The call to prayer which sounds five times daily could be heard in the background. Since it was getting late in the day, they decided to not go inside the palace and instead walk up the road to Istanbul’s amazing Grand Bazaar which is really one of the world’s largest shopping malls – 4,000 stores all in tiny cubicles. Ray decided to try his skill at negotiating and successfully purchased a shirt for $15 with a $25 price tag, before realizing that similar shirts wouldn’t cost $15 on sale in America. Exhausted from the long journey, Ray and Traci took a taxi back to the ship. Both had a seafood linguini for dinner and watched a musical production featuring Motown hits of years past put on by the ship’s cast.
Sunday was supposed to be a day in Cairo and 72 degree weather. Instead it was in Istanbul with temps in the 30s and cloudy. Ray and Traci joined the NCL tour of Istanbul and took a short bus ride to the Blue Mosque.
This 400 year old house of worship remains a beautiful symbol of the Muslim religion. The ceramic tiles which line the 2nd floor are hand produced works of art which reportedly have been auctioned for as much as $500,000 each. From the Blue Mosque, the group moved to the Hagia Sophia, one of the world’s most beautiful buildings.
The original church was built in 360 AD, burned down, rebuilt, burned down again, and the current one constructed in 537 AD. Used for Christian worship for hundreds of years, Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque with the Christian mosaics covered up until the past half century or so when the structure was turned into a museum celebrating both faiths. Near the top of the dome, large black medallions with golden inscriptions representing Mohammad and Allah rest on each side of a mosaic showing the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
Next on the tour was the cistern which is a subterranean reservoir once used to hold the water supply of Istanbul. Now it represents a spooky but not very interesting place that the government uses to generate $14 from each tourist. While the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, Istanbul has a smaller sibling, The Spice Market, which is next to the New Mosque and operates on Sundays. Determined not to leave Istanbul without getting a great bargain, Ray negotiated the $10 purchase of a Barcelona FC soccer jersey for Traci. While $10 seemed awfully cheap for a soccer jersey, Ray wondered why the merchant was eager to accept the lowball offer. You can buy almost anything at the Spice Market including Levis, Minnesota Timberwolf jerseys, all sorts of questionable pharmaceuticals as well as spices. Bring lots of low denominated US currency with you to Istanbul and an extra suitcase if you enjoy shopping. The group’s final stop was at a jewelry store which worked a deal with the tour company to bring all the tourists for “refreshments” before returning to the ship. Ray has no idea how good the deal was on jewelry, some produced in Turkey but also name brand Swiss watches such as Rolex. The salespeople seemed friendly and didn’t really push merchandise on anyone who wasn’t interested. The tour bus took the group back to the Jade to complete their visit to one of the world’s most interesting cities, Istanbul. Given the unplanned diversion, the Jade staff needed to scramble for entertainment – they hired a local Turkish music/dance group which and treated the audience to a sampling of Turkish culture complete with a belly dancer. For dinner, Ray had a cheese pasta dish and Traci had turkey. Sander and Alison, the magic group, gave another standing room only performance in the main bar. Ray remained very impressed by this great magic act.
The Jade remained in Istanbul for second night due to the hastily organized itinerary. Cruisers awoke Monday to 34 degree temperatures and areas of ice on the deck. Despite the cold, Ray ran laps around the track with beautiful Istanbul in the background. Traci decided to spend the morning in the well equipped and climate controlled gym. The ship left on schedule at 9AM and proceeded back to the Agean Sea, passing thru the Dardenelles in the afternoon. During passage thru this narrow channel, the famous battlefield city of Gallipoli could be seen. Ray and Traci had dinner at the buffet – Traci enjoying spicy Indian food and Ray having salad and pasta. After dinner, both enjoyed watching a performance at one of the bars by the Jade cast. They sang Broadway show tunes with only piano accompaniment. After the packed show, Ray and Traci watched a show in the main theater put on by the Duo Platchkov, two former members of the Moscow Circus. The juggling acts were entertaining with the big finale consisted of balancing on and climbing to the top rung of a two legged 8 foot ladder while juggling 5 clubs. While the feat was impressive, Ray didn’t think it was a prudent thing to do on a moving cruise ship.
Tuesday was another day at sea filled with NCL events. Despite 30 knot gusts, Ray enjoyed the warmer 50 degree temperatures on the running track. The Jade had several interesting presentations – interviews with the Captain and the Hotel Manager, and a lecture about Malta. Gary, the entertainment director gave a fascinating account of his career from a classical pianist/vocalist, to Las Vegas performer, to London’s Broadway and finally cruise ship management. Gary’s experience and talent clearly influenced the high quality of entertainment on the Jade. Day 9 of the voyage was the first time passengers felt rolling waves and noticed they were actually on the high seas. Edmondo Rahme, an energetic singer gave a performance of a variety of classic, pop, and opera selections and Ray and Traci finished the evening with dinner – Traci had a rack of lamb and Ray had grilled chicken.
On Thursday, the Jade stopped in Malta, a small island nation less than 10 miles square with 400,000 residents located just south of Sicily. Malta has been a British colony, a key naval base, and a place with a rich history for at least 6,000 years. Travelers have raved about the port’s scenic beauty and the Jade did not disappoint by navigating a narrow harbor and docking below a medieval city on a hill.
Ray and Traci left the ship, climbed the steps leading to the city and found themselves in Valletta, a walled city about 12 (small) square blocks. Valletta was quite remarkable for the eclectic mix of quaint small shops, high end boutiques, eateries including traditional pubs as well as a Burger King, and key historic attractions. Ray and Traci visited the St. John’s Co-Cathedral, the Malta Palace, and the National Museum of Archeology. St. John’s is a beautiful church built in 1577 by the Catholic Knights who protected Malta from the Ottoman Turks.
The Palace is the Malta White House and contains a museum with armor and weapons used at one time by the knights. Malta’s archeological museum is small but has some remarkable items including the sleeping lady figurine dated 3900 BC. Malta has been a frequent production site for movies including Gladiator, Troy, and Jaws. After enjoying their time in Valletta, Ray and Traci returned to the Jade for lunch. They spent the afternoon taking advantage of free wifi from shops in the port next to the ship. The show for the evening was the highlight of Jade entertainment – a production called Elements. It played to a standing room only crowd who were treated to a very well done cirque du solei style production with some spectacular magic by Sander and Alison blended in. Gary’s entertainment staff really set a high standard for cruise ship shows with the incredible stunts, choreography, and music. Buffet dinner was followed by NCL’s chocolate extravaganza – the chefs filled the Jade’s buffet with various chocolate dishes including some amazing sculptures. While Ray and Traci weren’t overly impressed with the buffet dinners, the chocolate event was great!
The final day at sea was remarkable for some rough seas and gale force winds. After spending time in the gym, Ray and Traci had one final lunch at Cagney’s – Ray, of course, had his favorite steak and Traci had the salmon pita and chicken noodle soup. The ship hit “very rough” seas with 10-18 foot swells and the remainder of the night made many people (including Ray) sick. Ray and Traci decided to experience the Pacific Dining Room (the main dining room) for their last supper – Ray poked and nibbled at a beef teriyaki creation, while Traci had a spinach salad and chicken curry. Both followed it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (Traci first ordered an apple puff pastry, but after a few bites opted for the ice cream). In general the quality of food and service in the main dining room was not as good as the travelers experience on Holland America’s Alaskan cruise. Also, the buffet strangely missed having typical fare such as prime rib, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes. The buffet did have a variety of ethnic foods such as a whole Indian cuisine section(which Traci frequented) and a custom stir fry station. It is hard to tell if the buffet reflected a more international audience than the Alaskan cruises. Guests in suites have the option to eat breakfast and lunch at Cagney’s and that food is quite good. The final show was a typical variety show put on by members of the crew who weren’t the professional entertainers. By this time Ray was pretty seasick and he decided to skip watching the finals of the NCL Jade’s “Idol” contest held in the top deck lounge, and just went to bed in the turbulent seas. The night was a reminder that the Jade was indeed a ship at sea despite 11 nights where you couldn’t tell.
Friday was a cool (but much warmer than two weeks prior) day in Barcelona with brilliant sunshine. Ray and Traci left their nice home of 12 days, and waited in a 30 minute taxi line for a ride to their hotel, Le Meridien Barcelona. Fortunately, their room was ready at 10AM and they put their large collection of luggage in their room, ready for a day of adventure in Barcelona.
Ray and Traci took the subway from their hotel near Placa de Catalunya to Tibidabo, which is the mountain behind Barcelona. Barcelona’s subway system is very modern, easy to navigate, and very clean – much of it was probably a byproduct of the Olympics. At Tibidabo, a streetcar is supposed to carry people to the base of Tibidabo but it was not operating. Ray and Traci started the lengthy uphill walk but caught a bus half way up the hill which is taking the streetcar’s route temporarily. At the base of Tibidabo, visitors catch a funicular which was basically an electric bus on rail tracks which brought vistors to the summit. An amusement park is found on the top of Tibidabo but it is closed during the winter. The highlight is the Temple of Sagrat Cor, a beautiful church high above Barcelona.
After leaving Tibidabo, Ray and Traci caught a taxi to Park Guell, a colorful city park created by Gaudi. Gaudi was a prolific architect who designed many of Barcelona’s leading attractions. Many people enjoyed the park’s whimsical décor on this beautiful Friday afternoon. Park Guell is not an easy walk up hill from the Lesseps metro station and both were glad they took a taxi. Walking downhill away from Park Guell is much easier, and Ray and Traci rode the metro to Sagrada Familia. This amazing unfinished church originally started by Gaudi, is unlike any other. This monumental project has been a work in progress for decades and much more planned. Blending features of traditional gothic art with Gaudi’s colorful fantasy genre, Sagrada Familia is part temple and part amusement park. Where else can you find a crucifixion scene underneath a colorful umbrella?
Before leaving Ray filled his stomach with KFC chicken, strategically located across the street. Back on the metro, Ray and Traci traveled back to La Ramblas and entered the Boqueria, a giant food market similar to Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Both Ray and Traci enjoyed fruit juices, probably made from aging unsold fruit but still delicious. Traci picked up a spinach empanada to go along with a sandwich picked up at a Starbucks. The visitors also walked to the Gothic quarter, just off La Ramblas to admire the great architecture and impressive Barcelona Cathedral. The final stop of the night was at the famous Fountains of Montjuic, a short metro ride away from Placa de Catalunya. Ray and Traci have seen the fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas many times, but they were quite impressed with the Barcelona version which blended different shapes and textures of water sprays with many different colors for a wonderful night time show. A clip from the show can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gsVM0hIpRQ
Exhausted, Ray and Traci returned to their hotel after enjoying gelato from Amorino on La Ramblas.
Their return to Seattle was complicated by a weather related delay at their Heathrow Airport connection. Originally connecting thru San Francisco, they now had to fly home via Chicago, a minor delay which was much better than most of the travelers missing their connections. Despite not reaching Cairo, Ray and Traci thoroughly enjoyed their journey to far away lands and hopefully will reach the Egyptian Pyramids another day.
