Travel The World with Bill & Mary Ann HAL's Grand World Voyage 2007

[sallyjo]

Have you posted any of your pictures in a public viewing format?

[Aussie Gal]

I hope you enjoy Bill Bryson. He is one of our favourite authors and is very entertaining.

 

I did enjoy your trip to Agra, which I have printed out as we hope to do a similar trip next year in April when our cruise spends a few days in India. I also enjoyed reading about your time spent in Dubai as we will be spending a few days there on our way home next May.

 

Jennie

[juliang]

that we all can't await the next installment...therefore, would it be too much trouble to take along a laptop on each excursion and on board, with satellite capacity, so you can do the emails in real time as you are seeing and experiencing the events....:) :)

 

then we wont have to wait so long...

 

just a thought...

[cruisldy]

I just had to thank you once again for taking the time to post for all to enjoy. I never got much out of history in High School (OMG 45 years ago), but through your postings I am learing so much and it is such an enjoyable read.

[ldog]

You really make these places come to life for all of us who are travelling with you in spirit.

 

thanks so much

[WCB]

Report # 62 3-30-07 to 4-01-07 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Three Days at Sea

 

Friday

 

We're sailing around the tip of Yemen today, in the Gulf of Aden, with the countries of Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. We will sail these next three days between the countries of Sudan and Saudi Arabia, past Jordan to reach the port of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Politically speaking, this is such a touchy part of the world, that we wouldn't be surprised to see the LRAD's back in position again. We'll let you know.

 

As we sail the 1751 nautical miles towards Egypt, the weather remains quite hot with very little breeze. Humidity is still high, and even though the temperature is around 81 degrees, it feels like 120 degrees!

 

Port talks continue with information about Ashdod and Haifa, Israel. Months ago we thought these ports would be cancelled due to major unrest, but it looks like we are still scheduled to stop there. The lecturer, Barbara, mentioned that these ports have not been visited by any Holland's world cruise for over seven years. The only problem we can foresee is that our visit coincides with Easter week. We have been warned to expect huge crowds no matter where our tours take us. Should be interesting.

 

Explorations speakers Bryson and Clarke continue their lectures on the "Shorter History of Nearly Everything" (Bryson), and Pyramids and Pyramidiots (Clarke). And to follow up on the Egyptian tours to Cairo, we received two large volumes of Egyptian Pyramids for our gifts this evening. Having been there and done that in style six years ago, we will enjoy reading the book instead of visiting Cairo. No excursion could come close to the exclusive private tour we had of the Sphinx evening laser light show, and visits to the Museum of Antiquities and the Pyramids before they were open to the public. Can you imagine being the only group of 300 from Seabourn to see these famous landmarks before the hordes of tourists arrived? Priceless!

 

Oh yes, the Long Range Acoustic Devices are positioned and manned on the promenade deck this evening, just as we expected.

 

Saturday

 

As we head north in the Red Sea, the weather remained hot, but with a little hint of a cooler breeze. All the news reports on CNN say that the Mediterranean is stormy with a lot of rain. So we are taking advantage of these sunny days to enjoy the back deck and pool.

 

We have been instructed to pick up our passports at the front desk, since we will be needing them while we are in the ports in Egypt. Then, once upon our return in Alexandria, we will surrender them. The immigrations officials from Israel will be joining our ship in Egypt, and reviewing the passports and the passengers in person before we arrive to Ashdod. Obviously, there are strict precautions in this area.

 

Tonight's theme at dinner was "International Voyage of Discovery". Even though it was a formal evening, people were encouraged to dress in an outfit representative of any country we have visited so far. This is really more for the ladies, but the men use this as an excuse to not wear their suits or tuxes. Therefore, we saw many turbaned, white- robed fellows with Omani hats. Oh well, the best part of the night were the tons of decorations used in the dining room. The staff sure goes all out to make these dinners special.

 

Later in the evening, the Filipino crew presented their traditional show in the Queen's Lounge. It was obvious that they practiced a long time, because they gave a nice performance.

 

Sunday

 

Happy April Fool's Day

 

In keeping with the silly pranks of April Fool's Day, we have made a list of some of the funny names we have heard people give other passengers. So here we go, and remember this is all in fun.

 

1. The Dam Dollar Fakers - those who come out one door, get their dollar for walking a mile?, then go in the next door. The numbers of these are growing daily!

 

2. The Daily Complainers - those who keep the Guest Relations Manager very busy everyday....the same complainers everyday.

 

3. The Ship's Saint - Susana, the Guest Relations Manager, who continues to smile even after 75 days of dealing with the # 2's!

 

4. The Chick Magnet - named thong-a-loid man for his attire at the pool. A magnet? Not really...

 

5. The Crazy Lady - the elderly bikini lady that accused our friend of stealing her bikini top. Good idea........send this lady to # 4, the Chick Magnet, since they would make the perfect couple!

 

6. The Roadrunner - an elderly lady who sprints to be the first one on the bus, no matter what the cost. She's had one very bad fall already.

 

7. The Cane Fakers - those who never, ever, use a cane on the ship, but whip it out to get the front seats on the bus. They have less accidents than # 7, the Roadrunner.

 

8. The Holland Shufflers - many of the Amsterdam's passengers who shuffle to the waiting buses, and shuffle off the bus while on tours. By the time we get off the bus, it is time to get back in. Believe it or not, these people have accidents too.

 

9. The Drama Queen - the lady who makes a big deal about walking too far, or having to climb too many stairs on a tour. By the way, she books all the high activity tours. Duh? She belongs in the # 7 category also, the Cane Fakers, except when she flies around the promenade deck for her Dam Dollar. Oh yes, she is a # 1, out one door, and in the next door.

 

10. "Ken and Barbie" - two sets of these people. They always look perfect, assuming the status of royalty in their eyes.

 

11. June Cleaver and the Nerdman - because she looks like the Beaver's mother, and he is just plain weird, and is obssesed with winning Trivia every day.

 

12. The Bubbleman - yes, he carries a jar of bubbles with a wand, and blows them on tours. If you recall, he did this one night at our special dinner, and fell when the bubbles landed on marble steps. Not too smart.

 

13. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - obsessive, compulsive dancing couple......almost painful to watch, so we don't anymore.

 

14. Bert and Ernie - actually a real couple who are hosts for a travel group onboard. Not the ones from Sesame Street

.

15. The Groupies - those passengers who will only associate with the crew. They think they own the ship. Every cruise has them!

 

16. The Stick Lady - a very nice, but extremely thin passenger, who flies around the promenade deck for hours, passing everyone with ease. The Roadrunner, # 7, will never catch up with her and the Holland Shufflers, # 8, better watch out!

 

17. The Serious Winedrinkers - one couple who go in search of the cheapest wine they can find. They may outrun # 16, the Stick Lady, in order to buy a shopping cart full of vino!

 

18. And the Rest of us Normal People - well, probably not. And do these people have names for all of us? Of course, they do! What fun we would have if everyone was normal????

 

One final thing, we were invited to the Captain's Dinner, but without the captain. On alternate nights, the Hotel Manager, Fekko, takes his place for the 26 special guests. We chose not to accept, and will wait until the captain and his wife host the dinner. We owe it to our readers to do it right!

 

Looking forward to Egypt!

 

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Ella2]

11. June Cleaver and the Nerdman - because she looks like the Beaver's mother, and he is just plain weird, and is obssesed with winning Trivia every day.

 

Okay, THAT just made me laugh out loud! :D I think I've seen them on a cruise I've been on too! :rolleyes:

 

LOVE the rest of your descriptions as well! ;)

[Toots]

Bill and Mary Ann - Thanks so much for your detailed world cruise report. We've done South America on the Amsterdam, but want to do a lot more of the world. Your reports are thoroughly enjoyable!

 

Had a good laugh over naming some of your fellow cruisers. I bet everyone could add some others. It's one of the things that makes cruising so interesting: not only the strange things we see in foreign countries but what we witnesss right on the ship!

 

We're going on a Transatlantic from Rio to Athens on the Rotterdam next week but will keep following your progress. Happy cruising!

 

Brigitte

[Grumpy1]

on the 2005 world cruise, there was this couple we called the Walkers. The did 20-30 laps around the Lower Promenade Deck every sea day! Talk about a couple of fitness nuts! Oh, wait a minute, that was Bill and MaryAnn.... :D

[hammybee]

Report # 62 3-30-07 to 4-01-07 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Three Days at Sea

 

In keeping with the silly pranks of April Fool's Day, we have made a list of some of the funny names we have heard people give other passengers. So here we go, and remember this is all in fun.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Of all your reports, this is my favorite. Long live the Bubbleman.

[Flyingfish]

Just love your descriptions of some folks aboard! Believe it or not, we've met them... gotta love it. One exception, bubbleman, looking forward to meeting him!

[RuthC]

7. The Cane Fakers - those who never, ever, use a cane on the ship, but whip it out to get the front seats on the bus. They have less accidents than # 7, the Roadrunner.

Hey! I resemble that remark! Really, I do.

You'll never see me walking about the ship with my cane, as I don't need it on board where the surfaces are flat and I can avoid stairs. But on a shore excursion I always take the ugly thing. I need it climbing on/off the bus, and may need it on the walkways in various ports. Those cobblestones in Northern Europe are tricky!

Now, that doesn't mean I "use it to get the front seat", mainly because I can't walk fast enough to get there in time! But the point is that the need for the cane is not apparent when I am on the ship and taking it could easily be misconstrued elsewhere.

Might be true for others, too.

[joangg]

I too took a collapsing cane with me to help in China and Cambodia etc. I was in my 70's , had arthritis in my knees and wanted some help with balance and just in case the knees cried "uncle". Maybe some do use it to get a place on the bus, but I didn't use it to sit near the front. I do think the handicapped with a wheel chair needing to be removed from the luggage place under the bus, should sit near the front but get off last and then have assigned seating on next bus. Many a time the rest of us waited on the bus as the handicapped were helped off and given their wheel chair and this was for a tour for folks able to get around fairly difficult terrain. Most frustrating!!!

[Ides of March]

Bill and Mary Ann

 

We savour each and every one of your posts and Grux

will only read them in front of the fire with a glass of wine to maximize the experience.

 

Your post No. 62 was the "Piece De Resistence" for me as it put me right back on the Prinsendam with the cast of crazy characters that I came to enjoy so much. I knew there were a lot of repeat cruisers from 06 and now I know who many of them are.

 

We called your Bubbleman, Bubbleboy after this Seinfeld character hoping that he would accidentally inhale and suffer a similar fate. In Antarctica he called a number of us over on deck to demonstrate the hollow circular pattern the bubbles made on the wood and when they alit. This he proudly proclaimed to be different from the wet blob he achieved in higher latitudes and explained it was due to the magnetic effect of the nearby pole. I burst his bubble so to speak in pointing out that as it was below freezing, the soap froze before it could flow together. He departed leaving a trail like a drunken octopus. (He was on the CanAm trivia team so he did have some smarts)

 

Grux might fall into your category of Serious Winedrinker as she bought some of the most god-awful schlock throughout the trip. I bought any Scotch I could find.

 

In Crete I believe we shared a van with a group of fellow travelers and at lunch in a charming bistro Grux ordered a carafe of Retsina which tasted like diesel fuel to me but which she enjoyed. She shared it with a fellow who fancied himself a wine connoisseur and he similarly enjoyed it. Later we found a small shop where they were selling Retsina for about $.50 a gallon whereupon Grux bought a litre for pennies and her friend bought 2 gallons. When we got back to the ship we learned that it was not nearly the same quality as was served in the restaurant and could dissolve the enamel off your teeth. That was the only bottle at Grux threw out the whole trip and I hope our friend had a fence back home that needed stripping.

 

St. Susana, The Stick Lady, The Shufflers and the Complainers. Gosh how your report brought them all back.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Ides

[WCB]

Report # 63 4-02-07 Monday Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

 

The Amsterdam arrived to the port of Sharm El Sheikh at 7 am. Located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, this city, a former fishing village, became a strategic port for the Egyptian Navy. Recent history shows the struggle for Egypt to keep this area from Israeli occupation, and not always successfully. From 1967 to 1982, Sharm El Sheikh was under Israeli power, but was returned to Egypt, where the city developed into what we see today. Tourism has transformed this oasis of the desert into an exclusive world of luxury and elegance.

 

Our visit here was going to be short, since we have to leave at 2 pm. As small as this bay was, we were sharing it with the anchored Oriana,

the Le Levant, and the Columbus occupying the dock with us. We were scheduled to move from our docking space, anchor in the bay, to allow the Oriana our pier slot. However, this did not happen, and the Oriana passengers were ferried with their tenders all day. They must love us!

 

Again, we had the pleasure of seeing Sharm El Sheikh six years ago. During that overnight visit, we took a camel caravan ride across the desert to a bedouin campsite, where we had hot, strong, sweet tea and traditional Bedouin bread. We can remember the gritiness of the bread, probably had sand in it from being kneading inches upbove the ground. The following morning, we had gone on a snorkeling tour from Ras Mohamed National Park, about 16 miles out of the city. Our best memory of that tour, were the tiny wetsuits we were handed along with our snorkel gear, and the fact that no one could get them on, and the water was a mere 60 something degrees. It was so funny watching some fellows trying to don the wetsuits, while rolling on the beach. It seemed that the ladies knew better to even try it. No way, Jose!

 

So today we chose a tour to see the actual city of Sharm El Sheikh, and we were totally surprised at what we found. To begin, we had to wait for the all of the buses to fill before we could leave the pier (a half hour wait). Our knowledgable guide gave us scores of information on this area, although she claimed not to know much about marine animalife that we were to see later. She also handed out postcards that she would stamp and collect later to mail for us. Then, we were driven to the port's gate, where we disembarked the bus, and went through xray security checks. Then, we reboarded are started our tour when all the buses were released together. The drive around Sharm El Sheikh Bay took us past public beaches that were dotted with umbrellas, tables, and chairs, and changing facilities. No one was in the water, that we could see. We passed a few hotels and downtown buildings before we headed for Naama Bay. This is where the action was.

 

We turned down a street that led us past beautiful modern hotels and resorts with recognizable restaurants scattered in between them. There were Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, Indian restaurants, as well as TGI Fridays and Hard Rock Cafe. McDonalds must have been nearby, because we saw dozens of their garbage cans placed on the streets everywhere.

 

The buses stopped at the end of a road, and let all of us out to walk the promenade between the hotels, stores, and the beachfront cafes. We reached the glass bottom boats that were sitting near the edge of the water. Carefully, we walked on a plastic floating pontoon, bouncing up and down, where we boarded the boats. We went down below, where we took our seats around eight panels of glass on the bottom of the boat. What a great way to see the corals and marinelife without getting wet. As the pilot drove us over different types of coral, we saw several colorful fish like we saw in Bora Bora, only less of them since this water is only 68 degrees. The most abundant schools of fish were parrot, angel, zebra, and flying fish. An occasional grouper was spotted among the brain coral. The pilot also pointed out Nemo, the orange and white clownfish. Huge schools of tiny fish swam in circles under the boat. The boat ride lasted about 45 minutes, and we finished the ride back to shore upstairs, while sipping on sodas and filming the hotels.

 

The remainder of the time was spent exploring the many shops, stores, hotels, and cafes along the beachfront. The beaches were full of sun worshippers by the time we got back, but the shops and restaurants were mainly empty. We understand that the place becomes alive after dark, when the bars and casinos open. Actually, this part of Sharm El Sheikh reminded us of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Both places attract the sun and fun crowd for vacationing year round.

 

We convoyed back to the pier, where we had to go through security once again, this time with all of our bags. By 2 pm, we left the dock, waving goodbye to the Oriana once again. And despite the sun being out, it got really chilly when we got out into the Red Sea. White caps on the water showed how strong the wind had become. The sea seemed to be churning as we headed north towards the Suez Canal.

 

By the way, our guide told us that we were very lucky, since two days prior to our arrival here, they had severe wind and sand storms. She said that visibility can be reduced to almost zero during these storms. We will keep our fingers crossed for continuing good weather for the remainder of this trip!

 

Dinner was fun tonight listening about the camel ride our tablemates had on their tour. Sure brought back memories of sore rear ends as well as other parts! Since tonight was the special Jewish Seder dinner, only five of us were at our table. The Seder meal was served in the Lido with complimentary wine, while we were treated to another Dutch Night in La Fontaine dining room. The food was great, but the hats were not as nice as the first time around. We called the Dutch hats "segment hats" for the few new people we had join in Dubai. We were also short of people who went from Sharm El Sheikh by plane to Luxor for a three night, four day overland to Cairo, the Pyramids, and Museum or Nile tours.

 

Tomorrow, the Suez Canal transit!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[songanddance]

Hey! I resemble that remark! Really, I do.

 

You'll never see me walking about the ship with my cane, as I don't need it on board where the surfaces are flat and I can avoid stairs. But on a shore excursion I always take the ugly thing. I need it climbing on/off the bus, and may need it on the walkways in various ports. Those cobblestones in Northern Europe are tricky!

Now, that doesn't mean I "use it to get the front seat", mainly because I can't walk fast enough to get there in time! But the point is that the need for the cane is not apparent when I am on the ship and taking it could easily be misconstrued elsewhere.

 

Might be true for others, too.

 

here is another very good reason for carrying a cane with you on shore. I have zero need for one but boy does it clear a nice and safe zone around you when walking in areas that might otherwise be filled with hawkers and worse. And even in places like NYC where any type of defensive weapon is illegal, it is very legal to carry.

[LizB1]

Bill and Mary Ann...your posts are bringing back so many wonderful memories of our '01 WC--hope you have better weather going thru the Suez Canal than we did (we had a sand storm for the second half). All the doors to the outside had to be closed as the sand covered everything on deck and it was as bad as a blizzard. The crew really had a clean-up job to do when we reached Alexandria.

 

Have fun and look forward to more excellent posts.

 

Liz

[WCB]

Right on Grumpy!! Actually, it took 24 laps on the Prinsendam for 6 miles, and 21 on the Amsterdam. Guess what? We earned the name of "Speed Demons" yesterday, when we passed three gentlemen walking at a snail's pace on the promenade deck. We still cannot keep up with the "Stick Lady"! She rules!

 

OK, 1000 lashes for the Cane Faker story. However, we only refer to the ones that admitted doing this on this cruise. We have many of them this year.

 

Ides of March, We are glad you are enjoying re-living the cruise through our eyes. We will try to keep up with these reports while we are sailing in the Mediterranean, but it will be difficult. We'll give it our best!

 

Bill and Mary Ann

[stp527]

Bill and Mary Ann, I also wish to thank you for your wonderful posts during the around the world cruise. I look forward to them and I am also looking forward to making the cruise myself when I retire. One question which I would have is, how full has the Amsterdam been, for the entire cruise and for the segments? Just a guestimate would quell my curiosity. Again thanks.

[Blue Eyes]

Just catching up on your wonderful reports. Your description of Dubai had me looking for the January 2007 National Geographic. It had a beautiful overhead shot of the Palm Jumeirah and all of the man made islands. They are something to see in person I am sure. I am glad you got to see them from above so you can really see why they have the different names. The article also mentioned all the construction cranes. Thank you again for the great descriptive reports. Keep up the good work....I guess it is work...

[hylasgirl]

We are "The Walkers" when we cruise... or do anything else. Too funny that you call them the walkers also. On every cruise we also name a couple the "Tanners"... those crazy people that worship the sun all day... look like a lovely handbag. Those are the "Tanners". hee hee

[WCB]

Report # 64 4-03-07 Tuesday Transit of the Suez Canal

 

The Amsterdam began the transit into the Suez Canal early at 6 am this morning, after sailing about 350 nautical miles from Sharm El Sheikh yesterday. Luckily, it looks like we are going to have great weather today.................a little hazy, but comfortably warm with a nice breeze. As we said yesterday, there had been a bad sand storm last week, so we are glad we missed that!

 

Without going into great detail of the canal's history, we think that the actual facts are impressive. The canal opened in 1896, and basically allowed two-way water transport from Europe to Asia without having to circumnavigate the continent of Africa. The distance saved by ships was 7,350 miles, so the 101 mile long Suez Canal was much appreciated. The average transit time is 15 hours, although, we did it in 10 hours. There are no locks like we had in the Panama Canal, because there is no sea level difference. Ships as large as 150 thousand gross tons with drafts up to 50 feet can pass through with ease. And about 25 thousand ships pass through the Suez every year. The average toll is $205,600 US dollars, three billion annually! It took 11 years to complete at the total cost of $100 million dollars. Three times that amount has been spent on repairs and improvements since. The Egyptian-Israeli conflict during the 1960s and 1970s caused the canal's closure when several vessels were sunk, blocking shipping lanes. The canal was closed until 1975, when international forces were allowed to clear it. There have been major steps taken for this not to happen again, as we were to see.

 

Now, here is what we saw. Beginning at the entrance , Port Suez, we slowly sailed into the narrow waterway, the narrowest point being only 196 feet wide. For the most part, both sides of the canal are lined with sand dunes. We were in a convoy of container ships and at least one other passenger ship, the Oriana. Most of the cities along the Suez were on the west side, while on the east side, all we saw was the vast desert of the Sinai Peninsula. In between these towns were armed guards perched on rooftops of military compounds. Raised sand dunes hid bunkers that housed even more guards. To say that the Suez Canal is protected from any form of attack is an understatement. Despite their ominous presence, most of the fellows waved and whistled as we went by. Egyptian civilians also waved and beeped their horns from the shoreline. A few fishermen proudly held up their day's catch for us to photograph. Or maybe they were showing us that they had no bombs on their small boats as they rowed dangerously close to the ship.

 

Large portable pontoons were lined up on the shoreside here and there. They are used to offload part of a supertanker's over-weighted cargo onto a canal-owned boat, and reloaded at the other end of the canal. We did not see this done, as we suspect that would be quite expensive.

 

With every city we passed, there were dozens of mosques to be seen and heard. At noon, we could hear the speakers of the minerets loudly calling for prayer time, reminding us that we were not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!!

 

Water for all these cities was brought from the tributaries of the Nile River via trenching. A continuous oasis was created with plantings of green fields and palm trees. It was just the opposite on the other side. Just sand and more sand! As we neared the north end of the canal, the scenery was purely agricultural. It was very similar to the fertile valleys that line the Nile River out of Cairo that we had seen years ago. It's amazing what a little water can do.

 

Besides ferries and some underwater tunnels, a beautiful new bridge spanned the canal at one of the larger cities. Older swing bridges sat by the waterway, perhaps to be used after the ships of the day made their transits.

 

It was 4 pm by the time our transit was completed at the city of Port Said. We sailed into the cooler and more turbulent Mediterranean Sea. The winds were strong and the seas choppy as we headed west towards the ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt, our stop for tomorrow.

 

During the day, we had been scheduled to attend a passport and landing card check with the Israeli officials, who joined the ship in Sharm El Sheikh. Due to questioning of each guest by these officials, the time slots for each deck ran two hours or more behind schedule. Most pasengers jumped the gun by going too early. That resulted in a long line that wrapped all the way to the Wajang Theater. Having to wait for an hour and a half, there were many unhappy campers there!

 

We went much later, towards the end of the day, had a 10 minute wait, and were checked in one minute. By then, the officials were tired and hungry and anxious for a break before they had to clear the crew. The good thing is that now we are free and clear to leave the ship in Israel as soon as we arrive.

 

We had some funny presents tonight.............2 game sets of Tic-Tac-Toe. Hmmmm, wonder if we will remember how to play the game???

 

Bill and Mary Ann

[Aussie Gal]

Bill and Mary,

 

Have just read your last two postings. I had to look on Page 2 for the thread!

 

I was most interested as we will be going through the Suez Canal in May next year. I know it helped save so much time in the sea voyages between England and Australia. Instead of three months of going around the Horn and across to Africa, it took only six weeks or a little more, a much easier voyage for our ancestors.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 65 4-04-07 Wednesday Alexandria, Egypt

 

Alexandria, Egypt is our port of call for today. Located on the northern part of Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria is the country's leading port and second largest city next to Cairo. Founded by Alexander The Great, the ancient city is buried under water and under modern buildings. Fewer landmarks are accessible, including the lighthouse on the Pharos, that was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And that was where we were headed this morning on our tour, Classical Alexandria.

 

With our passports secured in our pockets, we got off the ship and joined our bus right outside of a row of shops filled with everything Egyptian. Hundreds of passengers and crew left from here for a 12 hour excursion to see the sites of Cairo, namely the Museum of Antiquities, the Nile River, and the famous Pyramids and Sphinx. We're sure that they will have a marvelous, if not hectic, tour there.

 

The port of Alexandria was qjuite nicely landscaped with gardens and fountains. But once outside the well-guarded gates, we entered a city crowded with old colonial buildings, small shops, high-rise apartments, and horse-drawn carriages. Traffic was already heavy, so our short ride to Qait Bay took a while. The plus side of this was being able to take lots of photos. By the way, our tour guides today were from Abercrombie and Kent of Egypt. We were handed a printed itinerary of the day's stops with a description of each site. What a great way to start a tour!

 

Our first stop was at the Fort Qaitbay, a 15th century castle and mosque. In ancient years, a 400 foot tower of the fort held a giant mirror. It reflected sunlight and firelight to help guide the ships into port. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in the 8th century. The views from the top of the fort were beautiful. We actually could see the area where recent underwater excavations uncovered ancient pillars, statues, and sphinxes.

 

Our next stop was at the Roman Amphitheater in the city's center. The ruins contained a theater with 13 tiers of marble seats with room for 800 spectators. Columns of imported green marble from Asia -Minor lined the walkways with traces of mosaic-paved flooring along the sides. This important site was accidently discovered in 1964 during the digging of a foundation for a new apartment building. The excavation is still ongoing. A team of workers were sifting shovefuls of soil as we watched from above. Several Egyptian guards were on patrol. They seemed to want us to take their pictures or whatever. Feeling a little uncomfortable, it was time to move on.

 

Our final stop was at the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina. This complex houses a computer library, museums, exhibition areas, and a conference center. We had access to two exhibition areas depicting ancient history, and a museum. The real beauty was outside, in our opinion, where we walked around the blue-tiled reflection pools. The striking ceiling of the library was sloped at a dramatic tilt, shining like aluminum in the sun. The original library, built in the 3rd century, was supposed to be the greatest library ever conceived. It was visited by scholars from the entire Mediterranean. But eventually, it was destroyed by fire 700 years later.

 

We drove back to the pier, where we were dropped off right in front of the row of shops with their aggressive vendors. One t-shirt and an Egyptian leather pillow was all we bought.

 

The ship left at 6:30 pm, heading for the chaotic country we thought would be cancelled....................Israel!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Grumpy1]

Bill and Mary,

 

Have just read your last two postings. I had to look on Page 2 for the thread!

Jennie

There is a good way to find this thread now. On the first page of HAL threads, click on views. The threads will be listed after the stickeys in the order of most viewed to least viewed. This thread is now number 3 on the HAL list of most viewed threads, right behind the HAL secrets thread. Modesty keeps me from mentioning which thread is still number one on the list....:rolleyes:

 

Thanks for the reports Bill and MaryAnn. We are very much enjoying your observations in that part of the world.