It’s hard to believe we boarded the ship a week ago. Today is day 1 of a 5 day voyage cruising the Red Sea from Safaga to Muscat, Oman. I began the day with an early morning deck walk and managed to log 2 nautical miles (13 laps = 1 nautical mile). A lovely breakfast at Tapas Terrace with fresh made to order omelets, and the best French toast I’ve ever tasted, coupled with their delicious fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). I really enjoy eating alfresco on their aft deck terrace with the warm sun on my face and the [View Full Entry]

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An early morning start, we departed the hotel at 6:00 am to arrive at Karnak Temple for sunrise. The rays of the sun were just beginning to peak through sun god Ra’s inner temple as we entered through the Avenue of the Sphinxes. This made our visit particularly memorable as we imagined the ancient Egyptian high priests welcoming the start of each day 3000 years ago. We also appreciated having the temple almost to ourselves, since there was only one other couple and guide besides us. Wiehl described the meaning behind the Temple of Columns: A magnificent structure of large columns [View Full Entry]

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Woke up to another beautiful sunrise off the ship’s port side and enjoyed a leisurely continental breakfast on our verandah as we docked alongside Safaga port. The port is industrial in nature, surrounded by dry, craggy hills, similar to southwest US scenery. Disembarkation went smoothly as over 600 passengers boarded buses and vans for tours headed to Luxor. Our familiar rep from DeCastro Tours escorted us to our van and we were directed to a checkpoint in Safaga to await the start of the mandatory convoy. Our driver, Mumda, gave Helen and I a small red rose tied in blue ribbon [View Full Entry]

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I woke up at 05:45 am and the ship had just entered the North entrance of the Suez Canal. I enjoyed sitting on my balcony to watch the sun come up and cast beautiful colors in the sky as we crossed under the only suspension bridge built over the Suez Canal in El Qantara. The bridge was a gift from Japan. The Suez Canal is the longest canal in the world without any locks. It has an interesting history and has passed ownership from the French to an international trust and eventually to Egyptian control. However, when the Israelis invaded the [View Full Entry]

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Woke up to a magnificent sunrise over the city of Port Said, which is located at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal. Little did I know that the day ahead would make me feel like a dignitary, have me see a famous Arab singer, be treated like a rock star and welcomed like the president. Disembarkation from the ship was effortless, even with almost all of the 693 guests beginning their tours at the same time. We easily found our DeCastro Tours rep who led us to a modern, comfortable 10 passenger van allowing the 4 of us to comfortably [View Full Entry]

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I woke up refreshed and enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee at the Terrace Restaurant al fresco, overlooking the sea. An hour strolling the ship’s lap track in the warm sun and cool breeze, was an amazing way to start the day (13 laps = 1 nautical mile). It was on to the cooking demo with the Executive Chef Pascal Leseur and his Executive Sous Chef Renauld Macouin. They were quite funny as they demonstrated their craft. It was done in the Nautica Theatre and they used video cams to zoom in on the cook’s table. It was like watching Rachel [View Full Entry]

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It was easy to sleep in this morning on the very comfortable bed, with luxurious high thread count sheets, pillow top mattress and plush pillows. The seas were like glass providing us with a smooth ride. We had a late breakfast on the aft Tapas Terrace and enjoyed our view of the Turkish coastline as we passed within a few hundred feet of the Turkish War Memorial. From there, we spent the day cruising along the Dardanelles and past Kusadasi before heading slightly west, to sail past Samos and some of the other Greek islands. It was still a bit chilly, [View Full Entry]

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Helen and I made an early trip to the Grand Bazaar and arrived just as the stalls were opening at 8:30 am. We enjoyed talking with the shopkeeps, who were very friendly and non-intusive. We purchased a few chochkies for a good price and headed back to the hotel after losing our sense of direction a few times in the bazaar. Thankfully, they had exit signs with street names strategically placed to help you find your way. We loaded up our van with luggage and said goodbye to the Best Western President Hotel. We departed at 10:00 am for the Emininou [View Full Entry]

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A quiet Sunday morning with no traffic—we drove to the Mosque of Suleyman and his tomb which are 2 separate buildings. Islam does not allow burial inside the mosque or funeral service. Mosque is strictly reserved for prayer. Outside of the mosque were 2 slightly slanted stone tables. This is where coffin is laid and prayers recited. The body is then taken from the coffin and buried only in a shroud in the ground. The Suleyman tomb is a large domed building, surrounded by tall, thin headstones of others buried nearby. Beautiful Arabic calligraphy provides information about the per [View Full Entry]

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Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006 We began the day with a full buffet breakfast at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, with lovely views over the neighboring rooftops and the Bosphorous. Our guide Suleyman Avar picked us up at 08:45 AM and were among the first to arrive at the sight of the Hippodrome in the Sultanahmet neighborhood. Two obelisks marked the area. The older one made of solid granite from Egypt’s Karnak Temple, was cut by 1/3 in order to travel the distance. When they tried to raise it, the top point broke off and had to be replaced. The newer one was [View Full Entry]

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