Seabourn cruise 2014 Aegean Sea and Black Sea

Report on our first week on the Seabourn Odyssey


We have had a great time since leaving Athens on Saturday 24 May, although the weather turned rough overnight and tours of Limnos have been cancelled today (Friday 30 May) because of the weather. Can't get ashore safely....too much swell. A quiet coffee morning, talking and reading.

Departure marked by drinks in owners' suite, with American oil group (shale gas company).

Weather was great for Milos and Mykonos, where we enjoyed wandering around.....seafront drinks, lunches etc. On Milos we hired a local taxi (Caterina) to drive us around and we did a tour of the island, with lunch at Enalion Restaurant in Pollonia. Very good local seafood.

On Mykonos, we stayed in the main area looking at the shopping lanes and the area known as Little Venice, with windmills nearby. Lunch at Alexandre Restaurant, and gelato a before returning to the ship.

Mid week, to Marmaris, our first port of call in Turkey....at berth in a large marina with fancy yachts and motor launches, including MV ICE, owned by a Russian oligarch. Surprising display of wealth. We did a tour into the mountains and surrounding valleys, with pleasant stops for refreshments.

On to Kusadasi and nearby Ephesus, to see the archaeology there (Voyager Virtuoso tour). Ephesus was o ne of the most famous cities of the Roman Empire, said to be the retirement location of the Virgin Mary, being looked after by the Apostle John. Tourists flock to the (presumed) site of Mary's home....it must be true.

Also with links to St Paul and his Epistles......letters to the Ephesians, of course! The city became buried and lost as the harbour silted up and earthquakes did the rest. Only rediscovered in the last 100 years and the ruins are gradually re-emerging as digging and partial restoration occurs.

Seabourn hosted a sunset orchestral evening at the site.....very impressive, good classical music and drinks as the sun set on the nearby amphitheatre.

Next stop was Patmos, with links to the Apostle John, and the Book of Revelations. Monasteries, churches etc. and many steps up and down. And a lunch followed by some Zorba-style dancing.

All of these visits were in bright sunny conditions, and then the weather changed overnight.

Now having a quiet morning anchored off Limnos, with coffee and time for drafting this! Actually enjoying the break as we have got a bit tired with all the walking and climbing.

A trivia game about midday and altho we did not win we were 'placed' and won Seabourn key rings to add to our prize collection.

We miss out on visiting Limnos today, but not to worry as we call back here on the return.....we had seen that as a pain (a second visit) but it might work out okay.

Leaving early for Istanbul, where we will spend Saturday. Early departure means we will have a daylight passage of the Dardanelles, adjacent to the Gallipoli Peninsula....a small bonus, as it would have been a night time passage on normal timing.

Have seen the news re the State of Origin....NSW held on; Qld team getting a bit old; so NSW looking good....Have lots of photos but on board internet does not encourage sending photos. Best to do that offshore, with free wi fi (sometimes).

Hope you are all well.

D and D




Report on our second week on the Seabourn Odyssey

Carrying on from before.....

Through the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora to early berthing in Istanbul.

We had an interesting day in Istanbul, visiting the Topkapi Palace, in the older area south of the Golden Horn.

What a crowd! The population of Istanbul is about 17 million and it seemed they were all there.

Actually mainly from 4 cruise ships in port, and numerous tourist buses.

We had a good guide and got there reasonably early, but somewhat delayed in getting started by slow immigration procedures.

Topkapi Palace was OK.....just, because of the crowd.

But we failed re the Hagia Sofia, the great church/mosque/museum. 

The crowd was too much and we retreated to a nice coffee shop.

Pleasant exit that afternoon up the Bosphorus Strait to the Black Sea. Beautiful palaces, houses on both sides and bridges. A new bridge being built at the northern end, at the entry to the Black Sea.

Then in to the Black Sea and the weather got worse....lived up to its name.

Visited Nessebur (Bulgaria), a UNESCO heritage site because of its old town. Tried the R2 restaurant that night.

Then on to Varna (Bulgaria), a big port centre. US cruiser Vella Gulf there bristling with radar and weapons. Saw many of the crew heading off for a night on the town.

Went to the local markets with the Exec Chef...an interesting experience, buying fruit and vegetables, and mussels and crayfish (yabbies).

Next stop was Constanta (Romania)...rather dull port, with a continuing Soviet era appearance.

Then a day at sea, highlighted by the 'Galley Market' lunch, where all the specially prepared food is laid out buffet-style through the kitchen. Beautiful preparations and thoroughly enjoyable.

We have done this a few times before and it was great again!

Then a stop at Sinop, an ancient Turkish port to the south-east.

Went to the local markets again, and that was interesting. Some beautiful fruit and vegetables.

Good agriculture in this area. Also lots of cheap clothing, but also seemed to be low quality.

Denise had to buy some pharmaceuticals. Very cheap compared with home prices, so much so that one pharmacist said not too worry about paying...it would be a gift! (A fan of Russell Crowe).

Weather over this period was rather bleak and dark.....definitely the Black Sea....not all that enjoyable overall. It was a shame that Odessa and Yalta had to be cancelled.....geopolitics!

Finally into the Bosphorus Strait in dull and wet conditions on Friday, heading south to Istanbul.

Then it was like opening a door and going into a different room....the weather changed for the better.

Friday night we went to a glamorous dinner at the Ciragan Palace (Kempinski Hotel), in Istanbul. That was a great experience, in a fantastic setting overlooking the Bosphorus. One hour to get there in a bus because of traffic jams, but only 10 mins to return to the ship later in the evening.

We had most of the next day in Istanbul, visiting the Spice Market, Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar.....all good, with the same guide as the previous week (Ahmet).

That got us through the day in good form and we departed in fine weather late on Saturday for the final week of the cruise.

So now you have to wait for the next and final instalment. It is going well with better weather.

Cheers

Denis and Denise




Report on our third week on the Seabourn Odyssey

Time to report on our third and final week of the cruise.

Last Sat in Istanbul was very good and we departed the port in good weather.

Down through the Dardanelles overnight and on to Limnos, our next port of call.

Denise and Margaret went on a 'caique' cruise to some of the beaches, and Denis and John did the highlights of the island, including the ruins of a very old settlement, regarded as one of the oldest in Europe, and the military cemetery at Mudross (where wounded troops were treated after Gallipoli). Weather remained good.

Next day back to the Greek mainland at Volos. Nice little sea port but shops all shut because of a feast day. However, not the restaurants strung along the waterfront and we lined up our first grilled octopus lunch of the week. Very good.

Later we had a caviar service with vodka on the balcony, followed by 'surf and turf' at the patio grill on the open deck. Hmm...yes a big eating day, and the good weather continued.

A rapid trip across the Aegean Sea to the east and we were back in Turkey, at Cesme, a famous marina area. Many beautiful yachts and launches.....rivals the Riviera apparently. Another octopus lunch and then some shopping...a lot easier than in Istanbul, as crowds were modest. Some good leather products. Interesting to see the unloading of massive RO-RO carrier berthed nearby, the ULUSOY-14

Next stop Bodrum to the south. Another big marina with many old-style sailing ships called 'gulets'. Not many in use during our visit but they are very busy 'in the season'. Seabourn offered a cruise on a gulet with lunch for the modest sum of $400 per person! We skipped that one and did our own thing, including another octopus lunch.....prepared a bit differently this time. This restaurant was more expensive and we think we were over supplied with food, and billed accordingly. Have to be precise with the ordering! Got rid of our Turkish lira with a bit more shopping.

Next stop Santorini, and all our bad memories from our earlier visit were cleared out. We had a great day in spectacular weather, visiting Oia (Ee-A) at the northern end of the island, and back to Thira for lunch. Guess what...more grilled octopus, and expanded to include grilled calamari this time. All excellent. Great views from these locations looking down into the deep waters of the caldera.

Used the cable car down to the wharf and back to the ship by tender....a bit bumpy in the wind. Odyssey was anchored in the centre of the caldera, with Windstar masted ships nearby. Drinks on deck and watched the sun go down, and a bit later the full moon came up...very dramatic. We left at 11pm with a blaze of fireworks in the background (a coincidence....a local wedding or party?).

Finally west to the small island of Paros, by tender to a beautiful small fishing village. We weren't planning another onshore lunch but there some beaut occy on display, so we went again for the grilled octopus and calamari, with a Greek salad. Very good, once again. Our conclusion is that the Greeks do this lunch menu a bit better than the Turks.

Tonight an on-deck farewell party and then completed packing. Ducked dinner...we've had enough food! 

In Athens (Piraeus) early tomorrow and on to the airport. Travelling over the weekend, with an overnight in Dubai (in the airport hotel) to get a decent sleep and then a direct flight by A380 to Brisbane, arriving early on Monday. We might be hard to find for a day or two! And of course we have lots of photos to organise. And a little dog to pick up from Cooroy!

It's been a great cruise, with magnificent weather this week, making up for that week in the Black Sea. Great travelling with the Hamiltons and sharing experiences with them. Ship and crew have been very good.




Returning home


Home safely, but running on auto pilot for the time being.

We travelled all weekend, as we left the Odyssey early on Sat morning and headed to Athens airport, and arrived here on Monday morning.

We had a very good trip back. The overnight stopover at the Dubai airport hotel on Sat worked well, altho a bit difficult to find it!

And the A380 business class leg to Brisbane lived up to expectations, with comfortable pod-type seats and flat beds, and lounge area for snacks and drinks!

Good entertainment system.

Still, a long way at over 13 hours from Dubai, and a bit nippy on arrival in Brisbane.

A very good holiday and cruise overall, altho the Black Sea component was not all that good....weather and ports not appealing.

However, Greece and Turkey more than made up for that, with wonderful sunny weather.

The weather at Santorini was great, making up for the 'cyclonic conditions' on our visit some years ago.

And the grilled octopus and calamari for lunch at the Greek Island ports was a special treat!

Cheers

Denis and Denise




Jesse returns


Jesse has been 'ransomed' and returned home.

She has had a good holiday and 'done well', meaning she has put on as much weight as I have.

She thought we were strangers at first (on arrival at Cooroy) but worked it out quickly after a good sniff and a pat.

She slept all the way home in the car and is still settling in, but relaxing and finding familiar corners.

And she has learnt more about the art of barking!

July 2012 Holiday at Mantra Salt, Kingscliff

July 2012 Holiday at Mantra Salt, Kingscliff

Mon 16 July 2012

Travel to Kingscliff, 

Lunch at Choux Box, Marine Parade, Kingscliff

Mantra Salt Room 4318

Visit to Cabarita Beach/Hastings Point (whales)

Tues 17 July

Visit to Murwillumbah

Lunch at the Blue Frog, 4 Wharf St, Murwillumbah

Shopping 

Wed 18 July

Visit to Byron Bay

Coffee at Fundies Wholefood Store

Lunch at Uptown, (formerly Ate), Byron St, Bangalow

Visit Brunswick Heads (prawns from Co-op)

Cabarita (bread from the Bakehouse)

Thurs 19 July

Visit to Mt Warning area, via Uki, Tyalgum and Chillingham

Lunch at Flutterbies Cafe, Coolman Rd, Tyalgum

Afternoon coffee at the Blue Frog, 4 Wharf St, Murwillumbah

Fri 20 July

Travel to Brisbane via Charis Seafood at Labrador

All breakfasts at Season's Restaurant at Peppers Salt (included), except on last morning

Seabourn 2013

Seabourn Odyssey 2013

The Odyssey Cruise--notes 1

Wed 27 March 2013
Just had a great day visiting islands north of Phuket, in speedboats.
Visited 'James Bond Island' from Man with the Golden Gun. Had a swim and now back on the ship.
All going well, nice cabin and good food, as expected.
Relaxing at sea for the next few days, heading to India. First port is Cochin.

We are now having a couple of days at sea, having left Mumbai on Friday evening.
We are happy to be moving on after sampling life and the environment in Cochin, Mangalore, Goa and Mumbai........all interesting to visit (particularly from an historical viewpoint) but quite a struggle for those who live there, unless you are one of the local millionaires....or a family member of one.
Mumbai is large, crowded, and dirty.......as might be expected in an Indian city of about 20 million. Buildings are not well-maintained. Roads are congested and trains are very crowded at peak times, as we saw.
We had a short city-based train journey as part of a tour.......first class of course but that is a matter of interpretation! At least that carriage was not crowded.
On the tour, we saw many parks (about lunch time) crowded with young guys playing cricket, on all sorts of surfaces. Amazing......that's how they produce all these talented young players.
Of course the money incentive is very important......a young player can break out of relative poverty and become a millionaire very quickly if he has the talent.
Visited the Gandhi museum and library in Mumbai......quite an interesting insight into his life and times.
Hundreds of photos taken in India but the Internet connection is not good enough for extensive transmission so that will have to wait. Connection for normal emails is adequate.
We are now moving WNW across the Arabian Sea towards the UAE, and are currently south (but well south) of Karachi, Pakistan. Over the next week we visit Oman, UAE and Dubai, which will bring part 1 of the cruise to an end. Part 2 is the Dubai to Rome leg.
All going well on the ship, lots of Aussies (including quite a few Q'lders), good restaurants and food (too much), and entertainment (shows etc) . Good guest services and library/coffee area known as Seabourn Square. They produce reduced-size copies of some major newspapers, including The Australian often hogged or nicked by a few selfish Australians. They are now producing extra copies. Printed brief news summaries delivered to the cabins about 7.30am every morning.
Also if we want a break from the crowd, there is a good in-cabin entertainment system via interactive TV.........hundreds of movies and music albums 'on demand' (similar to in-air entertainment systems, but many more options). No DVD/CD player or connectivity but there is an iPod connection so you can play your own music thru the TV sound system if you want to. Interestingly it appeared that no one had used the iPod system before in this cabin as it didn't work and needed an internal program change.
Hope you are all well. We have had no health problems, even with a few onshore meals in India!

 The Odyssey Cruise--notes Part 2. Following on from the previous notes--
First port of call in the Middle East was in the UAE.  Stopped over for a day in Khor al Fakkan, a major container port in UAE (near Sharjah) and did a desert 4WD tour. Rather exciting. roaring up and down sand dunes, with photo stops (of course).
Next, on to Khasab in Oman, that part of Oman in the far north-east enclosed by surrounding UAE. Often described as the 'Norway of the Middle East'. Dhow cruise through these unusual looking fiords. Also saw smugglers in fast motor boats going across the Straits of Hormuz to Iran, with cargos of electronic goods, cigarettes etc. Police apparently turn a blind eye!
In Dubai we went up the Al Khalifa Tower (124th floor); followed by lunch and shopping at the Dubai Mall. Development in Dubai is amazing but now stalled to some extent. New passengers joined us....only 78 out of about 450 continued.
Sea days out of Dubai through the Straits of Hormuz and then along the south coast of Oman to Salalah, a port closer to the border with Yemen. Enjoyed a bus trip thru the region inland from the port, including Job's Tomb (maybe!)
More sea days into the Gulf of Aden past Yemen, and the area of pirate risk. Security increased in various ways but no signs of any problems.
Four sea days in a row so used our Hydro Pool Cruise Pass to relax. Very nice secluded part of the ship.
Then into Safaga in Egypt and land trip to the west, to Luxor (on the Nile) with overnight stay, and the Valley of the Kings (on the western side of the Nile). Stayed in Luxor at Sonesta St George. Saw Temples of Karnak and Luxor on the first day, with sound and light show at Temple of Karnak in the evening. Then next day across the Nile by small cruise boat to visit the VOK, where the Ramses tombs and Tutankamon tomb are located. Visited three tombs and Queen Hatshepsut temple.
Long bus trip back to ship which now feels like home.
Next call at Sharm el Sheikh, on the Red Sea to the east, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Quite a tourist/resort development and attractive beaches. Very popular with Europeans.
Next day (Sunday) a full day land trip to Cairo, and the Pyramids at Giza, entered the 2nd largest pyramid descending thru a low, narrow tunnel. Glad to get back out! Lunch on a Nile boat trip, seeing some of the better parts of Cairo. Then bus trip back, thru traffic jams and the worst parts of Cairo.
All of the above accompanied by calm seas and mild temperatures over the last couple of weeks......very pleasant, as this region is very hot later in summer (best to avoid).
Monday 22 April: Into the Suez Canal early in the morning. We are first in a line of cruise ships. Quite a sight.
On to Ashdod and then Jerusalem.
Heading for Rome and disembarkation.
Had a great final tour day today, except for the weather, which was rainy and a bit cold. Our first rainy day in five weeks and definitely on the wrong day.
Visited Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, and had lunch at the famous Hotel St Pietro, near Positano overlooking the cliffs towards Amalfi....a great experience!
Out of port we sailed past Mt Vesuvius in the Bay of Naples. Farewell to this part of Italy.
Earlier tonight we had a Wedding Anniversary dinner in the Main Restaurant with our Aussie friends, starting with caviar and champagne, then soft-shell crabs and a nice chocolate cake. Usual range of wines, of course. Great service and we all enjoyed the occasion. Gave a pleasant conclusion to our cruise as we have spent a lot of time together, in our trivia team, which missed out this time. Group included a majority of Brisbane people.
Now on to Rome and getting organised to come home.
Sitting in Rome, waiting to fly home, after 6 weeks away. A wonderful cruise with great weather and calm seas on the Seabourn Odyssey, from Singapore via Indian and Middle East ports, to Egypt, Israel (Jerusalem), Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, and finally disembarking in Rome. A few days R&R, which in this case means Rome and Retail! All good fun and now looking forward to getting home to Brisbane and catching up with family and friends.