Yesterday was the travel day. We had to be up early for our hotel pick up. Had a light breakfast at the hotel and then the car came and picked us up to take us to the airport.
This airport is strange. You go up to a counter where they check your passport and ask you some security questions and then you go to another area where you check you bags.
We are flying business class so we were given a paper that said we could go to this special line but that line was not opened so we went through security like all the others. Then you take a bus to the gates. We were able to go to the lounge where we did some internet and such to wait until boarding.
When it was boarding time, we gathered in the correct line with masses of others. It seems that the airport does spot security checks on airplanes and today they decided to do Delta. So we were late in boarding but the Captain said we would arrive in Atlanta early.
Business on Delta was nice. We each had our own pod. And the pods go flat for sleeping. We were all given a pillow and cover which I really liked. The dinner food was pretty good for airline food but I could not eat it all. Two glasses of wine and then I took a short nap. Worked on some small needlepoint projects and the nine hours "flew" by. NOT!
But we arrived in Atlanta only to get into more lines for customs and immigration. Now they use these computers where we place our passports and it takes a picture of the page and then a pictures of you. You answer questions on the computer and then they print out a ticket with your picture where we take it to another line and you meet an agent face to face. All in all, it took about 45 minutes for the entire process.
You then collect your checked luggage and go through customs which is nothing. Then recheck you luggage and again through security with shoes off etc. Finally we get to our gate via the train. We stopped at Popeye's for some wonderful crispy chicken. And then to the Delta Lounge for an hour before our flight home to Jacksonville.
Bob's Limo was at the luggage area and we collected out two small bags and we drove home to find flowers from Aiden and Gretchen and the house clean thanks to Katie and David. And all the bushes trimmed by them. WOW what service.
Now back to reality. Had to make my own bed - bummer. We are going to the Players Cafe this morning but Don has sold it so now under new management. Will see if any changes. Today is the first day of the new owners. So we will welcome them.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Rome, Italy
The day has finally arrived when we disembark the ship. We got up early for breakfast in La Veranda and goodbyes to Antonio and Christian, head waiters. And then we saw Eric and said our goodbyes to him.
Back to the cabin to finish packing and get ready to leave the ship. We are Yellow 1 and our scheduled time is 8:10am.
On our way to the theater, we stopped by Ray's office but he was not in so we did not get to say goodbye to him today but we did yesterday. And I hate goodbyes.
We gathered in the theater and said goodbye to Heather. She and Eric will be going all the way to London. They are from Australia. We hope to see them on another cruise.
Said our goodbyes to Elda and Vivienne as we left the ship.
We dropped our 4 bags with Luggage Free and then got on the bus and headed to the hotel. We are staying at the Sheraton Golf near the airport. Of course, the room is not ready but we are sitting in the lobby lounge and using the free internet.
We are not planning to do anything today. Just hang around the hotel.
So until we get home, I hope you all have enjoyed reading about this trip. It has been wonderful.
Back to the cabin to finish packing and get ready to leave the ship. We are Yellow 1 and our scheduled time is 8:10am.
On our way to the theater, we stopped by Ray's office but he was not in so we did not get to say goodbye to him today but we did yesterday. And I hate goodbyes.
We gathered in the theater and said goodbye to Heather. She and Eric will be going all the way to London. They are from Australia. We hope to see them on another cruise.
Said our goodbyes to Elda and Vivienne as we left the ship.
We dropped our 4 bags with Luggage Free and then got on the bus and headed to the hotel. We are staying at the Sheraton Golf near the airport. Of course, the room is not ready but we are sitting in the lobby lounge and using the free internet.
We are not planning to do anything today. Just hang around the hotel.
So until we get home, I hope you all have enjoyed reading about this trip. It has been wonderful.
Sorrento, Italy
Our last day of this wonderful cruise. We again are at anchor. And we have to pack so no tour today.
Breakfast in La Veranda and then to Coffee Connection while Aurelio makes up the suite. Then back and pack. Everything must go.
We did get to swim before lunch for one hour and then lunch in Compass Rose and then a nap and then continue packing. Did not go to tea or trivia as packing was more important. But I found out later that many of the ladies were there to say good bye to me. Oh well.
They were having a show before dinner so we dressed and headed to the Voyager Lounge for an early cocktail. And we said hello and goodbye to two of the grand couples one of which is Jackie and Peter from Ft. Lauderdale. We plan to visit them before the next cruise we take out of Ft. Lauderdale. At least for a drink.
The show was a variety show. Two numbers by the dance group and one puppet number by Ray and then the violinist did several numbers. The band was too loud and made it difficult to hear him.
After dinner with sat with Jackie and Peter for another round and then headed into Compass Rose for our dinner. Gami stopped by to say goodbye as did Jamel. It is difficult to say good bye to all these folks who have helped make this such a great cruise. But we will see them again, at least we hope so.
Breakfast in La Veranda and then to Coffee Connection while Aurelio makes up the suite. Then back and pack. Everything must go.
We did get to swim before lunch for one hour and then lunch in Compass Rose and then a nap and then continue packing. Did not go to tea or trivia as packing was more important. But I found out later that many of the ladies were there to say good bye to me. Oh well.
They were having a show before dinner so we dressed and headed to the Voyager Lounge for an early cocktail. And we said hello and goodbye to two of the grand couples one of which is Jackie and Peter from Ft. Lauderdale. We plan to visit them before the next cruise we take out of Ft. Lauderdale. At least for a drink.
The show was a variety show. Two numbers by the dance group and one puppet number by Ray and then the violinist did several numbers. The band was too loud and made it difficult to hear him.
After dinner with sat with Jackie and Peter for another round and then headed into Compass Rose for our dinner. Gami stopped by to say goodbye as did Jamel. It is difficult to say good bye to all these folks who have helped make this such a great cruise. But we will see them again, at least we hope so.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Another anchor stop. And again, we are not taking a tour. Will take the tender in to walk around town.
Breakfast in La Veranda. No swimming yet. We started to pack. What a mess. Everything has to go into a suitcase and I bought too many gifts. So I am leaving behind lots of my clothes that I am sick of.
We took the tender to shore and walked all around the town. This is Giardini Maxos. This is a charming and popular sea die resort. It is the gateway to the ancient village of Taormina which is up high on the hills and a 30 minute drive away.
On our way to anchor, we passed Mt. Etna.
The clouds roll in quickly so not such a clear picture.
This is the way the locals buy their vegetables. They come right to the truck and purchase.
A view of a hotel, we think.
And our ride for the last 106 days. Thank you Regent, it has been wonderful.
Walked all the way around the waterfront and headed back as it looked and sounded like rain. We just got on the tender and the skies opened up. Close.
Lunch in Compass Rose and then a nap, needlepoint, tea and trivia.
The show was before dinner. It was Ray and we never miss his shows. He was terrific as ever. Then we had dinner with Ray in Signatures. Ray had asked us earlier in the day to have dinner with him and so we changed our reservation from 2 to 3.
We think Ray needs to work less. By the end of this cruise he is exhausted. And he is not getting any younger. But we plan to visit him in England someday. His family runs a B&B in the Lake District.
Back to the suite to read and lights out.
Breakfast in La Veranda. No swimming yet. We started to pack. What a mess. Everything has to go into a suitcase and I bought too many gifts. So I am leaving behind lots of my clothes that I am sick of.
We took the tender to shore and walked all around the town. This is Giardini Maxos. This is a charming and popular sea die resort. It is the gateway to the ancient village of Taormina which is up high on the hills and a 30 minute drive away.
On our way to anchor, we passed Mt. Etna.
The clouds roll in quickly so not such a clear picture.
This is the way the locals buy their vegetables. They come right to the truck and purchase.
A view of a hotel, we think.
And our ride for the last 106 days. Thank you Regent, it has been wonderful.
Walked all the way around the waterfront and headed back as it looked and sounded like rain. We just got on the tender and the skies opened up. Close.
Lunch in Compass Rose and then a nap, needlepoint, tea and trivia.
The show was before dinner. It was Ray and we never miss his shows. He was terrific as ever. Then we had dinner with Ray in Signatures. Ray had asked us earlier in the day to have dinner with him and so we changed our reservation from 2 to 3.
We think Ray needs to work less. By the end of this cruise he is exhausted. And he is not getting any younger. But we plan to visit him in England someday. His family runs a B&B in the Lake District.
Back to the suite to read and lights out.
Sea Day
This is our last sea day of the cruise. It was pretty much like all the others except the seas were quite rough. The emptied the pool as there was so much motion. We had breakfast in La Veranda and then to the coffee connection but there were no seats. I went up to needlepoint and worked on my project but had to leave as it made me feel ill.
I returned to the cabin and had to lay down. I did feel better by lunch. We ate in Compass Rose. Compass Rose in mid ship on deck 4 so there is little movement of the ship felt there.
After lunch I took a nap and then up to deck 5 to meet our guide to take us to the Captain's Quarters for a special tea with the other two Grand Passengers who are leaving in Rome. The Captain's Quarters are on deck 10 forward. He has two rooms, a small living room and office area, and a bedroom. They served us tea and goodies and then showed us a DVD they made about our trip. Then they gave us all a copy of the DVD.
We returned to our suite and I had to lay down again as I really felt the motion up on deck 10. I feel sorry for his wife, as she gets sick with all the motion.
We dressed for dinner and had a great dinner in Prime 7. The motion got better as the day went on. Meaning less motion which is a good thing.
I returned to the cabin and had to lay down. I did feel better by lunch. We ate in Compass Rose. Compass Rose in mid ship on deck 4 so there is little movement of the ship felt there.
After lunch I took a nap and then up to deck 5 to meet our guide to take us to the Captain's Quarters for a special tea with the other two Grand Passengers who are leaving in Rome. The Captain's Quarters are on deck 10 forward. He has two rooms, a small living room and office area, and a bedroom. They served us tea and goodies and then showed us a DVD they made about our trip. Then they gave us all a copy of the DVD.
We returned to our suite and I had to lay down again as I really felt the motion up on deck 10. I feel sorry for his wife, as she gets sick with all the motion.
We dressed for dinner and had a great dinner in Prime 7. The motion got better as the day went on. Meaning less motion which is a good thing.
Patmos, Greece
Wednesday May 14th (Happy Birthday to my Dad - he would have been 96 if still alive).
Today we are at anchor off the coast of Patmos, Greece. We decided not to go ashore for some reason or other. I'm sure it was a good reason but right now, I can't remember why.
So we spent the day on the ship. Worked on the blog for a bit and did some needlepoint. Bob worked on his pictures.
The highlight of the day was we took Aurelio (our cabin steward) to dinner in Compass Rose. When Bob told him we were doing this, he said "Oh no, I am not allowed to eat there". But we convinced him it was okay and so he said okay. As we were heading to the Voyager Lounge, Aurelio was working at his stand. His supervisor said he had to make the stand ready for his replacement. Wow.
We then met him outside the Compass Rose and asked for a table in the corner. I do not think he ever has eaten as a fancy restaurant in his life. He did not know how to order but the wait staff helped him with his selections. And the other waiters were glad to see a person from the Philippines. And I do think he was uncomfortable but we tried our best to make him feel at ease. All in all, I think he enjoyed the night.
After dinner we returned to our suite to read and lights out.
Today we are at anchor off the coast of Patmos, Greece. We decided not to go ashore for some reason or other. I'm sure it was a good reason but right now, I can't remember why.
So we spent the day on the ship. Worked on the blog for a bit and did some needlepoint. Bob worked on his pictures.
The highlight of the day was we took Aurelio (our cabin steward) to dinner in Compass Rose. When Bob told him we were doing this, he said "Oh no, I am not allowed to eat there". But we convinced him it was okay and so he said okay. As we were heading to the Voyager Lounge, Aurelio was working at his stand. His supervisor said he had to make the stand ready for his replacement. Wow.
We then met him outside the Compass Rose and asked for a table in the corner. I do not think he ever has eaten as a fancy restaurant in his life. He did not know how to order but the wait staff helped him with his selections. And the other waiters were glad to see a person from the Philippines. And I do think he was uncomfortable but we tried our best to make him feel at ease. All in all, I think he enjoyed the night.
After dinner we returned to our suite to read and lights out.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Limassol, Cyprus
Tuesday May 13th we were docked in Limassol, Cyprus. We had an early tour so no swimming in the morning. Just breakfast in La Veranda. Our tour today is "Nicosia - The Last Divided Capital City".
The ride to Nicosia takes about one hour. Our first stop was to the Cyprus Museum. This was a wonderful museum which covers artifacts from 8th Century BC.
The front of the museum.
Some of the artifacts on display.
This is a rhyton of faience found in a tomb at Kition. The surface is covered with thick blue enamel and decorated in three registers with running animals above, in the middle the hunting animals, and a running spiral below. It is dated from 12th century BC.
Next we visited St. John's Cathedral. You could not take pictures inside the church. And it is a Greek Orthodox Church where they stand for most of the service.
This is the home of the Bishop. Quite large for one man.
And the outside of St. John's Cathedral.
Finally we stopped and walked the streets where we found a Starbucks. We went in and I had a Chai Tea and Bob had his coffee. There were about three other couples from the ship in with us.
We returned to the ship and had lunch, nap, needlepoint, tea and trivia.
Tonight they held a special dinner for the Grand passengers who were getting off in Rome. We sat at a table headed by Franc (General Manager). The other two couples were from Quebec and spoke French but also English. Franc is French also so I told them they had to speak English because we do not speak French.
The dinner was a 7 course Italian Dinner. The food was delicious. And the company was grand. We had a wonderful time and we were the last table to leave the party.
The ride to Nicosia takes about one hour. Our first stop was to the Cyprus Museum. This was a wonderful museum which covers artifacts from 8th Century BC.
The front of the museum.
Some of the artifacts on display.
This is a rhyton of faience found in a tomb at Kition. The surface is covered with thick blue enamel and decorated in three registers with running animals above, in the middle the hunting animals, and a running spiral below. It is dated from 12th century BC.
Next we visited St. John's Cathedral. You could not take pictures inside the church. And it is a Greek Orthodox Church where they stand for most of the service.
This is the home of the Bishop. Quite large for one man.
And the outside of St. John's Cathedral.
Finally we stopped and walked the streets where we found a Starbucks. We went in and I had a Chai Tea and Bob had his coffee. There were about three other couples from the ship in with us.
We returned to the ship and had lunch, nap, needlepoint, tea and trivia.
Tonight they held a special dinner for the Grand passengers who were getting off in Rome. We sat at a table headed by Franc (General Manager). The other two couples were from Quebec and spoke French but also English. Franc is French also so I told them they had to speak English because we do not speak French.
The dinner was a 7 course Italian Dinner. The food was delicious. And the company was grand. We had a wonderful time and we were the last table to leave the party.
Haifa, Israel - Day 3
We have been touring for the past two days on very long tours so we took today off. We swam in the morning and the water was cold. They need to put the heater on for me to get back in.
We took the shuttle into the center of Haifa. Bob and I walked up to the Baha Garden. You can only go up to the first level. While Bob walked up, I decided to stay at the lower level.
This garden is built and maintained by the Baha religion persons.
It is truly beautiful.
The marble fountain in the middle of the steps is wonderful.
And this is another fountain at the entrance.
You get a nice view of the city from the first landing.
That is me in the white top and white hat sitting and enjoying the beauty of the place.
There were lots of teenagers visiting the site. While a group of girls were coming down the marble steps, one girl lost her footing and fell to the bottom. It was the most terrible sound. Thud. And she could not stop her fall. I thought she would really be hurt but after she recovered, she walked away. And she never dropped her cell phone. She was probably texting or taking a picture and was not holding onto the rail. Scary.
The girl in the purple shirt is the one who fell. I thought she was really hurt but she walked away after she regained her composure.
The gang walking her out of the garden.
Then we walked in the German Center. Can you imagine, a German Colony in Israel? Hitler must be turning over in his grave!
The sign for the German Colony.
We then returned to the ship for lunch, nap, etc.
The afternoon was like all the others. Needlepoint, tea and trivia. Still have not won. But we have fun.
Dinner in Compass Rose and then back to the suite to read and bed.
We took the shuttle into the center of Haifa. Bob and I walked up to the Baha Garden. You can only go up to the first level. While Bob walked up, I decided to stay at the lower level.
This garden is built and maintained by the Baha religion persons.
It is truly beautiful.
The marble fountain in the middle of the steps is wonderful.
And this is another fountain at the entrance.
You get a nice view of the city from the first landing.
That is me in the white top and white hat sitting and enjoying the beauty of the place.
There were lots of teenagers visiting the site. While a group of girls were coming down the marble steps, one girl lost her footing and fell to the bottom. It was the most terrible sound. Thud. And she could not stop her fall. I thought she would really be hurt but after she recovered, she walked away. And she never dropped her cell phone. She was probably texting or taking a picture and was not holding onto the rail. Scary.
The girl in the purple shirt is the one who fell. I thought she was really hurt but she walked away after she regained her composure.
The gang walking her out of the garden.
Then we walked in the German Center. Can you imagine, a German Colony in Israel? Hitler must be turning over in his grave!
The sign for the German Colony.
We then returned to the ship for lunch, nap, etc.
The afternoon was like all the others. Needlepoint, tea and trivia. Still have not won. But we have fun.
Dinner in Compass Rose and then back to the suite to read and bed.
Haifa, Israel - Day two
Today our tour is "A Day in Jerusalem and Bethlehem". We had to gather very early for the tour so no swimming today. Had a light breakfast in La Veranda and then got our stuff together for the tour.
The ride to Jerusalem takes about two hours. Our first stop was at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We got to see the rock slab where they laid Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. We walked along the Via Dolorosa which is a shopping street in the old town. As we walked we visited the stations of the cross.
When we entered the area, we passed this modern mall.
A view of the city.
Outside the Church of the Sepulchre.
The shopping area by the Church. This is both Muslem and Jewish.
The walk to the Church.
Outside the Church.
More of the outside.
This is the slab that they say Jesus was laid on after he died. Many people come and kneel before the slab and kiss it.
The Mosaic by the slab. The following three pictures are the complete mosaic. This section is them taking Jesus down from the cross.
The mosaic. Then this one is of them preparing the body for his entrance into the cave.
They tell the story of the killing of Jesus. And this is them placing Jesus into the cave itself.
We then walked the stations of the cross. For those who don't know, the stations of the cross are places where they say Jesus stopped along the route to the his death.
The outside of the Church.
And along the walk, we passed the markets.
Where they sell everything.
Station number 7.
And station number 10.
This is where they say Jesus placed his hands on the wall as he carried the cross up to the mount.
We visited stopped at the Western Wall where the men pray on one side and the women on the other. From this spot you can see the Dome of the Rock Church.
The Western Wall or Wailing Wall.
This is the side for the ladies. Some ladies sit at the wall and pray while others just stand.
And the men's side. All the men must cover their heads. They provide skull caps if you don't have something for your head.
These are all boys from the local school.
And the Gold Dome.
Next we stopped at the Church of all Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane.
One very old olive tree here in the Garden.
Inside the church a mass was going on.
We drove up to Mt. Olives for a photo stop. And then to lunch at a local hotel.
After lunch we drove to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is Palestine so we had to get a local guide to continue with the tour. He we visited the Church of the Nativity and the cave where Jesus was born. Yes, a cave. All these years we have been told it was in a stable but in reality it was a cave. We only got to view the cave through a hole in one door as the line to the actual cave was long. We saw it from the cave where they kept the animals. Or so they say.
Overview of Bethlehem.
The Church of the Navitity.
This is the cave next to the one where Jesus was born. The line to enter that cave was too long for our tour. You do get to peek into the cave but that is it.
The last place we stopped at was a shopping stop. Here we were able to purchase some gifts for the folks back home.
Then a long ride back to the ship.
Dressed for dinner and for the first time on this entire trip, we had no cocktail before dinner. We had gotten home late so that was the reason. Then to bed as we were tired.
The ride to Jerusalem takes about two hours. Our first stop was at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We got to see the rock slab where they laid Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. We walked along the Via Dolorosa which is a shopping street in the old town. As we walked we visited the stations of the cross.
When we entered the area, we passed this modern mall.
A view of the city.
Outside the Church of the Sepulchre.
The shopping area by the Church. This is both Muslem and Jewish.
The walk to the Church.
Outside the Church.
More of the outside.
This is the slab that they say Jesus was laid on after he died. Many people come and kneel before the slab and kiss it.
The Mosaic by the slab. The following three pictures are the complete mosaic. This section is them taking Jesus down from the cross.
The mosaic. Then this one is of them preparing the body for his entrance into the cave.
They tell the story of the killing of Jesus. And this is them placing Jesus into the cave itself.
We then walked the stations of the cross. For those who don't know, the stations of the cross are places where they say Jesus stopped along the route to the his death.
The outside of the Church.
And along the walk, we passed the markets.
Where they sell everything.
Station number 7.
And station number 10.
This is where they say Jesus placed his hands on the wall as he carried the cross up to the mount.
We visited stopped at the Western Wall where the men pray on one side and the women on the other. From this spot you can see the Dome of the Rock Church.
The Western Wall or Wailing Wall.
This is the side for the ladies. Some ladies sit at the wall and pray while others just stand.
And the men's side. All the men must cover their heads. They provide skull caps if you don't have something for your head.
These are all boys from the local school.
And the Gold Dome.
Next we stopped at the Church of all Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane.
One very old olive tree here in the Garden.
Inside the church a mass was going on.
We drove up to Mt. Olives for a photo stop. And then to lunch at a local hotel.
After lunch we drove to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is Palestine so we had to get a local guide to continue with the tour. He we visited the Church of the Nativity and the cave where Jesus was born. Yes, a cave. All these years we have been told it was in a stable but in reality it was a cave. We only got to view the cave through a hole in one door as the line to the actual cave was long. We saw it from the cave where they kept the animals. Or so they say.
Overview of Bethlehem.
The Church of the Navitity.
This is the cave next to the one where Jesus was born. The line to enter that cave was too long for our tour. You do get to peek into the cave but that is it.
The last place we stopped at was a shopping stop. Here we were able to purchase some gifts for the folks back home.
Then a long ride back to the ship.
Dressed for dinner and for the first time on this entire trip, we had no cocktail before dinner. We had gotten home late so that was the reason. Then to bed as we were tired.
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