Sabbatical Day 17

July 6, 2004--Day 17
Yesterday we began our cruise, and the day was quite busy, which explains the brevity of my previous entry. Yesterday morning I ate breakfast at the Stanley. I tried some corn flakes with milk—they tasted a bit off. I also had an egg and toast. We were taken by cab to Pireaus—we being Steve, Connie and me. We stopped at the post (office) twice so Steve could ship a rug home to Idaho. We got to the dock and waited a very long time to get on the ship. We met up with the other Steve and Judy. Steve asked me to take his and Connie’s picture as they ascended the gangway—I did and got fussed at by the official photographer of the ship, who was taking photos that would be available later for €7. My cabin is located right around the corner from the main reception desk. It is a small inside cabin with poor lighting, and two short beds. Right after we departed, we were required to do a long life boat drill. I sat on the deck for awhile a little bit later and got a little sunburn. I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my arms, which I’ve been really faithful about. After eating buffet lunch (mostly cheese and fruit), I went back to my cabin for a nap.
The ship rocks much more than I thought it would, especially when we’re sailing. I haven’t gotten sea-sick, though. After my nap, I prepared for our excursion to Mykonos, the most affordable (€6) of the excursions. While on Mykonos, I put my feet in the waters of the Aegean Sea, but not for too long, as there were all kinds of things floating in it, and there was a dead pigeon on the beach. We went from the ship and returned to the ship via “tenders” or smaller boats.

I returned to the Triton in enough time to shower, shave and change for dinner, the second sitting at 9:15 p.m. There is an evening dress code on the ship, but it doesn’t seem to be enforced. Dinner was very good. The two Steves, and Connie and Judy are at my table, as well as a family from Virginia—Jill, Teddy and Veronica. I had a popcorn shrimp appetizer, a steak with cauliflower and cheese sauce and good French fries, bread, iced tea, and apple pie a la mode. After dinner I read a bit (Paul) then went to sleep about 11:30 p.m.

When I woke up this morning, we had arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey, my third country and second continent of the trip, not counting the U.S. and North America. I ate breakfast in the dining room, which has open seating for breakfast and lunch. I did not realize, however, that they fill up tables. So I was seated with three teenagers, rather than by myself. They were nice enough, but I felt a bit awkward. The boys shook my hand after we finished eating, which I thought was very polite. Our excursion to Ephesus (Efes in Turkish) began at 7 a.m., which seemed a tad early. Our tour guide was a Muslim woman from Turkey. We saw quite a few things in Ancient Ephesus—the well-preserved library, the brothel, the toilets, a fountain, etc. Most biblical was the theater, which they said Paul spoke at. Following Ephesus, we returned to the port city, where we went to a carpet shop to learn about hand-woven rugs. It was interesting, but I wasn’t in the market for a rug. I bought some postcards and some stamps, and attempted to mail a post card from the post office.

I returned to the ship and wrote in my journal and waited for the lunch buffet to open. Even though I was toward the front of the line, it still seemed to move at a snail’s pace. I had fried fish and fries, salad and cheese and salami. After lunch I took a nap.

Our excursion to Patmos met a half hour ealier than published. We went first to the Monastery of the Apocalypse, where John is to have written Revelation. The second part of the excursion was the Monastery of St. John, which I wasn’t tremendously interested in, which was followed by more time for shopping. I found two comic books in Greek—an Asterix comic and a copy of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man #5.

Tonight’s dinner is a Greek meal, and to be honest, I’m tired of Greek food. We’re supposed to wear blue and white, the colors of the Greek flag. The name of the country in Greek is ΕΛΛΑΣ, which is where we get the word “Hellenic,” or “Hellenistic.”

I am enjoying the cruise, but my schedule is busier than I’d expected, and the ship is smaller than I’d envisioned. My perception of cruise ships comes from the classic television series, “The Love Boat.” (I haven’t fallen in love yet either.)