RachelG

June 16, 2022–at sea in the Mediterranean enroute to Palermo, Sicily At last a sea day, the only one of this voyage. I personally prefer exploring in port, but every once in a while, you need a day to just do nothing. Clocks moved back one hour as well, even better. The sea was dead calm. It was sunny and warm. Walking up on the track was perfect, with comfortable temperature and just the breeze from the movement of the ship. George went for a massage, different masseuse from the first one and much better. I won $119 at bingo. We had lunch in Chartreuse. The lunch menu is totally different than the dinner one, so I recommend checking it out for lunch as well as dinner. It wasn’t crowded at all. More goofing off in the afternoon. I did walk past the culinary center, and they are actually allowing people to cook in cooking class again. Had I known this, I would have signed up. Back in January, it was demonstration only. Trivia was very difficult. We only got 6 correct—the winning team only had 9. Dinner at Compass Rose was good. There are just so many choices now, but all very nice. I had a Caesar salad and a pasta dish which were excellent. George could decide between fish or curry so had both. The show was the 60s show, My Revolution, which had totally been reworked from the last time I saw it. Very good. Top notch singers and dancers.

June 15, 2022–Santorini, Greece A very smooth quiet night of sailing. I looked out our glass door in the morning, and we were anchored in the caldera of Santorini, with dark volcanic rock rising around us on 3 sides, topped by white buildings. We have been here many times previously, and it is one of my favorites simply because it is so different with such striking scenery. Our excursion was to be to a couple of villages and a winery for lunch. All ships have to tender here as there is not a port. We had a quick tender ride to the area where tour buses can pick up passengers. This is far away from Fira, the main town. We got on our tour bus. So far , so good. We drove to the opposite side of the island to the village of Oia. This is a very picturesque town set on the cliffs. Unfortunately, there were 6 ships here today, and the place was a zoo. No social distancing or mask wearing. If you have any issues with crowds, this is not the place to go. It was packed. We saw some good views , but it was too crowded to be fun. There were probably 20-30 buses, big buses, in the parking area. We then drove to the winery, back on the other side of the island. We had lunch, great salad and tomato fritters, fave bean hummus which was just ok, and pressed chicken (sort of like turducken) with potatoes. The wines were ok. But definitely not worth an extra charge. At least it wasn’t crowded. Then back to Fira. The place was a mass of humanity, packed, with an almost hour wait for the cable car down to the tenders. George walked on the mule trail as he wasn’t having any of that. People were cutting in line, and it was really unpleasant. There were way to many ships in port today. I have been to Santorini 3 times before, and it was crowded, but never anywhere close to this bad. They need to limit the number in port. None of my trivia team showed up. By myself, I got 11 correct which isn’t shabby, but not good enough to win. Dinner was in Chartreuse, and was very good. I had the vegetarian option just for a change and it was tasty. The entertainment was an Irish comedian, and he was pretty funny. We gain an hour tonight, and tomorrow is a sea day.

June 14, 2022–Mykonos, Greece After a good quiet nights sleep, we awoke to a bright sunny day. We were sailing past dry hilly islands dotted with white houses. Today is a tender port, the first of the trip, and there are 3 large ships in port, by far the most we have encountered, and almost back to precovid levels Our plan for the day is a cruise over to Delos and Rhenia Islands. We had been to Delos before a long time ago, but not Rhenia. The attraction there is the beach and possibility to swim in the sea. We took local tenders to the port in town then walked over to our sailboat. It was VERY windy. There were lots of high waves and swell over 6 ft. No way could they unfurl the sails, so we motored over to Delos. Delos has a huge excavated archeological site, Greek ruins. The thing that is unique are the sculptures of lions, but there is a lot to see. We just scratched the surface. After an hour and a half, we reboarded and were in Rhenia in 10 minutes. There is nothing there but empty space and a small beach. It is gravel and sand, typical of the Mediterranean. The water was crystal clear, but kind of cold. I waded a little, but George swam and loved it. He was upset that he hadn’t thought to bring his goggles. We had a small lunch onboard—tzatziki, filo pastries stuffed with spinach and cheese, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers. Very tasty. The cruise back to Mykonos was very rough with a lot of swell. I didn’t get sick at all, but I was really happy for it to be over. We walked around town, saw the windmills, and stopped at a cafe for pizza which was great. Then back to the ship on the tender. We had dinner outside on the back deck of Sette Mare. It was pleasant until the ship started moving and wind picked up, but they brought us blankets which were nice. I had never ordered a steak in this venue before, but did tonight, and it was outstanding. George had some way too fatty lamb chops which he did not like so switched to veal scallopini which was great. The show tonight was the Broadway In concert production which never disappoints. It was outstanding, probably my favorite show onboard and for sure on this trip. The singers are very talented and gave a great performance.

June 13, 2022–Kavala, Greece We had some slight rocking and motion during the night, nothing serious, but more than we have experienced this cruise, and the wind kept whistling past our balcony door for a while. In the morning, it was hazy and partly cloudy with the sun peeking through the clouds and a light breeze. On both sides and in front of the ship, I could see some land with dry looking hills and mountains, very pretty in the haze. The weather had warmed up since yesterday, with the high expected to be about 84F. Our destination for the day was Kavala, which is the port for visiting Philippi, the ancient city to which Paul the apostle wrote the letter to the Philippians and which he visited on one of his missionary journeys. We weren’t to arrive until 11:00 so a lazy morning. I walked around on the top deck as we sailed into the small port. There were hundreds of gulls accompanying the ship, glad for the breakfast we had stirred up. Kavala town stretched along the coast, with lots of apartment buildings, an aqueduct, and a old fort at the top of a hill. We had a quick lunch in La Veranda then boarded our bus for Philippi. The ruins are quite expansive, but mostly no reconstruction. There is lots to see—an amphitheater that is in pretty good shape, ruins of a bunch of churches, Roman ruins including the place where Paul and Silas were flogged then put in shackles in jail overnight. As you may recall, a huge earthquake happened which knocked loose the chains. The jailer awoke, thought the prisoners had all escaped and was preparing to fall on his sword to commit suicide, when Paul called out and told him they were all there. Back in Kavala, George and I took a walk about up past a lot of good looking Greek and seafood restaurants to the aqueduct then up and up to the old fort. We came back down by a different route along the coast by a seaside walkway. We had dinner in chartreuse and it was a winner. Everything post on. I had the cheese soufflé, beet salad and beef Rossini. Excellent. The entertainment afterward was a polish violinist. She was good, not amazing. Maybe I was just tired.

You must be on the one before. We leave on March 24 from the US I think.

It is the one at the end of March—March 25 or 26ish. That would be great if you are onboard as well. Would love to meet in person.

We are on Tokyo to Tokyo in March 2023, and I will be reporting live then.

It is Istanbul by Night. Not sure of the name of the restaurant but there are a whole bunch all together in the street, pretty much serving the same menu.

June 12, 2022–Istanbul, Turkey When we woke up, it was raining pretty hard. The forecast called for rain most of the day. My excursion was to Beylerbeyi Palace which is on the Asian side of the Bosporus. George didn’t want to go as stayed onboard the ship. We boarded the bus inside the new terminal, nice and dry. It was Sunday morning, so traffic was pretty light crossing over the bridge to the Asian side. The palace is right beside the bridge, and we arrived just as it was opening. The rain had slacked off some, so we walked through the beautiful rose garden then up the very wet and slippery marble steps into the palace. The palace was a summer palace. There is no kitchen in it, and food was prepared elsewhere then brought in. The palace is modeled after European palaces on the outside with a combination of European and Turkish design inside. You are not allowed to take photos. We went through ornate rooms with high ceilings, European furniture, Chinese vases, Turkish rugs. There were some paintings but none with people in them-only landscapes and nautical scenes. In one room, there was a huge marble pool, probably 40 feet long. After touring the palace, we were to have tea in the garden. The rain had temporarily stopped, the tables and chairs had been dried off, and we were offered woolen shawls to wrap in as it was very chilly. The tables were around a duck pond,with a duck house in the middle of the pond and lots of ducks as well as some cats trolling for treats or dropped food. We reboarded the bus just as it started pouring rain again. We were taken to a medium sized mosque designed by the same person who designed the Hagia Sophia, very near the port. We went inside, and our guide told us all about it, and kept droning on and on and on. I couldn’t believe he could find so much to talk about. Then he asked for questions. Someone asked one,so he droned some more. Finally he said he was sorry—that he had been trying to kill time till it stopped raining, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen soon, so we would have to walk back in the rain. The Regent umbrellas are nice and big, but the rain was blowing sideways, so we got a little wet. Our poor guide was soaked as he had no umbrella. Long hike inside the terminal back to the ship, which required a pass through the expansive duty free shop. It had been closed last night. Back onboard, I changed my soaked shoes, and we had a nice dry lunch in La Veranda. The theme was Mexican/Cuban. The guacamole and black bean soup were great. I had wanted to visit the shopping area right by the port as there were a lot of stores which looked good, but it was still raining, so I took a nap instead. George is probably thankful. We did terrible at trivia—changed too many answers. By the time trivia was finished, it had finally stopped raining and the sun had come out just in time for sailaway, so I walked out on the top deck. And what a spectacular sailaway, with historic palaces and mosques on both sides and ferries and boats crisscrossing in front. I would put it up there in the top five, with Venice (can’t do that one anymore), Sydney, Hong Kong, and London under the tower bridge being my other contenders. Tonight was the seven seas party where they tell who has how many nights. We had reservations at Pacific Rim, so opted for cocktails in the observation lounge instead. Dinner in Pacific Rim. I will freely admit it is not my favorite, but George loves it, mainly because he likes the sushi and dim sum. It was good, just not,y favorite cuisine. The show was Paradis which is a Moulin Rouge type production. It had been reworked since the last time I saw it, for the better, but still not my favorite. The best part is the Cancan. There was a part with the male dancers just flexing their muscles—weird.

June 11, 2022–part two—Istanbul by Night My experience is that any of the night tours offered by Regent are quite good to excellent. This did not disappoint. We walked out into the HUGE new cruise port which opened just last fall. It has seen very few ships yet. Today it was just Explorer, an Azamara ship, and one of the Sea Dream yachts which are very small. We walked probably half a mile, though a couple of security checks before we were in the underground garage to board the minibus. At least, you now are getting on/off the bus in a secure area rather than the street. Traffic wasn’t bad considering it was Istanbul. The guide said it was because it was Saturday evening. We made quick time to the area of the Blue Masque and Hagia Sophia. George and I had been inside both previously. This time we just walked in the promenade between them and took pictures. There were lots of families and young couples out and about enjoying the evening. We then took the bus to an area by the Bosporus where there is a pedestrian street lined on both sides by restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating. This was a bustling place with street musicians, guys selling flowers, and full restaurants. Fortunately we had reservations. The waiters brought out plates of food. First, salad, smoked salmon, baba ganoush, and a seaweed salad. Then dolmades and fried calamari. Armenian beans and tiny boiled shrimp. Bread. Then the main dish—a whole fish with potatoes. Free flowing pretty good Turkish wine through out then Raki. George was a popular guy with his cowboy hat and was soon talking to the family at the next table. Dessert was fresh fruit. Back to the ship at midnight, but I would definitely do this excursion again.

June 11, 2022–Istanbul, Turkey We had a very late sleep in as the ship was at sea all morning, not scheduled to arrive in Istanbul until early afternoon. It was very hazy outside and much cooler, with a strong headwind. Wind was so strong an announcement was made that we would be arriving in Istanbul 30 minutes late. Since it was a straight headwind, the sailing was still smooth. Our plan for the day was pretty lazy. We have been to Istanbul multiple times previously, and my two daytime excursions had been cancelled due to “logistical issues with the ground operator”. We could rebook other excursions, but we had already done all the ones available for during the day today, and none were so good that we wanted to repeat. I walked up on the track for a while, getting thoroughly wind blown, then we both went to the spa for massages. George thought his was a waste of time—supposed to be deep tissue but not even close. Mine was excellent, so if he goes back, he will schedule with my masseuse. It had started raining by the time we finished, so we ate lunch on La Veranda. It was Middle Eastern themed. I had never had pomegranate hummus before, but it was delicious. We sailed into the port which is new and modern with fancy new restaurants alongside. Previously we had always docked at the old port, which was like something out of Agatha Christie “Murder on the Orient Express”, with cobwebs, broken glass in the windows, and cracking wood floors and walls. This is totally different. Past the posh new restaurants on the promenade were high rise apartment buildings going up a fairly steep hill with a big mosque at the top. In the mid afternoon, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Things warmed up. I took a few laps around the top deck and it was nice. We came in 2nd at trivia, but only because I can’t keep my Greek and Roman gods straight. There is a pool deck party tonight with whirling dervishes coming on board to entertain, but we are booked for a night excursion called “Istanbul by Night”. I love Turkish food , which was the main attraction. Will report on that tomorrow.

Private arrangements through Regent are way expensive, so if you are wanting to do private, you are better off doing on your own.

A Day at the Farm

June 10, 2022–Kusadasi, Turkey Another smooth night of sailing, and we woke up in Kusadasi, the port for Ephesus. It was already pretty warm outside. Weather was somewhat hazy and with quite a few clouds, but the sun was peaking through. We have been here multiple times in the past. We have been to Ephesus twice and to the other ruins as well as the museum. We agreed ahead of time that we absolutely are no buying another Turkish rug (we have 12), so had selected a totally different tour today, a Day at the Farm. Ours was the only ship in port in the morning. The tour was basically a private tour, just us and 2 others in a van with the driver and guy. This is an included tour. We drove along the coast out of town then up into the hills, which were covered with olive and peach orchards and vineyards as well as some wheat fields. Beautiful agriculture. We arrived at a small village and went to a beautiful outdoor restaurant where we were served a expansive breakfast—multiple varieties of cheese, olives, homemade breads, preserves, tomatoes, green veggies, eggs, sausages, fried potatoes. The food just kept coming. All delicious. We walked around the garden, and a lady next door invited us to tour her garden as well. Both were lush and beautiful. We then drove further into the countryside to another village which is known for cherry production. We toured the village and mosque on foot then went to the cherry orchard where we were able to pick and eat as many as we wanted. On the way back to the ship, we were offered a visit to the carpet store but declined. We were dropped off by the port and decided to walk out to an old fort that is on a little island. Of course, lots of vendors were out trying to get us to go into their shops and restaurants, but we resisted. We explored the little island and fort then walked back to the ship. We entered the port complex and—!!!—George says “let’s just go in and look at these carpets”. So an hour later, we walk out having purchased a custom made rug which should arrive at our home in 8-9 months. What can I say? Back onboard, George worked out while I went to trivia. We did not win. It was all tv questions. No chemistry, no history, no geography. Great news which I heard on tv on going back to the room. The re-entry Covid test is discontinued as of Sunday. What a stress reliever! Dinner was in Compass Rose. The menu has so many choices now, it is hard to know what to select. Everything was spot on with courses coming out quickly. I had a mushroom tart, spinach salad, and grilled shrimp. All perfect. After dinner, George won his money back in the casino then we went to the show—the magician. Not my favorite entertainment,but he was pretty good, and George enjoyed it.

Noted—it is what we received.

The welcome bottle of Vieve is in every room, not just those new to Regent.

To elaborate a little more on the covid situation, the crew member on our tour yesterday shared that the ship is intentionally not at full capacity as they still have the back half of deck 6 blocked off as covid isolation and quarantine rooms. Nobody in the currently, but they are ready just in case. in Israel, nobody was wearing a mask off the ship. In Cyprus, we were required to wear masks on the bus, and everyone complied. But no where else. in Rhodes, we were told we would have to wear a mask on the bus, but neither the driver nor the guide were, so everyone except for one couple took theirs off. It was a huge bus with only 15 passengers, so we were pretty spaced out.

June 9, 2022–Rhodes, Greece We had a nice sleep in as the ship was not to arrive in Rhodes until 11:00 am. Leisurely breakfast in La Veranda (no Greek yogurt or berries to be found—there were strawberries the first morning but none since, and Greek yogurt the first two days but none since). Since that is my normal choice for breakfast, I had to resort to bacon instead. It was bright and sunny with a good breeze due to the ship moving, so I went and got some steps out on the track. There was a lecture on offer as well as the wine tasting where you can go sample the complementary wines on the ship and find the ones you like. Soon we were pulling into the harbor in Rhodes. This is the first port where there have been other cruise ships present. We have been to Rhodes several times and seen the big sites, so our tour for the day was basically the same as yesterday—a food tour up in the hills as George likes getting out in the countryside, and we both enjoy trying different foods. We pulled into a port, part of which is ancient and part newer. We drove along the coast in a big bus with only 15 guests plus a lady from destination services. (An aside-destination services on this trip is probably the best I have ever encountered. Responsive and they get the tours out and going efficiently and on time.). Our first stop was at a bakery right on the beach where they do the baking in a traditional wood oven. I had a crusty pretzel sort of bread, but you could pick whatever you wanted. We then turned inland and drove up into the hills past olive groves and pine forest. The next stop was a small village where we had a delicious Greek salad at a taverna and walked around a bit. The church was open and the priest showed us around. We drove on higher into the hills on curvy narrow roads to another village where we had a cooking class, hands on, learning how to make dolmades. Way easier than I thought, and I think it will make them at home. We drove further to our last stop which was a vineyard nigh in the hills, very rustic. We were greeted by the owner’s son, who spoke excellent English without an accent. They had a huge fire last year and lost about half their vines, but they are working to rebuild. We had more salad, tzatziki, eggplant, and some of the best roast chicken I have ever had. Very simple but so good. Back to the ship, George had to work some. Then we had dinner in Sette Mare (La Veranda at night). You would think after a whole day of eating, we would be full, but I was able to pack some more food in. But a major disappointment—my favorite dessert on Regent has been tiramisu. So as usual, I ordered it. It is now a mousse in a little shot glass. No coffee soaked lady fingers. Totally dissatisfied. I went to the show, which was a British lady opera singer who was very good, while George donated more money to the casino. Then we went to listen to our friend sing karaoke for a little while.

Staff still wearing masks, but very few passengers wear them, maybe one in 20. And no social distancing of any type on tours. There were probably 60 people jammed into the cable car at Masada, not all in our group or even with Regent, so who knows if they were vaccinated or not. Nobody was wearing a mask. On tours, buses are pretty full. So if that sort of thing bothers you, probably need to not cruise for a while.

June 8, 2022–Limassol Cyprus We had smooth sailing through the night and a great sleep. When we woke up, we weren’t sure what time it was because one electronic device said 7 am and 2 said 6 am. We settled on 7 am after looking up Cyprus on the world clock. This has happened before, and is a big problem if you set your alarm on the device which is lagging. Fortunately, we had just woken up on our own. A word on the ship wifi:slow. I have been unable to do any work or upload pictures. Having to do all that using my iPhone hot spot when we are on land. Very frustrating. It loads Facebook just fine and text for CC, but is totally confounded by the firewalls to my office or uploading a photo for CC. The weather was slightly warm, in the 80s but with a good breeze. The sun was shining, but it was pretty hazy. Our tour guide told us it was because of sand blowing in from North Africa. We boarded a 19 passenger minibus for our tour, a Taste of Cyprus. There were 15 people on the tour. It was a bumpy ride as the minibus had absolutely no suspension or shock absorbers, and there were lots of speed bumps. But it was a great tour otherwise. We drove out of the city and into the countryside, through orange groves and other agriculture then into a pine forest as we went higher in the hills. We arrived at a little village with very narrow cobbled streets, so narrow that if you had rolled down the window of the minibus, you could have touched the buildings. But our driver was very skillful. At the center of the village, we stopped at a traditional taverna for coffee or tea and a sort of candy made from grape juice and flour, either just those two ingredients or with almonds added. It was very good, and ok for diabetics. We then had a while to explore the village which was very clean but with a lot of abandoned buildings. We bought carob syrup, olives, and some preserves at a little shop with a nice proprietor. We then continued driving through terraced vineyards to a immaculately kept winery where we were greeted by the owner, a very hospitable guy, who showed us around his property. He is clearly proud of it, as he should be. At the main house, there was a big spread of different cheeses, meats, olives and bread. He guided us through a wine tasting of 1 white, 1 rose, 2 reds, 2 dessert wines, and the Cypriot version of grappa. The red and rose were really good,and I am not usually a rose drinker. Of course, George had to purchase some, while I petted the cats. One sweet little kitten I wanted to bring home in my purse. After this, everyone could have taken a nap, but we had to go to another small village for lunch at another taverna. This was served family style and consisted of starters of tzatziki, olives, fresh baked pita bread, salad followed by couscous and dolmas. Then roast chicken and roast goat with potatoes. Dessert was fresh peaches and oranges. All accompanied by red and white wine followed by ouzo. Fortunately, afterward, we walked around in the village a bit while our guide told us about village life. We made it back to the ship at 4–all aboard time. Trivia was at 4:30, and our little 3 person team won, missing only one question which we actually should have gotten right. It helped that there were a couple of chemistry questions. Dinner was in Chartreuse, not my favorite restaurant on the ship, but tonight, a winner. I had a beet salad, which is always good, delicious mushroom soup, and the tournedos Rossini. It was excellent all round. The show was Divos and Divas which has been completely reworked from the last time I saw it. It was great. The singers and dancers are very talented.

June 7,2022–Ashdod, Israel During the night, the ship sailed the short distance from Haifa to Ashdod. And we slept well, until my phone rang at 3:30 am with a spam call as I had forgotten to put it back on airplane mode. After that,it was hit and miss, and we had to get up at 5:30 as our excursion left at 6:30. Won’t make that mistake again. We ate breakfast in La Veranda while the ship docked at a huge commercial port with cranes and containers all around. No other cruise ships were present. Getting off the ship, it was downright cool, particularly since I was wearing shorts and a sleeveless top. The sun was already out, and the temperature quickly rose. The bus only had 27 on board,so plenty of room. Our tour for the day was to Masada and the Dead Sea. First we drove through agricultural areas with wheat fields on both sides, then through a forest which was intentionally planted to help with the climate. The land became progressively drier and drier past this with flocks of sheep, some goats and camels. The is was the area where Abraham in the Old Testament ran his sheep and cattle. Eventually we were in the Negev which is rugged desert with pretty much nothing growing. I can see why the children of Israel got so testy with Moses when they were stuck out there. We were going steadily down in elevation. We arrived at the Dead Sea, going by Sodom, where Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt. The sea is a beautiful pale aqua blue, much nicer than I had imagined with what look like icebergs but are actually salt bergs in the water. No weird smells like a lot of the salt lakes To which have previously been. Rising straight up to our left was a tall plateau with steep sides. This was Masada, which was initially a palace built by Herod (he loved building palaces with all the tax money he extorted from the people), but became famous as the site where the Jews who had revolted against the Romans were under siege and eventually killed themselves to prevent capture. We took a cable car up to the top and we’re able to explore around on our own or with the guide. It was fascinating, with the ruins of the palace as well as lots of other building. Only complaint is that we only had a hour and a half. George and I could easily have spent half a day there. We reboarded the bus for the short drive to the Hotel Lot where we were able to swim/float in the Dead Sea. I had been saving an old stretched out bathing suit for this minute for 4 years as we had originally booked this trip for June 2020. So I could just wear it then throw it in the trash. I also had my water shoes (highly recommend) as I had been warned by a friend that the bottom is covered with big salt crystals. The water was very warm,like a bathtub, and we bobbed up and down like corks. It was very cool, way more fun than I had thought it would be and I highly recommend. The place had showers and towels, so afterward, I just rinsed off and threw away the bathing suit. Lunch was a buffet at the hotel, and again was very good, with lots of healthy fresh produce. George and I walked over to the mall attached to the hotel and bought some skin care products for our daughter and daughter-in-laws. Last stop was at the Ahava outlet. They sell Ahava stuff at Dillards, and the prices didn’t seem any different to me, so I made no purchases. We drove along the West Bank and by Qumran which is where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. We went through the border crossing from Palestine into Israel, then through Jerusalem where traffic was heavy. Once out of the city, things got better, and we drove though rolling hills with lots of trees and vineyards which remind me of California. Due to the traffic, we were late getting back to the ship, so had to hurry, shower and change for dinner. Compass Rose was again outstanding with some of the best service ever. They got the wrong sauce on my pasta, but it was good, just not what I ordered. Glasses were never empty, and courses came out quickly. George went to make donations to the casino afterwards. He is such a generous guy. Entertainment was a comedian/magician, which is not really my thing. But he was pretty funny.

Approximately 500 according to one of the other passengers

Caesarea scenes—again don’t know why everything is upside down

June 6, 2022–Haifa, Israel We were in port overnight, which meant that George had his usual first night of a trip insomnia on the 2nd night. If the ship had been moving, he would have slept well. So we were up at 5:30 am. It was warm and sunny. Our excursion to Bethlehem had cancelled due to “issues with local operators “. So we were booked on “Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee”,a tour we had done on our previous trip. I wasn’t thrilled about this, but figured I would just go ahead and try to have a good time. Well, it turned out to be a great tour. When we were here previously 8 years ago, every site was crowded and packed with tour buses. This time, there were hardly any tourists. This meant we could get in and out much more quickly, and we were able to see a lot more and go into a lot more detail than on the previous trip. Our guide was pretty funny and informative—and he knew when to stop talking. He is Jewish but had his Bible and knows a lot about Christianity. We went first to Nazareth to the church of the annunciation to see the place where the angel told Mary she would give birth to the Messiah. George was selected to read the passage about this from the Bible, and that was really neat. We also were able to visit the Church of Joseph which we had not seen previously. We drove though Cana (turning water to wine) to the Mount of the Beatitudes and the Sea of Galilee. Again we were able to spend more time and get more detail. We went to the site of the feeding of the 5000, then on to Caperneum where Jesus began selecting his disciples and preached in the synagogue. Even I learned a few new interesting facts. Lunch was a big buffet at a kibbutz. Nothing fancy, but good fresh wholesome food, along with free flowing Israeli red wine. Afterward, we went to the Jordan River. There is the big complex where some people get baptized again, but you couldn’t pay me enough to get in that water. The river is really a stagnant creek, barely flowing. I refused to get baptized in a creek in Arkansas when I was 10 years old as I thought it was unsanitary (as a 10 year old), and this was way worse. We drove back to Haifa making a good photo stop on top of Mt. Carmel on the way to port. All in all, a very nice day. Dinner in Compass Rose was excellent. Everything spot on. George loved his huge pork chop and baked potato. I have a great spinach salad, pasta and cheese for dessert. There was an entertainer on board for tonight, but our excursion leaves at 6:30 am, so not a engaging idea.

No, definitely not specific to Silversea. cabin is very comfortable. Huge amount of storage space, we have maybe only used 1/3 and I am not a light packer. Big balcony, comfortable bed facing the balcony. The shower door tends to stick when you try to close it, but that is only issue. We are in 716. no idea, but pretty much I would say based on how things “feel”.