We slept very well last evening and today we have a full day at sea as we sail from Alexandria, Egypt to our next port of call in Agios Nikolaos, Greece.
We awoke early in the morning to begin another glorious day at sea. A day at sea on a Crystal ship provides numerous activities to choose from and also many opportunities to socialize with our fellow passengers and with the crew. It also provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the places we have seen and to plan what we will see in the next several ports of call.
As we think through our journey, we again are reminded about the diversity and beauty of our glorious planet. It is amazing to see so much diversity in cultures and in traditions that the people in each country follow and the pride that most people have in their respective homelands. Thank goodness for diversity and we are reminded that we can learn so much from one another. In our minds almost every area of the world has natural beauty. At the same time, some areas of the world add to the attractiveness of their respective lands through irrigation and the planting of forests, while others make their areas more beautiful through the construction of buildings and cities that have lasted such a long time. Like a fine wine, many of these areas get better as they age. We have seen desert turned into lush greenery (this was the case when we visited Israel last year) and is also true in other parts of the Middle East that we visited this year and last year. We have seen beautiful buildings some, of which date back a very long time while others, have been newly built. We have also seen the beauty of each area through the locals who we have met during the course of this adventure who have taken the time to share with us the history and customs of their respective homelands. We have also learned about other areas of the world by sharing thoughts and stories with many of our fellow passengers and crew who come from all over the world. This is an amazing world and we are humbled that we have had the opportunity to visit so many different cities and countries and regions of the world on these two World Cruises. We truly have and continue to make memories during this adventure that surely will last a lifetime.
As we had mentioned yesterday, last evening we set the clocks forward by one hour as we sail into yet another new time zone. We began our day with a nice workout in the Fitness Center. Keith was the first one to arrive at the center and enjoyed another nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. Anne Marie arrived a little while later and enjoyed a nice workout on the Treadmill. A couple of the other regulars were there; John and Mary. Keith spoke with Mary for a good part of his workout and then he caught up with some of the news on the television. There were very few other passengers working out. This was because many of the passengers had taken the one day excursion to Cairo, Egypt to see the Pyramids yesterday and that involves a six hour round trip drive by motor vehicle and they got back to the ship last evening. Add to this that we moved the clocks forward for one hour and this morning was a very good day for them to sleep-in.
After our workout, we stopped by the Lido Café to get some coffee to go. A little while later we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room. The seas continue to be very calm.
There are lots of activities on the ship today since today is a sea day.
We went to the Passover Morning Service and greatly enjoyed the service.
Anne Marie spent the last couple of hours of the morning doing some additional packing of items that we won’t need for the remainder of the World Cruise.
Keith attended the second of the lectures given by Ambassador Marc Ginsberg. The topics of his presentation was “Clinton/Obama and McCain: The ’08 Campaign and a Post-Bush Middle East.” Ambassador Ginsberg discussed several key items that he thought would be major international issues for the next United States President to deal with. He discussed the pluses of each of the three candidates and also areas of concern. Keith thought that he gave a very fair and balanced assessment of each candidate and also did a nice job in describing the challenges for the next president and the complexity of the issues. One of the items that Ambassador Ginsberg talked about is how many of these issues and their solutions need to transcend politics. To translate this into our own words, in other words the solutions to many of these items need to go beyond red vs. blue rhetoric. Rather, it will take a country that is united in its approach to address these major issues.
Before lunch there was an event for all of those on this cruise. This is one of many events that have been held throughout the World Cruise for all guests. This one was called Mediterranean Mid-day Mixer and included complimentary beverages along with live music by the ships orchestra and dancing and included entertainment from several of the outside entertainers who are on board the ship for this segment of the World Cruise.
Afterwards, it was time to enjoy lunch in the Main Dining Room. We each enjoyed another wonderfully prepared Salad Entrée.
During the afternoon we enjoyed the amenities of the ship. There were lots of activities to keep us busy.
While we didn’t attend it, this afternoon there was complimentary wine tasting by the head sommelier, which featured four different white wines.
This evening we will go to the Prego Italian Restaurant with a very nice woman who organized the dinner along with a guest that she has invited and one other couple who we know so very well, starting with last years World Cruise. We had dinner with the woman who invited us this time around just about a month ago and we first met her during last years World Cruise. She was an entertainer for many years on and off Broadway and has also appeared on television. She is always so wonderful to talk with and has a terrific outlook on life.
At the same time, there is a special dinner menu in the Main Dining Room since our next set of ports will be in the Mediterranean. Yes, this evening the feature menu was Mediterranean Dinner. The menu featured items representing the Mediterranean.
There were four appetizers including Golden Baked Seafood Spanakopita, Mezze Plate Roasted Venison Carpaccio, Chilled Fruit Cup with Fresh Figs and Metaxa.
Soup and Salad featured five items including a Tomato Bisque with Lobster Salad, Chicken Broth “Mille Fanti”, Cappuccino of Green Garden Peas with Mint Mousseline, Assorted Garden Greens with Crisp Spliced Eggplant Chips and Piquant New Potatoes, Red Endive with Water Melon, Grapes, and Goat Cheese Truffles with Lemon-Olive Vinaigreette.
There was a Pasta Special of Linguine Pasta “Al Vongole”.
Also there was a Salad Entrée of Grilled Sirloin Steak and Greek Farmer’s Salad with lots of other items that are found in the Mediterranean.
The Main Fares included Broiled Fresh Swordfish Steak, Braised Chicken Cacciatore, Grilled Lamb Chops, Pan-Fried Veal Scaloppine “Sorrentino” with Artichokes, Tomatoes and Capers, served with Angel Hair Pasta.
As usual there were lots of side orders to choose from and several traditional main fares items such as Herb Marinated Free- Range Chicken Breast as well as Grilled Back Angus Sirloin Steak.
Are you ready for some Dessert? In addition to the seven Classic Desserts there were two featured items Degustazione di Ricotta which is Ricotta Profiteroles, Ricotta Chocolate Canolliani, and Ricotta Orange Custard (no calories ☺)
There was also a dessert called Strawberry Garden which included Chocolate Cup filled with Marinated Strawberries, Whipped Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream.
And, if you prefer cheese from the Cheese Trolley the cheeses featured this evening were Mont d’Or, Manchega, Chablis, St. Augur, Rabiola, and Sainte Maure
Starting with this afternoon there was lots of entertainment. At 4:30 PM the production show called Gotta Dance was shown. This is the newest production show on this ship and from time to time the production shows are being shown in the afternoon so that additional entertainers can be featured at night.
This evening features a Spanish Folkloric Show featuring Flamenco Mulero with Ricardo Sanchez Lopez, Raquel Vincente Porcel and Maria Del Rocio.
Later in the evening the entertainment continues with a Cabaret Shwotime featuring the Acappella Quartet called Full Sail.
For those who enjoy star gazing (and we’re talking about stars not actors/actresses) from 10:30 PM to 12 Midnight astronomer Dr. Norman Caisse is on hand for the night viewing of the stars.
Tomorrow morning we arrive to our next port of call in Greece.
Keith & Anne Marie
