Today we transited the Suez Canal. This is our second time having the opportunity to transit this canal in as many years. On one side of the canal, much of what one sees is desert whereas, on the other side there is town after town with many nice homes, hotels and other resorts, along with the beauty of luscious grass and other vegetation to view. There are also times when most of what you see on both sides is desert. Yes, it is different than the Panama Canal but nevertheless when you think about all of the labor that went into construction of this canal or the fact that someone had the foresight to identify the benefits of the canal it is truly amazing.
We awoke early this morning after getting another good nights sleep. The ship was very calm last evening as we made our way towards the entry point of the canal. Keith was the first passenger to arrive at the Fitness Center and when he began his workout our ship was not moving as we and other ships were waiting our turn to enter the canal. As we learned later during the Captain’s morning announcement, we had dropped anchor at around 3:00 AM this morning.
Eventually, fellow passengers John, and Mary and of course Anne Marie joined Keith in the center. Keith enjoyed another wonderful workout on the Elliptical Machine while Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill. Keith spoke with Mary for a little while. We could see the Pilot come onto the ship at around 5:45 AM.
After our workout we enjoyed a cup of coffee and began to enjoy the Suez Canal. We enjoyed a nice breakfast in our room. After breakfast, we spent time outside to view the Suez Canal and the land that surrounds the canal on both sides of the ship. As was the case last year, entry points to the Suez Canal are watched closely by Egyptian Military. A special narrator was brought on board the ship and provided commentary throughout our time in the canal. She gave a talk every hour for about ten minutes. The commentator is from Egypt, spoke wonderful English, and was one of the tour guides during one of the tours the other day.
Many passengers chose to view the canal from various vantage points from the ship including their verandahs, the Promenade Deck where passengers could either stand or walk around the deck, and the Palm Court, which provides a nice panoramic view from inside the ship of the canal. There are also many other venues in which to get a nice view of the canal and the surrounding land. Our transit through the canal was about twelve hours from approximately 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
During the Captain’s morning announcement, Captain Glenn noted that the first pilot who came on board the ship early in the morning would depart the ship when a second pilot came on board later in the morning. We were the first ship to enter the canal going Northbound this morning. Captain Glenn had another nice thought for the day which is “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.:
There were some activities scheduled while we transited the Suez Canal but less than normal sea day. This was done so that passengers could take advantage of seeing the canal and also so as not to tie up certain rooms such as the Palm Court that could be used for viewing the Suez Canal.
We continued to view the canal from different positions on the ship. The weather was delightful and actually was on the cooler side in the morning but even so was perfect for enjoying lots of time on the open decks of the ship.
Later in the morning, we took time away from viewing the canal to attend a lecture featuring Middle East Expert, Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, who presented “Israel at 60: A Middle East Milestone.” Mr. Ginsberg has served in a variety of positions and played a large role in shaping United States Policy in the Middle East in the 1970’s. Mr. Ginsberg is an eloquent speaker who does a wonderful job holding the attention of his audience. We look forward to his other two presentations along with the panel discussion that he will appear on with General Haley and Tex.
After Mr. Ginsberg’s lecture we enjoyed a nice lunch in the Main Dining Room. Before going to lunch we picked up our passports, once again, as we will need to carry these when we arrive in Alexandria, Egypt tomorrow morning.
This afternoon we continued to enjoy the views from the ship. Keith stood out for quite a while as we were making our way towards the highest suspension bridge in the world. Even so, it didn’t seem as though we had too much room to clear the ship, but we did and both the bridge and the ship are in good shape. ☺
This evening we attended the Passover Celebration along with about 130 other guests. Our wonderful Rabbi conducted the Passover Seder and afterwards we enjoyed a sensational meal prepared by the excellent chefs on board this ship. The Prego Specialty Restaurant was closed this evening so that the wait staff could be utilized along with some of the other staff to serve this meal. We had a wonderful time at the Seder and appreciate all of the preparation that went into this evening by the Rabbi, his lovely wife, and the Crystal staff.
For a good portion of the day tomorrow we will not have Internet Service so we are not sure whether or not we will post tomorrow.
Keith & Anne Marie
