27 End of Year and Christmas

Christmas is the perfect way to wind up a calendar year. The whirlwind of December activities gives way to a family time of gathering, sharing and celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. Each year's gathering grows sweeter as the children grow older and older, and the grown-ups just grow older. It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. But now we are already looking forward to 2013. Come follow along with us once more: www.sandcastlesandsunsets2013.blogspot.com

26. On the Way Home

The early wake-up call on Friday was necessary to get a taxi and make our way to Fiumicino and the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. It was an easy drive with little traffic so early in the morning. On arrival, there was already a long line for check-in, even though we were more than 2 hours before our departure time. We realized the reason when we made our way to the head of the line. Everything was delayed, since all the planes coming from the Northeast of the US were still being impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Our flight was expected to be four hours late, due to delayed arrival from New York. Actually it was 6 hours late by the time of our departure, so we had to be rescheduled for our New York to Richmond flight. Then we arrived at Newark after that flight had departed, so we were re-scheduled again for a late night flight to Richmond. However, the flight crew for that plane had not arrived from New Orleans, so we were delayed again. However, we were able to make it to Richmond, just before midnight. So we did arrive the same day we left from Rome. All is well that ends well. Krista met us at the airport, and had a cd of “Jerusalem, the Holy City” cued up and ready to play for us, as we exited the airport. A nice touch to keep the magic of the trip alive for us as we returned home! There was no trouble sleeping this night, as we were finally back in our own bed again! So our adventure winds down to a close. But surely the sights and memories will linger with us for the rest of our lives. Thanks for following along with us.

25. Last Day in Rome

For one last time, we slept in with no wake-up call in the hotel. Then we enjoyed a wonderful buffet breakfast in a bright, garden-view first floor restaurant in the hotel. We then rode the hotel shuttle bus to the Vatican drop off point. Then we rode a city bus to the Plaza Venezia, the national monument with the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a bright, sunshiny morning, so our pictures are some of the best of any of our scenes in Rome. We walked through several Roman ruins on the way to San Pietro in Vincoli, or the Church of St. Peter in Chains. It is a church that claims to hold the actual chains that bound the First Century Disciple of Christ. The chains are displayed in a central place near the altar of the church, and the paintings all around the front of the church are huge and impressive frescoes, in a style reminiscent of Michaelangelo. The paintings are not his, but the notable larger-than-life sculpture of Moses is one of the more famous sculptures by Michangelo. While the Moses is positioned to one side of the front of the church, the line of visitors seems more crowded in the area of the sculpture than near the reliquary containing the chains located in the center of the church near the altar. The chains are believed to be from Peter’s imprisonment in Jerusalem, and were passed on to various notables until they came into the possession of Pope Leo I, in the mid-400s AD, finally coming to rest in the church that bears the name of St. Peter in Chains. We had lunch at a sidewalk café, before walking across the downtown area to the Fontana Trevi, or Trevi Fountain. It is amazing to me that there seem to be hundreds of visitors crowded into the viewing area around the fountain, day and night. So we braved the crowds once again, and had some great pictures near dusk, as the lighting shifted from daylight to dark. It is a beautiful fountain, and not surprisingly, is a major tourist attraction. We continued stopping into many shops and boutiques on our way to a subway station. We rode the subway back to the area near our hotel, then transferred to a bus that appeared to be going in the direction of the Crowne Plaza. I asked the bus driver if she went near the hotel, and she nodded yes. She kindly stopped us from getting off too soon, but indicated when we were at the closest bus stop to the hotel. It was only one block away. So we finished up our tour, weighed our suitcases and rearranged the contents to satisfy the weight requirements for the airline the next day. Then we crashed with a request for a 5 am wake-up call.

24. Return to Rome

The Norwegian Jade docked at the Port of Rome before daylight on Wednesday morning. The port city is actually the small village of Civitivecchia, which is a full hour’s bus ride into the center city of Rome. NCL had arranged for a local guide to ride with us on the motorcoach and provide us with an informative narrative all the way into Rome. As we entered the city, she gave us an expert guided tour of the many major landmarks across the ancient and modern city. The bus dropped us off at the Plaza Popolo, in the heart of the upscale shopping district for a 2 hour block of “free time.” Unfortunately, it was raining throughout the two hours, so Cynthia and I strolled past several stores, such as Cartier, Gucci, Armani, Tiffany, Louis Vitton, etc. (yes, I said we walked past them!). We then decided to have lunch at a sidewalk café nearby, asking for an inside table. After our rainy free time, the bus finished our city tour by dropping some of us at our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, St. Peters. Then the bus proceeded to take the others on to the airport to meet their departing flights. Fortunately, our airline tickets gave us an extra couple of days in Rome, so we were not stressed like many of those who were heading into the troubled aftermath of the massive storm that had just hit the Northeast of the United States. Once we were settled into the hotel, we re-organized our bags from the ship, used the hotel business center to check our email from home, and then had dinner and crashed for our first night in a bed on terra firma since last 11 nights. Hopefully, tomorrow will not be so rainy and we can enjoy one last day in Rome, before returning home on Friday.

23. Straight of Messina and Volcano Island

The main attraction of Tuesday, our 2nd Sea Day, was the mid-day passage of the Strait of Messina. The narrow passageway between the boot of Italy and the island of Sicily is so narrow that it requires a harbor pilot to come aboard major vessels to navigate the sea lane between the two countries of Italy and Sicily. It was explained that the area is so narrow, and the tides of the Mediterranean are so powerful, that it is a treacherous passage especially for small boats. In the forward lounge of the ship, with a wonderful panoramic view to the front of the ship, a lecturer gave an interesting presentation on the history and the physical characteristics of this passage. A series of huge whirlpools is evident between the ship and Sicily. An ancient tradition held the belief that these areas of troubled waters provided an entryway into the underworld, likely a reflection of the fear that was elicited by the natural, and actual dangers of this very treacherous passageway. The bright sunlight and clear skies are giving us beautiful pictures of this Sea Day as we spend our last day on the ship sailing up the western coast of Italy toward the Port of Rome. The late Fall cool temperatures and the stiff breeze are bringing out the jackets and scarves for walking on deck. Still, our cool breezes are of little comparison to the news of Hurricane Sandy that we continue to follow on our cabin TV. Later in the afternoon, we sailed between the coast of Italy and their only active volcano, Stomboli Island. We will leave the ship on Wednesday at the Port City of Civitivecchia and be transported by bus into the central city of Rome and dropped off at our hotel near the Vatican. We will then have another free day in Rome before our flight home on Friday. It’s hard to imagine that our travel adventure is drawing to a close.

22. Sea Day - Monday

With a Sea Day, everything slows down, and there is a more relaxed mood all over the ship. Often it turns out to be good day for the swimming pools and Jacuzzis, but as we steamed northward across the Mediterranean, at the end of October, it was cool and breezy on the pool deck. But I had discovered an unexpected surprise in the ship’s Library, which is located inside just forward of the pool deck. The Library on the Norwegian jade was named and dedicated to the ocean liner SS United States. This is the ship built at the Newport News Shipyard from 1950-1952. My father worked on the construction of the vessel and spoke often of the opulence built into the ship as it represented the pinnacle of American shipbuilding in the 20th Century. Of all the ships he worked on during his career at the shipyard, he always considered this one his “Pride and Joy.” In the days when ocean travel was the Only Way to Cross, this ship was America’s answer to the ocean dominance of the British with their Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. On the maiden voyage of the SS United States in 1952, it captured the speed record for crossing the Atlantic from New York to England, and then claimed the westbound record on its first return trip back to New York. The ship still holds both records to this day. The title trophy is called the Blue Riband, and is displayed in a maritime museum in New York. NCL purchased the ship in 2003, with plans to put it back into service as part of its new division, NCL America, which was created to manage its Hawaii operations. Since then, NCL has sold the ship to a Conservancy which is actively seeking to restore the vessel and position it as a hotel attraction somewhere on the East Coast of the United States. But the SSUS Library remains on the Norwegian Jade and has a large scale model of the ship, with its distinctive Red White and Blue funnels, attractively displayed in a glass case in the center of the library. The hallway photographs, and those on the walls inside the library, show several different views of the ship, including some under full power at sea, or with the New York City skyline in the background. One of them shows the ship at a pier in the shipyard at Newport News, possibly during its construction period. Of course, I could imagine one of the shipyard workers shown in the picture to be my father at work on “his ship.”

21. Alexandria, Egypt

We awoke on Sunday to the blaring siren of a police boat which circled our ship for several minutes as we approached the Ship Terminal at Alexandria, Egypt. It was such a small boat, compared to our huge vessel, but its mission of police security was evident to all who were within earshot of of that screeching sound. It was a beautiful, sunny morning to begin our second day in Egypt. The busy harbor area has a very industrial appearance, and the Norwegian Jade is the only cruise ship in port today. The terminal building is a huge and very modern building, but it has absolutely nothing inside, except the security checkpoint for passengers going and coming to the ship. Just outside the terminal building, the port has erected a long row of vendor shops. So we did not have to go far to find a wide variety of Egyptian souvenirs and other products. But we did decide to walk into town to find an internet café several blocks from the entrance to the harbor. As my coffee arrived (Egyptian, of course), I became aware that my computer had refused to boot up. I assumed that the battery had failed, even though I had charged it overnight. The rest of the story is that the hard drive had crashed, and I only had a black screen when I turned on the laptop. So we packed up the dead computer, finished my coffee, and Cynthia’s bottled water, and walked across town to the waterfront area of the city. Alexandria offers a beautiful, crescent shaped beach, with many people enjoying the sand and the water. We had a wonderful view of the castle, a Mosque and the Library, all positioned along the beautiful crescent coastline. This harbor is also the location of the once-famous Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse, one of the classical “7 Wonders of the Ancient World.” Many of the passengers from our ship had taken the all day excursion to the Pyramids of Giza and the city of Cairo. Those pyramids are the only remaining landmarks of those 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. Since we had seen them fairly recently, we passed over that tour and just waked around the port city instead. From the waterfront, which was a hefty walk from the harbor, we hired a taxi to take us back to the ship. At the time for sailing away, the Captain announced that we would have a 3 hour delay, due to a medical emergency with one of the passengers. So we went to dinner in Le Bistro, a French restaurant which is one of the optional restaurants on the ship. I had arranged for reservations on Cynthia’s birthday, so it would be a more memorable dinner meal. The Cruise Director, a multi-lingual, very talented former Las Vegas entertainer, had announced that he would be singing French songs in Le Bistro that night, accompanied by a quintet from the ship’s orchestra. While we were eating, we both had a delightful surprise when he turned in our direction and began singing Happy Birthday, in FRENCH, including “dear Cynthia,” in English. What a total surprise! He came over to our table afterwards and spoke to us and wished Cynthia a more personal Happy Birthday. Later, as we made our way back to our cabin on Deck 9, we opened the door and were surprised again to see a room full of streamers, and balloons, and confetti sprinkled all over the bed and the floor. What a nice surprise for NCL to arrange such a memorable celebration of Cynthia’s birthday. I was aware that she would celebrate a birthday aboard the ship, but had no idea it would be like this. Thanks, NCL!

20. Port Said, Egypt and Suez Canal

We awoke Saturday with the requirement to proceed to the gangway for the Egyptian Immigration officials to stamp our passports, in order to go ashore in Egypt. Since several vendors had set up their souvenir stands adjacent to the gangway, we went outside to the pier and browsed past several of them before returning to the ship for a late morning breakfast. Later, we walked ashore to find that most of the stores were closed for their end of week Sabbath. We fund a hotel (Panorama Hotel) that was open and they allowed us to buy some internet time so I could update this trip summary and upload some pictures from our travel so far. They had no American coffee, so I enjoyed Egyptian coffee while Cynthia had a soda, as we checked our e-mail. Since Cynthia had picked up a hacking cough, we found a pharmacy near the hotel and bought a bottle of cough syrup. We were quite surprised at the price: 4.20 Egyptian Pounds, or 65 cents in our money. As we walked back toward the ship, a house and carriage driver offered us a tour of the city and a ride through the Old City as well. The area of the Old City of Port Said reminded us of the Khan neighborhood of Cairo, with its crowded streets and all kinds of merchandise hanging on display outside the stores. It was indeed a colorful sight. Then a brief stop at a jewelry store gave us a few minutes to pick up an Egyptian cartouche for Cynthia to remember the Egyptian portion of our trip. We ended up at the street bordering the Suez Canal and followed that street back up to our ship. Our departure was not until well after dark, so we were able to watch the lights of the city as we sailed out of the Suez Canal on our way to the nearby port of Alexandria. The ship had actually entered the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea, gone far enough into the canal to arrange a turnaround, and then docked adjacent to Port Said, facing the entrance of the canal. So with this development, we can now say we have sailed both the two major, most significant commercial canals in the world. Tomorrow gives us one more day in Egypt as we dock in Alexandria at 8 am on Sunday morning. Although it will be 1 am at home, we will be remembering our friends and family attending worship at home later on the same day, while we take our last steps on these Bible Lands that have come alive in a profound and meaningful fashion during these days of our travel.

19. Jerusalem, Israel

On Friday, we left the port of Ashdod in a light mist, although we could see clear skies to the East, Soon we were rolling toward Jerusalem under bright blue skies with white puffy clouds. From the coast to the hills of Jerusalem, we made our way gradually inland and upland, as Jerusalem sits on a relatively high plateau. We passed through the area where former Prime Minister Rabin had been murdered in the mid-1990’s. Several military vehicles were evident as a roadside memorial. Our guide explained that each year since, there had been a memorial ceremony with everyone singing a sad song about his death – until this year. The family had asked for there to be a more joyful remembrance going forward. As we approached the city of Jerusalem, it became more and more apparent that all the buildings reflected the same color. The stone is called Jerusalem Stone, and by law, all new buildings must use this stone. When the sunlight reflects off the buildings, the effect is to display a very bright image of a city of light. Our bus took us first to a an overlook on Mt. Scopus, near the Mount of Olives, where we were given a beautiful panorama of the city, with the gold colored Dome of the Rock standing out like a jewel. Other landmarks were also visible within the walls of the Old City, especially the sizable dome over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The walls of the Old City gave a clear indication of how small the old city is, compared to the rest of the modern, very large City of Jerusalem surrounding it. From this view, we could also see the Garden of Gethsemane below us, with its olive trees and the Church of All Nations, situated in the middle of the Garden of Gethsemane. After leaving the lookout point, we proceeded to descend down to the Garden. We left our bus to walk the short distance to the church, and had a close-up view of several of the Olive Trees that have been cared for over the years. The guide indicated that some of the trees located here are over two thousand years old. As we made our way into the church, there is a stone outcropping just beside the structure, with a painting just above it showing Jesus kneeling in prayer, leaning on a rock that shaped like the one we saw. It is easy to visualize Jesus kneeling in agony on the night before his death, as he prayed there in that garden. Upon entering the church, visitors find an almost dark, somber mood inside, with beautiful mosaics all around the inside walls, and a massive, huge mosaic behind the altar. Then, your attention is directed to the floor in front of the altar. A large, room-sized area is left uncovered by the marble flooring and shows a relatively flat rock surface. Many worshippers paused to touch or kiss this rock in an act of devotion. Even with the very crowded nature of the room, there was still a hushed reverence about the place. The mosaics around the main worship room reflected many different nations, as the implication that the message and ministry of Jesus was intended for all mankind. The Church of All Nations is just that. We left the Garden of Gethsemane and rode to the Zion Gate, one of several openings in the Old Walled City. A small area just outside the gate is known as the City of David, although historically, the whole of Jerusalem has also been known as the City of David. The city’s history predates David by many centuries, as the Dome of the Rock is believed to be the site of Abraham’s “almost” sacrifice of his son Isaac. But Jerusalem achieved its primary significance when David selected it for his capital city, as he united the tribes of the North and the South into the single nation of Israel. That period is represented as the Golden Age of Israel’s life on the world stage. But before many generations had passed, other nations around Jerusalem overtook the city and its surrounding territory, and it became only a pawn in international affairs until the Roman period shortly before the birth of Jesus. Inside the Zion Gate, we visited an upper room believed to be a place that might have been used by Jesus and his disciples for his Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion. It is a Muslim church today, but has been regarded for many years as the place where Jesus passed the bread and the cup to his disciples, instituting what we know as the Lord’s Supper. Afterwards, we visited the Tomb of King David, Just outside the structure was a life-sized statue of an adult David, holding a harp. It is a truly striking bronze sculpture. Then we walked down a straight street known as Cardo Street, which was described as the Main Street through the Old City. It served as the Highway #1 right through the heart of Jerusalem, as the city lay on the primary highway of antiquity for much of the commercial traffic moving North and South between Asia and Egypt. Our current medical specialty of Cardiology shares its name with this street. Several Roman columns have been excavated adjacent to the street, and another archaeological find in Jordan indicated that commercial stalls, or stores were located between the columns in Jerusalem. The mosaic found in Jordan has been moved and positioned nearby the columns in Jerusalem, providing a validation of the commercial nature of this Cardo Street. Some of the rough hewn stones of the passageway have been determined to be from First Century Jerusalem. So once again, I could feel as though I were walking “where Jesus walked in days of long ago.” We returned to the bus to find another panorama view of Jerusalem, similar to that we had seen from the Mount of Olives. Then, from the lookout we rode to another Kibbutz, where we enjoyed another buffet lunch similar to the one we enjoyed the previous day in the north of Israel. On the way to the Kibbutz, we saw the village of Bethlehem just a few miles distant from the City of Jerusalem. After lunch, I walked to a hillside overlook and looked again at the village of Bethlehem in the distance. The primary geographic insight from this trip, for me, has been the awareness of how small is the area that Jesus traveled, once he left Nazareth. Still, to have traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem during that period, with only a donkey to east the travel burden of a mother in her ninth month of pregnancy, is part of the mysterious and miraculous nature of the Incarnation of God in the human form of a baby. After lunch, we left the Kibbutz to drive to the Jaffa Gate, where we began our walking tour through the Old City, concluding at the Dung Gate, located near the old Western Wall of the Temple structure. Inside the Jaffa Gate, we walked through the narrow lanes that took us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Since the era of Constantine, the traditional sites of both the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus have been encased within the very large structure known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In a lower level, some rocks are displayed that appear to have blood stains from the upper level where the cross is believed to have stood. Then, on the other side of the main entrance, a cupola covers the area of the tomb in which Jesus is believed to have been buried. Several altars and shrines are positioned all through the huge building, and crowds are ever present as visitors wait in line to visit each of the shrines. Since the late 1800’s, an alternate site has been offered as the place believed to be the actual location of Calvary, at “the place of the skull.” The location’s name is due to the rock’s appearance as somewhat like a skull. The alternate location has taken on the name of the English man who found it, and it is called “Gordon’s Calvary.” He also associated a burial site nearby that has taken the name of the “Garden Tomb.” Both locations have their strengths of preference. And since there is no way to determine the accuracy of either claim, I am glad to have been exposed to both. We continued our walking tour by progressing along the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Suffering. Several “Stations of the Cross” allow some religious traditions the opportunity of pausing and reflecting on the various moments of Jesus’ agonizing journey from the place of judgment to the place of the Crucifixion. Several stops along the way memorialize the difficulty of that journey, such as the stumbling of Jesus, and the conscription of another to help bear the cross. As we made our way past the Temple Mount, we passed an entrance to the Dome of the Rock. However, due to the Muslim holiday on the day of our visit, it was closed to visitors. As we entered the Western Wall Plaza, there was a surprising security check, as we had to pass through metal detectors before entering the large plaza in front of the Western Wall. Formerly known as the Wailing Wall, it represents the closest point that the Jews could approach the Temple Mount, and the entrance to the Temple. For centuries, they were prohibited from entering the temple area. For much of that time, they were prohibited from even entering the city. But since the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel re-claimed the entirety of the City from the Jordanians, the Wall has been known as the Western Wall, which is all that remains of the Second Temple (Solomon’s Temple was the First). We finished our walking tour at just about Sundown on Friday, the beginning of the Sabbath for the Jewish people. So the Western Wall became very busy. I saw one man, apparently a father with his two sons, dressed in black, actually running to arrive at the Wall at the beginning of their Sabbath. There are two areas for prayers, a larger area for men, and a smaller area for women to pray. At least one explanation is that the men did not want the possible distraction of women to keep them from being focused on their prayers. I chose to make my way to the wall and offered a prayer for the day when all persons might come to know the freedom and the joy of the Christian life. While our guide spoke often of the ability of Jews, Muslims and Christians to live peacefully with the city of Jerusalem, I would certainly not regard the arrangement as “peace and harmony.” A striking “Green Wall” outside the city defines the Palestinian area with a physical border that slashes across the hillside, and the latent hostility between the non-Christian groups reflects anything but a spirit of peace that was at the heart of the ministry and mission of Jesus while he lived and walked and taught in that part of our world. We boarded our bus for a quick drive through the modern part of the City of Jerusalem. We saw the Knesset, or their Parliament building, a fountain park which was a gift from Germany, and several other commercial and residential buildings, before returning to the Port of Ashdod and a return to the ship. After our lengthy Day Tour, the ship was ready to sail away shortly after the final tour bus deposited its passengers on the pier. It was a long day, but somehow the energy level was maintained, surely at least in part, by the awareness of many of us that the visit to Jerusalem was the culmination of a lifelong dream. So it was for this Traveler.

18. Haifa, Israel to Sea of Galilee

We were up early on Thursday morning for a 7:45am tour departure. We left the ship and boarded one of a large number of buses lined up on the pier. Apparently this was one of the most sought-after tours offered by the ship, since I have never seen so many buses waiting beside the ship on any of our previous cruises. We saw a view of the port city of Haifa as we left to go inland toward the Sea of Galilee. The one dominant sight is a very modern office building located near the harbor, which towered over all the other low to medium rise buildings near the port. As we rode eastward, we passed by the Valley of Jezreel, mentioned in the Old Testament. We also saw the village of Cana, where the wedding feast was held when Jesus was credited with turning water into wine, and saving the host from great embarrassment. From a ridge, we had our first view of the Sea of Galilee and the southernmost point at which it empties into the Jordan River. The bus stopped halfway down the winding road to allow several of us to stand outside to make photographs. This moment became one of the initial highlights of the trip for me. I have seen pictures and preached many sermons referencing this body of water, but to see it with my own eyes, and to reflect upon the truth that Jesus and his disciples actually sailed on that same body of water during his earthly life – that was a very emotional moment for me. The bus continued down the winding road till we came to the seaside, It is a very low altitude spot, and is characterized by many palm trees. That was a surprise to me, since I had never associated palm trees with the Sea of Galilee. The Sea is more than 600 feet below sea level, and is almost completely surrounded by mountains. The Golan Heights are clearly visible on the far side of the Sea. We then made our way to the south end of the Sea, where it empties into the Jordan River. Just a short distance down the river is a classical baptism spot. It has developed into a commercial facility, and has several walkways that lead down to and into the river water. We saw many people changing into white robes and proceeding down into the river to experience a baptism in the Jordan River. I placed my hand into the river, to experience the water, and once again, to reflect upon the reality that this same river was the water wherein Jesus asked his cousin, John the Baptizer, to baptize him as well. We then proceeded along the coastline of the Sea of Galilee, passing through the city of Tiberius, named for one of the Caesars. Several Roman ruins in the area indicated that the village had become an outpost (perhaps a resort) of the Romans. As we travel north alongside the Sea of Galilee, a rainstorm becomes visible hanging over a portion of the huge lake. A wall of rain is clearly visible moving across the Sea, and the sight brings to mind the storm that arose quickly on the occasion when Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. When the disciples awoke him, he questioned their faith, then prayed, and the storm died down. We passed the hill known locally as the Hill of the Beatitudes. It is the traditional site from which Jesus offered his Sermon on the Mount near the beginning of his ministry. A new insight for me was that the Sea was clearly visible down below, and this hillside location would be a perfect “gathering place” for Jesus to offer one of the most complete recitations of his understanding of life lived in the Kingdom of God. The Church of the Beatitudes has a very beautiful altar and a garden sloping down toward the Sea of Galilee. A monastery has also been built and occupies a prominent position on the grounds overlooking the Sea. Another memorable stop was not very far away as we visited the Church of the Multiplication. It is a memorial church, also within sight of the Sea of Galilee, that recalls the feeding of the multitude with a few loaves and fish. It contains one of the most celebrated mosaics, depicting a bread basket and two fish, one on either side. Aninteresting note is that Cynthia remembered the very same mosaic, in the very same place from her Holy Land trip she took while still in high school. In addition to this rather small (3’ x 5’) mosaic adjacent to the altar, the rest of the floor of the church was covered with mosaic workmanship of various patterns. While we weer there, an elderly craftsman was engaged in some repair work on one area of the floor, utilizing the tiny stones that make up a larger pattern of artwork. An impressive feature of these very old churches is the level of craftsmanship and excellence that have gone into these churches, memorializing various events in the life and ministry of Jesus. The worship of God, as He revealed Himself in the person of Jesus, has called forth a remarkable expression of artistry and beauty across the ages, and not surprisingly in this land that has taken on the name Holy Land. We had a buffet lunch at a Kibbutz, a communal living arrangement with a focus on agriculture and farming. After lunch, from the Kibbutz, we traveled to Nazareth,where we visited the Church of the Annunciation. It stands as a memorial to Mary, and a crypt inside and down below the main floor contains a separate altar memorializing the location where the angel Gabriel is believed to have announced to Mary that she was to bear the Christ Child. Then we moved just a few yards up the street to the Church of St. Joseph, which is portrayed as the location of Joseph's carpenter shop. The village of Nazareth likely had only a few hundred inhabitants in the Biblical period, quite a contrast to the modern, busy, and very commercialized city it has become today. After a brief time for shopping as we awaited our tour bus, we boarded the bus for the after dark return to the port of Haifa. Overnight we will sail south to Ashdod, where we will spend another day touring the Old City of Jerusalem. This day has been an inspirational one, especially since it was my first time to visit this land of Israel. The constant challenge for me was to balance the physical view of the modern and congested land of huge churches which cover the ground locations that have been in place for centuries, and then to recall the events from both the Old Testament period as well as the time of Christ, and realize that I was standing on the same ground that witnessed those same events in the distant past. The contrast between then and now is so striking. And yet, the same events I have heard about, and read about all my life took place right here on the same coastline of the Sea of Galilee, or out there on that same sea, with a rainstorm skimming over the same surface of water (as it did today), or on the same hillside that Jesus spoke his Sermon on the Mount, or any other of the pathways we walked upon today - all of those experiences took place right here, even if all the trappings of the modern day are also visible all around. It has been a remarkable experience to be able to say, "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked." And just think, tomorrow is Jerusalem!

17. Limassol, Cyprus

On Wednesday, the ship docked in the port of Limassol, Cyprus. The port city is a delightful blend of old and new, both commercially and religiously. The harbor is some distance from the downtown city area, so NCL arranged for shuttle buses to transport us the 3 miles to the city center. Since we are located on the Greek side of the island, the Greek heritage was very evident. A huge church, displaying various Greek Crosses on the exterior convinced us we were in a Greek Orthodox religious environment. However, there were a good number of women wearing a head covering as we walked around the city. Then we also saw a sizable minneret located close in to the commercial center of Limassol, and we were reminded that there must be a Muslim population here also. Historically, the island has been governed by both Greek and Turkish interests over the years. Currently the land is still contested. The larger, more well developed western portion of the island maintains it Greek culture and religion, while the northeastern extremity still considers themselves to be Turkish, and refuses to regard the current government as legitimate. A “No Man’s Land” separates the two areas geographically. Fortunately, we remained a long way from any contested area; nor did we take advantage of any of the inland tour options that were available today. Instead, we rode the shuttle bus into the city and walked around for several hours. We also stopped at a coffee shop that advertized internet availability. Coffee time for me and an ice cream treat for Cynthia allowed me to check our email and upload some pictures for future reference. Then we strolled through the streets, noting the very old and narrow streets in the first section we browsed, but then the streets widened and a more modern commercial district emerged. Lefkara lace seems to be the local artform that is found all over the business district of Limassol. The intricate stitchery must be terribly time consuming, and it is easy to understand why their handmade products are so very expensive. We found the merchants to be very friendly and conversational. Cyprus seems to be a delightful island culture, and I am sure it must be an attractive vacation destination for much of Europe that would not be so far away as to require a lengthy travel time to reach the place. While we did not visit any of the beaches, some of the postcard images in the shops suggest a beautiful and lively beach life is to be found all around the island. After our return to the ship, we had an earlier than usual departure. It was a peaceful scene, as the sun was still high in the sky, the blue sky and white puffy clouds reflecting off the crystal blue water. Again, we seem to be having an evening of smooth sailing, as I anticipate my first visit to Israel, beginning in the morning as the ship docks at the port of Haifa.

16. Alanya, Turkey

Late yesterday (Monday), we sailed past Sicily and Crete. While we were not close enough for good pictures, we were able to see both islands from the deck of our ship. It was significant to me that we were sailing on the very same body of water that the Apostle Paul sailed on as he journeyed to Rome. The years between just seem to melt away as I realized that the horizon I looked upon was the same view that he saw from the deck of his ancient, much smaller vessel, as he sailed these same waters 2000 years ago. The significance for me is not lost on the awareness that we are approaching the land of Israel, where surely at least some of the sights we will see were essentially the same that the persons of the Biblical record also looked upon. Today, Tuesday, we landed in Alanya, Turkey. It is an old city, with a Red Tower fortress adjacent to the harbor, and a larger castle atop the hill behind the harbor. City walls, in the turreted medieval style, creep along the shoreline and then climb up the hillside to the castle. It makes for a most picturesque scene from the cruise ship, which is the only big ship in the harbor today. Several motorcraft and medium sized sailing vessels make the marina appear quite crowded, and doubtless many of those boats will be utilized for the various excursions offered by NCL while we are in port. We have chosen not to book any of the shore tours, except the two days we are in Israel, so today we just walked ashore and spent our free day in and around the pier which extends from the middle shoreline of the city. The shops are reminiscent of some of the market areas we remember from Cairo. Lots of hanging goods outside of the storefronts, with many goods spread out on the floor inside the shops. But the traffic is much lighter, with most vehicles reflecting a late model appearance, while the buses are ultra modern. It was apparent that a ship was in port, since much of the foot traffic appeared to be passengers from the cruise ship, as compared with the Middle Eastern appearance of the merchants and locals. The restaurant we found that offered internet service was very modern, and the staff most friendly. I enjoyed a coffee while checking our email and updating this travel blog. The Muslim call to prayer sounded out at the appointed intervals, and could be heard all over the area, although I saw no one cease their current activities to engage in the kneeling and prayer that we so often saw in Egypt. Perhaps the devout found other more private places for their prayers. We bought several large bottles of water before returning to the ship to enjoy our lunch while the computer battery was recharged in our cabin. Then we returned for a second visit to the city to upload some pictures and get a few more water bottles (5 liters = $1 US). With the ship charging $5 per liter, we think we found a real bargain! Our last treat in Turkey was a cone of gelato (chocolate ice cream) that we enjoyed just before passing through the security check point at the pier. Umm, umm, good! The sunset sailaway gave us the opportunity for some beautiful photographs of the castle on the hilltop, the harbor tower and the old city walls, all of which were lighted for full photographic effect as the night surrounded us. Alanya is a beautiful city at night.

15. Sea Days on Norwegian Jade

Since I wanted to attend a Sunday worship service led by the Cruise Director, I woke early and found the coffee service at the outdoor restaurant. A coffee, some fruit, and a book to read provide the perfect elements to start any day, but to have a bright, blue ocean horizon for the surrounding view is like icing on the cake. After some reading time, I returned to the cabin to wake Cynthia, before attending the worship service in one of the lounges. It was a special treat to be a participant again in the kind of service I have led so often on the Easter and Holy Week cruises in the past. Following the worship service, we went immediately to a discussion of the various ports we will be visiting. It was helpful to see pictures of the docking area of the ports before we actually arrive there. We will be visiting Alanya, Turkey, Limassol, Cyprus, Haifa and Ashdod in Israel, and Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt. I was pleased to learn that the ship will actually enter the Suez Canal for a short distance before turning around and docking adjacent to the city of Port Said, named for the King who oversaw the building of the Suez Canal. A Late lunch and resting time on a deck lounger added to the relaxing nature of this day at sea. An actual nap time in the cabin later in the afternoon did not hurt either, since it seems I keep falling asleep every time I sit down for last 24 hours! I think I was ready for some extra relaxing and napping times while we are away. The Norwegian Jade is already living up to all expectations in that regard. Monday, October 22, 2012 The only excitement of this sea day was the requirement of the Israeli Immigration service to process through one of the lounges to re-claim our passports. We had been required to relinquish our passports as we boarded the ship on Saturday. The reason became clear in the documentation found in our cabins. While we sailed on the preceding sea day, the Israeli immigration officers were reviewing each passport, and producing an Israel Boarding Pass for our visit to Israel later in the cruise. So this morning, we were required to go to the Spinnaker Lounge to present ourselves in person to Israeli Immigration and receive back our passports and the landing pass with our identification information already entered on the pass. While it seems a cumbersome process, there is considerable comfort in knowing that the Israeli government is taking seriously the security of all the passengers on the ship, as well as screening in advance each person desiring to enter their country. The other consideration that made the extra mandatory activity not so burdensome is the weather today. While the Sea has remained very calm, it has been cool and breezy on deck for most of the day. So there has been very little temptation to go to the pool. Instead, it has been a perfect day to read up on the Israel destinations we will visit in just a few days. I continue to be amazed the more I learn about the turbulent history of Jerusalem, with Romans, Jews, Christians, and Muslims continually handing it back and forth every few hundred years, usually with great violence and bloodshed, as the city has survived into the modern era. Today’s political conflict, primarily between Israel and her Muslim neighbors, has as much to do with their history of religious conflict as it has with any current border considerations. I wonder if the border considerations will ever find a peaceful settlement, given the long-standing practice of waiting for the next pendulum swing of domination achieved historically only as a result of warfare and violence. Ironic, too, that this geography is the very place where the one who came to be known as the Prince of Peace took up his residence on planet earth.

14. Going to Port of Rome

Our Saturday transfer to the pier was arranged by NCL. Two buses were both loaded at the hotel and we rode for nearly an hour to arrive at the port city of Civitevecchia. Several other cruise line ships were docked at the port, along with our Norwegian Jade. We had time to become acquainted with the ship before the mandatory lifeboat drill which is conducted by NCL ships before leaving the port. We sailed at 6 pm for a picture perfect departure as the sun fell near the western horizon. By the time of sunset, we were out in the Tyrennian Sea, and the sunset pictures are great. We attempted to call John Christopher and sing Happy Birthday to him, but the phone never could establish a connection from the outside deck of the ship. So we just sang to him over the waves. Happy Birthday, John! We came inside to unpack our bags and settle into our cabin before dinner. I was concerned that a nearby alarm clock kept up a constant ringing. I supposed that the cabin next to us was unoccupied and that the previous occupant had left the clock with the alarm set for after their departure. Just as I was ready to call the Guest Services line to ask if a room steward could go into the adjacent cabin and turn off the alarm, I opened our last suitcase. The alarm sound got much louder and I realized that the alarm clock was inside my suitcase. I wondered how long it had been sounding its alarm. It probably needs a new battery by now! Our first dinner was in Papa’s Italian Restaurant, and I recalled how Bryan has just learned to say “Papa” when he sees me. Hope he doesn’t forget who I am after our time away. We were also reminded that Krista was preaching her first sermon at her new church the next morning. I’m sure she did a great job! After our Italian dinner, we realized it as “Lobster Night” in the main dining room, so after the introductory entertainment session in the Stardust Theater, we just “had” to go to the dining room and have another late evening dinner. The server probably thought it strange that we wanted no other course except the Lobster. Of course, we did not tell her that we had already had consumed a four course dinner earlier in the evening. We rounded out this departure day by walking around the lighted Promenade Deck with the lifeboats suspended overhead. The sloshing of the water as it rolls aside from the ship is a peaceful and relaxing sound. What a great way to end a day. In the cabin, the bed had been turned back and two chocolates were left on the pillows. Antonio, our cabin steward has already begun to take great care of us!

13 Tour of Underground at St. Peters

Friday breakfast at the hotel was a buffet feast. We had slept late, so we were still in the restaurant when they began to close down. There was enough time, however to make a couple of meat and cheese sandwiches from the breakfast bar, to take with us on our second day tour of Rome. I had wanted to tour the necropolis located below St. Peters, but had not arranged to do so in advance. So after arrival at the Vatican City bus stop, I proceeded to ask a Policeman where I could go for tickets to the “catacombs” below St. Peters. I believe he was skeptical, since the line just to enter the main floor of St. Peters stretched all the way across the huge Plaza in front of the Cathedral. But he finally said we could go over to the Papal Apartment area and ask someone there. The first attendant did not know what I was asking, so I stopped in at the Vatican Post Ofice. There a woman gave me a map of the grounds, and said I should go back around to the other side (of the huge cathedral), go inside a back entrance and ask the attendant there if we might join an existing tour group. We followed her suggestion, explained my mission to the security guard, got security screened like at the airport, then approached the Papal Guards, with their colorful uniforms, and asked again. They allowed “only one person” to go ask about tickets, so Cynthia waited while I went in to a small office near the back of St. Peters, at the ground level, and again explained my mission, adding that I was a theology professor from the US, and only had this day for the tour. He explained that there is usually a week advance notice required, and that all the tours are full. The he looked at me over his glasses, and said, “Come back at 3 pm for the English-speaking tour, and I can “Help you out.” So we went for lunch in a café near the rear of the Cathedral grounds, and waited the one hour. When we returned at 3 pm, we joined a group of about a dozen of mostly Americans, and proceeded to be led by a Tour Guide, a seminarian from England, down into the deepest levels underneath the main altar of St. Peters. Today’s cathedral is a replacement for the Constantinian Church built around 350 AD. It’s location was selected because of at least two reasons: (1) Christianity was still not well accepted, or respected by most pagan citizens of Rome, and the location was away from the main city. Following many executions, the hill area had become a City of Death, or graveyard, for many of the lower classes of Roman citizens. It also (2) just happened to be where Constantine agreed to build a huge place of worship for the Christians, especially after he had converted to Christianity, and had learned that Peter had been executed (likely in this area) in the much publicized persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome, and that many of the executions had taken place in the area that is now the Vatican City. What better location, Constantine decided, for his massive church to be built. In the excavations necessary to build his huge church, his engineers discovered evidence of a tomb that had been treated with a greater degree of veneration than most. Without reciting the details that our tourguide provided, he told us of the research, analysis, and scientific work that has led to the belief that it was, in fact the tomb of Peter the Apostle of Jesus Christ. It has been determined that the bone fragments found were from a male who died before the end of the first century. Of the several fragments located, one has been determined to be from the jawbone of that male. The centerpiece of the Constantinian Church was thus associated with the burial place of Peter. The subsequent, current cathedral that was begun in the 1500’s, has maintained the tradition, and the belief that it’s altar sits directly above the burial place of the one now regarded as St. Peter. Two very moving developments finished out the tour. In the darkened, small area located several feet below the High Altar of St. Peters, the young seminarian read the passage in Matthew, where Jesus asked who the people were saying he was. Then following Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” Jesus said that flesh and blood had not revealed it to Peter, but God Himself. Then Jesus said, “Upon this Confession, upon this Rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” After reverently reading the passage, there was a moment of silence. He knelt, and I and surely several others prayed at that moment. And there was a moment of genuine worship for me – not of Peter himself, nor any relics, or bones associated with his earthly body, but of the same Lord Peter confessed to be the Son of God; the same God who would inspire people in every age to worship him and to serve the needs of others in his name. After that moving moment down below the altar of St. Peters, we exited up a set of steps into the main floor of the cathedral. Just as the 5 o’clock Mass was beginning. We were invited into the most forward area to join worshippers seated just in front of the striking altarpiece on the western wall of the Apse. A smaller, priest’s altar was utilized by the Celebrant and several other priests who assisted with the service and with the serving of communion for those who chose to come to the communion rail at that point in the service. Only the Priest drank from the Cup, in addition to partaking of the wafer, or bread. But then he invited those present to come receive the wafer as a reminder that the Body of Christ was broken for us. We chose to walk to the rail, and it was a very special moment of communion worship for me. Even though I understood not a word of the homily, or sermon, since it was in Italian, and even though the person who served me the wafer of bread is from a different arm of the Body of Christ, and even though I sat surrounded by opulence and beauty on a scale perhaps not equaled anywhere else in the world – there was a keen sense for me of engaging in a universal practice of expressing my worship of the same God whom people all over the world gather for worship, in different languages, in differing levels of opulence or simplicity. But God is still God of us all. And I am amazed at the lengths artisans have gone to, in order to express their worship in artwork, and sculpture, and even in simple piety. I stand amazed in His presence – and did just that today. On the way back to catch the hotel shuttle bus, we left the tour bus and walked to Trevi Fountain. It was a beautiful sight at night-time, and just as crowded as it was in the daytime when we visited before. It too is an outstanding example of the sculpture and fountain artwork executed in the Middle Ages, but still attracting visitors from all over the world these hundreds of years later. We then stopped at a sidewalk café for dinner before returning to the hotel. As we made our way back to the hotel shuttle bus to go back to our airport hotel, it was already full. Since the next one would not arrive till 11 pm, five of us decided to share a taxi and go ahead back to the hotel. It was not a large taxi, but 5 of us managed to fit in, so we must have looked like a bulging small car as we made our way back to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in the port city of Fiumicino. Now it is time to re-pack for our trip to the ship tomorrow. More later.

12 Here we go again: Off to Rome and Israel

On Wednesday, 10-17-2012, NW and Bryan came for a visit while we finished last minute bill paying and loading their car for trip to RIC airport. Easy check-in and we boarded the small jet for 35 minute flight to Washington Dulles airport. Rome departure gate was near-by, so we moved down the concourse and waited for boarding time for our flight to Rome. Overnight flight on Boeing 767 was uneventful. We were able to sleep just a bit, as well as you can while sitting up in the too-small seats of today’s aircraft. We arrived on time at Rome at 8:15 am on Thursday morning. We stepped out on steps to a cool, but bright and beautiful morning of sunshine. Tarmac bus transported us to the terminal for passport check and baggage claim. All bags arrived together, so we started to walk to the adjacent Rome Airport Hilton. Luggage carts were available for 2 Euro, but I only had US money in my wallet. The ATM in the baggage claim area was out of service. I went to currency exchange service with my $10 bill. I knew their exchange rates were excessive, so did not want to use their service, but agreed to do so for a rolling cart. The agent offered to exchange my $10 US for 1.47 Euro. I said, “No thank you,” and we proceeded to walk our baggage to the hotel. Fortunately it was a covered walkway, with people movers along the corridors to the hotel. Also fortunately, all of our suitcases had wheels except one. The ATM in the hotel lobby solved our currency problems, and we were off to a good start. Since the room was not ready for check-in that early, we left our bags with the bellman, and took the hotel shuttle bus to downtown Rome, to kill time till we could get in our room later in the day. The shuttle bus dropped us at the side of the huge, white marble Venezia Monument, named for its location, the Plaza Venezia. that contains the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI. It also features a statue of first king of unified Italy, Victor Emanuele II. We remembered, from our previous visit, that the Open-top Tour Bus had a stop on another side of the huge monument. After walking to that location, we realized that the bus stop had moved and was now located immediately adjacent to the bus stop used by our hotel shuttle bus. So we first had lunch in a café nearby, then returned to the same bus stop and bought our tickets for the “Sightseeing Roma” tour bus. It provides an informative one hour overview of all the monuments and areas of the city, and the hop-on/hop-off feature avoids the need for multiple taxi rides to move about the city. So we took the ride-around, then stopped at the Coliseum and Arch of Constantine. On our previous trip, another tourist had taken our picture, but the camera was not level, so we and the Arch have been leaning to one side ever since. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is supposed to look like that, but not the Coliseum and Constantine’s Arch. So we wanted to revisit for a better photo of the two of us standing beside this monument. The amazing preservation of the arch and the coliseum next it have given us two of the most recognized landmarks in the world. We now have several different pictures from various angles, taken by other tourists (Australian, American, Oriental, and another with an un-recognized language). It appears that almost all of these pictures are level with the horizon. We also walked up into the area of the ancient Roman Forum, near the Coliseum. As one of the most popular tourist areas of Rome, it seems to be always crowded, and this day was no different. Weather-wise, it was a picture perfect day with bright sunshine, blue skies and white puffy clouds. We continued the tour bus ride and returned to the Plaza Venezia. We located another small café and had our dinner of lasagna and gelato dessert, before returning to the hotel shuttle bus stop. The ride back to the hotel was quiet and comfortable, and when I awoke, we were at the front door of the hotel. We both were ready for check-in and an early bed-time. It was so nice to get to sleep in a real bed!

11 That's All for Now, Folks!

So ends our Easter cruise adventure for another year. I keep pinching myself to see if it really is just a dream. The annual getaways with NCL have become so much a part of our lives for such a long time that I can hardly express in words what they mean to me. The chance to be a minister in such exotic settings has been an unbelievable personal blessing to me and a wonderful and relaxing getaway for us both. We can only hope the tradition continues for a long time to come. Stay tuned, as we look forward to inviting you back once again to share our next adventure. Till then, to each of you, we wish "fair winds and following seas." Currently, we are planning to visit Israel and Egypt in the Fall. The Norwegian Jade wil move back to the Port of Rome in October, and offer itineraries that include two new Mediterranean ports (Alanya, Turkey, and the island of Cyprus) in addition to two days in Israel, followed by two days in Egypt. This trip will fulfill my lifelong desire to visit the Bible lands of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River and the Old City of Jerusalem. Come follow along with us on yet another travel adventure.

10 NCL Private Island

In the 1970s, NCL was the first of the cruise lines to purchase an island in the Bahamian island chain to use for a "beach day" for passengers of its cruise ships. Since then, several other cruise lines have followed suit and now offer a similar experience on many of their itineraries. The day includes a full meal service, with bars and a food pavilion, restrooms, beach games, snorkeling to the offshore reef with brightly colored tropical fish, water sports such as jet skiis, parasailing, etc. In short, it is an entirely different experience to accent the shipbboard time on the cruise. Our beach day began with a downpour of rain that kept many passengers on the ship all day. Since the ship was anchored just off the island, with transport boats called "tenders" running back and forth all day, and since the rain stopped by mid-day, Cynthia and I went over to the island and enjoyed our lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, and pizza under the picnic shelter. Then we spent some time with our snorkel gear swimming out to the reef to view the colorful fish that gather around the offshore reef. Because of the cloudy skies, the colors of the fish were not as bright as they would be on a bright and sunny day, but the experience was delightful nonetheless. We finished the day with a nap for me, and reading for Cynthia, on the beach loungers before heading back to the ship for our last night of the cruise.

9 Sea Day

While visiting the various ports of call is one type of highlight that makes cruising so enjoyable, the "Sea Days" have become a welcome part of any cruise itinerary. The relaxed schedule, with no concern about going ashore, or making it back onboard before the gangway is lifted, makes for one of the best parts of an ocean cruise. The daily newspaper, known on NCL ships as the "Freestyle Daily," gives an hour-by-hour breakdown of all the various activities that are available. And there are many: bingo, craft demonstrations, art auctions, lectures on a variety of topics, spa features and treatments, aerobics, fitness center, classes on napkin folding (there really is an art to it!), current-run movies, etc. These are all in addition to the always available swimming, hot tubs, walking, jogging, shopping, lounging or reading by the pool, and the list goes on. While NCL's invitation is to "do it all or nothing at all," it really is impossible to do it all! So you decide, and you enjoy! We enjoyed a dellightful Sea Day on Thursday on our way back toward the Bahamas and the beach day planned for Friday, the last day of the cruise on NCL's private island known as Great Stirrup Cay.

8 Sailing Away from San Juan

As we returned to the ship for our sailaway, we realized that the Holland America ship Westerdam had arrived after we had gone ashore. As we sailed away from the pier, we had a great view of their ship as well as the tall ship HMS Bounty. Our early departure allowed time for some relaxation by the pool as we also enjoyed the scenery of the Puerto Rico coastline as it faded away. Later that evening, after dinner, we enjoyed the NCL signature event, the "Chocoholic Extravaganza." More chocolate is displayed than any one person can sample, but the view of the buffet is worth the time just to look. And this year, we saw an area for the first time that was designated "No Sugar Added." They might have called the event "Chocolate Decadence." It was awesome, and it was also very good! The food and the service are some of the most memorable aspects of the cruise experience, and this year was no exception. Lobster tails on the first night at sea gave a hint that we were in for a wonderful week of dining. Several restaurants are available to select from throughout the ship, but we loved the panarama views of the ocean in the Seven Seas Dining room, located at the very back of the ship with windows on three sides. It seems we almost always had a "table with a view." It became our favorite, as we ate all of the evening meals in this grand dining room.

7 Return to San Juan

After an overnight sail, which we believe to be "just floating around," we were tied up at the San Juan pier when we awoke. Puerto Rico is only a few miles distant from St. Thomas, so there was not much distance to travel between the two islands. We awoke to a scorching sun, and temperatures in the 90s. So we know we have made it to the tropics! We walked ashore and made our way up into the Old City, which is surrounded by two different old forts, which guarded the peninsula city back in the days of the real "Pirates of the Caribbean". There was no hurry to go ashore, since we have been here several times over the years. So we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the ship before going ashore. It was interesting to see some of the same shops and shop-owners we remembered from past visits. The streets are narrow, and some of the buildings are several stories tall, so some of the Old Town area feels rather crowded, especially when there are 2 or 3 cruise ships docked just a few blocks away. The bright colors on the faces of some of the buildings gives the impression of a lively and festive business climate. An unexpected treat was finding a replica sailing ship tied up adjacent to the Norwegian Sun when we left our ship. It bore the name HMS Bounty, and appeared to be an exact replica of the famous sailing vessel of the past. We learned later that it was in fact the exact replica ship constructed for the 1962 Marlon Brando film, "Mutiny on the Bounty." It sails around the world as a tourist attraction participating in various events. It was also used in the recent Johnny Depp "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. I would love to have been able to board the vessel, but no visitors were allowed at that time, and it was nearing our departure time as well. Maybe some time in the future! Our sailaway took us past the beautiful El Morro fortress that guards the harbor, and provides a beautiful backdrop for pictures as the ship sails away from San Juan.

6 Sailing on the Norwegian SUN

We're having a great time so far on the Norwegian SUN. We sailed Saturday evening from Port Canaveral, heading south to warm waters. By the next morning, we were tied up at the dock in Nassau, in the Bahamas. Since it was a port day, with people leaving the ship to go ashore at 8 am, I had wondered if anyone would be present for the Easter Service that was scheduled at 9 am.
But when the service began, upwards of 100 persons were in their seats in a bright, sunny lounge near the front of the ship on an upper deck. It was a great service, with persons from many different denominations present. There was even a family from England who were present also.
Later in the day, Cynthia and I went ashore in Nassau and walked around the city near the cruise ship pier area. Then Monday was a sea day as we made our way south to the US Virgin Islands. Today we are in St. Thomas, so we have been ashore to walk around the crowded streets and alley-ways that are a hallmark of this bustling tourist center. I have found an internet cafe at the Senior Frog's hangout near the ship. You can certainly tell it is Spring Break, since there seem to be 500 college age young people hanging out here next to the ship. It is almost sailing time, so I'll wrap up for this time. Tomorrow is San Juan, then another sea day as we sail back toward the Bahamas. Stay tuned!

5 On the go again! Charleston and Port Canaveral

We are looking forward to another Easter cruise week on NCL. This year, we will sail on the Norwegian Sun, the same ship we sailed around the southern coast of South America in 2009. On our way to Florida, we stopped by Charleston, SC for a visit with Ruth. She had arranged for me to get in to visit the First Baptist Church of Charleston, known as the oldest Baptist Church in the South. It was founded by William Screven in 1696, after he and a group of "Baptist dissenters" had been hounded out of the Puritan-dominated village of Kittery, Maine. His group traveled to Charleston, found a group of Baptists and formed the First Baptist Church of Charleston. Since I am currently teaching a Leland Seminary course on Baptist Belief and History, the visit has been most timely. I'll share pictures of the church with my class when we return to Virginia. It has a beautiful sanctuary, with a similar interior architecture to that used in the FBC of Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence church has the distinction of being the oldest Baptist church in America, founded by Roger Williams. After the Charleston visit, we drove south toward Florida, stopping for an overnight just outside Savannah, GA. The next day, we continued our drive to Orlando, where we stayed for a few days in the resort area around Disney. We enjoyed some time in the Disney Village, but stayed away from the amusement parks this time. What a nice recollection it was to remember last summer's visit with all the family to enjoy Walt Disney World and see the grandchildren beginning their Disney tradition. Following the Orlando stay, we drove over to the Cocoa Beach area for our last night before the NCL cruise. We had booked the Port Canaveral package at the hotel, that included parking for the week and transportation to and from the ship at the cruise terminal. We checked into the hotel early enough to go onto the beach and enjoy some beach time before returning to the hotel for dinner. The beach was very crowded, as the Ron Jon Surfing Festival was underway. After all, it is Spring Break time in Florida. Next stop, Norwegian Sun tomorrow morning!

4 Nassau in the Bahamas in January

Our final port call was Nassau, located on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. We were in no hurry to go ashore, since we have visited here before, so we stayed onboard for a leisure morning, with a late morning breakfast on deck overlooking the Atlantis Hotel complex and the bright blue ocean in the distance. The water in the Caribbean is a sparkling blue-green that is one of the most beautiful features of the multiple-island nation.
There were five cruise ships all lined up at adjacent piers located in the heart of downtown Nassau. The Norwegian Sky was located next to our Carnival Fantasy again, like yesterday, and the Norwegian Jewel was another NCL ship in the line-up. We sailed on it a few years ago on one of our Holy Week/Easter cruises. It is a striking picture to see all five ships filling the harbor area so close to the town.
The Nassau Christmas decorations were still placed all over the downtown area, reminding us that, even with the warm temperature, we were still in the post-Christmas winter season. What a contrast to the winter-time back home in Virginia!
We paid a visit to the Nassau Straw Market, a tourist feature for many years, although it has been rebuilt and upgraded several times since our first visit in 1979. This most recent structure has been open only since the Christmas holiday season in mid-December. It replaced a temporary tent structure that had been in use for the past ten years, following a huge fire in 2001. Even that temporary structure had been seriously damaged by Hurricane Irene in August, 2011. The vendors seemed to be pleased to be back in business in the new, very stable masonry structure, which is owned by the Government. It is available to several hundred vendors who crowd into the facility to sell many traditional straw items, in addition to all kinds of other touristy stuff, such as shirts, hats, mugs and many handcraft items.
We returned to the ship to enjoy another beautiful sailaway and the kind of sunsets that can only be enjoyed from the deck of a ship.
The final Sea Day was another cool and breezy day as we made our way up the East Coast toward Charleston. We found a secluded area on a lower deck at the very back of the ship, protected from the wind, where we enjoyed the sun for one last day. It is called the Serenity area, and is designated for adults only. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful winter-time getaway.
After an easy debarkation process, Ruth met us at the Charleston Custom House, adjacent to the pier. After another brief lunchtime visit with her, we headed north to begin our re-entry into the world of normal life. Till next time, thanks for reading along with us!

3 Ports of Call

The ship provided us a shuttle to downtown Key West, using the Conch Tour Trains that are seen all over Key West. We saw Mile Marker "0" which represents the beginning of the South-to-North Mile Marker system stretching all the way up the East Coast to the Canadian border. The walk around Key West was reminiscent of our drive to this Southernmost US location, during the winter after Cynthia's retirement three years ago. We found a Key Lime Pie shop, enjoyed a frozen lime-aid, and browsed through several of the many tourist shops before returning to the ship for an afternoon time by the pool onboard the ship. The sun and the warm temperature are a welcome change from the cool and breezy sea day sailing south from Charleston.
On Tuesday, we awoke to a dockside view of the harbor at Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. We were docked adjacent to the Norwegian Sky, which we remembered from earlier years on the ships of NCL. We visited the vendor Plaza near the ships, and then returned for another afternoon of swimming and enjoying the Water Park on the back deck of the Fantasy. I climbed to the top of the launching area for the twisting and turning water slide called the Twister. It is cantilevered over the side of the ship, so part of the slide is over the ocean water below. What a thrill! Minimum height is required, but I am glad there is no maximum age limit!
Late afternoons include time for a nap before dinner, then dinner in the Celebration Dining Room, and some type of stage show each night after dinner. So far, the trip has been a wonderfully relaxing vacation time.

2 Ship Ahoy!

We sailed from Charleston on Saturday and had a very chilly sailaway. Jackets and sweaters were needed outside on deck, but there is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing the ship push away from the pier, and glide smoothly out into the open water. This time, in order to get to open water, the ship had to make its way down the ship channel past some beautiful old waterfront homes, so the scenery was spectacular and new for us, since we have never sailed from this port before. Thanks, Ruth for driving us to the ship.
Sunday was a Sea Day, so there was plenty of time to explore the ship and get acquainted with the location of the variety of restaurants, stores, pools, waterpark, showrooms and lounges that seem to run non-stop all hours of the day and night. Our cabin is located on a lower deck, so we are far away from all the entertainment activity.
The afternoon sun warmed up the outside air enough to relax by the pool. I joined the few hearty souls who braved cool water for a brief swim. Some of them must have been from Canada, since they stayed longer in the water than I did. We were heading south, so most of the day the shoreline of Florida was on the distant horizon, and by late in the day, it had warmed up considerably. The sunset was beautiful, as it almost always is, dropping ever so slowly over the horizon.
The variety show of the evening featured and an energetic troupe of young singers and dancers who walked (and danced) us through several decades of music from the Copacabana, the Cotton Club, the Tropicana, and others we were not as familiar with. The lounge was situated near the front of the ship and stretched the full width of the ship, with huge picture windows on both sides. Of course, at night, there is nothing to see outside anyway.
As we left the dining room, a small group of passengers approached us, and one of the group spoke to me and I recognized her as a person who has been attending our church in Chase City. Carrie Lee Spence and some relatives and friends are traveling together on the cruise, so we had a mini-Chase City Reunion, and, of course, had to capture the moment with some photographs. What a surprise!
We are beginning our Monday with a view of Key West from the upper deck of the ship. We’ll walk ashore and look for the Key Lime Pie Factory, and some of the other local attractions, too. Stay tuned!

2012 - Off and Running Again

2012 already appears to be another exciting year. We begin our travels with a winter-time cruise from Charleston, SC. As the cold weather finally pays a visit to the East Coast, we will sail away hopefully to a warmer climate for a few days. Port calls will include Key West, Florida and then to Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas.
John's sister Ruth will see us off this year, as we have never sailed from Charleston before. We look forward to a short visit with her prior to our sailaway on Saturday.
Another special treat has been a visit with John's college roommate, Royster Hedgepeth, who recently retired and moved to Wilmington, NC. He and his wife Kathryn provided us with a delightful "coffee break" at their home as we made our way to North Myrtle Beach for a stop-over on our way to Charleston. The years since Wake Forest have been kind to us. I can't believe it has been over 40 years since we have been in contact with each other. Our reunion was occasioned by the fact that our Chase City church is located near Royster's hometown of South Boston, VA, and mutual friends have enabled us to link up again.