Deaf Cruise Holy Land
October 30 - November 9, 2009

At the deaf club in Istanbul	Since Istanbul is a very exciting and interesting city, some of us decided to arrive in Turkey a few days prior to the cruise. With the help of Yusuf, a deaf gentleman from Turkey, we enjoyed two wonderful days in this always bustling city and discovered a lot of historic treasures like the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
After staying at the Vision of the Seas overnight in Istanbul and visiting the famous Topkapi Palace, we headed for Kusadasi (Ephesus) in the southern part of Turkey. A guided tour took us through the excavation area of Ephesus including The Grand Theater where St. Paul preached. Our next stop was Miletus the native city of some well known philosophers and sages. Didyma surprised us with its magnificent Temple of Apollo. Some of the 120 columns still standing helped us to visualize this impressive masterpiece of antiquity.	Halloween Temple of Apollo in Didyma
A more convenient way to get to the Acropolis	Two different tours were offered in Rhodes, Greece. Both included a scenic tour of the island. The one tour included a walking tour of the historic town and the visit of the ancient city of Kamiros, once a thriving Doric city. The other tour focused on Lindos with its dominating Acropolis. Whitewashed houses and the narrow streets invite for shopping or a refreshment after the climb of 292 steps to the Acropolis.
Haifa in Israel was our port of call in order to go to Nazareth and Galilee where Jesus was baptized, preached and performed many miracles. The Mount of Beatitudes where Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount, The Church of the Multiplication, the place of the miracle with two fish and five loaves, and Capernaum were on our agenda for this day. We visited Nazareth at the end of the tour with a stop at the Basilica of the Annunciation.	Capernaum
View at Jerusalem Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem	Another busy day was waiting for us after we disembarked the ship in Ashdod and drove to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. At the Mount of Olives we stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. Passing the ancient olive trees, we went to the Church of All Nations with the Rock of Agony located at the Altar. Back on the bus, we went to the Jewish quarter and walked to the Western Wall the most sacred Jewish shrine in Jerusalem. We continued to the Via Dolorosa and stopped at the Stations of the Cross. Finally, we reached the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Then, we were ready for our lunch break. Before we went back to the ship, we visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
From Port Said, Egypt our tour took us along the Suez Canal. We reached the area of Egypt's first capital, Memphis. The tour of the pyramids started with the world's first monumental stone building, the Step Pyramid of King Zoser that is almost 5,000 years old. Mastabas, the funerary chambers nearby display an array of ancient wall paintings that are still in remarkable condition. The open air museum in Memphis impressed us with the statue of King Ramses and the Alabaster Sphinx of King Amenhopis. We then headed for Africa's largest city, Cairo. The Pyramids of Giza are best viewed from the Western Plateau before getting closer to the Pyramid of Chephren. Down the valley another amazing ancient sight was waiting for us, the guardian of this mortuary complex, the mysterious Sphinx. Before going back to the ship, we stopped at the Papyrus Institute to become familiar with the process of paper making from reeds as the Ancient Egyptians did.	Step Pyramid of King Zoser Alabaster Sphinx of King Amenhopis
Group picture in front of the Ptramids of Giza
At the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqfa	Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C., was our last port of call. The city once flourished as a cultural, intellectual and economic metropolis. Names like Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Octavius are found in the city's history books. A city tour included sights like Mansheya Square, Mosque of Abu El Abbas, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqfa, the National Museum, the Roman Amphitheater and the the Montaza Gardens with the summer palace of King Farouk.

Group Picture

Thank you present from Sam Todd & Jimmy Reed	Thank you card from Sam Todd & Jimmy Reed
Thank you present from Peter & Nancy Kensicki	Thank you card from Peter and Nancy Kensicki

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