Krane Mediterranean travels

                                   

October 2, 2019, We are on the Holland America Rotterdam ship. Full of friendly people. Entered ship in Amsterdam. This vibrant city in the Netherlands, lining a maze of canals, offers endless surprises. The top shore excursions here visit the world-renowned Rijksmuseum (it houses Rembrandt's "Night Watch"), Dam Square and the Royal Palace. In spring, the tulip gardens are a favorite destination and tours include The Anne Frank House and the Heineken Brewery.

October 3, 2019 First stop was Zeebruge Brussels near Brugge. This is a seaport which caters mainly for container ships and other freighters as well as a number of vehicle and passenger ferries to and from a range of different European ports. It also welcomes cruise ships.

October 4, 2019, Now we are in Le Havlre near Paris. In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the central city of Le Havre as a World Heritage Site. The André Malraux Modern Art Museum is the second of France for the number of impressionist paintings. The city has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom

October 5, 2019, We are at the white cliffs of Dover. There are castles and more to see. We enjoyed the town of Dover and St. Mary’s church. There was s fun outdoor market and many shops with a variety of Engand’s oddities.

October 6, 2019 Sunday The isle of Portland England is located on the Jurassic coast and dates back back 185 million years. The scenery was stunning and it was extremely windy. We drove through several small towns and ended in weymouth England. It was lovely and we enjoyed walking the streets and shopping.

October 9, 2019, Monday A peaceful day at sea. We did a digital class and made movies and drew art. Then we were invited to a special Indonesian luncheon which was delightful. A swim and hot tub capped the afternoon and dinner was gala.

October 10, 2019 We had a delightful time In La Rochelle France which means the rebel city. We loved the Saint-Sauveur church and we saw a beautiful square with 18th century The old town had many shops and restaurants and there was a street market as well. It was sunny and there were many sail boats out.

October 11, 2019 Lovely Bordeaux France is a port city and has a population of 1,195,335. We found the region to be delightful but has all the city trapping such as a tram and subway. It has St. Andrews church built in 1096 and is a UNESCO heritage site. Enjoyable!

October 12. 2019 Holland America always provides priests and we have daily mass although our schedule has only allowed us to attend once. We have a charming priest from Australia. Today we attended as it is Sunday and the room was packed. Good service and someone passed out these of Saint Seurin-de-Cardoune.

October 13, 2019 Lisbon Portugal is a big, very alive city. Lisbon is Portugal’s hilly, coastal capital city with many parks and trees. From imposing São Jorge Castle, the view encompasses the old city’s pastel-colored buildings, Tagus Estuary and Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge. Nearby, the National Azulejo Museum displays 5 centuries of decorative ceramic tiles. They tile the outside of buildings and often sidewalks and streets. We spent five hours on the hop on hop off bus. Touring was 1400 from our ship and 6,000 from two other ships.

October 14, 2019 Rock of Gibralter We are really surrounded by many fascinating places like Tangier. But we are only visiting Gibraltar, British overseas territory occupying a narrow peninsula of Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast, just northeast of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the east side of the Bay of Gibraltar (Bay of Algeciras), and directly south of the Spanish city of La Línea. We took a taxi into the city and there were many shops. We did not see the monkeys but most of the people I encountered were cheerful.

October 15, 2019 Cartagena Spain is a lovely seaport town. Took a short tour on a fun train. The city was begun in 10,000 BC. Many military movements through time has shaped the city. Of course the Romans were here and left the heir mark.

October 16, 2019 We are in Civitavecchia Italy near Rome (where we have been three times.) The people are warm and charming as all Italians. They have balconies large enough to stand on and to hang clothes. They have old preserved walls and new modern buildings. Their streets are tiled. The merchandise they sold was very reasonable as is this beaded dress.

October 21, 2019 Katakolon Greece is a sweet small town that we enjoyed today. And the crew was painting the ship as they do whenever we are in port. Katakolo (Greek: ?at?????) is a seaside town in the municipality of Pyrgos in western Elis, Greece. It is situated on a headland overlooking the Ionian Sea and separating the Gulf of Kyparissia from the rest of the Ionian. It is 11 km (6.8 mi) west of Pyrgos. The small village of Agios Andreas, which in ancient times was the natural harbour for Ancient Olympia, lies northwest of Katakolo. A railway connects Katakolo with Pyrgos and Olympia.

October 20, 2019 Athens, is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region nd is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence started somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC. Athens Greece is over four million people and about 8 cruise ships full of people. We are next to theSilver Sea. We toured the city.

October 21 2019 We swim when we return from touring.

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October 22 2019 Sailed the Aegean Sea and was invited to an Indonesian lunch. Then with our friends Hettie and Warren we attended a gala dinner.

October 23, 2019 · Jerusalem is one of the high points of the cruise although nothing has compared to Lebanon. We were touched by the wailing wall but I was turned off by the drums and horns and dancing due to the boys celebrating the age of 13. Loved Gethsemane. The worst traffic in the world. Thankful we took a private taxi and next is Haifa!

October 24, 2019 Haifa beats Jerusalem! Incredible biblical historical places. First we went to Nazerath and the Basilica of the Annunciation. It is where the angel appeared to Mary. It has dedicated murals from all over the world and a beautiful waterfall wall done for Pope John Paul. We saw the home where Jesus lived when growing up.

Octobder 25, 2019 After Nazerath our private guide took us to Cana. The transformation of water into wine at the Marriage at Cana (Kanna) or Wedding at Cana is the first miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John. Our guide was so good he got us to the whole site without Walt having to stand in lines or walk much. We saw the stone Jesus drew the water from to make the wine. We saw the preserved living quarters of the wedding family. Then our guide took us to meet friends of his at a store at Cana. They served us Turkish coffee and fresh pomegranate.

Naples is a cultural center filled with classical Greek and Roman style architecture and bursting with extraordinary art, from modern street murals to ancient works. Take a tour through the city itself, where you can enjoy an authentic slice of Neapolitan pizza as you stroll along cobblestone streets, or branch out to nearby locales for some can’t-miss excursions. Naples is a jumping-off point for outings to Pompeii, a village preserved in ash from the A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius—the still-active volcano that serves as a backdrop for Naples—as well as treks to the Amalfi Coast, one of the most breathtaking shorelines in the world. At the entrancing Isle of Capri, a short boat trip across the Gulf of Naples, you can take a chairlift to the islet’s highest point for bird’s-eye views or tour the famed Blue Grotto natural sea cave.

November 1, 2019 We visited Messina Sicily. Messina is a harbor city in northeast Sicily. It’s known for the Norman Messina Cathedral, with its Gothic portal, 15th-century windows and an astronomical clock on the bell tower. Nearby are marble fountains decorated with mythological figures.

November 2, 2019 Napoli Italy was a great city to visit. We saw some outstanding churches and beautiful statues. It happened to be a national holiday along with “all souls day” and then “all saints day”. So there were many people everywhere and many soldiers with machine guns guarding.

November 3, 2019 Home for two days