2011 Vision Med & Holy Land

September - November 2011

A 51-day adventure by Rulocal Read more

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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Sep 28, 2011
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 197 ft
- England Seneley Green Garswood 53.494076, -2.66412753°29’39” N 2°39’51” W
Day 1
4 Weeks to go
September 28, 2011 in England ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Well it's just four weeks till our next cruise, it's going to be a good one as we've not been to some of the places.
We're travelling with our friends Ken and Denise, which will also be great as it's a while since we've travelled together.
Only one problem as far as i'm concerned.....got to fly to pick up the ship and I bloody hate flying :-(
Anyway it will still be a good trip i'm sure :-)
We're picking up the ship (Vision of the Seas) in Istanbul and it's stopping overnight so hopefully we can see a bit of the city, I'll keep you postedRead more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Oct 18, 2011
- 🌧 9 °C
- Altitude: 197 ft
- England Seneley Green Garswood 53.494076, -2.66412753°29’39” N 2°39’51” W
Day 21
Hoping to get to Jerusalem
October 18, 2011 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C
Well just ten days to go... Sheila really wants to go to Jerusalem while we're in Israel.
So I'm busy checking out costs of the various ways to get there.
Bus seems to be the cheapest way but then you've got to find your own way around the city. Could do the city tour bus I suppose.
Taxi to take us there and stay with us would cost $600-$800.
I've got the email of a private driver who will do it for $250 for all day, I'll let you know what we decide.Read more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Oct 25, 2011
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Altitude: 197 ft
- England Seneley Green Garswood 53.494076, -2.66412753°29’39” N 2°39’51” W
Day 28
Jerusalem update
October 25, 2011 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We've decided to book the private driver, I've sorted it all by email.
He comes recommended, and he has been very helpful in sorting things.
Obviously I''ll let you know how it all goes on the day.
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 1, 2011, 6:00am
- 🌙 7 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Turkey Istanbul Dolayoba Pendik Burnu 40.871126, 29.23174240°52’16” N 29°13’54” E
Day 35
Istanbul
November 1, 2011 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 7 °C
Ugggh!! The coffee is horrible.
First morning, 6am and the coffee is horrible.
I think I may have to break a habit of a lifetime and start paying for it...LOL.
Anyway, as I said it's the first morning and I'm still drunk from last night....
The trip here was great, I can definitely recommend Swiss Air, two brilliant flights...although the food was only average.
We just made boarding the ship in time for the last hour of the free drinks for diamond members....phew!
When we arrived at Istanbul Attaturk airport the taxi I'd booked online was waiting for us with my name in lights.....well if I'm honest, it was hand written on a piece of paper, when all the other names of people being picked up by various transport firms were computer printed...
It made me feel very special....or am I just kidding myself....LOL.
I think today is just going to be a chill out day, because yesterday's mixture of a long journey and free wine will have us old farts to tired to move far :-) I''ll keep you informed...TTFN.Read more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 1, 2011, 7:00pm
- ⛅ 11 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Turkey Istanbul Dolayoba Pendik Burnu 40.871126, 29.23174240°52’16” N 29°13’54” E
Day 35
We have the Norovirus on board
November 1, 2011 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Just found out that the Norovirus is on board and guess what?
It looks like Sheila has come down with it, but her illness could be down to the excessive quantity of white wine she consumed last night ;-) we'll know later.
We are sailing out of Istanbul as I write, the weather is cloudy and most of the American's and Europeans are dressed for the Arctic lol.
Sheila is still not well, but we're certain it's just alcoholic poisoning, not the Norovirus.
So we should see her surface tomorrow morning, again I''ll keep you informed.Read more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 2, 2011
- ☀️ 32 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Aegean Sea 38.086301, 25.5945738°5’11” N 25°35’40” E
Day 36
First problem
November 2, 2011, Aegean Sea ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
We have just been informed that we are not docking in Ashdod.
Apparently it's due to a car bomb exploding in the town, or in Jerusalem, not got the details yet. All we do know is that Ashdod port is closed to cruise ships.
I've had to email Moshe the Israeli driver I'd booked, and cancel the Jerusalem trip.
We are now stopping three days in HaifaRead more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 3, 2011
- ☀️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 33 ft
- Turkey Aydın Kusadasi 37.857913, 27.26101537°51’28” N 27°15’40” E
Day 37
Kusadasi Turkey
November 3, 2011 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
First stop was Kusadasi, we went on a trip to Ephesus
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 5, 2011
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Haifa Nemal H̱efa 32.826722, 34.99404132°49’36” N 34°59’39” E
Day 39
Haifa
November 5, 2011 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
First day in Haifa I went for a walk around the town on my own, not a lot to see, except maybe the Baha'i temple and gardens.
I'm still not sure if they're worth the hike?
Haifa you see is built into the side of Mount Carmel, and the Baha'i temple is about 3/4 of the way up... Apparently there are 378 steps up and there ...Read more
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 6, 2011
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Altitude: 827 ft
- Israel Haifa 32.81136, 34.9852832°48’41” N 34°59’7” E
Day 40
Haifa Baha'i Temple
November 6, 2011 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Well I actually did the walk up to see the Baha'i temple and gardens, and I must say it was well worth it
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Traveler 2011 Vision Med & Holy Land
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- Nov 8, 2011
- ☀️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 1,132 ft
- Israel Northern District Nazareth 32.69964, 35.3035532°41’59” N 35°18’13” E
Day 42
Nazareth, Israel
November 8, 2011 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We decided to go to Nazareth by local bus it cost 28 Shekels each return, that's about £5.
So, the busses are great value and comfortable.
The journey took about 1 hour each way so we got to see quite a lot of the countryside.
Btw the busses are every 10 minutes, we could learn a lesson from the Israelies.
I can definitely recommend it as a way to visit Nazareth from Haifa.
Just in case anyone actually reads this, the bus is the number 331 and you get it at the little bus terminus right outside the port, and the port entrance is 4 to 5 minutes stroll from the ship.
If you want to get a taxi instead the ones outside the port entrance are cheaper than the ones right by the ship.Read more
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