Granny at Sea

[JaneBP]

On the Legend last week I found that the cheeses and little nibbles (nuts, preserves, etc) changed each night. There was no trolley as there has been in the past. There werew 4 cheese selections each time I had them, quite nice and not too much. Tasty!

[GrannyLorr]

29th. April Saturday

 

Today we were made to feel like naughty children…..we went down to breakfast….and our waiter said “you’re late!!” Our juice was already on the table, and our food had been ordered! How are we going to cope at home?

 

Yesterday we arrived in Jordan early in the morning…as we sailed in, I took a few photos, thinking they were of some part of Aqaba, Jordan. Found out later that the first couple of photos I took were actually Egypt and the second lot were Israel, and the third lot were Jordan! All these pics were taken from our balcony in the space of about 10 minutes!

 

Later we boarded a bus and set off out into the desert. We had a police escort out of the City. Aqaba is undergoing a lot of rebuilding….looks like lots of the old buildings have been demolished….and new ones have been built…..in between all the building works are large areas of sand…..every now and then you will see a house where they have tried to put a garden…..maybe a couple of very hardy plants survive, but not much. Lots of palm trees in the main streets. Not far out of the city there was an Inspection station…….Security and police armed to the teeth…..very big nasty looking automatic weapons everywhere……there was also what we think was an armed personnel carrier…..was like a small tank thing, with a big machine gun sticking out the top ……I couldn’t get a photo of it, but looked very scary! Here I was thinking that Jordan was a perfectly safe Country! Our guide assured us that Jordan was safe…makes you wonder when you see all the guns! Every where we went, even into a hotel for lunch….there were armed guards…

 

The drive to Petra was very interesting……mostly rocky desert, but with some spectacular rock formations….made our Ayres Rock look like a pebble. We passed Wadi Rum, the area where Lawrence of Arabia spent some time. This was another area we could have gone on a tour. It looked fantastic in the distance…and would be a good choice for those who had already seen Petra. We also passed a lot of Bedouin camps with their goats and camels……hard to see how they make a living out there…one blade of grass per acre if they have good land! There were actually some areas of cultivation…….small areas of green, with huge rock piles around them…..the rock piles were the rocks they had cleared from the land……to be able to plant. And here we thought a farmers life in Australia was hard! One thing we were disappointed to see was the amount of rubbish everywhere…..most of The Middle East we had seen so far was very clean, and I had thought with the King of Jordan being so modern and westernised, this problem would have been addressed.

When we arrived at Petra, we found out it was a Public Holiday, so the area was very busy. We had also been told that the walk in to the historic site was very hard and very long….about a 45 minute walk, which to us would be over an hour. Going in was downhill and coming back out was uphill…I was starting to think I should have stayed home! However they did have alternative means of getting down to the site! You could go by horse, or by chariot! We decided on the chariot…$30USD return…the first few feet was fun…..very bumpy and rough…then the fun ran out. The ground was either huge slippery cobble stones, with big deep gaps between each one, which of course the wheel on my side went down every one…..and I had to hold on for grim death for fear of falling out…….or alternatively the ground was very rough slippery gravel….where the horse kept losing its grip and its feet would slide out from under it……this was of course all going downhill……quite fast…….I could see the horse going splat on its face with us and the chariot ending up on top of it! I still have no idea how we didn’t kill a few dozen sightseers on the way down. A lot of the crew had the day off, and were able to visit Petra as well, so we flew past quite a few of them. I heard later in the day they were saying “poor Mrs Baines looked petrified, and went by so fast we couldn’t get a photo!” Stupidly I thought to myself “at least going back up hill will be slower and not as dangerous!”

OK…so we made it into the site….and it was spectacular…..as you come out of the Siq,( long, narrow, high chasm) right in front of you is the beautiful pink stone Treasury building…as seen in Indiana Jones! We had to wait for all the walkers to arrive, so had a bit of a look around on our own. Were immediately set upon by the Bedouins trying to sell jewellery, “antique” coins and rocks! I got a good photo of one child peddler, with all his “genuine” jewellery in one hand, and texting on a mobile phone with the other hand! When the rest of the group arrived, we set off with our guide to see all the site. It was a lot bigger than I had imagined….would like to have seen it 20 years ago, when I may have been able to climb up to a lot of the areas off limits to me now. We bought a book about Petra so will be experts by the time we get home. After our tour was over, it was time to grab our chariot for the nice slower safer journey back up to the Visitors Centre. The poor horse looked exhausted and ready to drop, the driver was in a bad mood as he wanted to rest awhile…..we said that was ok…were not in a hurry….give the horse more time to rest etc…but the “boss” said no….the driver had to take us NOW. I don’t think the drivers bad mood was a very good omen……we started into the Siq….and the horse bolted! This time I am very serious about not knowing how we didn’t kill people….I also have no idea how I stayed in the chariot as it hit rocks and I bounced three feet into the air. There was one stage when my foot fell against the spoked wheel…..what could have happened if I didn’t get my foot back in quick enough, is very scary to think about. We flew through the Siq, and people ran in all directions. I think the only reason the horse slowed down was because it couldn’t get past another horse. I am very grateful that none of the crew saw “poor Mrs Baines” this time. I know I couldn’t have managed the walk both ways….but also don’t think I would recommend the chariots…..I thought later that maybe you could offer double the money, and insist they walk the horse down and back…….

They say there will be a lot of changes to Petra in the next 10 years, as more digging is going to take place. They believe there are a lot more buildings buried, and will be uncovered in the next few years. Unfortunately, I doubt we will ever get back there.

 

After we finished at Petra, we were taken to a hotel for lunch, but I was too exhausted and still in shock, so only had a few drinks……I couldn’t possibly eat….

Then it was back on the bus to Aqaba, and of course when we arrived back at the dock, the crew were out there waiting for us, with their big Welcome Home sign, cold towels, fruit cocktails, and iced water. The band were playing……and it was good to be “home”! Back in our cabin, and there was a note on the coffee table, welcoming us home, and hoping we had a good day, with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, cherry liquor chocolates, slices of cake and some cookies…..

 

Not long after that it was time for the “Deck BBQ”…so another huge feast, eating out under the stars, watching the lights come on in Jordan and Israel….Israel won for the best lights! The entertainers also performed during and after dinner……the end of a really good day.

 

We left Jordan around 11pm last night and our next stop was to be Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, but during the night we sailed right past. The decision had been made a couple of days ago to cancel Sharm el Sheikh because of the latest terrorist bombing there. We are now back in the Red Sea and heading towards the Suez Canal.

Next stop is Alexandria…..and we will go on another long tour to Cairo.

 

I don’t think I will have time to update my Blog from now on……but will post a lot of the pics from the trip when I get home.

 

So until next time

Bye from Granny Lorr

[blackbird71]

Granny Lorr and others, at times like this always watch your tour guide and while funny, do follow the advice of this tee-shirt.....

 

[dd@sea]

So, Granny, every day I tell my husband, "I must check to see if Granny has written." Thank goodness you are back! I look forward to your writings.

 

Oh dear, now we will have to give some thought to the Petra visit and what mode of transportation would be the best. Horse or foot?

 

Thanks once again for your sharply visual, discriptive commentary. One year to go and are we excited!

[JaneBP]

I do expect, Granny, that your pics will be well represented in the Seabourn Herald photo contest.

Thanks for such a delightful cruise log.

[Grumpy1]

Hi Granny, I had completely forgotten that you were planning to post a travelogue. As I am not yet a Seabourn-ite... other than sailing on the former Sun... I don't get over to this board very often. How delightful to find your thread! I've just spent the last few hours catching up and have enjoyed it immensely. you can be sure that I will be following along for the remainder.

 

Have you figured out where you will be stowing away when the ship leaves Rome? It certainly does not seem that you will be anxious to leave. Enjoy the remainder of your cruise.

[bgood]

If it is at all possible, I highly recommend that visitors take the horseback option at Petra. The main reason is that there are interesting carvings, tombs and rooms on the walls all the way down the Siq, and you can't see as much if you have to be watching your step!

The chariot sounds pretty scary! The Bedouin horse-boys are very macho riders and dash up and down like crazy, but they keep your horse at a walk.

 

They used to have a sort of stile you can mount from.

 

Petra is amazing and you should go if at all possible.

 

bgood

[GrannyLorr]

May 1st. 2006

 

The last two days have been very interesting….Yesterday, we entered the Suez Canal around 6am…..and sailed through the canal all day…..got to the other end around 6pm…..they had expected the transit to be between 14 to 16 hours, but only took 12. We were in a convoy of 17 ships heading northbound….we were number 6. They were all freighters, tankers, Containers etc. not a sign of another Cruise ship. Halfway through the Canal, you came to Bitter Lakes……this is where the South Bound traffic has to pull over and wait for he North bound to go through….so we had right of way….just had to hover around a short time, while we waited for the last of the Southbound to enter the Bitter Lakes. The hovering filled in time, so we didn’t have to anchor. We had a very good lecturer on board, who was in the Bridge half the day and made commentary on what was happening and where we were. We were luckier than some, because our friend Edgar, had sailed the Canal a number of times, and told us everything before the lecturer had a chance.

One side of the canal was just sand dunes…..desert…..with lots of soldiers on top of the sand dunes with their big nasty guns!

The other side of the Canal, had towns, cultivation and more soldiers with lots of guns….I have seen more weapons on this trip than I have ever seen in my life.

We had the perfect vantage spot for the transit…..every “sea day” we go to the Horizon Lounge for most of the day…..We sit at the front window, and I have been sewing, and John reading……so on Canal Transit day, we did he same…after breakfast, up to the lounge, and we sat there all day….when ever a photo opportunity came up, I would go out on the open deck…take a photo…..go back in, to my nice comfy arm chair, order a drink….and keep sewing! This went on for 12 hours…..of course in that time we also had lunch and afternoon tea! We actually chose NOT to have the Galley Lunch that day as we didn’t want to miss any of the Transit….we actually thought it was a rather silly day to put on the Galley Lunch…..the day before was a sea day, with nothing to see….so would have been a better idea to have the lunch that day.

We then sailed towards Alexandria, arriving around 6am. We had Room Service for breakfast, as we had to be “dockside” at 7.45 for our trip to Cairo. However at 7.45am we hadn’t cleared Egyptian Customs…….some of the Egyptian Officers were polishing off all our doughnuts, and weren’t in a big hurry! Before we could go ashore, all the people leaving the ship in Alexandria, had to have their luggage taken off…and there was miles of it…..there were only 70 people staying on board. Eventually it was time for us to disembark, then an announcement was made that the Egyptians had decided that we all had to carry our Passports all day….so it was back upstairs to collect Passports. This was the first time we had to take Passports with us. The ship has arranged for all the Visas etc, except for India, which we did before we left home. I don’t know if we have to pay for all the Visas, so far none of the Visa fees have appeared on our account!

 

Finally got off the ship, and onto a bus for the trip to Cairo. At first we were told that we would be in a convoy of buses, which is what I have heard happens on the Alexandria to Cairo Road, but then they changed their mind, and we set off alone. We had two police motor bikes in front of the bus, a police car behind the bus and two Security blokes inside the bus. Alexandria is a filthy city…..I saw people doing their washing in a fountain in the middle of a roundabout…and one person, using the same fountain as a toilet….and I’m not talking about a quick pee! The rubbish situation is probably worse than India. After we left the city, the two motor bikes disappeared, but we had the police car behind us all day…..even when we shopped or went for lunch.

All across the desert was rubbish, it was really dreadful. Hardly any buildings are completed, because once they are, they have to pay a property tax…..this of course makes the whole place look like a building site. My suggestion is to tax the unfinished ones higher! At least the Country would look a bit better. Our guide was very good, and talked for about half the 3 hours it took to cross the desert. Just as we got to the outskirts of Cairo, we got our first glimpse of the pyramids. As we got to the parking spot at the pyramids, our guide told us what to be aware of when dealing with any of the hawkers…..John still managed to get fleeced within minutes! One of the tricks is to charge a couple of dollars to have a photo taken on a camel, but then they don’t let you get off until you pay a lot more! John got asked to change some money….he lost $10 in the transaction.

Of course the pyramids were amazing, but I had imagined them to be way out in the desert, not almost in the middle of town. We had a couple of stops, for different views of the pyramids, then went off to see the Sphinx. There is some restoration work being done on the Sphinx, and it was in better condition than I had thought it would be, but probably wasn’t quite as big as I had imagined. We then had a shopping stop, but was at a very expensive shop, …..some bought jewellery etc. Our lunch was at the Mena House, and the hotel is really beautiful. We sat in the dining room, looking out at the pyramids! Our lunch was beef broth, beef stroganoff, and cake with berries….not really very Egyptian…..

It was then time to set off back across the desert……the closer we go to Alexandria, the faster the driver went….he must have been late for dinner or something. Of course I kept thinking about the bus crash recently that killed so many Aussies, on that road…..I was very happy to reach the dock in one piece……but then it was time for the hawkers to start on us again…I am sure we have “sucker” tattooed on our foreheads! One kept trying to sell us stuffed camels…..I ended up trying to get the Security Guards to buy them.

Back to the safety of our “home”. We had missed the safety drill for all the new passengers, so didn’t get to see what they all looked like!

We went up on deck for the sail away, but it was very cold, so we didn’t stay long…..first time we have been cold on the entire trip. Only met two of the new passengers, a very nice couple from San Francisco.

 

2nd May……We have just received an invitation to dine with the Captain tonight…I was wondering when he was going to get around to it! It’s a Formal night…..hope they don’t notice that Johns trousers don’t mach his Tuxedo jacket! Those trousers no longer fit him!

 

 

So until next time

Bye from Granny Lorr.

[2sea]

Granny Lor........

Love reading your postings:) ............. but the LAST line was the best.....congrats to your John that it took him this long be4 his pants no longer fit him... most impressive:eek: ........remarkable...........u know the saying...don't leave home without your 'American Express card'; well, we I'm packing for my Seabourn trips...I NEVER leave home without my elastic waist band pants:D ; otherwise one could be spending half the day moving buttons further over. enjoy the rest of your trip. thanks again for the wonderful postings

[clarky]

Dear GrannyLor,

 

Your vegimite friend here. Have been following all your posts and reliving our trip April 2005. I would advise people who are boarding the ship in Alexandria to give Alexandria a big miss. We joined the ship in Dubai and decided to do Alexandria on our own. This was a real eye opener, after living in the middle east for 21/2 years the filth of this city shocked me. My husband and I like to get out on our own and explore a city and discover local markets etc. We discovered a local market all right! The meat shop had meat just left out in the open with thousands of flies resting on it. It reminded me of my time in the jungle in Sumartra 20 years ago shopping at the local market. We decided not to do the Cario trip as I wanted to come back and do the Nile river cruise. I now regret that we didn't do it as I'm in no hurry to return to Egypt. I have to tell you the best of your cruise is yet to come, wait until you get to Turkey! Just tell John to watch out for those carpet salesmen!

[GrannyLorr]

May 3rd.

 

I am sorry if I haven’t been answering some questions that people have asked, but sometimes the internet is so slow, and I try to get off line as quickly as possible, to make my “internet package” last as long as possible…..I have already gone through 8 hours, and have just signed up for another 2…….that will be it now until the end of the cruise.

 

Clarky...just 5 minutes ago we returned from the capet shop in Kusadasi!! The salesmen are no match for me....I did love the carptes though....yesterday in Bodrum, I bought a souvenir, agreed to $5...when I handed the money over ($10)....the salesman changed the prce to $8.....the poor bugger has never seen money snatched back out of his hand as quick as I did it!! I got the item for the price I wanted.......

 

I remember someone asking me about my clothing size before and after the cruise…..well I am sure I have gained a bit, but all my clothes still fit…..this is not the case with my husband……a few pairs of his trousers no longer do up, and he is complaining that his shirts are making him look fat!! (don’t think it’s the shirts fault)

 

Someone also asked about the cheeses…..each night there are 4 different cheeses listed…..my husband usually has a mixed plate, or you can just choose one, or two…or whatever….I have heard people ask for just soft cheeses, or just hard cheeses. You can have any combination you like. Each cheese also comes with a small amount of condiment; there are usually grapes, celery, nuts and a selection of crackers.

 

When I get home I will be able to read everything properly, and answer any other questions.

 

GRUMPY….glad you found my little ramblings…..there was a man on board last week with one of those “Dam Ships” T shirts! I cant believe that after looking forward to this cruise ever since reading your reports…..it is nearly all over! Stowing away somewhere probably isn’t much of an option, as these ships seem to be fully booked all the time……maybe there is a spare room in the crew quarters? Oh well, just have to wait till 2008, for our 72 day cruise!

 

Dinner with the Captain went very well. We had noticed a few times, the Captains table looked very serious, but we had a great night. Captain Pedersen was quite talkative, and the guests at the table were a good group.

 

We have met a few of the new guests, and have also, “heard” a few that we don’t want to meet! I am very happy to report, that the obnoxious ones this time are not Australians! (Americans!) There is a very loud group, seems to be mainly the men, not the women. Its hard to have a nice relaxing time reading when they are around. I don’t think I have heard a please or a thank you from any of them yet, but the icing on the cake was when we heard one of them say “I will not be accepting any dinner invitations unless it is from an Officer of some rank”…..the same man also said “I will not be queuing up at the Dining Room, I will just go straight in and sit at any table I want!”……well I don’t really remember queuing much at any time….maybe if there has been a pre dinner show, and a lot of people arrive at the Dining room at the same time, it may take a whole minute before you are seated!

Tonight we dined with an elderly British couple, who had never been on Seabourn before, and after hearing that other lot talk, it was so nice to hear this couple express their appreciation of the wonderful crew, and how well they worked…the great food…etc etc etc……

 

Today we arrived in Rhodes. There was another ship in the dock we were supposed to be at, so we had to dock further away from the Old City. Seabourn arranged a shuttle service, but with another couple, we took a taxi for a short tour. Our taxi driver was very good, showed us all the main sights of Rhodes, then dropped us off at the town. We have never been to any part of Greece before, and we really loved Rhodes. It’s a walled city, and was so pleasant just strolling around, in a lovely “clean” place, and not be harassed by sellers every second. There were dozens of restaurants, so we rested and had a drink a couple of times. The weather was also perfect. We have had so much really hot weather, today was just beautiful. After the filth of Egypt, we were really happy to be back in Europe.

We are now on our way to Bodrum, Turkey….have never been to Turkey before either, so this will be interesting. From now until we disembark, we only have one sea day…..we will miss those nice relaxing days.

 

Tonight we got a form to fill in for disembarkation……the transfers to Rome are really expensive….wish I had arranged something before I left home. The cheapest is coach to the Airport at $79US per person! A car is $175 per person, but only takes 3 regular size bags……looks like it is the coach for us!

 

May 4th.

 

We are now in Bodrum, Turkey. John is having a snooze, after spending the morning walking around the town, and seeing the Castle. We had never been to Turkey before, and we have really enjoyed Bodrum. Decided not to do any tours here, just walk around on our own. The ship is at anchor, so we had to tender in to shore, then back to the ship. Seabourn has a tent set up on shore, and have cold drinks, towels and lotions…. We walked all around the harbour, stopping for coffee on the way….also passed a small fish market, where a lot of the towns “street cats” hang out. There is a lovely flower garden opposite the fish stalls, and all the cats are siting amongst the flowers, eating small fish that are thrown to them. Even when we were in the café having coffee, we also had a “street cat” and a “street dog” come up for a pat! Walking through the town, there were lots of cats everywhere. In an office, I saw a cat on a couch, then another walking through the office, then another on a chair, and yet two more on the floor in the sun……they were all strays. It was lovely to see how well all the stray animals were looked after. Some of the dogs were a bit mangy and flea bitten, but at least they were well fed by the locals.

 

 

 

Well that’s about all the news for now…..

So until next time

Bye from Granny Lorr

[blackbird71]

As always a good report.

 

I always bring a laptop and write off line and then go online to cut and past. Saves Net time.

[GrannyLorr]

May 8th.

 

Hard to believe but we only have another 4 days left on the ship…..on the 5th day, they kick us off! Even the crew are treating us like part of the furniture now. I think both of us could quite happily just sail on and on…….just one slight problem….money….or lack of it!

 

This part of the cruise has been quite hectic….been in a Port almost every day, and even if we haven’t done an organised tour, we still go on shore, have a look around, shop, etc etc. We really enjoy the “sea days”……but sadly only have one more to go. I have started packing, and was going through the 2007/2008 Itineraries to see what I wanted to keep…..anything that didn’t have a lot of “sea days” got thrown in the bin…….that is one thing we have learnt about what we like and dislike about cruising……..plenty of sea days really suits us, other people get bored and want Port days all the time. Of course even with lots of port days, you don’t have to go ashore, but I wouldn’t be able to help myself….too many missed photo opportunities…and of course I might miss a bargain at the shops! Our 2008 South America cruise has lots of sea days.

 

Because we have been so busy the last few days, I will have to try to remember where we have been and what we have done.

 

May 5th.

We arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey, early in the morning, and did a tour to the ancient city of Ephesus. It took about half an hour to get out to Ephesus, then we walked from one end of the City to the other. Luckily it is built on a hill, and you enter from the top, so the walk is all downhill, and the bus collected us at the other end. St Peter and St Paul were both supposed to have preached at Ephesus, and near by there is a cottage where they say Mary spent her last years. I had wanted to see the Terrace Houses, but that tour was cancelled….the houses are all covered up for restoration.

Our guide had a lecture written out, and wasn’t very interesting, so most of us wandered off to take our photos etc. She kept telling us to come back so we could hear her properly……she sprouted so many facts and figures that we were soon all lost. She kept asking if we had any questions, but the wife of the lecturer on board the ship, told me she must be asking the wrong questions….as she could never answer them…..pretty well ignored anything other than what she knew parrot fashion. The site was magnificent, and the guide insisted that it is much better than Pompeii….but we think we still enjoyed Pompeii more, although it is a long time since we have been there

At the end of the tour, we headed back to Kusadasi, where we were taken to a carpet and jewellery store. Half the people disappeared, but 4 of us went in to see a “carpet” demonstration. The other couple were the ships lecturer and his wife. He told us it cost him $5000 last time he went to the store. The guide again insisted this was part of the tour…..we told her we had no intention of buying anything, but she hung around, obviously for her commission. She wasn’t very happy when we decided to leave…kept saying we should at least look at the jewellery first…..

 

That night we again went to Ephesus, after the site was closed to the public. This was the “Seabourn Experience” tour. This time we entered at the bottom gate, so it was an uphill walk to the Library where the concert was to be held. It had also got quite chilly and I had picked up my second dose of the chest and throat bug….this time more on the chest, so I could hardly breathe. Somehow I made it to the area where the concert was to be held….there were tables set with white linen cloths, canapés, olives, nuts etc on the tables, and we were served wine. There was a string quartet playing, and they were really fantastic. I just wish I had felt well enough to have enjoyed it all properly. I have no idea how I made it back to the bus…..

 

May 6th.

On Saturday we arrived in Mykonos, the second of our Greek Island stops. The ship was about 10 minutes out of town, so we had a shuttle bus to take us in and out of town. Mykonos was another lovely little town. We walked all around the waterfront, and stopped at a café in Little Venice for coffee. The place was all tiny little cobble stoned laneways, most shops and houses painted white with blue highlights. I still wasn’t feeling well, and it was quite cold and very windy, so we only stayed out half the day. We did manage to stumble across the “mascot” of the town……a very scruffy looking pelican. He didn’t pose very well for photos.

 

May 7th.

This was our day in Athens. We had booked a tour of Athens, which included the Acropolis. Some other people, who also had the chest bug, told us they had changed their tour, to one where they mostly just stayed on the bus, as they knew they wouldn’t be able to walk around too much. I wasn’t looking forward to it much either, but thought I might be able to go far enough to take some photos, and then just sit somewhere, while John went to the top. When we got to the Acropolis, we were told to be back at the bus in two hours…..the guide still wanted us all to stay with her, but again she gave far too many facts and figures and it all jumbled into Greek! We decided to just hang back, and take our own time. The Seabourn rep who was with our group, kept hanging back with us….I think she may have been told how bad I was at the Ephesus tour, and to keep an eye on me! We told her to go on ahead, we would just make the climb slowly……she had to take another sick woman back down, and put her in a taxi back to the ship. In the end we made it to the top of the Acropolis!! I really doubted that I would have a chance of getting up there, but by being able to just take our time, instead of trying to keep up with the group, we made it without any problems. Of course then my camera got quite a work out.

We also did a tour all around Athens, saw the stadium built for the first “modern” Olympic Games in 1896, the Royal Palace, Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Zeus etc.

We were back at the ship by lunchtime.

 

May 8th.

Our last “Greek” day, was on the island of Santorini. The town is at the top of the cliffs, so you have three choices on how to get there…….walk, take a donkey, or take a cable car. The Cruse Director told us the donkeys weren’t happy doing what they did, and would try and wipe you off on the side of the cliff! Seabourn gave out free tickets for the cable car, so it wasn’t a hard choice. The ship was anchored at Santorini, so they had a local tender to take us ashore. We walked for miles around the edge of the town, beautiful views everywhere. Stopped at a café hanging out over the cliffs for coffee, then back to the ship mid afternoon.

We dined with the Assistant Cruise Director, Matthew, and he told us how he had managed to wipe out all his photos from Cairns till today……lucky I take so many pics eh! Granny to the rescue again! I will burn a CD for him later today……this is the second time I have saved the day with my photos…..some people we met from Vancouver on the first two cruises, managed to have their camera on the wrong settings half the time, so had hardly any photos either, so I was able to give them hundreds to choose from…….last count I had over 3000 photos……

 

It is now 1.44am….I cant sleep, keep coughing all the time, so may as well get my emails etc. done. This may be the last post, not sure how much internet time I have left, but I won’t be buying any more time.

 

In Athens we had a few “crew changes”. It’s always strange to have to get used to new crew……you feel like the old ones should just stay until you get off! Even our stewardess left….and we haven’t even seen her replacement yet…..maybe the others on the deck have warned her about us? One of our favourite waitresses has also gone….I don’t like change! Must be time I left. When we had dinner with Matthew last night, he made the comment that it was going to seem strange when we left…..obviously he thinks we are part of the furniture now too!

 

We only have three more ports now……Sicily tomorrow, then Amalfi, Capri…..and finally Rome.

I will try to post one more time before we get off the ship…..otherwise you will just have to wait till I get back home on the 24th. for any more expert advice on Seabourn cruising!

 

So until next time

Bye from Granny Lorr.

[wynkys]

Hi Granny,

Thanks once again for the great reports and sorry to hear about your bug and I hope that you can get rid of it soon.

I, like many others, look forward to seeing some of the rest of your photos when you get back home.

Enjoy the rest of the trip and have a safe journey home.

 

Wayne

[blackbird71]

We dined with the Assistant Cruise Director, Matthew, and he told us how he had managed to wipe out all his photos from Cairns till today……lucky I take so many pics eh! Granny to the rescue again! I will burn a CD

 

Good for you GrannyLorr

 

I always carry my Powerbook on cruises now and my digital camera morning ritual is I download all my picture from the port day before into a folder with the name of the port and date. This really helps keeping track of ports especially ones like the in the Caribbean. :)

[GrannyLorr]

Well guess who has been kicked off the ship? I tried everything last night to try to get them to keep me on board for ~some reason~....I even offered to wash dishes......I asked crew members if I could share their rooms......but even the crew quarters are full......

Im not a happy Granny at the moment.......we hated saying goodbye to eveyone...in fact chicken me avoided a lot of people, cos I didnt want to say goodbye. Some of the crew were saying "I cant believe you arent going to be here anymore"....see, we were part of the furniture!

We just had the best time ever, cant say enough good things about all the staff on the Spirit. Even stewardesses who did other rooms, not ours, were saying "we are going to miss you when you leave"...isnt that nice....the crew certainly have a lot to put up with, with some passengers, but we got on well with them all.

M husband kept remarking, that if his "past" employees, had half the dedication of the Spirit crew, he woud be a rich man.

At the moment we are at the Hilton Hotel at Rome Airport and I have a 24 hour connection to the net...so will do some more reading of the BB now, and see what expert advice I can come up with! ;)

[Seabourn-nail]

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful moments during your cruise with us Granny! I truly enjoyed reading everything. Too bad your husband didn't get rich, otherwise we could have you as a permanent reporter on the Spirit instead of "just" a few months! Have a safe journey home!

[GrannyLorr]

Thanks Seabourn-nail.......we dined with some new friends last night for our final dinner, and as the "washing dishes" offer, wasnt accepted, we also thought it might be a good idea if we both sent our husbands home, and we could become the official "wine tasters".......there is a table for 2 in the back corner of the Restaurant...we thought we could just sit there every night, and taste the wine before it was actually served to the guests......I suppose I could also ~work~ as an official reporter AFTER the wine tasting was over for the night....Im sure I would come up with some great reports then!!

[Grumpy1]

Thanks Seabourn-nail.......we dined with some new friends last night for our final dinner, and as the "washing dishes" offer, wasnt accepted, we also thought it might be a good idea if we both sent our husbands home, and we could become the official "wine tasters".......there is a table for 2 in the back corner of the Restaurant...we thought we could just sit there every night, and taste the wine before it was actually served to the guests......I suppose I could also ~work~ as an official reporter AFTER the wine tasting was over for the night....Im sure I would come up with some great reports then!!

All good things must come to an end.... but why does the end have to come so soon? We are so glad that you have enjoyed the journey. Now about that wine tasting position... Slinkie wants to know if you would consider a threesome?:D

[GrannyLorr]

I'm sure we could fit three chairs at the little back table Grumpy.....but tell slinkie, she will have to "upgrade" to Seabourn!

 

We have just had the worst dinner in two months, at the Rome Airport Hilton Hotel.....kept waiting for one of the kids to fill my water glass, or top up the wine.....waited ages for a lousy plate of pasta and a cup of coffee....supose it was just ~normal~ service.....but we arent used to ~normal~ any more *sob* Think Im going to be dpressed tomorrow...Im sure I wont sleep tonight...you should see the terrible pillows on the bed! Has ayone ever sued Seabourn for mental anguish?:(

[joolsb]

Granny - welcome back to the "real" world! Did you get a "Seabourn Survival Kit" when you disembarked? I read on here a while ago about some folks being given these, but sadly not us! Our return to dry land sounds like it was a bit comfier than yours - we had a fantastic evening in the Burj al Arab with our Dubai friends and friends we had met on the ship, where the food and service were almost on a par with Seabourn - but of course, not quite!!!;)

 

By the way, we did meet briefly during sailaway one evening - don't know if you remember - but sadly didn't get a chance for a longer chat. Maybe next time .......!

 

J

[Two4Sea]

Welcome Home fellow Seabournites! Thanks for your great stories and thanks for your good company on our leg. Are you already counting the days until your next cruise? We are! What a great crew and Company.

 

Bill and Darlene

[GrannyLorr]

*sob sob* yes we are home.....back to reality.....have to actually go ~grocery shopping~ today! I thought the Chef did all that sort of thing! Andrew hasnt appeared with my swedish pancakes yet either!

The house looks like a cyclone has hit it....didnt know I bought so much "stuff"...no wonder we had trouble with our luggage in Singapore! Qantas wanted to charge us almost $1000 for the excess! John was ready to start throwing out his clothes, cos I wasnt about to throw away all the ~souvenirs~ I had bought for everyone! He managed to talk them around in the end, and we got it all home.........then Customs took a camel off us! At the Dubai "Seabourn Experience", John did the camel ride......when we got back to the ship, there was a "Duty Free" shop at the Cruise terminal....they had a sick looking camel, that was the image of the poor camel after John got off it! We just had to buy it.......poor thing would have been cremated by now! We were allowed to keep all the timber elephants, buddhas and other wooden stuff....so just the poor camel that didnt make it back to Oz!

I havent had much time to "look" at our next cruise yet....just a quick look at "immunisations needed"......seems the only place is Devils Island, and for that you need Yellow fever immunisations.......do you think I can get away with that one, by just not leaving the ship that day?

In some ways its good to be home.....doubt I will feel that way after hitting the supermarket today though!

[SantaAna,CA]

I hear ya.....I told my sister the one thing I forgot to plan, with regard to our cruise to the Caribbean on the Legend last month....was hiring a psychologist to counsel us as we rode home from the airport. I'm not kidding when I say I've had a very difficult time adjusting to reality after the "cloud nine" experience of Seabourn. I can see I'm in good company.

 

Jane :)

 

counting the days until December 2, Seabourn's Pride back to the Caribbean!

[cands]

Gosh,

I've just found this thread and am about to start reading it from start to finish, or perhaps that should be finish to start, as our cruise is in the opposite direction.

 

Thanks GrannyLorr.

 

Steve.