April 18, 1998 Pensacola – N.Y. – Athens, Greece
We boarded the plane at 6:50 with a ride to the airport with Shirley + Dick L. We had to deplane for a fuel problem but were airborn at 7:50 on Delta to Atlanta. We boarded another Delta plane at 10:20 + arrived at JFK at 12:30. Had an interesting lady to chat with enroute, Dora S from Jax. + the time passed quickly. We caught a bus to the International terminal + our dear grandson, Kyle, was here to surprise and greet us. We had lunch together, then he had to go back to NYU + his job. We passed the time reading + people watching after getting our seat assignments on the plane. Our departure time on Olympic Airlines is scheduled for 7 pm.
After a 2-hour delay and rough start on Delta to pick up more passengers in Boston. Full plane – 747 + about 500 people on board. Dinner was very good + served about 10:30 pm. Then lights were out + I slept sporadicly, but had to work at it with the help of PM Tylenol.
I’m grateful we’re having a good flight.
April 19, 1998 Athens – Divani Hotel
Breakfast was served about 10:30, in time to get ready to land the aircraft at 12:30. It took an hour to go through customs, get our bags + board a bus for the Divani Caravel Hotel. We checked into the hotel, got our room assignment + then signed up for a tour tomorrow before going to the pier to board Aegean I.
I'm impressed with all the marble that is used extensively in this hotel, throughout our room, in the bathroom, lobby + all the decorations at the Divani Hotel. I’m also pleased with the restaurant, the tile bath + the service.
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| Hammy & Bert "At the top of Divani Caravel [Hotel]" |
April 20, 1998 Athens - Pireaus, Greece
Our tour this am was to the Acropolis which is 512 ft flat-top limestone hill around which the city was built. The Parthenon is a very skillfully crafted bldg. + is dedicated to the goddess, Athena. It embodies the Greek ideal of freedom: spiritual, intellectual and political.
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| Bert & Hammy "At the bottom of the climb" to the Acropolis |
In the afternoon we arrived at our ship in Pireaus + got unpacked. It looks like an interesting + fun cruise. The Aegean I is not the most luxurious ship, but it’s be O.K.
"This looks like a fun cruise although this is not a luxury liner!"
4/21/98 Pireaus – Heraklion, Greece (Crete)
We had the morning free + after lunch, we joined four busloads of people + went on a panoramic ride to Agios Nikolaos, the most popular resort in Crete. We traveled along the north coast where tiny towns could be seen clinging to the hillside which was covered with millions of olive trees. The water was a gorgeous cobalt blue + the shoreline of Crete is 167 miles in length. Many Europeans come during the summer months to vacation. We saw the quaint monastery of St. George Seliniris where baptisms + weddings are held. On one of the islands – Spinalage – we saw from a distance a 13th Century castle where lepers were sent. We stopped at St. Tropez where there are quaint shops + had a coke at an open-air restaurant before boarding the bus to come back to the ship. Had a quick nap before dinner.
4/22/98 At sea Crete – Israel
A gorgeous day! After a very restful sleep, we had a light breakfast in the Lido Lounge, then a walk on the sun deck after our orientation on Cyprus + Rhodes which follows the Israel tour. I tested the swimming pool on the sun deck + it was mighty refreshing – cold in other words. I was the only brave soul in the water. We caught some welcome rays, then read + rested in our cabin #251 the rest of the afternoon.
We had a cocktail party in the main lounge before dinner
April 23, 1998 Ashdod, Israel
We arrived in Ashdod at 7 am for what looks like an interesting tour of Massada + the Dead Sea.
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| Hammy & Bert at the Dead Sea |
April 24, 1998: Ashdod, Israel
Today we’ll be doing Jerusalem + Bethlehem + it looks to be a full day. It was!!
Things I’ll remember about today’s tour: Bethlehem: Manger Square + the Church of the Nativity where we saw the spot where Jesus is supposed to have been born. A silver star is in the Grotto + some Catholics knelt down + kissed it.
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| Silver star in the grotto of the Basilica of the Nativity |
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| Hammy at the Wailing Wall |
We enjoyed lunch at the beautiful Seven Arches near the Mount of Olives for s spectacular view of Jerusalem.
In Bethlehem we stopped at the Manger Square gift shop + bought a few souvenirs, but other than the Church of the Nativity + Shepherd’s Field, there wasn’t much to see.
Most of the activity today took place in Jerusalem, a city f 600,000 Jews + 100,000 Arabs. They were celebrating 50 years of Independence + large flags with the Star of David were flying throughout the city.
Homes are built on terraces + are very expensive. I loved the flowers that pervade throughout the city + irrigation plays a great part in growth of many crops + flowers.
A truly beautiful tour today.
4/25/98 Haifa, Israel
We started the day touring the city of Haifa + the Mt. Carmel area. There we took a picture of the B’hai golden dome + the beautiful gardens as this is the seat of their religion. Other places we visited include the Jordan River where I bought some souvenirs + a bottle of water from the Jordan R. where Jesus was baptized.
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| Hammy collecting water from the River Jordan |
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| "A replica of Jesus' boat" |
Then we took a boat ride on a replica of an ancient boat + a ride to Tiberius on the sea that Jesus walked on. This site was named after the Roman Emperor Tiberius. We had a delicious lunch at the Carmel Jordan River Hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. We drove through Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine + past Tabgha where He multiplied the loaves + fishes to feed the crowd of 5,000. We passed the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount” + on to Capernaum where He did most of His ministry on the Sea of Galilee.
We saw the ruins of an ancient synagogue with it’s recently discovered mosaic floor.
The last part of our journey today was spent in Nazareth + this is where Jesus spent the hidden years of his childhood. The Basilica of the Annunciation is one of the most revered shrines + the largest church in the Middle East. This was built on the site where the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary she would be the mother of the Messiah. Mosaics from a number of different countries are the windows of the church on the second floor. The Church of Joseph next was built over chambers that housed his carpentry shop. On the way back to Haifa we viewed Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration where Jesus appeared to his disciples [as a figure infused with light].
Our last stop of the day was at a diamond factory. This was a full day!
4/26/98 (At sea) Enroute to Limassol, Cyprus
This a.m. we slept in, took a walk around on the sun deck, had some breakfast on the Lido deck, then went ashore via bus.
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| Hammy & Bert with the Aegean I in Limassol |
4/27/98 Rhodes, Greece
After a rough night at sea, we came ashore about 10 am. We relaxed on the sundeck, then had lunch + departed for the afternoon tour of Lindos.
The location of beautiful Lindos on the Aegean Sea has a climate similar to that of Calif. The water is a glistening turquoise + the view from high atop the ancient Acropolis is truly spectacular. It was worth the 275 steps we had to climb to reach it. The small harbor below is said to have been where St. Paul landed in 58 A.D. We observed the remains of the Temple of Athens. I took a picture of the colonades which reach toward the heavens.
We ascended it + it was a piece of cake coming down the steps. We bought a few souvenirs, viewed the interior of a Greek Orthodox Church, stopped at a pottery store + returned to our ship for an 8:30 sailing.
*This is my favorite place in Greece - clean streets, shops, + beautiful homes.
4/28/98 Kusadasi, Turkey
This was a day to remember. Kusadasi is an island paradise – heavily populated in the summer with vacationers. Impressive flowers abound. About 20-minute drive to Ephesus is the highlight of this tour for there we were able to see the ruins of the Basilica of St. John, the original burial site of John the apostle. We saw extensive Greek + Roman ruins – temples, porticos, fountains + mosaics. We walked along an ancient marble road paved with thick marble slabs from the 5th C. A.D.
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| "Marble road where St Paul walked from the sea" |
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| Hammy & Bert at the Library of Celsus in Ephesus |
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| Bert & Hammy at Ada Cafe in Kusadasi |
4/29/98 Mitilini, Greece
This was a day of rest for we are packing and disembarking for Istanbul tomorrow.
We landed at Lesbos about 7 am. We claimed this day as a day of rest as there is not too much to see on the island other than temples, churches, etc. + we’ve already seen similar works of art. Tomorrow we’ll disembark, have a short day in Istanbul, then prepare for our trip home. We walked along the waterfront + visited the Church of St. Therapon + the nearby Cathedral. The shops included fresh fish, deer with the eyeballs staring at us, many linen + china shops, etc. After lunch we began our packing, then went up on the sundeck + read. At 4:00 pm we had our final briefing on our debarking for Istanbul tomorrow. Dinner was followed by a talent show in the main lounge with passenger participation – what fun! We sailed at 3 pm + had a smooth sail all night. A great cruise.
4/30/98 Istanbul, Turkey
We disembarked at 9 am + went on a tour of Istanbul which included the following: 1) the Blue Mosque, the city's most famous landmark.
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| The Blue Mosque |
2) The Topkapi Saray (Palace) was a sight to behold with its interconnecting apartments, halls, gardens + courtyards. We entered the ceremonial gate + saw at the treasury bldg an 84 carat diamond + 8 pound emeralds.
3) The Grand Bazaar had 3000 shops + stalls where we spent several hours browsing.
4) Our beautiful Conrad International Hotel lived up to its 5*rating + was a welcome site after a tiresome day. We checked in about 4 pm., unpacked what we needed for tomorrow, then met John + Chung S for a cab drive to the Hanedan Restaurant (Fish House). This was a lovely setting overlooking the Bosphorus + a great way to spend the last evening of the tour before returning to the States. Our cab drive back to the hotel was scary as our driver proceeded to cut through congested, narrow streets + even attempted to cut into a one-way street going the wrong way and we barely made it! We spent over 3,000,000 TL (Turkish lira) for dinner – about $55! We retired early for our wake-up call tomorrow.
5/1/98 Istanbul – Frankfurt – N.Y. –Atlanta – Pensacola
We arose at 2:15 am for a bus departure at 3:15 am. We arrived at the airport at 3:45 + stood in a long line for over an hour – very frustrating!! We wanted our luggage tagged for Pensacola but were advised to ship to N.Y. as it was a better place to claim the luggage. Our luggage was tagged for New York + we were off to Frankfurt, where we had another hour's wait, + then we were seated across two aisles from each other for our 7-1/2 hr flight to N.Y. However I was seated next to a nice couple, Sheryl + Tom B + Bert had an aisle seat. Had a comfortable flight + Lufthansa treated us very well with delicious food, so the flight was over quickly with intermittent cat naps + good service. At N.Y. we claimed our luggage at JFK + waited several hours for our Delta flight to Atlanta. Naturally we were anxious to get home, but with a full plane there were several delays, but we were met by our dear friends, Shirley + Dick L + claimed our luggage grateful to be home safely after a wonderful trip!
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| Hammy and Bert (1998) |
