Cruise News
At present, swan_tower and I are cruising the seas, having exited the Dardanelles and turned south along the coast of Turkey toward Kusadasi (once Ephesus), where we will visit the archaeological sites associated with the ancient city, including the Temple to Artemis. Yesterday afternoon and this morning were Istanbul, where we saw Topkapi Palace, the site of the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, and the Grand Bazaar. For the record, my old friend Nazim appears to have been correct; traffic in Istanbul is probably the worst I've seen anywhere in the world.
Life on the cruise ship is odd, to say the least. The average age of guests on the ship is approximately 45; we're easily in the lowest tenth percentile in age, not counting crew. Food is included in the price of the cruise, so buffets are open all over the ship at all hours of the day, and the temptation to snack is nearly overpowering. You must pay for alcohol and soft drinks, but the ship happily provides you with an onboard account to which you may charge your drinks, 15% gratuity automatically added. Regardless, I expect to return home ten pounds heavier than when I left.
The service is top-notch, however. We've been in awe of our "room ninja," who constantly fold our clothes, make our bed, empty our trash, vacuum the carpet, and clean the bathroom, all apparently while we're eating our meals. The crew are all uniformly positive and engaging, and they are among the most multi-national bunch you'll ever see. There are significant contingents from the Philippines and India, but we've met citizens of nations representing all six inhabited continents, all of whom appear to know a minimum of three languages a piece, of which English is the commonality across the board.
There are only a few more ports of call - Kusadasi, Athens, and Naples - and a few more days on the cruise, but we're well and truly feeling as if we've had a solid honeymoon at this stage. The soreness our feet acquired while forced-marching all around Rome, trying to pack in as many sites as possible has long since given way to a rested feeling and an honest anticipation of the next day's outing, hoping that this one might be a bit longer, paced a bit faster than the older set on the ship would probably be willing or able to manage.
I'm actually pre-writing this entry, as the Internet access onboard is prohibitively expensive, since it's a satellite uplink. Actual online time is still fairly limited, though I'm still sporadically checking Gmail. Expect responses to any pending communications on May 31 or June 1.
Life on the cruise ship is odd, to say the least. The average age of guests on the ship is approximately 45; we're easily in the lowest tenth percentile in age, not counting crew. Food is included in the price of the cruise, so buffets are open all over the ship at all hours of the day, and the temptation to snack is nearly overpowering. You must pay for alcohol and soft drinks, but the ship happily provides you with an onboard account to which you may charge your drinks, 15% gratuity automatically added. Regardless, I expect to return home ten pounds heavier than when I left.
The service is top-notch, however. We've been in awe of our "room ninja," who constantly fold our clothes, make our bed, empty our trash, vacuum the carpet, and clean the bathroom, all apparently while we're eating our meals. The crew are all uniformly positive and engaging, and they are among the most multi-national bunch you'll ever see. There are significant contingents from the Philippines and India, but we've met citizens of nations representing all six inhabited continents, all of whom appear to know a minimum of three languages a piece, of which English is the commonality across the board.
There are only a few more ports of call - Kusadasi, Athens, and Naples - and a few more days on the cruise, but we're well and truly feeling as if we've had a solid honeymoon at this stage. The soreness our feet acquired while forced-marching all around Rome, trying to pack in as many sites as possible has long since given way to a rested feeling and an honest anticipation of the next day's outing, hoping that this one might be a bit longer, paced a bit faster than the older set on the ship would probably be willing or able to manage.
I'm actually pre-writing this entry, as the Internet access onboard is prohibitively expensive, since it's a satellite uplink. Actual online time is still fairly limited, though I'm still sporadically checking Gmail. Expect responses to any pending communications on May 31 or June 1.