Friday Oct. 30, 2009 Day 8 Ashdod, Israel

Today we got up again at 5:30AM to be ready for our 6:45 group gathering so we would get off the ship at the same time. Today we were only 16 people in our group. We had some confusion when we got off (we couldn't find Zac our tour guide) so we walked to the end of the port and waited there. We had other cabbies call Avi Tours (we didn't have Zac's phone number) to find out where he was and it turned out that he was waiting for us to get off the ship (maybe by another gangway) but we finally connected with the driver and guide. In the interim Sharyn (realized she lost the money that we had all paid for the tour) and was very upset. She ran back to her cabin, retraced her steps, all to no avail. Later on she thought she might have been pick-pocketed.
We had almost a 2 hour ride before we stopped at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We were given some time to shop there also but the prices were outrageous.

From there we went to Masada and took the cable car to the top. Since I had already been there I waited under a tent on top with a lady in our group that is in a wheelchair while everyone else went to explore with our guide. When they returned we all went to the bottom and we were given 15 minutes to shop but once again everything was overpriced.

Then we went to the Spa at the Dead Sea for lunch and afterward some folks wanted to swim in it or just put their feet in it but for the first time (this is from our driver) they closed the Dead Sea form anyone going in. We witnessed an unbelievable wind storm and the sand (what else is there in a desert) was blowing all over the place and the normally calm Sea had huge whitecaps and the lifeguards closed the beach. Oh, and I forgot to mention that even though it never rains there, we also had some of that today too.
The four of us (Joan, David, Enid and myself felt so sorry for Sharyn losing the money we decided to start a fund to help her out. We each gave her $25.00 and figured if the rest of the bus would follow suit she would get most of the money back to pay for the tour. The 4 of us were strangers to the group; they all live in the same community in NJ but no one else would help their friend out. I'm glad they're not my friends.

We left there for our 2 hour ride home where most of us slept and we got back to the ship about 5:30 burt it seems like everyone else got back at the same time so the line to get back on was quite long and of course it was raining.

Tomorrow we dock in Alexandria, Egypt where we are doing an overnight in Cairo so I probably won't blog until Sunday night.

Happy birthday to Rose Marie and Carol and many more healthy ones.

Thursday Oct, 29, 2009 Day 7 Haifa

Today was quite exhausting to say the least. We got up at 5:30AM to meet our group at 6:45 and start our day trip to Jerusalem. I think after this weeks tours we will be ready to run the NY Marathon. Today we walked over 4 miles and now would love to crawl on our hands and knees like an infant.

We boarded our mini bus at 7:00AM and started the ride to Jerusalem with our guide Zak (originally from the states) and Chaim (our driver). Zak pretty much talked all the way (about 2 hours) to prepare us for how we were going to spend the day.

When we got to Jerusalem we made a pit stop (bathroom break) and looked around the gift shop we were in but they were outrageously expensive. Then we had a picture stop where we overlooked the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall and basically the entire city.

Then we got off the bus (he said for about 3 hours) and went to the Tomb of King David. Then we went to the Zion Gate that is riddled with bullet holes from the war in 1948. From there we went into the Cardo and we had 15 minutes to shop. That was a little to hectic for me. Next we walked down a million slippery steps (it was drizzling and I might be exaggerating a little) to the Davidson exhibit where they are uncovering ancient walls.

After that we went to the tunnels under the Western Wall and when we came out of them we walked back to the Western Wall for everyone to see and put their prayers in the wall. Now mind you we have already been out of the bus for over 3 hours. Then we walked through the muslim quarter with all the stores (but no time to shop) and stopped at several Stations of the Cross. That also included walking up and down another million steps. HELP!!!!!
We finally got back to the bus.

We had lunch on the bus that we had brought from our breakfast buffet. We headed for the Israeli Museum but caught up in a tradffic jam due to the 14th anniversary of Itzak Rabin's assasination. David and I stayed in the bus at the Museum since we only had 15 minutes there before heading off to Yad Vashem.
Got to Yad Vashem at 4:20 and we were to meet again at 5:40. It has changed completely since I was there 21 years ago. I personally think the old one had much more impact than the way it is now. We all boarded the bus and left Jerusalem at 6PM and started our trek back to Haifa.

We got back to the ship at 8 PM and went straight to the buffet for our dinner. If we went to the cabin first we'd never have left it again. It is now 10 PM and we have to be up at 5:30 again. Who says this is a vacation? I know I'll need one when I get home.

DAY 6 WEDNESDAY OCT 28, 2009

Today was a sea day and we were able to rest, rest and then rest some more. When we got up for breakfast (8 AM even though it was a sea day) it was raining for a change.
There really isn't much to report. We had terrible service at dinner and Jules and I were trying to get the asst. maitre de but he never showed, so we asked to speak to the head maitre de. He finally showed up after everyone left the table except for Enid and myself. We were surpised to see that he was the one that Enid hugged and kissed this morning in the solarium. When I saw him I could only hope that Enid was a real good kisser. We told him how unhappy we are with Branco (the asst. maitre de) and all the primises he has made and not fulfilled. At dinner tonight 3 people ordered steak and they said it was like shoe leather and wouldn't eat it and wouldn't order anything else because they knew it would take forever. Lorenzo (our new best friend) said he would speak with Branco and he would make sure from now on that our dining room experience would be much better. He also told us when we get back to the ship tomorrow (it will be around 9:30 PM we should go to the Bistro on 5 and we would be comped by him so we would not have to pay the service charge. We thanked him profusely and Enid and I kissed him to thank him. It doesn't hurt to butter them up.
We left and when we got to the elevator Branco came running after us with Friday nights menu for Enid to chose her low sodium meal from. We had asked him for it 45 minutes before that and we said it had already been taken care of.
The show tonight was good even though it was a one man show and it was the cruise director.
Well we are getting up at 5:30AM tomorrow so I'd better get to sleep.

LAUREN---Thanks so much for the compliment about my writing. It feels good to know that some people are reading it and enjoying it. Yes, I already know about your dad skipping meals to sight see but he was outnumbered and had no choice. You and your Mom outnumber him too so it should be easy.

Day 5 Oct. 27, 2009

This morning we had to get up at 5:30 AM in order to have breakfast and meet for our 7 AM tour of Kusadasi and the surrounding area. Some people might call this a vacation but I call it torture.

We got off the ship at 7:05, met our guide (Ali) and started out on a long days journey into night. There were only six of us; Rita and Jules, Joan and David, Enid and myself in a 14 passenger van so we had plenty of room to stretch out and relax.

Our first stop was Milet where there are the remains of an ampitheater that is approximately 2,000 years old and is still in fair condition. It was built next to the Agean Sea and over all those passing years it has filled in with silt and is now 7 kilometers from the Sea.

Next we went to Didma where we saw Apollo's Temple (or what is left standing of it) and then we headed for Ephesus or Efes as the locals call it. Even the road signs are spelled (is that a word?) with both names. Our guide was absolutely fantastic and I am going to send an email to his boss telling him what a great job Ali did. We were all impressed by him and rewarded him accordingly. When we got to Ephesus we stopped along the route for Ali to explain what part of the ruins we were at and he was so good people stood around to listen to him and then went back to their friends to tell them too. Ephesus was amazing. It is still an archeologist's dream to dig and uncover more of the city. To date only about 30% has been unearthed. The first two Ephesus' were destroyed by earthquakes and the Roman warriors. Each time it was destroyed they changed the location and rebuilt by using a lot of the previous materials.

Then we went to a Turkish restaurant for lunch. You didn't expect us to miss a meal, did you? The price was $10 US and we got what they call a 3 course lunch. We all got a salad, then some kind of soup, and some of us got meatballs (they weren't round but were rectangular chopped beef with rounded edges. They were strange looking but tasted okay. Someone had shish (that means stick) kabob with chicken. Now isn't this informative? For dessert we had what Turks call Halavah but was more like Wheatena with honey made into a square piece of "cake".

After lunch we went to a pottery factory and watched a craftsman make a sugar bowl and cover from raw clay on a potters wheel in about 2 minutes. If was fun to watch and he was so talented I could've stayed there all day. Then we went to look at the finished products in their showroom and I picked up a plate and asked for a price. The salesman told me I had very good taste and I knew I was in trouble. With 30% off and an end of season discount the plate was over 1200.00 dollars. When I stopped choking I said I'll continue to look around for something in my price range.

From there we went to a Rug Factory and got a spiel about carpets, saw how they are made and the most interesting part of the tour was watching the silk they get from cocoons. In the same building was a huge jewelry store but it was high pressure sales. I felt like I was in a car dealership. We then went to a leather factory but didn't buy anything there either. I was going into spending money withdrawal.

Then we headed back to the ship and got here about 4:30 so you now know what kind of long day we had. I bought some things from a street vendor after I got it for the price I named. I thought he wouldn't accept it but when he did I wondered if I should have gone lower. Before I left FL for this cruise I was 66 and I now feel like 85. We walked close to 4 miles today and have absolutely no idea how far yesterday but I bet it was close to today, if not more.

Tonight we had dinner reservations at the Tuscan Grill with Joan and David and except for a few (and slight) problems the meal was excellent. It was long so we missed the theater show but went to the comedy theater to see Uber Rossi and laughed for a solid hour. If I could only remember some of his jokes I would be a happy camper. Through the grapevine we heard the service in the dining room was once again terrible. Our table waited 25 minutes for their appetizers and 1 hour for their entree. We're sure they had those problems because we weren't there; why else would it have been slow.

Oct 26, 2009 Day 4

Today we woke up to cloudy skies again knowing it was going to
rain on our parade. We (Joan, David, Jules, Rita, Enid and myself)
had made plans to meet at 10:15 and walk to Old Town in Rhodes
but it had started to rain so we changed the meeting time to 11
AM. Thankfully it stopped raining by then but Joan and David said
they were going to wait a little longer before getting off so the 4 of
us schlepped off with our umbrellas and rain ponchos.

Old Town was really very nice with lots of stores and streets made
of small rocks that are treacherous when wet. Amazingly we all
survived without a fall but there were a few slides along the way. Rita
and I liked Rhodes better than Tallin. We walked for 2 1/2
hours and got lost somewhere along the way but we just made
believe we knew where we were going and in the end we found our
way. While we were at the Synagogue I heard thunder and said
we'd better head back and no sooner did we get on the ship than
the skies opened up.

We went directly to the buffet and had lunch with Rita and Jules
and decided to meet in the concierge lounge at 4:30. I might not
be able to send or add to this blog later because my feet hurt so
badly I'm gonna (I know it's not correct) get drunk.

I didn't lie about getting drunk; but it doesn't take much. I did have
3 drinks before dinner and once again swervice was very slow.
The bright side is that we had more time to sit around and laugh.
The show tonight was a bunch of variety acts like the first night.
Celebrity is cutting down on their entertainment too by using the
onboard singers and dancers doing lots of different things. The
cruise director is Nick Weir and I have taken a steong dislike to
him. He comes across as such a phony that it's driving me crazy.

BETH---No I haven't found my pills or my curling iron but Gayle
(our tablemate) gave me hers to use for the entire cruise. We
really lucked out with our mates.

GAIL H---What is happening with Sandy? Did her brother talk to
the Dr. and did she make an appointment with the gastro man?

LAUREN--Your Mom and Dad say hello and so do I. Looking
forward to meeting you when you come to FL for your cruise in
Feb.

Day 3--Celebrity Equinox

Today we docked in Piraeus which is a port 7 miles from Athens. We were scheduled to meet our group led by Glenys at 10AM and we were all there except for Joan and David. When I called their cabin they thought it was only 9:00AM (their watches were wrong) and they rushed like heck to hurry down and not keep us waiting too long. It was overcast with occasional showers but we were a hearty group and would not let them slow us down. That is until we were on the way to the Acropolis and it really started to pour but so hard that the road we were on looked like a running river. A sign outside of a restaurant came swimming by us with the owner holding an umbrella running after his sign. It was so bad the water was above the curb abd onto the sidewalk.
So instead we went to the new Acropolis Museum which is built on excavated land so the building is on stilts so you can see the excavation. That was neat.
After that when the rain let up we went to the Acropolis and walked up a lot of marble steps (which were very slippery after the rain and I was wearing crocs to make matters worse) and when I got 3/4 of the way up, I gave up. Joan, David and Enid continued all the way to the top and took lots of pictures so I'll have to settle for seeing it that way.
After that we headed back to the ship annd got back about 5:30; changed our clothes, went up to the concierge lounge for 1/2 hour and then went to dinner where we had such a good time and so many laughs that we were worried we'd be thrown out of the dining room. We were kind of loud. Jules told us a story that made us roar about the nude beach in St. Marteen. Remind me when I get home and I'll tell you all about it. We have such a great table. The rest of our tablemates are Ivy, Charles, Alf, and Gayle, plus of course Jules and Rita.
The show tonight was Greg Bonham and he was terrific. He was looking for a crazy lady from the audience and he picked Ivy who was sitting in the middle, halfway back. He asked her name and Enid and I were screaming Ivy and we were sitting right in front of him in the first row. He got off the stage, stood right in front of us and asked Ivy to come down to give her a present and when she saw us sitting there she screamed and he asked if she knew us. She said yes. He asked if there was a man in her life and she said "no". He said are you lying and she said "no". He looked at me and asked if she was lying and I said "yes" and then he made Charles stand up and told him what a lucky man he is. We never realized what an insane laugh Ivy has and it is catching.
Went to the buffet about 11 PM and Ivy and crew were there and now the entire ship knows Ivy. She's a pistol. Wherever she goes now, people are chanting "IVY' IVY" and she is just loving it.

DAY 2 SEA DAY ON CELEBRITY EQUINOX

The seas were a little rough last night so we were rolling a little bit but it wasn't terrible. The weather today is very overcast with showers occasionally. We went to our official meet and greet and met more nice people. Someone mentioned we could order cartouches in the jewelry store so we did that and I think they said we'll have them tomorrow. I got a silver and 18 kt one and can't wait to see it. As I'm writing this we are going through the Straights of Messina and we have Italy on one side of the ship and Sicily on the other. Nice views from either side. Went to the casino, made my daily deposit but found another slot machine that I liked so I'll have to play with it some more.
We haven't seen much of Joan and David and have no idea what they are doing or who they're with. I do know that we'll see them tomorrow when we get to Athens since we have a tour with them.
I haven't mentioned this before but strange things are happening. I took my morning pills from my week 1 zip lock bag when we got on the ship and they have not been seen since. Enid and I searched the entire cabin and they can't be found. Tonight is formal night and I thought I'd dress up my hair and use my curling iron and you guessed it, it's also among the missing. I know for a fact that I definitely packed it (I left my least favorite one home) and the only thing we can figure is that it was in the outside pocket of the ripped suitcase. We went to the concierge club which was being held in the Sky Lounge on the 14th deck. It's a beautiful room. Went to our new table for dinner and met our tablemates from Vancouver and we had lots of laughs. I surprised Enid with a birthday cake after dinner which we all thought was delicious.

The show was a take off on Cirque D' Soilel and it helped me catch up on some much needed sleep. Went back to my new machine and won back what I had lost earlier today so today was a wash money Wish I could be this lucky everyday.

DAY 1 ON THE SHIP

Getting onboard the Equiniox
We left the hotel about 10:15 this morning and when we got to the pier we had the form to fill out about not being sick recently and then we went to the check-in counter and 5 minutes later we were on the ship. We found a table in the Oceanview Cafe (it wasn't hard since we were practically the first people in there) and sat around chatting until 11:30 when it opened. Lunch was just okay in my opinion. I forgot to say they collected our passports when we checked in and said they would hold them until we got to Egypt. It seems we have Egyption and Israeli officials on board and they are going over every passport and tomorrow every passenger on the ship has to go before the Israeli officials by times that were given to us by Celebrity.Went to our unofficial meet and greet on the lawn (yes the ship has a lawn of real grass) and met lots of folks from the boards. I was finally able to put faces to names.We only got 3 of our 4 pieces of luggage (the one that had gotten ripped was the missing one) and I was starting to panic (it was 5 PM and we had the lifeboat drill coming up) so I went to Guest Services where they keep the ones without tags. You guessed it; my tag was missing. I showed him my special tag that is a bright yellow with my name embroidered in red. You have to be blind to miss it. I was going to take it but he said they would deliver it my room.After the drill it still wasn't there so I went to get it since all my clothes were in that one and I didn't have a choice if I wanted to go to dinner.Dinner was fine, the show was good and here I am writing this blog which for some reason I still can't get an internet connection so please be patient and since tomorrow is a sea day I will find out what I'm doing wrong.

FINALLY LEAVING FOR THE CRUISE

This morning my cousins came over to say goodbye and helped avert a major castastrophy. After picking up my luggage and saying it was way over 50 lbs (somehow I had gotten 43) we re-weighed it and it was 68 lbs. I went to pick up Enid to bring her over to my house and got a bigger suitcase and transferred everything from my smaller one and moved stuff from my bigger suitcase to bring the weight down. While we were doing this the car service came 40 minutes early (and I was worried they would get lost and be late) so he had to wait for us to finish before loading the van.To make a long story short, here we are at the airport with plenty of time to spare as the flight is delayed until 5:05 PM and we got here at 1:45. So much for my phobia about being early.We're now on the plane and they have fed us dinner, but please don't ask what it was. We had a choice of beef or fish and Enid and I chose beef and I could see David did too. I had no idea what Joan ordered as she is on the other side of the plane and 1 row back. The roll and the slice of monterrey jack cheese was okay but don't even ask about anything else because I wouldn't even try it. It's good to always carry bagels when you fly. So far we have met 4 other people on this plane that are also going on the Equinox but only on the 1st cruise. It's 7:30 and I figure if I go to sleep now when I wake up I'll be on European time. That sounds great if I can pull it off.Okay folks, Joan and David both enjoyed dinner but didn't like breakfast and Enid and I thought breakfast was better. The flight was not as bad as I was expecting and I did get a little sleep. After waiting almost an hour for our luggage one of my suitcases outer compartments came apart completely so I will probably leave that one on the ship.Our hotel room is like a penthouse. We even have a two person sauna in our dining room. Not too bad for 2 gals from NY.Enid went down to the bar and met more people going on the cruise and they recognized my cruise critic screen name so Enid called and told me to come down and join all of them. They were all very nice. Then we met another couple and they were going for dinner at a restaurant (Aqua) and we decided to join them and asked Joan and David but they declined. So much for departure day as we are exhausted.

Getting Closer-Only 3 More Days

We're leaving on Wednesday; time is running short and I'm feeling the pressure as I wait until the last minute to get everything ready so now I'll really be busy and can't find any more excuses or other things to do instead. I hope I have the strength to update the blog every night before sleep. I'm following my friends blogs (on the Ruby Princess transatlantic right now) and they aren't posting too often. Did you guy get the hint? I hope I figure out how to post pictures too so you can see us on the camels and all the other fantastic places we are going to.

NEW SHIP--NEW AND EXCITING PORTS OF CALL

I am starting this blog so my friends and family can travel along with me and share in this exciting trip.

We're leaving on Oct 21st and I will continue posting (depending on internet conections) until we return on Nov 19th.