Traveling with the Jones

Jeff J · June 11, 2007

After spending 38 days on the Prinsendam, it is hard to depart tomorrow. We spent much of the day packing and much of the evening reminiscing with our tablemates and the cruise staff.
We visited Kusadasi last year on the Noordam. On this visit, the ship unexpectedly stayed in port two days, allowing us to spend a full day touring the amazing ruins at Ephesus, and a second day at Alada Land, a nearby water park that is rated one of the top 10 in the world. Every kind of water ride imaginable – not what we expected to find in Turkey, but tons of fun.
For this visit, we walked around the waterfront in Kusadasi and enjoyed the café culture. Unbelievably, as we were having a beer at a café near the port, we recognize JJ, one of the owners. Last year, he worked at a different café in a different area of the Kusadasi waterfront.
Tomorrow, we hope to be one of the first off the ship in Athens, as we have booked an 11 am flight on Turkish Airlines from Athens to Istanbul, where we will board the Norwegian Jewel.
This Black Sea Medley cruise has been one our favorites of all cruises we have taken. We enjoyed the exotic and new ports with interesting people and histories both ancient and recent. And this itinerary was enhanced with a great group of fellow guests, and the elegant atmosphere on the ms Prinsendam.

Jeff J · June 10, 2007

Gallipoli Monument as viewed from the deck on the ms Prinsendam, sailing through the Dardanelles

Around 7 am this morning the Prinsendam entered the Bosporus Strait that separates Asia and Europe through Istanbul, and connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. We got up on the top deck to enjoy the view, take photos, and hear the port lecturer’s commentary. After seeing Istanbul’s monuments on the tour six days ago, it is fascinating to see them from the water.

The Bosporus is very narrow and curved, and packed with cruise ships, shipping containers, ferries and small boats. It took about one and a half hours to transit the strait before the ship entered the Sea of Marmara.

Around 2:30 in the afternoon, the Prinsendam entered the Dardanelles. Again the port lecturer and Captain Turner provided commentary.

About 4:30 pm, we passed the area of Gallipoli where we could see the Allied and Turkish monuments commemorating the World War I battlefield. We were watching from the promenade deck with our new friends from New Zealand, John and Maureen. John pointed out one of the hills near Gallipoli, and mentioned that his grandfather was buried there in the Commonwealth Cemetery. Several years ago on a ground tour, John was able to locate his grave.

This was the last formal night on the cruise. Colleen, one of the cruise staffers, joined our table. We had a terrific evening with our fun tablemates!

Jeff J · June 9, 2007

Since Bulgaria is said to be one of the oldest wine regions in the Mediterranean, we booked the 8 hour “Taste of Varna: Bulgarian Cuisine & Wine” tour.

In Varna, we visited the Ethnographic Museum, with displays of daily life and industry in the 1800s. The wedding and bread displays were unusual. Traditional weddings involved the bride baking bread during the wedding ceremony, for the groom to give a final “thumbs up” before marrying her.
As our bus passed through Varna, our guide explained that under the Communist plan, Varna was developed as an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse, with many of the rural population moved to the city to work in the factories and shipyards. High-rise apartment buildings were built quickly and of somewhat inferior quality, and many are in poor condition today.

Currently tourists are the driving force of the economy, lured by golden sand beaches, five star hotels, and low rates. There are 35,000 hotel rooms and a flight lands every 22 minutes in Varna.
As our bus drove further into the Bulgarian countryside, it appeared that we were stepping back in time. Large fields were still farmed with horse-drawn implements.

We visited Madara, a carving of a horseman high upon a rock cliff from the eight century. Next we headed to Shoumen, a major wine region. It was also a major military training area. Our guide, who was both entertaining and knowledgeable, shared that he was stationed at that center 30 years ago, learning to shoot US military aircraft, and never dreamed that he’d be guiding groups of US tourists.

Shoumen is also known for a huge concrete lion Soviet-era monument that is 1300 steps above the city. At the winery we had a short tour of the facilities, and then set down to taste 6 glasses of wine, with goat and sheep’s cheese. The wine was quite good, and sold for 5 Euros per bottle.

Lunch was in a hotel in Shoumen, with the tradition Bulgarian foods.
Back in Varna, our tour ended back at the ship. We headed out quickly to explore the beach. Unbelievable to be just 90 minutes from the rural area, this could have been Ibiza. Trendy beach bars with discos were packed with beautiful people and certain to turn into party central once the sun went down. Unusual though, this was the only area that we found that did not accept Euros or US dollars, only the Bulgarian Leva.

Jeff J · June 8, 2007

Constanta is Romania’s largest seaport for traffic flowing on the Danube River and the Black Sea. The new cruise ship terminal is impressive. Then, you exit and find yourself in the middle of a huge industrial and military port. Unwilling to wait 20 minutes for the shuttle into downtown, we decided to walk the narrow path through the port into town.

We headed to the Plata Ovidiu, location of the National History & Archaeological museum, and supposedly a pick-up point for the Constanta City Tour – a Hop on-hop off style red tour bus. We found the sign and had a beer at the café beside it while we waited. Once the bus finally came, it failed to stop. We walked around the city trying to locate the other stops (the map was ambiguous at best), and finally gave up. (Back on board, we learned from other guests that we didn’t miss anything, as there was no commentary, just a drive-around.)

While walking around the city we saw numerous signs for Carrefour’s, the French hypermarket. We followed the signs with an arrow but kept finding more signs. Eventually we asked and learned Carrefour’s was not within walking distance. We took a cab to check it out, ending up in Constanta’s suburbs, as part of a huge new shopping mall. Everything was available to buy; but fairly expensive for Romania, so it appeared that few were buying.

People were friendly and helpful, and it was easy to catch a cab back to the port; however, our driver wasn’t allowed to go into the port. We would have to pay a different cab, with a different “license”. (The cabs appear exactly the same.) We decided to walk once again.

Constanta is obliviously growing with lots of building and new development, likely fueled by the recent admission into the EU. The beach is sandy and beautiful but surrounded by run-down buildings that appear to be only 20 to 30 years old, but are in disrepair Our tablemates enjoyed the ship’s 12-hour tour to Bucharest, despite the 3-hour drive each way.

Later in the evening, the Indonesian Crew Show was a big hit.

Traveling with the Jones

Day 38: Kusadasi, Turkey Saying goodbye to the ms Prinsendam

Day 37: The Bosporus and the Dardanelles

Day 36: Varna, Bulgaria Wine, History & Beaches

Day 35: Constanta, Romania