The Black Sea

Trabzon & Sinop, Turkey

Brian checking out the olive shop

So yesterday and today we were in Turkey at two different ports.  This is our first time sailing in the Black Sea and we are really enjoying it.  The weather is a beautiful 78* and the skies are blue and sunny.  Turkey is a beautiful country – who knew?  The people have been very friendly and gracious to us.  Both Trabzon and Sinop are small cities built into the hillsides.  We wandered the main shopping streets, explored the markets and sampled the foods – not the local McDonald’s, though I did use their facilities (which were western style, thank God!)

I am writing this from my balcony stateroom.  There is a Turkish flag on the top of the hill, brightly colored apartment-like housing sprouting the hillside and seaside, lovely parks and cafes to “have a coffee”…

Brian and I seem to be the only faithful “athletes” on board as we go to every sporting event.  I finally beat B today in the rope toss game they call “blongo”.  Yea me!  I got a set of golf balls, which I will give away, because as I always tell ya’ll, “it’s not the prize, it’s the winning that matters!”  LOL!

cute Turkish girls... Jess??

Sochi, Russia

On Monday we were in Sochi, Russia and on the only tour we will do this trip.  We took the tour because passengers were not allowed off ship unless with a tour.  It was an interesting place – the site of Stalin’s summer home.  Sochi is definitely a seaside a luxurious  town and will be the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics…  They have a lot of work to do in the next 11/2 years to be ready for all those people.  The traffic was horrendous, and most of the guides English was barely passable…  The highlight of my tour was Bernie – a young dog who was playing in the park with is owner.  I walked over and asked if I could pet his dog and he said ok.  As soon as I kneeled, Bernie spied me and came running over and I was lavished with puppy kisses.  He was adorable and I wanted to smuggle him on board with me…lol!  The Russian people were also very friendly to us and B & I made a few balloons to promote good will…

I want to try to add some photos to this blog so will stop here.  It is also about time for trivia…  Happy Sailing

Istanbul, Turkey

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Brian and I enjoy exploring a city on our own.  I was a bit concerned about Istanbul, but we did some research, talked to people and got advice from the travel guide on board.

So early this morning we walked down to the tram stop and rode the tram 4 stops.  Walking  a short distance,  we saw the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the palace grounds.  The Blue Mosque is a stunning sight with 6 domed roofs and at least 4 tall spires.  It is supposed to be beautiful inside, but we opted not to go in when we decided to wear shorts for our sightseeing trip.  No shorts allowed, & women must have knees & head covered.

Finishing up our culture studies in about 2 hours (which is long for us – ha!) we reboarded the tram and headed to the Grand Bazaar.  Imagine an American mall that is only 10 feet wide, with stores on both sides (each store is only as big as your bedroom) and fill it with thousands of people.  We were lucky as we arrived at the Grand Bazaar early enough that the crowds weren’t there.  We meandered always trying to be aware of where the entrance was so we would not get lost.  There are 11 gates to enter the bazaar and each one of them leads to a different street…  The bazaar offered a wide variety of Turkish rugs, 24k gold jewelry, belly dance outfits (we bought one for Brian! LOL!) hookahs, clothing and more.  We stopped for a rest and a bite to eat – Turkish gyros, yummy.  I had to go to the bathroom and that was in itself and experience. 

There was only 1 stall and a line.  A lady would come out and I thought ok one should go in…  however eventually 4 women came out!  Finally it was my turn and I discovered it cost apprx $1 and it was a stand up/squat toilet!  No seat!  Enough said!  LOL!  I think I need to do more yoga!  LOL!

After lunch we dove back into the bazaar and I was really enjoying myself when we discovered my camera was stolen!  All those great photos I had been taking for ya’ll were gone!  Damn!  It kinda soured my day – but we headed off to the spice market on the tram, as I wanted to get some spice and see stuff there.  When we first entered the Spice Market it was fine and I bought some spice, which they vacuum sealed!  As we walked further into the market, it was more like trying to move in a crowd at a concert or sporting event.  We had to elbow our way through just to get OUT of the market!  Boy was my claustrophobia acting up.  When we finally got back to the tram, the travel situation was about the same too.  We were crammed into the vehicle like sardines but as we only had 1 stop, we squished in.  After a short walk, we arrived at our ship footsore and in need of a rest…  The ship had an evening BBQ with a local band and a belly dancer aboard.  Istanbul was certainly an adventure and I think we liked the city… 

I will post a few photos, if I can get someone to lend me theirs – also B has the large camera so we still have photo options…  Happy Sailing

 In the Sultan's boudoir...

The Blue Mosque

Flying and Sailing

Although we have been cruising for 5 days now, let’s start this blog with our flight day a week ago. 

Because the flight left at 630am out of San Antonio we had to leave house at 4am!  B went to bed but I decided to just stay up all night…  So although the day was loooong, I slept through most of it on the plane.  At 6pm est we boarded the plane that took us to Europe.  We had first class passage (using airline mileage) so the meals were good and the seats stretched out fairly comfortably.

It was a 10 hour flight across the pond – we landed in Lisbon, then flew to

Barcelona.  Only 2 of our suitcases managed to arrive with us – we could do lots of crafts and dress up in formal wear!  But if we needed shorts or t-shirts we were out of luck!  After another hour of processing that claim we finally arrived at our hotel & I realized I felt like crap!  We were supposed to go to lunch with friends so we met them and walked over to a nearby restaurant.  Normally the food would have looked delicious to me: tappas, mussels, pizza etc; but feeling nauseous, it all looked and smelled icky.    We had an enjoyable visit – a mini WG gathering – then back to our hotel, whereby I proceeded to sleep for 12 hours.  Oh our luggage finally showed up at the hotel so we could wear more that tuxedos and long dresses – yeah! 

The next day we boarded the ship and had 3 days to relax and recuperate from jet lag and whatever nasty bug I might have picked up.  And I know most of you will find this unbelievable, but on that 3^rd sea day, I got up at 8am and Brian slept until almost 11am!! He only woke up cause the Captain was running a crew fire drill & the alarms were clanging throughout the ship…  Of course that is the only time I will see 8am this cruise – lol!

Gythion, Greece  Th 9/20

Our first port of call was Gythion in Greece.  This is the island that Sparta is located on.  It is a wonderful fishing village. B & I got off and meandered around the shops and the outdoor market.  B found 2 grocery stores and purchased some soda, ouzo and chocolates for the crew…  I met a local author who runs a shadow puppet theater and has written about the history of shadow puppets.  He was quite charming and I had fun talking to him.  The weather was gorgeous and the seas have been very calm.  Except for being a tender port (meaning you have to ride a small boat to the dock) we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Gythion.

We had a sort of sea day the next day sailing the sea of Mamara after passing thru the Dardanelles.  I played trivia, B gambled and we both ate and played sporting events such as putting, bocce, ping pong and bolongo.  So far, B has won more competitions than me, but my trivia team is finally taking shape… 

We arrived late, 6pm, in Istanbul and will stay a full 24 hours in this fascinating port.  I am excited to see the sights and shop in the Grand Bazaar.

Happy Sailing

Packing is Exhausting

Packing is Exhausting
So I am all packed - we are taking 4 large suitcases and 2 carry-ons.  One of the large suitcases and one small have craft supplies for the 2nd cruise home.  

We leave EARLY (4am) Saturday morning and will arrive in Barcelona, Spain Sunday at 10am their time...  Brian has first class all the way but I am on stand-by for the flight from Houston to Newark...  Not looking forward to the looong travel time but glad we only have to do it one way.  We will meet up with some friends in Barcelona for a late lunch and have a Where's George "mini-gathering".

Ya'll stay healthy and safe.  Bon Voyage