on the port side, expecting to seea hallway similar to the one on starboard side. Instead he found that there is a tavern in there. A bar, some stools, a few booths, sparsely decorated with a few illuminated brewing company signs... just your average working class neighborhood bar. There were also three picnic tables out on the bow deck for the overflow crowd. The working class must have all been working, as the place was deserted.
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Grumpy also noted that the bell that Sail7Seas doused with champagne is right up by the bow and has a railing around to keep anyone from just reaching up and ringing it. The railing was pinned but not locked and it would be easy to get in there, but Grumpy settled for a picture of the bell with Slinkie standing outside the rail.
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27 August 2006, Valletta, Malta.
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After breakfast it was time to explore the town. Slinkie and Grumpy had been there before on their honeymoon and the ship tour had taken them to all of the Cathedrals, churches, palaces and parks that would fit into an all day tour, som this time they just got off the ship and hired a horsedrawn carriage to take them around the city. After an hour or so of touring along the streets that follow the coastline, with a few stops where the driver pointed out some of the more significant sites and explained their history and present use, S&G were dropped off in the heart of town. Being Sunday, most of the businesses were closed except for the jewelry and souvenir stores near the terminal and on the main street. Although the official currency is the Maltese Lira, the Euro is widely used. There were even a few stores that had signs posted that they accept USD & GBP as well. The fact that Malta used to be a British Colony is evident, as they still drive on the wrong side of the streets.
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The major attraction in the jewelry stores is that almost everything incorporates the Maltese Cross in the design. S&G didn't find any "must have" items, though, so Grumpy's credit cards got a respite. The walk back to the ship is all downhill, so S&G walked back and were back on board in time for a Lido Lunch. The afternoon was spent catching up on Email and enjoying some peace and quiet on the balcony.
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Grumpy talked to one cruiser yesterday that still had not received his luggage, although he was promised he would have it today. He had flown Alitalia. Grumpy heard that others with missing luggage at the start of the cruise had flown on several different airlines. HAL has been helping out as much as possible, even if they didn't book the air travel. Laundry is turned around in a couple of hours, no charge. Grumpy doesn't know if there was any free shopping in the onboard shops or not.
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28 August 2006, Messina, Sicily
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Messina is the final port of call on this cruise. S&G had visited Sicily in 2002, but Palermo was the port stop then. The stop in Messina is short, arriving at 7:00a and departing at 2:00p. S&G considered a taxi to Taormina, but decided instead to explore the areas close to the port. That review and disembarkation will be probably be posted from the Prinsendam in a couple of days. It has been a fantastic cruise.
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[ekerr19]

Grumpy -

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us! I can't wait to read the next installment, and how I wish we were still there!

Has the weather improved at all? jhannah was there the week before I and I think he noted some of the hottest temps - ours were certainly not much better, but I think by the time we arrived in Turkey it had gotten a little bit cooler.

I'm looking forward to your reports from the Prinsendam. :)

[jhannah]

[quote name='Grumpy1'][SIZE=2](S&G will do Ephesus on the Prinsendam stop)[/SIZE][/quote] Wonderful! You'll enjoy walking through that ancient city. Before you go, pull out your Bible and read the book of Acts, chapter 19, beginning in verse 23. It's about a near riot that erupted among the silversmiths. It took place in the ampitheater in Ephesus. (Not the smaller Odeon, but the theater at the head of the main road that once led to the seashore.) You'll be able to walk around in the very venue where that took place.

[stanford's girl]

[SIZE=4]Sounds like you two are having a great time. I'm glad to hear that Grumpy got his luggage. We can't have our resident HAL cruise writer running around naked!! ;)

Reading "The New Adventures of[SIZE=6] [SIZE=4]Grumpy and Slinkie" has made me even more excited about finally meeting the two of you on the HAL-O- WEEN cruise. :D


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[RuthC]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]This has been a joy to read. To think of all that history there, and to be able to walk the same paths absolutely floors me. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]Thank you for taking me along on this journey. Can't wait for the next one! [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Williebill]

Thanks for taking us along with you again; it has been a wonderful trip! Oh, how I would enjoy walking in places that I have read about in the Bible.

I am now looking forward to hearing tales from the Prinsendam again.

Bill