Haifa (Israel)

[port call]

Haifa (Israel)

[port call]

Haifa (Israel)

I only had a few hours off the Ship today, so I spent most of it down by the pier. There were some nice places to eat and the people were very friendly. Still, you could see the Ship for nearly the entire day...

Bethlehem (West Bank)

I was surprised when the tour bus detoured us towards the West Bank and the guide told us he had a special treat for us. It turned out to be a stop at Manger Square! We walked in the Church of the Nativity and I was very impressed. This, like Jerusalem, was probably a "once in a lifetime" visit...

Jerusalem (Israel)

What a day! I never dreamed I could go to the Holy Land - let alone visit the Via Dolorosa, Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, Church of the Holy Sepulchre (etc.). The highlight was when Al and I went to the "Wailing Wall." It was very moving.

Haifa (Israel)

[ship pulled into Haifa - "boatO" ?]

[In Transit]

[at sea]

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[at sea]

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[at sea]

Antalya (Turkey)

[departed Antalya - rest of day at sea]

Antalya (Turkey)

[went back into Antalya - bought a rug]

Antalya (Turkey)

Got off the Ship again today... Visited Antalya Museum. Went back to the Sheraton...

Antalya (Turkey)

[stayed on ship all day - duty ?]

Antalya (Turkey)

[explored the town of Antalya - dinner]

Antalya (Turkey)

Staying in this city was a nice break from the ship. On the days I got liberty, we took the ferry along the steep mountain cliffs to the small harbor. When we got to town, it became obvious that the currency here ("Turkish Lira") was nearly worthless - it was nearly 3 million Lira for one dollar! I changed some money and found that they thought one dollar was worth 1 million Lira - so it was an even better exchange with their currency... I had a great meal in a small restaurant overlooking the harbor. The owner saw us coming and had his sons line up for us as we came in the door. He spoke some English - but there were no menus. We told him we wanted a big meal and he clapped his hands, spoke some Turkish to his boys and they scattered. About 10 minutes later, they all returned with plates and trays of all kinds of local food. We tried many different dishes - I can't remember any of their names, though. Spent the night at the Sheraton Voyager Antalya - it is shaped like a layer cake...

Antalya (Turkey)

[arrived in Antalya, Turkey]

[In Transit]

[at sea]

[In Transit]

[at sea]

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[at sea]

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

[left Naples - rest of day at sea]

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

[port call]

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

[port call]

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

[had dinner off the ship ?]

Avellino, Avellino (Italy)

It's against the rules to go anywhere alone, but I decided to take a trip to the town where Grammy's family comes from: Avellino. Other people only wanted to go to Rome, so I went with other guys to the Napoli Train Station and then broke away from the group. I looked around until I found a sign for Avellino - it really wasn't that hard - and found the tickets weren't that expensive, either. Left Naples around 1200 and made it to Avellino in about an hour. Got off at a square in the middle of town and discovered that everything was closed. Still, I was able to walk around for a little bit and actually found the church where Grammy's mother and father were married! It was great, but there wasn't much else to do. Left for Naples around 1600 and made it back to the Ship by 1900. I definitely need to check Avellino out again (preferably with a car...)!

Napoli, Campania (Italy)

[stayed on ship - duty ?]