GEMS OF THE AEGEAN SEPTEMBER 2009 Part 7

GEMS OF THE AEGEAN SEPTEMBER 2009
Part 7 - on board The AEGEAN PEARL

Tuesday 15th September 2009
I enjoyed 8 hours of sleep, disturbed momentarily by the anchor going down well before dawn, and then breakfast, whilst we all enjoyed knowing we were back in Kusadasi, Turkey.


How lovely, another chance to go ashore under clear blue skies in the comfortable heat of this bustling port. Nearby was the huge bulk of SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS, and OCEAN VILLAGE 2, and walking past EASYCRUISE LIFE we could clearly see the wording on the dark hull: “Reunite the Parthenon Marbles”. Hmmm, that’s telling us!










On that ship it was also possible to see one of her previous names – JASMINE –still visible on the hull. We remembered she was built in Poland in 1981 as LEV TOLSTOY for Black Sea Shipping, with six sister ships. In fact we could also just see that original name on another part of the hull when we looked from a different angle.

Walking round the harbour gave us the chance to see local fishing boats, some with lines of washing on board drying in the breeze, as well as the cruise ships.









I noticed a small white van with “Ladies Beach” written on the sides, and discovered that years ago there had indeed been a Ladies Beach nearby; now it was open to all, and the white vans ran as a taxi service around the area. What an eye-catching title.

This was to be a short visit to Kusadasi so we were all back on board by 11.30 a.m. ready to sail the 47 nautical miles to Patmos, Greece. As usual I think we all felt very proud and proprietary about our little AEGEAN PEARL as she sat amongst the huge cruise ships, before sailing gracefully away from the Turkish port.

After lunch on board, we arrived back at the little port town of Skala on the island of Patmos at 4 p.m. in the most wonderful clear light. Many passengers went on excursions to visit the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, high above us in the village of Chora, with its 900 years old fortifications. With AQUAMARINE also anchored out in the bay, this was the ideal opportunity for photos of the two ships, looking fabulous in the blue sea.



After a walk along the coastal path under shady trees, an ice-cream in the little port was enjoyed. I noticed the usual dogs asleep in various wayside shops or shady areas.














Back on board AEGEAN PEARL, the light, air, clear water, scenery and environment were just wonderful and reminded us all of why we like to be at sea in congenial company: it’s that sense of exhilaration at being alive on such days. Tea and scones gave us a moment of humour. Jam was provided in very small packets, and my portion fell out of the packet as one rather congealed piece, onto my plate. Having recently seen several Viking Line ships, it was immediately recognised as being the shape and red colour of a Viking Line funnel.








We left Patmos just before 9 p.m. and enjoyed Greek Night dinner on board, as well as the evening’s entertainment, sailing the 105 nautical miles to our next port of call in Rhodes.

Ships seen: easyCruise Life, Splendour of the Seas, Ocean Village Two, Aquamarine, Gemini, Izmir (tug)

To be continued...

GEMS OF THE AEGEAN SEPTEMBER 2009 Part 5

<GEMS OF THE AEGEAN SEPTEMBER 2009
Part 5 AQUAMARINE

Sunday 13th September 2009

We arrived at 6.30 a.m. at Patmos and anchored in the bay, well before dawn, having sailed 111 nautical miles from Rhodes. Soon after sun-up the excursion folk took the first tenders, and then it was our turn at 7.45 a.m.



On the quayside there was a Welcome sign from the Patmos boatmen, and I also noticed a "Complain.." box (which had lost a ‘t’). Presumably this was for comments from the public as it had a slit opening in the top, but I also noticed that there was no bottom to the box so presumably anything put in the top simply fell through and was borne away on the breeze…




The air was clear and calm, which made for beautiful reflections in the water, and I noticed a local multi-coloured cat asleep on a blue-painted chair enjoying the peace (paws for thought?).

There was just time for a pleasant walk around admiring the surrounding mountains and the arrival and departure of BLUE STAR 2 and a Flying Dolphin, before getting back on board for the departure at 10 a.m. and a leisurely breakfast on deck in the warm sunshine.

Our next treat was to be a Bridge Visit! The ship’s Host, Ion, took us up there at noon and gave us a short talk, and the chance to take photographs from the Bridge wings.







The ship’s Hostess then took us to visit several empty cabins, at different grades, but I noticed she didn’t include any on Bahia Deck. They were all set out neatly with life jackets on each bed, ship plans and writing paper in folders on dressing tables, full toiletries and towels in the bathrooms, and swimming towels nearby, and those of us on Bahia Deck felt we should take the opportunity to say how welcoming they all looked, and how different it had been in our cabins when we came on board. She was somewhat surprised at this, asked some questions, and apologised on behalf of the ship.












There was time for lunch before our next port of call, at 2 p.m. in Kusadasi in Turkey. This was 49 nautical miles sailing. Tourists are very welcome here, judging by the size of the duty free shops and malls at and near the quayside. We berthed and soon disembarked and felt dwarfed by the huge size of CELEBRITY SOLSTICE at an adjoining berth. I saw her in Papenburg, Germany, last year as she prepared to be tugged away from the shipyard, and she looked enormous then.










Some of us strolled around the bay in the hot sunshine, but returned for tea before departure by 6 p.m. Our elegant little ship looked so much more attractive than the huge SOLSTICE, we thought, as we drank Earl Grey tea on deck and watched our engines start up and emit clouds of black smoke.
It drifted up and straight across to some of the private balconies of the SOLSTICE, whose occupants promptly got up, went inside and slammed their doors, one man shaking his fist at us. We raised our tea cups to AQUAMARINE.













Drinks, dinner (with singing waiters) and packing followed, ready for an early arrival back in Piraeus in the morning. On my way through the shop I noticed a table selling Inch of Gold – and this reminded me of Cunard!

Ships seen: Blue Star 2, a Flying Dolphin, tender 12 and 14 at Patmos, Celebrity Solstice, Orient Queen, Patmos Star, Samos Star, Gemini


Part 6, on board The AEGEAN PEARL, to follow...