Chania on Crete

Hello, I am still writing about that cruise we took at the beginning of November. I can remember many things, but some things have faded. Because of strong winds, we could not reach port on the planned side on Crete. It then became difficult to go on the scheduled excursion. Some of our group were quite disappointed. I was not so much because I did not really know much about it. We did get our money refunded as a ship’s credit because we had had to pay for that excursion. Instead, we had a walking tour of the city of Chania which none of us knew before. It was an interesting substitution during which we learned that Titus was the first bishop. There was some time for shopping and Leroy bought a nice leather belt. He is now sorry that he did not buy two of them. It was a good price and well made. We had planned to do two excursions. We had been a bit concerned about getting back in time from the first to make the second trip. It is amazing how many things just work out for the best. It gave us an amount of free time because of the change. There was time to play some games, visit, look over the schedule for the next day, take a nap, read, or just sit and think. Each day, Leroy had some gelato for dessert. He enjoyed it.

Paula

Ship’s Amenities

Hello, A very nice thing about this cruise line is that there is free Wi-Fi, not only for the patrons, but also for the staff. Again, a staff member told us how much they appreciated that because they could contact their families. The staff signs on for six months. They take a “vacation” for two months before they can sign on once more. Our steward said that he has done this for five years. He is from the Philippines. He has three children, the oldest is eleven. I suspect the money is good so he keeps doing it even though he talked about how much he misses changes in his children. Leroy and I went to the fitness room. We only went twice even though I had hoped to go every day, but our sleep pattern and schedule of tours did not allow that. I did a mix of tai chi and yoga while Leroy did tai chi and tread mill. Some others saw us doing the tai chi. They thought we should give a class in that. They were very impressed with our balance which was quite good at that moment. Is that a new career? Tai chi on cruise ships? We also went in the hot pool/whirlpool. This is a nice pool that has metal tube seats on one end. The whirlpool effect raised the top of my swimsuit almost to my neck as it filled with air. I had a struggle to try to get it down. It was hard to get the air out. It has a bra like structure under so I was still covered. Luckily only one person was there at that moment. That man in the hot tub was not looking my direction, so I ignored it as best as I could. My relaxation level was not quite as high as I had hoped. Leroy and I both did spend a bit of time laughing about that raising suit. Just a picture of what the suit looks like in normal circumstances.

Paula

Corinth

Hello, A driving tour with details was how we saw Corinth. On the way we stopped to see the Corinth Canal. It was quite a distance from the bridge that we were on. It saves much shipping time and money.

In Corinth we saw places where St. Paul had been. I am including a picture of the three pastors at the site where Paul was tried. Paul had riled the silversmiths when he said that they should not create things for other (false) gods.

On the premises there was a museum that we explored as well as the surrounding ruins. Our guide led us through all of this. Some things stay in my memory, but some escaped as soon as heard. In the evening, the ship started to move. It seemed hardly noticeable. So glad that others know what they are doing. We went to the sixty’s musical presentation in the evening. It was quite fine. I could name almost none, but recognized many. That was not loss of memory because I never knew names in the first place. I did not sleep so well the second night or the third night, but the fourth was good. Tiredness visited in the day time. It is too bad we can not just go there without all the time adjustments. Again, we just spent a great deal of time visiting with these friends. Paula

Friends and good times

Hello, It seemed like forever but our friends finally came. Much joy and laughter came with them. It was quite late, by my standard, but then who knows what time it really was after traveling through several time zones. We walked to the restaurant that had been recommended by the cruise company. It was a billed as a mom-and-pop restaurant. Mom did the cooking, pop did the greeting and seating guests, while the daughters were the wait staff. Consequently, it had more local dishes to choose from. It was quite fine. Another advantage to being in a residential neighborhood.

The next day we all got up for a shared breakfast time. There were multiple selections for us. In comparing notes, we learned we all slept deeply and long. Even at breakfast we laughed a lot. After that we boarded the motel shuttle to the city center to catch a hop on hop off tour. Our first stop was the acropolis which supports the Parthenon. It was quite a walk up to the top and three of us made it, while the other three rested very close to the top. It was quite the view of the structures as well as the surrounding city. I hardly took any photos, but just absorbed the sights knowing that others were taking plenty of pictures. Do I remember much? Glimpses are in my mind. As with the last trip we took with these people, Leroy became our scout to find out where we should go. He did a good job trotting back and forth. All of the men in our group went to seminary so they had some familiarity with Greek, especially the written word. I just floated along and let them tell me things. Paula

Life Is Amazing

Hello, Our downstairs friend took us to the airport even when it was not a usual time to be awake. We got there in good time. It is so nice and easy to move through the airport at home. It is small, which we like, but we still get to the places we want to go. All of our flights were on time. Can you imagine? Our long flight from New York to Athens was to be nine hours and forty minutes, instead it was eight hours and forty minutes because of a tail wind. It is a long sit with occasional trips to the toilet. I try to do a bit of stretching so all joints will work on the exit. Neither Leroy nor I slept much. Our seat mate covered up her head and apparently slept almost the entire time. At least she thought we got there very quickly. We were met at the airport by the tour company. That was so nice. Several people were coming in at about that time so we did have to wait a bit for others, but I was just relieved to be connected. On the bus ride to the motel, our leader gave us some nice information about the places we were traversing through. Later we learned from friends that it had not happened with them. Are we lucky or what? Because our friends were coming a few hours later, we unpacked and went out to explore the neighborhood. We were in a residential/business area. We did find a very large store that had many electronic items. Certainly a few that we had never seen before. Definitely these people are more interested in ironing clothes than we are. Here is a picture of our hotel. We could cross the street in the underground tunnel.

Paula

Still on the ship?

Hello, We have been home for two days. We arrived home at 10:00 pm so I do not count that as a day. No unpacking on that night, but to find toothbrushes, change clothes, pull back the covers, and fall into bed after about 26 hours on that return journey. Sleeping was a welcome relief as neither of us slept much on any of the four planes. November 14, 2022 How time gets filled is a mystery. I am finally totally feeling as if I am on land. For the first days it seemed I was still moving with the ship. Perhaps all those flights contributed to the moving feeling. It was weird to get up to go to the toilet at night and not know where I was even though I was home. Those were especially the times when I thought I was back on the ship and should mind my balance. It was a wonderful trip with many good things including the ride home from the airport. We are blessed indeed. I go to work today so will try to write more on Wednesday when I have the day off. Wish me wakefulness on my drive home from work tonight. It feels much more like the right time, but who knows when tiredness will come. Paula