Mediterranean - August 26 - 29, 2015 - Days 8-11

Day 8, August 26, 2015 … We had a leisurely morning finishing up on e-mails, etc., while we still have Internet, breakfast at the hotel, a last look at Plaza San Marco, the Basilica and the busy, beautiful streets and canals of Venice.  We were picked up via boat taxi and whisked off to the Island

Leaving Venice on our Sail Away
The Island Princess is taller than most of the buildings

Princess cruise ship docked about 20 minutes from our hotel.  It was nice to have priority boarding since we’ve cruised with Princess before.  The afternoon was filled with some exploration of the ship, reading about all the activities that are being offered, appetizers and drinks for those of us in the Captain’s Circle (having cruised with the Princess line several times before) and unpacking to settle in for the next 12 days.

At dinner we met three other couples … one from Yorkshire, England, one from Vancouver, Canada and one from The Hague, Netherlands.  It’s always fun learning about the lives of others, especially those from other countries; and, of course, the food was delicious as well!

For tonight’s entertainment we had the pleasure of listening to the Venetian Chamber Orchestra.  The women in this 12-piece stringed orchestra were donned in black and wearing masks … Venice is well known for its carnival masks … and the men wore white blousy shirts and tri-cornered hats with feathers.  The conductor also wore a white powdered wig as of old.  The background was a scene covering the entire back of the stage of the Grand Canal, changing to other typical Venetian city scenes as the program continued. I felt like I was sitting on a street in Venice!  For several songs, either a male baritone, a female soprano, or both, each dressed in 18^th century fashion, entertained us with their magnificent singing.  The music was lively, their actions were fun and … oh my … could they ever make those violins, cellos and base strings sing!!  I absolutely loved it!

Day 9, August 27, 2015 … Happy Anniversary to us!  Hard to believe it’s been 49 years … I remember the day like it was yesterday.  We have been so very, very Blessed all these years!!  There are balloons outside our door plus an anniversary wish on the door from Princess.  It was a quiet, uneventful morning, but at noon the ship left the dock and headed through the Venetian Lagoon, past the now familiar sites of the Church of St. Mary, the Plaza San Marco and its surrounding clock tower, bell tower, St. Mark’s Basilica and The Doge’s Palace … all while waving to the others boating in the waterway and listening to Italian songs over the loudspeakers. It was a fitting tribute leaving Venice!

The afternoon was a flurry of attending a Ladies’ Pamper Party (me – hoping to look eternally young  -- hah!), two-for-one drinks (Bob), collecting stamps and hoping to win something fantastic in the drawing (we didn’t!), listening to a boring, but informative, lecture on Istanbul (our first stop 3 days from now) and what to see and do there, then going to the hors d’oeuvres and drink specials for us in the Captain’s Circle.

At dinner this evening we met the three other couples who will be sharing the table for the duration of the trip.  There were many laughs as we got to know them … from Huston Texas, Manchester England and Sidney Australia.   It was also the birthday of the gentleman from Australia … and the staff presented him and us with cute little Princess chocolate cakes with a candle, singing Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary … off key … but fun nonetheless! We set the clocks ahead an hour, to Istanbul time, before going to bed. Oh, I do love cruising!

Day 10, August 28, 2015 …  All yesterday afternoon and through the night the ship navigated through the Adriatic Sea, Around noon we passed by the boot heel of Italy, through the Strait of Otranto, then paralleling the Greek coastline and outlying islands in the Ionian Sea. After breakfast we attended another very informative lecture on Athens … how to get there from the ship, what to do and not do, what to see, etc.  Then we donned the swim suits for the hot tub and reading on deck 14, overlooking the sea. Between the champagne art auction (me), a consultation with the foot print specialist (she didn’t show … reschedule?), a quick seminar on arthritis and back pain relief with acupuncture, happy hour, hors d’oeuvres and drink specials, it was another busy afternoon. Meeting people from all over the world is a bonus!

This evening was the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party. In the beautiful atrium the staff constructed a large pyramid of over 600 stacked champagne glasses, which provided a photo op as guests climbed the stairs to pour some champagne into those glasses. The head staff and Captain were introduced, champagne flowed freely, four or five different areas gave passengers an opportunity to have formal pictures taken. This was a formal affair, so I enjoyed noticing all the beautiful evening dresses worn by others.  Dinner with the others was delightful, delicious … but too much food!  We did go to the evening’s entertainment of singing and dancing, but that’s really not Bob’s thing, we were tired and so we left even before the song ended.  Another entertaining day aboard the cruise ship … loving it!

The three-story Atrium of the
Island Princess

Day 11, August 29, 2015 … Through the night the ship cruised through the Ionian Sea, then rounded the coastline of Greece, and today we sailed easterly/northeasterly across the Aegean Sea and we see a few Greek islands and passing ships. By evening we navigated through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara towards Istanbul where we will dock tomorrow morning.  It is extremely windy out there today, and watching the waves and white caps is mesmerizing. The morning was spent getting clothes washed and dried, and after lunch we attended another destination lecture, this time on our stop in Naples.  A cat-nap, a short food-carving demonstration by some of the chefs, happy hour, hors d’oeuvres and Mojitos and time to read rounded out the afternoon.

Then there was another delicious afternoon with the fun group at our table and stopping by to listen to all the great music playing here and there around the gorgeous atrium of the ship.  What’s not to like??! Early to bed because tomorrow promises to be a long and HOT day in Istanbul … stay tuned!