Day 35 27 April 2015 Ionian Sea

An interesting talk on the Invasion of Sicily in 1943, Operation Husky that was quite good and the history of the Mediterranean in the afternoon.  We saw the southern tip of Italy tonight. Tomorrow we will be in Sicily at Palermo where we find the internet actually works and I can finally do some posts!!!!.

Day 34 Sunday 26 April 2015 Athens

Hopping off the ship we had to wait for those bound for hospital to walk or more accurately hobble ardistance from Athens.  We saw a warship docked next to us that I assumed was THE Greek Navy until someone pointed out that it has red kangaroos on it.  It was the HMAS Supply (or Success) depending on who you listened to.  What are the chances!

Our Greek guide was Irene, of whom one of our ignorant companions claimed wasn’t a Greek name.  Fool.  The Greeks had a civilization while we Anglo-Saxons were sitting around in huts – nice huts though.  We saw the Acropolis which was WOW!! and stunning views over Athens.  It was crowded but not too bad once we got to the top.  There was a lot of uphill stuff (of course) and we had a number of cripples with us (again).  People seem to ignore the warnings provided by the cruise company.  We went to the new Acropolis museum which was very good and even though we were there for 60 minutes we were rushed through.  We didn’t even get to visit the bookshop! It was an excellently designed building with fantastic views of the Acropolis. We had a whistle top tour of the city.  A bit of graffiti around but you get that anywhere and some of it is obviously politically motivated.  I have taken some photos so Patra can interpret.  So little time and so much to see.

Day 33 Saturday 25 April 2015 ANZAC Day Galipoli

Day 33 Saturday 25 April 2015

Here we are 100 years after the event.  We are one of several cruise ships in the exclusion zone…yeah right.  We watched the ceremony on the big screen and saw the sun rise over the ship. The ship had its own service where they had three children lay wreaths, an Australian, a New Zealander and a Turkish child…most appropriate.  They also had John Williamson, Normie Rowe and Bruce Woodley sing at the service. Unannounced to the passengers, we did a sail pass.  As we were having breakfast and looking out Elizabeth said that we were quite close to land.  Much to my surprise it was Suvla Bay!  Which doesn’t sound exciting to others but I was pretty excited!!  We were able to see the entire ANZAC landing area from sea which looked a barer than what we saw when we were onshore.  It just showed how little they had gone from the beach.

We watched the Lone Pine service on TV and we could look out our balcony and see the Lone Pine memorial on shore so it seemed all a little surreal.  We also saw the Australian naval frigate and one from New Zealand that were off-shore.

The ship also had an ANZAC Concert with John Williamson, Normie Rowe and Darryl Braithwaite. John Williamson performed “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” and “True Blue” (a crowd favourite). Elisabeth was very impressed with Normie Rowe’s voice Darryl Braithwaite didn’t have any song material that suited (not a criticism).  The crowd favourite was “The Horses”, I thought he could have changed it to the “The Light Horses”.  The concert was brilliant.

Day 32 Friday 24 April 2015 Mediterranean enroute to Galipoli

Day 32 Friday 24 April 2015 Mediterranean En route to Galipoli.
A relaxing day after all the shore tours, it was an opportunity for people to sleep in.  We went to breakfast and there were very few people there.  The historians had a panel discussion today that were quite good. They told us that we are the only cruise ship that will be in the exclusion zone on ANZAC Day.  So it will be an early day tomorrow.

Day 31 Thursday 23 April 2015 Mykonos-Delos

We arrived at midnight and we could have taken a bus into the nightlife of Mykonos but we declined.  Apparently it is a bit of a magnet for those who bat for the other team.  Mykonos I mean, not the bus trip. We took a 30 minute boat ride to the island of Delos (Treasury of the Delian League) it was a wonderful experience to see where Marc Antony and Cleopatra stayed.  It would have been magnificent if Mithradates of Pontus hadn’t looted the place in the 2^nd Century.   In the 18 and 19^th centuries rich people would sail past and take statues, mosaics and artefacts.  With spring there are wildflowers growing among the ruins including poppies that stand out in brilliant contrast to the stones and marble. The museum is quite good and we could have spent another couple of hours on the island without any problems.  Except for the island’s guardians, no one lives on the island.  It was quite windy today but really the weather has been as close to perfect as possible the entire cruise. They dropped us back to Mykonos and we walked back to the buses that took us to the ship.

Day 30 Wednesday 22 April 2015 Santorini

 Santorini…absolutely spectacular.  It did seem very much like an upmarket DFO shopping experience as every building is a shop or café.  Yes touristy but how could you not visit with those views? Every shop seems to have a different character and is an adventure but we had little time to really enjoy it.  Who would have thought they have an airport.  Wine tasting with the views of the island was just breathtaking. We visited the Minoan village of Akrotiri and the Archaeological museum which were both quite good and well worth the price of admission. The cable car experience was great although Elizabeth thought she was in the film Where Eagles Dare.  The tender return journey was a bit rough but wonderful fun

Day 29 Tuesday 21 April 2015 kusadasi

We visited Pamukkale (Cotton castle) which was quite spectacular.  The drive through the Turkish countryside which was quite educational.  We missed going to Ephesus this day but it was a good choice.  Apparently here the Romans established Heriopolis which was a retirement village for rich Romans. Apparently there are more Roman graves here than anywhere else in the world.  Went to a concert tonight of Bruce Woodley from The Seekers and he performed with his daughter Claire.  He did a bit of the history of The Seekers and how in the charts at one point they were more popular than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It was a lovely and performance and certainly his daughter can sing.

Day 28 Monday 20 April Aegean Sea

In the Mediterranean we sailed away down the Anatolian coast.  Talk on Santorini.

Day 27 Sunday 19 April 2015 Istanbul

We woke up to the best hotel room view in the city from our ship.  Looking out over the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Istanbul so crowded but it was excellent seeing The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, both quite amazing.  We also visited the Hippodrome and the Suleiman Mosque.  It was very windy and some of our bus companions were winging about the cold but we were told how cold it was going to be…would you wear thongs?  Seriously!  There is just so much to see I can see why people come back.

Day 26 18 April 2015 Troy and the Naval Museum

This was another highlight and Troy was excellent with a guide.  Her name was Funda and she was very good. We had a lovely lunch at a local restaurant and the best coffee we have had on the trip so far.  Elizabeth has remarked that for an Italian cruise line their coffee isn’t particularly good. The museum which was an Ottoman fort had been hit on 18 March 1915 by the battleship Queen Elizabeth but not exploded.  Their museum in the fort had quite steep steps but it was well worth the visit. One ship model was wrong, it looked nothing like the River Clyde that grounded at Hellas but never mind.  I’m certain that few people would pick it as a WW2 USN ship.

Day 25 Friday 17 April 2015 Gallipoli

Arriving at Gallipoli we were lucky we were on the first ferry of the morning and the first bus to get to Beach Cemetery and I was the first to spot Simpson’s grave.  It was easy as there were several memorial items on or next to his grave. Apparently there was a NZ soldier who also bought wounded back using donkeys and it’s believed that the effort of both may have been ascribed to Simpson.  The appearance of Gallipoli was deceptive with all the vegetation intact when it would have looked like a moonscape.  Lone Pine Cemetery was a surprise, having so few graves, most were just names only a memorial wall.  Most bodies were never recovered and are located under the cemetery. We were given an adopt-a-digger to research and find and place a knitted poppy on their headstone.  Most of the casualties were not in the first wave but in the savage counter-attacks of the next three days.  The Ottoman forces were desperate to retake it and it was the severest fighting of the campaign. We walked along ANZAC Cove and it showed how small it was to try to supply 40 000 troops. The historians prepared us well and the cruise company had shuttle buses, historians at each point, enormous box lunches, free coffee, snacks and drinks at different points.  Shuttle buses all day. They also provided a barbeque lunch that was brilliant.  For all the criticism that some passengers have had, Gallipoli Cruise had done a flawless job today. On our return the current was too strong and we had to go to Chanakkale and be bussed back to the ship.

Day 24 Thursday 16 April 2015 Mediterran Sea

Day 24 Thursday 16 April 2015 Mediterranean Sea

Briefings for our Gallipoli visit and a candle spa treatment for Elizabeth which left her oiled up.

Day 23 Wednesday 15 April 2015 Suez Canal-Meditteranean

Today we awoke to be about two-thirds of the way through the Suez Canal.  We saw two large monuments, one to defence of the Canal 1914-16 and another not far on the east bank. A giant bayonet, presumably to the Arab-Israeli Wars.  The views were very good and it has proved to be one of the unexpected highlights.

This was a day of rest after Egypt but there was a talk on the Greek city Ephesus located on the Anatolian coast.

Day 22 14 April Tuesday Luxor to Cairo

 We were up early 4.30 for 5.00 breakfast, (I didn’t even realise a 4.30 existed) and depart for Luxor International Airport at 5.30 AM for our Egypt Air flight.  The plane had everything you would want in a plane, wheels, wings, some engines and an Arabic prayer which is a blessing for the pilot.  Perhaps this what we had instead of the safety talk.

The airport is obviously ex-military as there appears to be lots of hardened bunkers dotting the outskirts of the airfield.

The traffic in Cairo is amazing.  People beep (actually the cars are the ones who beep) when they overtake to let you know that they are there.  Often there are no road markings and even if there are following them appears to be optional.  Size does seem important in determining right of way.  It seems quite chaotic but it does seem to work.  Pedestrian crossings do not exist.

It is huge and we just went around on part of the ring road for most of it.  I suppose when you have 20 million people they have to go somewhere.  They do have a subway system in part of the city.  People don’t like using the buses as they don’t have a timetable so you could be waiting 5 minutes or 2 hours.  There are private vans that people use.

The Pyramids and the sphinx were amazing, I was especially taken with the sphinx as it looked so different.  The vendors are at all the major exhibits and are hard to get rid of.

The best line heard so far was, “You have come to help Egypt, come and help me.”

After lunch the Cairo Museum - just so much to see.  How it is exhibited is a little old fashioned.  They are planning a much larger Museum.  No photography is allowed but when Elizabeth went through security she pulled aside.  They thought she had a knife but it was only a spoon.

There was just so much to see but Tutankhamen’s death mask and possessions were a highlight.  We paid a bit extra to get into the Royal Mummy exhibit so it was amazing to be face to face with Ramses II, Hatshepsut, and Thutmosis I, II and III and some others. Tutankhamen’s mask was amazing! Then just a short 3 hour bus ride back to the ship Sokhana.

Day 21 Monday 13 April Luxor, Egypt

We left early for our bus trip afrom Safaga.  It was through a mountain range who would have thought it was so rocky to go to Luxor.  Once were we near the Nile and there are irrigation channels coming off the Nile there were all these funny little villages.  There was always a bridge across the canal, a mosque and a significant police presence.  We had different theories on it. The government here has just sentenced 13 of the Muslim Brotherhood to death the day before but our guide tells us that it has to do with the sentence.

We met our Egyptologist tour guide Bilhail who was excellent.  His children speak Arabic, English German and French. He gave a 15 minute talk on the history of Egypt until the present day which excellent given the recent political complications.

We went to the temple of Luxor and we were told that wasn’t only five people we there and we swarmed there with hundreds.  It was also Easter Orthodox Monday and there many locals out.  90% of the country are Moslem but the 10% of Christians, about 8% are Coptic.

We had lunch at our hotel and after we went of the Valley of Kings, which was a much smaller in area that I Imagined. They only have three tombs open because of the humidity of people’s breaths.  They would have been fabulous in pristine condition.

Our tour guide told us not to bother with Tutankhamen’s tomb as there is nothing in it.

We went through some villages with sugar cane, from a distance, and if you swapped date palms for normal palm trees it reminded me a lot of North Queensland.

Our Hotel overlooked the Nile dotted with feluccas, quite amazing…let’s face it was fabulous!

We then went to the night Sound and Light show at the temple of Karnak.  It may not have passed WPHS but it wasn’t too bad.

Day 20 Sunday 12 April At sea in the Red Sea

Nothing happened but we are due in Egypt tomorrow.

Day 19 Saturdy 11 April At sea in the Red Sea

Menhaba (Hello in Turkish)

No morning walk this morning as Elizabeth is still unwell.

The morning lecture is on what the ANZACs did after Gallipoli.

We went along to a lecture on speaking Turkish, well that was until they announced that there were thousands of dolphins next to the ship which no one seemed to see. I think the announcer just wanted to get a clear run at the buffet or they need additional ballast on one side of the ship.  The thousands of dolphins have become a running joke.

Ironically the sea has become rough with 50km/hr winds but we all seem to have our sea legs now.

We skipped the afternoon lecture on building pyramids as we already know the Egyptian secret to the perfect construction of a million blocks of stone, all perfectly cut and then placed in mathematical precision,  seemingly impossibly on top of each other with tunnels that aligned with stars in the sky……WHIPS.

Day 18 Friday 10 April At Sea

It had rained overnight, again.  For breakfast the other day I had a doughnut, I had one that was enough. Except for fruit, cereal and toast, the hot breakfasts aren’t particularly appetising.

Went to the morning lecture was on the withdrawal from ANZAC. One of our dinner companions from Adelaide, Pete lent me a book by David Cameron on the last battles and evacuation of ANZAC that was quite illuminating.

The afternoon lecture was on The Hellespont and quite interesting having a bit of Ancient History and Lord Byron being woven in to it.

I went to see Darryl Braithwaite as poor Elizabeth has the flu and has been unwell for several days.  Today they promoted the idea of people going to see the doctor, with the amount of coughs he should have said that a week ago.

Day 17 Thursday 9 April At Sea

It had rained overnight.  Who would have thought?  We have started to see some containerships as we are in the sea lanes.

Went to the morning lecture on the Naval and aerial campaign that was quite interesting and informative.  Apparently ships were still being hit by sea mines in the 1920s. Went to a meeting with people with relatives in the Light Horse or who have an interest. It’s always fun to watch someone use a microphone and not have it switched on.

The afternoon lecture was on The Hellespont and quite interesting having a bit of Ancient History and Lord Byron being woven in to it.

The ship has been buzzed by what has been variously described as a helicopter from HMAS Adelaide or a Russian helicopter but no one knows for sure.  The glimpse I saw it looked like a Russian one.  If they were trying to check out good sorts on the pool deck they may have been disappointed and may be more likely to launch a missile instead.  The crew last night were allowed to party on the pool deck which they have never been allowed to do before but I suspect that it is a very long cruise for them to be away from home.

Day 16 Wednesday 8 April At Sea

Woke early to see for and glassy water here in the Gulf of Aden. As we are in the shipping lanes we have seen a few container ships now.

Went to the morning lecture on the Naval and Air campaign at Gallipoli. Taught me a few things that I hadn’t read about.

The afternoon lecture was on The Hellespont and quite interesting. 

Day 15 Tuesday 7 April At Sea

 Went to the morning lecture on the famous and not so famous personalities on ANZAC which was quite good and the audience was quite well-informed.  This afternoon it was on Islam’s remarkable conquests. Of course they had Lawrence of Arabia as today’s movie after the lecture on him yesterday.

Day 14 Easter Monday Sunday 6 April At sea

 Went to the morning lecture on the Summer at ANZAC.  Which was interesting, I slept most of the day with a headache, probably dehydrated.

Last night at dinner one of our companions told us that six people had left or reprimanded on the cruise.  WE think two people got off voluntarily on the cruise after one day and left at Fremantle and the comment was made that they would not get their money back.  There was also a report that two had been overly romantic in a public place and as punishment had been confined to their cabins, which I thought wasn’t much of a punishment but apparently they were from separate cabins so that does sound like the punishment fitting the crime.  The story was that two fellows were evicted for fighting but we have no way of knowing for sure, but it sure is a good story.  There was also the girl who was reprimanded for mooning.  I mean really…

We also received in our cabin a warning about potential piracy and how the lower outside decks have been closed.  We believe that the ship has taken on a three man armed security detail.  Elizabeth is excited about that.

The lowlight was BABBA some sort of ABBA tribute band. The fellow next to me didn’t wait for the second song.  A bit disappointing. 

Day 13 Eastern Sunday 5 April Colombo Sri Lanks

Named after Christopher Colombus, we finally made it to land after having been at sea so long but the seas have been so calm all the way.  They had troupes of native dancers and drummers welcome the ship along with an elephant.  I assume it was an Indian elephant as they probably don’t like African imports. We had a half day tour of Colombo seeing the museum, Old Parliament House, the town hall called the White House because it’s an exact replica.  Of course as I didn’t have a permit to film I got into trouble but the problem was a language one cured by USD$3.  It was eventually sorted and diplomatic relations restored. I’m not sure having ancient urinals to the entrance of the museum is a good idea. The streets were clean and only slightly chaotic because it was a Sunday. We had a wonderful lunch of sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, guava juice and coffee at the Taj Hotel.  We only scratched the surface really..ooh what’s that on my arm?  We only saw the more affluent areas.

It was only 33 degrees Celsius but gee it was warm.  Summer must be problematic.

Day 12 Saturday 5 April At Sea

Lectures on the commanders at ANZAC which was quite OK but didn’t do the Brigade commanders.

In the afternoon it is about the history of Sri Lanka.  There has been a lot of coughing in the audience.  I think it’s from going from hot to cold and back again.  Elizabeth is still far from being 100%.

Kate Cebrano concert tonight, a class act all the way!  She was terrific. We are along the coast of Sri Lanka after our evening meal, and we are not due to arrive until about 6.00 AM tomorrow morning but the pilot is on board already and we have slowed right down, but now we seem to have sped up again.  No internet access, I thought at this point there may have been something.  I will arrive home before we can upload any photos but we hope once we hit Europe we can upload some photos..

Day 11 Good Friday 3 April At Sea

Day 11 Good Friday 3 April

Woke up this morning and the ship is moving into a stiff breeze but the sea is so calm.   The ocean has been unbelievably calm the whole way. Not even a hint of a white cap on the sea. Today we cross the equator and we are still some days from Colombo.  Today’s talks are on the Turks and in the afternoon, on the Raiders, Submarines and Flying Boats in the Indian Ocean so that was interesting.    

Day 10 Thursday 2 April At Sea

Breakfast at 6.15 AM of fruit, porridge and yoghurt with sightings of Kate Cebrano and Daryl Braithwaite.

Elizabeth may have a chest infection, poor thing but she is able to access her portable, yet extensive pharmacy so hopefully she will be on the mend.

Had good seats for the talk on Gallipoli this morning at 10:00 AM but we came into the theatre 45 minutes beforehand.  It was so crowded yesterday that people have been sitting in the aisles as they had to do again today.  On this trip the historians are the rock stars!  They do televise the lectures on one of the onboard channels but it’s not quite as good.  This afternoon the talk is on Turkish music. I am sure it is more than simply the discordant clashing of cymbals, but possibly not much more, so I don’t think we were going.  There is the knitting of poppies as one of the activities we have passed on. We saw a Beatles tribute band “Rubber Soul” and they were quite realistic as their Ringo couldn’t sing very well.  One of the ladies in the audience was in the 300 000 Adelaide crowd to welcome The Beatles back in the 60s.

Day 9 Wednesday 1 April 2015 Cocos Keeling Islands

The sea has been so calm for the entire trip. Today there was talk on The Naval Campaign of

Gallipoli and was standing room only.  At lunch we met people from Brisbane and from Innisfail so

everyone at the table was from Queensland.  After lunch we went past the Cocos and Keeling 

Islands where the Emden was sunk.  About 600 people live on the islands.  The ship paused at North

KEELING Island where the Emden was beached in 1914 and they held a short memorial service.

While on deck a woman asked an MSC Cruise officer if we were going to get any closer.  We were

closer than I thpught we would get.  He said he didn't know because he was the ship's doctor.

At Dinner in the restaurant we sit with three other couples.  Last night they wre us and another couple

as the others are eating elsewhere.  We are starting to get paranoid.  If the other couple bail then

people will look at us and think, “What’s wrong with them.” We could be that couple!

Day 8 Tuesday 31 March 2015

There was a talk on the sinking of the Emden by HMAS Sydney  which was a little disappointing and seem to have a bit of a nationalistic slant, largely overlooking the criticisms of the Captain Glossop firing on the beached Emden and how those on the Cocos and Keeling islands reacted to the German visit.  They gave the Grmans 3 cheers when they left. I just think that people would have gone away from the talk with a false impression of what actually happened.

The highlight had to be Kate Cebrano in concert, just superb.  Being so close and she does her show a bit like Bette Midler. Sensational voice and I thought Darryl was going to be the biggest hit but it’s her!  She obviously liked Fleetwood Mac growing up, which may explain why her daughter is called Gypsy.

She had two hard boiled eggs and cheese for breakfast, or so Elizabeth tells me, I hope that this doesn’t make us stalkers.  The passengers are pretty cool about it (Kate Cebrano not Elizabeth and I being stalkers) and respect her privacy as she goes about the ship with her family. 

Day 7 Monday 30 March At Sea

Service on-board for HMAS Sydney this morning at 6.15.  It was quite good except for the acoustics and the ship blew its horn three times when we passed over the site and wreaths were thrown in.  I think most of the passengers were there for the ceremony which was touching

We discovered a short cut on the ship this morning and Elizabeth collected the daily crossword from the Library.

Talk by the Major-General today on the Emden which could have been better and one of Vasco Dae Gama which was quite interesting by Professor Horner.  It bought back memories of those exploders we learnt about in primary school.

Day 5 28 March Albany WA

We did a tour of Albany.  We saw the Peace Park (featured in the 100 year Commemoration of the first convoy to leave Australasia for WW1 last November), the centre of town, Dog Rock, the Princess Royal forts (built in the 1880s to scare off the Russians), new Centenary ANZAC Centre and the Light Horse Desert Mounted Corps memorial.  They organised flags for people on deck for the sail away and a lot of locals had come out to watch the ship go.  One highlight was to see the pilot jump from our ship onto his boat at speed.  I yelled out for him to do it again but I don’t think he heard me.  It did seem a bit primitive.  Apparently the ship had bought out the town’s supply of pillows as they are a bit sparse in number and quality on the ship.

This really is a beautiful part of Australia!

We saw Darryl Braithwaite in concert and he was pretty good.

Day 6 Sunday 29 March 2015

A talk by Professor Horner on Australia’s war preparations and the campaign in Rabaul in 1914.

In the afternoon it easy a talk from Professor Harvey Broadbent on images and art of Gallipoli and had him sign his book which Elizabeth bought.

Saw a cruise show called Gotham which was quite clever and the performers were quite talented.

Day 4 27 March At sea enroute to Albany

Sorry no internet as its so slow it's not funny. We will have to update later.

We are underway!! The first highlight was a talk about the history of Albany by Major-General Michael O’Brien.

The second highlight was the support meeting for the tablet (or Travel Companion) sold to the cruise clients.  People were still unboxing them as an angry crowd gathered.  They attempted to talk to people in the open out on the deck where they were doing sound checks and drums playing.  Ever used your tablet out in the open in the sun?  How easy is that?  No idea.

The next highlight was coming into the wonderful King George Sound and the Princess Royal Harbour many locals came out to see the ship come in.

The fourth highlight was the concert and the fact that Bert Newton was alive at the end. It was a wonderful concert and certainly Kate Cebrano and Darryl Braithwaite can sing!   The fireworks display was pretty good.  It was a great evening, the free drinks helped.

The locals would have had a free concert and free fireworks so it was a big deal for them that we were in town.

Day 3 26 March Fremantle

Arriving at the terminal at 9.30AM with a large crowd…it was chaos and we joined what we thought was a huge queue but we didn’t realise that they were mostly the entire passenger ship of a couple thousand people leaving.  While we were waiting we saw the back of Kate Cebrano’s head.  I would have loved to have gone up to her and told her that “She was one of my biggest fans”. 

We weren’t due to board until 3.00PM but we were on board by 12.30PM and eating by 1.30PM.  Our steward is Jimmy Serge, a nice young African man.  We have been told by the Cruise Director Stella, that all the staff speak English.  Elizabeth said that was true but she wasn’t sure that they understood it. We met some nice people at dinner.  The food was adequate and we had supper in the cafeteria afterwards just to be on the safe side.  We left Fremantle at 9.30PM and got some nice photos of the Maritime museum as we left.  There were free drinks at this stage…rock on! By this time my luggage was yet to arrive.  It is possible to spot the bogan, even on this cruise.  My luggage did eventually arrive a short 13 hours after I checked it in.