Saturday, November 27, 2010
TURKEY adventure
I am updating this on the day after our visit to Turkey as we sail toward Egypt. We are getting some warm and sunny weather. Turkey was a pretty fascinating place. So far, it is the most different place I have ever been.
We started our day by being greeted by our private driver and guide. Just Chris and I on this tour. As we travel to our first stop, about an hour we were educated on the customs, history and economy of Turkey. Our first stop was at the House of the Virgin Mary. This is where she lived out her final years high on a mountain top. It was very moving. We were advised not to drink from the natural holy water spring. I did soak my rosary that I have had since my first communion.
Next we went down the mountain to the ancient city of Ephusus. We spent 2.5 hours exploring the ruins have ever detail explained to us. Our guide was very good. After we left he asked to at least stop and look in a leather shop as a favor to him. It was very expensive. We were out in 3 min. We skipped a visit to another site because I wanted to see the city. So instead of returning to the ship we were dropped at the heart of Izmir….Konic Square.
We wondered the Kermeralti Bazaar. It was and experience for all the senses. NO BAD SMELLS other than the fresh fish. Chris almost shit his pants when the call to prayer came over the loud speakers. It was deafening.
So next it was time to find something to eat. We found this “restaurant” in the heat of the bazaar. No menu. In the his limited English the owner “took care of us” and I know we were going to be ripped off.
1. We started with all this just a taste free stuff
What we later found out was fermented HOT carrot juice.
A yogurt drink that was ok but I was afraid was not pasteurized.
A very fresh salad.
A taste of the meat that was skewer in the window.
2. I pointed to some pictures of what I wanted but no luck. I make plate for you. AND did he ever.
-The soulvaki like meat.
-Pita pizza which is the real way pita is served with meat and cheese and spices.
-Turkish meatballs with a special spice one the side delivered and spooned on our plates by a very attractive women.
-some bread
-fresh tomatoes, onions sweat cabbage.
3. Desert some soft cake with honey and a coffee caramel sauce over it very light.
4. Pepsi zero.
We did not even come close to finishing all the food. Finally it came time for the bill. No itemized list just number 42 TL. I checked my credit card today 29 American dollars. We ate like kings. I only had 20 Turkish lera left. I made the mistake of asking if he know how much a Takis would be to the port. Suddenly his English not so good. He did not understand asked for address. Chris took our his Turkish landing card(temp visa) and the 20 TL fell on the table he grabbed it and said oh for me thanks…..What the heel do you do? He did get us a body guard to walk us to the main square takis stand. So I guess the going rate for body gauds in Turkey in 11 American Dollars plus an ATM charge for another 20 TL. Always an adventure!!!!!!
Will be in Cairo Sun until Monday night out of touch until Tuesday.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Crete...... Yummy ooompah
As I write this we are sailing by Santorini.
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| octupus |
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanks Giving everyone!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Rome and sea day
Rome was great! We did all we wanted and A bit more. We arrived a bit late due to the train being late because of severe weather. But once off the ship we had sunny warm day.
We arrived in termini station and headed to S Maria Della Vitoria to see the Ecstasy of St Theresa statue by Bernini. We then proceeded to the coliseum for an inside visit followed by an exploration of the Roman forum.
We then walked to the Piazza Navonna to see the fountain of the 4 rivers by Bernini. It was OPEN. Then last 2 visits to Rome the fountain was under construction. We had an awesome lunch just off the square and walked and walked to the Spanish steps to catch the metro back to the train station. We arrived back at the ship where they collected our passports to obtain our visas for the Egypt stop.
Today which is a day at sea we woke up to great views of the coast of Sicily with mount Etna covered in snow. We missed Mt Stromboli……. With its active lava flows.
We did get bad news today….Due to a strike tomorrow and civil unrest we will not be going to Athens. The ship has been diverted to Crete. What the hell do we do on Crete. I will let you know.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Barcelona Spain
We said good bye to Lynn this am. This was our transition day from the western med to the 12 day eastern med cruise. We got off the ship around 830 and headed out to the plaza de espanya to catch a train
To Montserrat. It is about an hour train ride through the Spanish country side to this spectacular mountain Monastery. Once you get off the train you connect with the mountain funicular that will take you up to the top of this mountain. It is a truly awesome site.
We arrived just in time to hear most of the high Spanish mass at the basilica . this included singing by the Montserrat boys choir which is one of the oldest in Europe. After the mass they do a 2 song concert as well.
Palma de Mallorca Spain.
This was a very nice day on this Spanish Island in the med. The weather cooperated nicely. It was cool, but sunny. We visited an awesome cathedral with some very cool stained glass windows and an alter that was redesigned by Antonio Gudi. We also saw some very old Arabian baths. We kind of just explored. Found a nice piazza to have a sangria and paella in and watch the world go by.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Napoli Italy
City of my maternal ancestors, city of filth and garbage. I don’t have much good to say about Naples. The surrounding mountains and bay are spectacular. It makes NYC look immaculate. After getting off the ship we were attacked by taxi drivers wanting to take up on expensive tours. 90 euro to Pompeii the train 4,20. Any how one very old man came up to me and started talking in Italian. When I responded in English he yelled at that I did not speak Italian. I knew enough to yell back and make him laugh. Another guy wanted to take me to the fish market the boats were just in. What did he think I was going to do with the fresh fish?
We walked 35 min to the circumversuvensia train station and headed to Pompeii. This is said to be the most dangerous train in Italy? We spent 4 hours exploring Pompeii and only saw a very small part of it. Again a spectacular site that everyone should see. They have dogs that roam the streets there. Dogs have always been welcome in Pompeii. It was sad at first but they do not look to be mal nourished, in fact they look well feed. All were very friendly. The even have a website where you can adopt a dog from Pompeii. One order for an English bulldog placed. Of course it will speak Italian.
Only the pictures can describe this site.
On return to Naples we tried to find a place for pizza among the garbage piles. Once place the owner chased a man out throwing cheese at him…..Pass. Next place….Maffia city…..Pass. Finally a nice place Ah rest our aching feet. Waitress took forever….thank god because I looked and wallet only 10 Euro. No don’t take credit cards. NO Pizza!!!! Kicked to the garbage pile in the street. There was a down pour…… TAXI>>>>>>>>SHIP LUNCH>>>
!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALMOST MARTINI TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t get me wrong It was a really Fun day
Rome part 2
Next we were off to the piazza de spangna and the Spanish steps. We could actually see them!!! A beautiful square, again so much nicer than our first visit.
From there were ambled down the road to the piazza del Popolo with it twin churches, ancient obelisk and northern gates to the city. Finally about 2 pm we found a nice trattoria to have lunch in. The food was out of this world and the service excellent. This was the first time we had sat down since getting off the train about 915 am.
Then It was back to the Vatican for the scheduled tour of the Necropolis under St Peters Basilica. 30 feet under the current church we visited the ancient city of the dead dating back to 67 AD. We traced the development of the different levels of the alters which all were placed over the tomb of St Peter who was crucified on this spot. He is the rock on which the Catholic church is built. We also discovered the what happened to his bones that were in the tomb and were able to view the remaining bones. Over all very cool.
We made it to the ship on time only after a further exhausting hour train ride were we had to stand in a packed train.. It was so full at first that the conductor was pushing people in to get the doors to close, it was like a sauna……… Ah Italia.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
ROMA
I Just wanted to get a quick update in tonight as I am exhausted after a long day in Rome. It turned out to be a better than expected day. We had no real plans to visit the Vatican this trip except for the visit to the Necropolis under St Peters Basilica at the end of the day…AWESOME By the way. We got off the train at the Vatican just so we would be able to find the train station on the way home. Well it turns out that that the Pope was going to make an appearance. I Figured since we are here let’s wait the 45 minutes behind this barricade and catch glimpse of the pontiff. Little did I know that we were on the POPE MOBILE SUPER HYWAY!!! He passed within 3 feet of us blessing us along the way……How cool was that added bonus to the trip.Siena Italy
Siena exceeded all our expectations. What a beautiful medieval period town. We spent 10 hours exploring it and the Tuscan country side. Of course no visit to Tuscany is complete without some Chianti vine. We saw vineyards and olive tree groves and learned all about Olive oil and Chianti vine. This trip was worth every penny spent. AND guess what?? NO rain!!!!!! Just a few sprinkles as we boarded the bus back to the ship
Tomorrow we face the craziness that is Rome.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monte Carlo Monaco
We arrived to Sunshine and warmth in Barcelona. Hola Espana. We boarded the ship quickly and found out that the star bar has 2 for one Martinis every night……..!!
Monday Nov 15. …… Monte Carlo Monaco. Well The clouds and later the rain followed us to this beautiful city. We took the open air hop on hop off bus. Worth getting a little wet. I would love to see this place on a sunny spring day since it was so awesome even today. We followed the grand prix circuit hit most of the high light like the palace and grand casino. One the way back I had a difficult decision of whether to put my order in at the BENTLY or Lamborghini dealer ship. I guess you will know when you see it parked in the drive. The entire country is half the size of central park.
Tonight will be dinner at Le bistro French restaurant followed by martinis.
PARIS FRANCE
For some reason the wired internet in the apartment would not work with my computer. It did the last time that we stayed there so I am definitely behind in by blogging. With all the running we did, I did not have the time to do much, so I figure while we are waiting for our flight to Barcelona I will play catch up.
We arrived to rain in Paris. Really who cares it is PARIS. We took the Roissey bus from the airport to the opera which is a 10 min walk of so from out apartment. It was shift change so the ride took a bit longer than usual. The good thing was the we got a free tour of the Martement district. After arriving the apartment in the afternoon. Chris and I tried to take a tour of the opera house but they were in rehearsals so you really could not see much. We bought lunch from a bakery and headed back to rest a while. Later that eve we walked and enjoyed some of the lights of Paris, explored Rue Cleur.
Friday we awoke to more rain. We hoped a train and headed to the country side estate of Versailles We toured the main estates some of the grounds and the home of Marie Antoinette. We returned to Paris for a short rest. We then headed to the Louvre for a late evening visit. We were able to hit most of the main highlight as well as some of the less popular areas as we were lost for about an hour.
Saturday we started out a Notre Dame including the underground archeological crypt. We then we to Saint Chappell and the concierge. For some reason this area of Paris was filled with pet shops. We had to make stops into quite a few of them I seems that Jack Russell are very popular as well as chocolate labs. (1500-1800 us dollars.) Even a few English bull dogs. We then strolled up the Champ de Elyse ro the arch de Triumph. Then It was time to rest out barking dogs.
Later that night we went to the Eiffel tower and watch the light show as well as just enjoying the view. We strolled the streets of Paris, for a long while Rue Cleur ,etc.
What a wonderful Three days.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Vatican Necropolis pilgramage to St Peters tomb
This message is in regards to your request to visit the necropolis under the
Papal Basilica of St. Peter, for N. 2 people, from Wednesday November 17,
2010 .
The visit which you requested has been authorized.
I applied for this visit way back in April. Forgot all about it really. figured since I did not get a response in May or June that I was out of luck. The only bad thing is that they assign the time. It is 330 and our ship sails at 730. I looked up the train schedules, it is close but doable.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Toad Lily
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
October is here.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Maui Update
http://www.travellogonline.net/Maui2010/M1.html
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Gracie returing home after sugery
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The good life
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Saturday, September 11, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Are you an annoying passenger? Pretty Funny
Why you sometimes need to play travel agent Are YOU an Annoying Passenger? 2-for-1 deal to South Africa Don't set yourself up for air travel failure Here are ten things we should watch out for the next time we travel by air.
1. You may find small inconsistencies here and there, but security regulations are pretty much standard across the board. Is it really a surprise that your cellphone will set off the metal detector? Help speed things up by placing all your metal and electronic doodads in a coat pocket or carry-on pouch, remove your laptop from its case, have liquids/gels/toiletries in the TSA-approved quart-sized bag, and have those shoes ready to toss in the tray. And yes, that nonfat macchiato you just bought does in fact count as a liquid. As does that six-gallon vat of Gold Bond Medicated Cream you forgot to put in your checked baggage. Don't argue with the nice agent. Keep it moving.
2. Standing still on the people mover. Exhilarating, isn't it? Enjoy the ride! But at least move to the right so others can get around. And move those bags out of the way too. Thanks!
3. Carry-ons and overheads, bad news first: You may have to store your carry-on in an overhead bin other than the one directly above your seat. The good news? Every overhead bin on the plane is going to the same place you're going! Quelle coinkidink! Heck, even if you're asked to check your carry-on, you'll still see it again upon arrival. A slight inconvenience, yes, but no need for a meltdown. Just take whatever items you may need during the flight and keep them under the seat in front of you. No biggie.
4. Be accommodating to your seatmates and fellow passengers, without being creepy. Are they avoiding eye contact when taking their seat? If so, they probably aren't up for a get-to-know-you chitchat. Taking the redeye and notice everyone in your row sleeping? Then keep your shade down and turn the reading light off a little sooner. And would it kill you to swap seats so that family can seat together? Probably not.
5. Whoa there, Burger King, go easy on the smells. You wouldn't want your seatmate blowing stogie smoke in your face, and that steaming Whopper with onion isn't any better. If you're starving, forgo that grease-blotted bag of fast food for something a little more discrete. Have you ever in your life caught a whiff of M&Ms, or a ham and cheese, or a bag of trail-mix? No? Well, there you go. Buy those instead.
Related coverage Is air travel really that bad? And this isn't solely a food offense. Remember, you're in a plane, not the hair and makeup trailer. While your attempts at getting beautiful are sure to be a hit on the ground, the nail polish and the Axe body spray aren't gonna make you any friends up in the air. At the very least, do your spritzing and fixing in the lavatory. Related: Armpits and feet ... hellooo? Are you smuggling Doritos in those socks? Keep it clean, people.
6. Surely, you've heard. All portable electronics, mobile phones, laptops, etc. must be switched off during take-off and landing. Think this rule is just a bunch of hooey? Whatever effect your last-minute call to the office might have on the delicate instruments of the aircraft is not up for debate. It's a risk your fellow passengers and their families probably don't care to take. So, whatever it is, it can wait. And please don't give the crew any lip if they ask you again to turn it off, mmkay?
7. Kicking and screaming. This is a delicate one, but not necessarily all that complicated. Parents traveling with children, please keep your child from kicking the back of the seat, slipping arms between seats, yelling, and being a nuisance to fellow passengers. You may be desensitized to this sort of thing, but the guy in front of you is not. Annoyed passenger, should the trouble persist and you have to ask the parent to intervene, do so in a polite and pleasant tone. Making someone feel like an inadequate parent will only make things worse.
As for crying infants ... well, sorry, it happens. And there's not much to be done about it. One thing's for sure. Those pricey noise canceling headphones you passed up on the ground are looking puh-retty worth it about now, aren't they? Maybe buy them next time. You'll be so glad you did.
8. Clapping upon landing? Really? This one isn't so much annoying as it is baffling. How exactly did you imagine this flight would end?
9. Stay seated until the aircraft has reached the gate. Yes, the siren song of 200-something seat belts unfastening in unison is very exciting. You've landed, you want to stand up, and you want your stuff! But hang cool, teddybear. Even if by some chance you've collected your things from the overhead the moment the wheels touch the ground ... uh, where exactly do you plan on going? The door is still closed and there are about 60 people seated in the rows before you, all of whom are just as eager to deplane.
10. Once at baggage claim, all sense of personal space seems to go out the window. And it's no wonder, after having spent all those hours confined to such a tiny seat. But don't wriggle your way through a cluster of waiting people only to block their access to the belt. That's annoying. Those people are waiting on their bag too. The conveyor belt is long and winding, with plenty of room for everyone.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Potato Salad.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Allie the huntress.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Grace's First bee sting
Monday, August 9, 2010
Emma's Biggest pain in the butt
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Way to go for Wolves!!!!!
A federal judge in Montana sided with Defenders and other conservation groups, overturning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove gray wolves in the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list.
This is incredible news that will save the lives of hundreds of wolves that would have otherwise been targeted and killed in hunts this fall. And it opens the door to developing a science-based plan that will ensure wolf recovery continues in the Northern Rockies.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Christmas in July.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A Parting Prayer
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and call St. Francis
to come escort this beloved companionacross the Rainbow Bridge.
Assign her to a place of honor,
for she has been a faithful servant
and has always done her best to please me.
Bless the hands that send her to you,
for they are doing so in love and compassion,
freeing her from pain and suffering.
Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss.
Help me remember the details of her life
with the love she has shown me.
And grant me the courage to honor her
by sharing those memories with others.
Let her remember me as well
and let her know that I will always love her.
And when it's my time to pass over into your paradise,
please allow her to accompany those
who will bring me home.
Thank you, Lord,
for the gift of her companionship
and for the time we've had together.
And thank you, Lord,
for granting me the strength
to give her to you now.
Amen.
- © Brandy Duckworth, 1998
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Rochester friends please help me find tequilla aka tiki.
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Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Sun bathing
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Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Prepare your palate for carnivorous cocktails. HMM
Not so sure about that. Full story click on link below
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37992721
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Topsy turvy at camp
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Emma and Allie swimming SIDEBYSIDE
Swim Girls swim. Got to work on getting some of the pictures posted.
Keep on Missing him
Nancy Wayne says she spotted a bear right on the path along Route 96 between Bushnell’s Basin and Pittsford.
She took out her camera and managed to get a few shots of the animal.
Stay tuned to 13WHAM News at 5 and 6 for the latest on today’s bear sighting.



















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