Cochin, India

After 11 wonderful weeks on board the Viking Neptune, today is our last day on the ship. As most people know, the situation going into the Red Sea is unsafe for all ship traffic. So Viking Cruises was required to go around the tip of South Africa in order to make it to London by the originally scheduled arrival date of May 9. Viking gave us the option of staying aboard or given ship credit for future cruises, and we decided to accept the credit.

Our new plan is to fly to Rome and tour the major cities of Europe in order to finish our world adventure. Our last stop would be Paris, France 🇫🇷

Cochin, India, was our last port of call, and we were warmly greeted in India by 2 women that placed flower petal dust on our foreheads as we cleared customs. The first stop on our tour was to St. Francis CSI Church. Cochin was first a trading port for the Portugese, then Dutch, then the English in 1809 till their Independence in 1947. You can certainly see the English influence in their architecture and language development. Their major spice export was Black Pepper.

The Chinese Fishing Nets
established on the Kochi shores between 1350 and 1450 AD. are a sight to behold. They appear suspended in mid-air and work off a cantilevered system with rock weights as they are raised and lowered to catch the local fish.

We then advanced to the Mattancherry Palace History Museum, a 16th-century Dutch building now housing a Hindu Temple. Intrigued with the various Howdar carriers we saw that were used on elephants to carry people.

A short walk from there led us into a narrow street surrounded by colonial era buildings where we were surprised to see a sign board on the entry that read “Jew Street”, followed by a few more that pointed in the direction of Jew Town. The streets are lined with antique, textile, and handicraft shops. At the end of the street is Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in India, built in 1568.

Cochin Jews are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. As per some accounts, the first Jews arrived at the Malabar Coast around the 1st century BCE as sailors on King Solomon’s boats. They were welcomed by the then king and, over time, were provided everything from land rights and exemption from taxes to religious freedom and special ceremonial privileges.

Returned to ship for luggage and to say our goodbyes to all our ship friends. Off to the Cochin Hotel to start the next phase of our journey.Weiterlesen