Tag: Viking Vela

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Memory Keeping, Museums, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

A Crazy Day in Crete

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: WHEN YOUR GUIDE IS LESS THAN THE BEST

Our visit to Athens had been perfect and the fun continued into the evening, though our kitty cat did give a little long distance scare. Our day in Crete was designed to be a little more laid back, because our tour was not until that afternoon. Unfortunately, our guide did not meet the high standards Maria had set in Athens. Come find out why!

A Lazy Morning Aboard the Vela

At home in Heath, I wake up around 5 AM. That practice has been with me for decades, long before our cat, Rascal decided he was my alarm clock and perhaps if he wakes me up before 5, I’ll go ahead and feed him – NOT! On the Vela, I woke up at 8. I knew I should probably go to the gym, but instead I picked up my book and read until Bill woke up hungry.

I wasn’t really in a breakfast mood, so I went with Bill to the World Cafe and ate one of the breakfast bars I had brought along, while he browsed the buffet. From there we went to the spa area and Bill did a quick workout, while I enjoyed one of the amazing heated chaise lounges in the spa.

We got ready for the tour and I was hungry for lunch, but Bill wasn’t after his big breakfast, so I went on my own and had some delicious beef bourguignon. There was even a delicious gf dessert with chocolate and cherries.

Tour Time

Bill has an uncanny ability to read people from just a glance. I was excited about our tour to the Heraklion Archeological Museum, but Bill sensed immediately trouble was ahead. We soon discovered he was right. Along with the museum, this shore excursion included a walking tour of the city, so we were a little concerned when a wheel-chairbound passenger was brought aboard. So was our guide.

In the most polite terms possible, our guide explained the ancient city of Heraklion was not handicap accessible. The husband and son asked a few questions and then announced they’d handle it. The guide tried again to explain the difficulties, but they were having none of it.

So, our guide started the tour and did a short spiel about his island, which he proceeded to repeat over and over again in various iterations throughout the rest of the tour. The whole wheelchair thing was not really his doing, but before the day was over we were totally done with him!

The Heraklion Archeological Museum

I loved this museum. Before we got out of the lobby of it, I figured out we had already heard everything the guide had to say about his island. So, while I stayed within earshot of him to avoid getting lost, I took in the displays at my own pace and depended on my own knowledge of the Mycenean civilization, which was apparently more comprehensive than his. I didn’t find it necessary to display my total disdain for him.

Bill on the other hand found this an impossible endeavor. For one thing he was incredibly irritated by everything about this guy, from the timbre of his voice to his monotonous dialog to his attitude towards the participants of the shore excursion. For another he knew absolutely nothing about the Mycenean civilization. In protest, Bill turned off his headset and sat in the chairs provided against the wall in whatever gallery I was enjoying.

My favorite moment in the museum was when I saw the two statuettes in the center of the left page above. I have been looking at these ladies in photos for over five decades now. I am fascinate by the place and the time they lived in. Seeing them was a best among bests experience on this cruise.

When our time in the museum was over the trouble began. Our guide abandoned the rest of us on the patio of the museum to take the lady in the wheelchair and her family to a restaurant many blocks away, where a bus would pick them up and take them back to the boat. Now we knew this guy was more than a disappointment. He was an idiot.

When he finally got back, one woman was frantic, because her husband had disappeared some time while she was in the museum. Several other people had wandered off to do some exploring on their own while the guide escorted the family to the bus stop.

He should never have abandoned all of us for a group he’d warned not to come. He should have called either the boat or his tour company, gotten some help with the family and taken the rest of us on our walking tour. I know he could have made that call, because later he had to, because he lost another one of his charges later on.

He abandoned us again, to go look for the missing husband and thankfully found him. About the time the husband showed up, the other people who had wandered off reappeared and we headed off on our walking tour.

The Walking Tour

Gathering up his charges, our guide took us to one of those “You-Are-Here” signs on the edge of a shopping area. He explained several times where we were in relation to the bus (parked catty corner to the museum), and the sign we were looking at. Then he trotted off, telling us to hurry up, because we didn’t have much time.

At the end of a passageway, he came to a famous fountain on a square. This is where he should have stopped and released us to have some free time. He also should have stayed RIGHT THERE to lead us back to the bus.

Instead, after giving us a few moments at the fountain, he headed off to the right and started giving options about beaches, walking back to the boat, sites to visit and the shopping area. He walked us back to the fountain and headed back to the bus, telling us when we had to show up there, which was only about 15 minutes from that moment.

One lady in particular was totally freaked out about finding her way to the bus. Instead of saying, then come with me now, he spent another five minutes giving her direction before he disappeared.

I was ready to follow him back to the bus, but Mr. Bill wanted to do a little exploring. We actually did see a great little shop and bought a gift for our traumatized pet sitter, but then we had to head back. I have a pretty good sense of direction, but even I got a little lost on the way back to the bus. I only missed the parking lot by about a block and when I got back to the street with the museum, knew exactly where to go. We were on time.

Remember the frantic lady? Well, she never showed up. He went out searching for her and returned alone. He finally called his tour agency and let them know he’d lost a patron. He rode the bus back with us to the ship, but few, if any, were stopping to give him a tip. Most of us were livid. I marked it up to the adventures of traveling. Bill was among the livid.

Thankfully, as we walked away, another bus showed up and the missing lady was on it. I guess all’s well that ends well, but with a different guide, it might have been one of the most awesome tours on the cruise. With him it wasn’t.

The next day the ship pulled into Rhodes and we had a much more pleasant day. I hope you’ll come back next week and enjoy it with me.

Accommodations, ART, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Memory Keeping, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Our Luxurious Life Aboard Viking Vela

Jane Sadek

Making Memories: Afternoon Delights on the Vela

After a long morning of touring, it was time to enjoy the luxuries afforded us aboard Viking’s Vela, one of their ocean-going ships. We’ve got a lot to enjoy by bedtime, so come along!

A Smorgasbord of Delight

Our first stop after the Athenian shore excursion was the World Cafe. We were already getting a little tired of the buffet, but at that time of the day, it was pretty much the only choice we knew about. Before our time aboard was over, we’d find lots of places to eat, but we were just hours into our cruise.

While I’d had no trouble being gluten free at dinner the night before or during our breakfast that morning, lunch was more sandwichy and therefore not as gf-friendly as the other meals had been. I got by, but my choices were more limited.

Next up, we enjoyed a tour of the ship, led by one of the crew. We were shown lots of nooks and crannies we would not have found on our own. We learned a lot about Viking, even though we were already big fans. The gym was very nice and the spa – oh my! That we loved!!

Upsetting News from Home

After the tour, we went back to our cabin to relax a little and get ready for an evening of fun. I posted a few photos from our day in Athens and one of the comments was a request by our next door neighbor to give her a call when we could.

Now Sherry is just about the best neighbor anyone could hope for. As a bonus she loves all cats and especially our Rascal, so she actually thought is was a treat to be his caretaker while we were gone. We were enjoying our Sunday afternoon, but in Dallas, it was time for Sherry to head to church. Instead she was in our house, distraught, because Rascal was missing.

He hadn’t shown up for his Saturday evening feeding, but she saw he’d scarfed up his lunch and he is a cat, so while Sherry was sorry she didn’t get the opportunity to play with the little fellow, she assumed he was fine. When she came to feed him breakfast, he hadn’t touched his food all night long. So something was wrong.

Now we love our cat, but Sherry was inconsolable. We kept assuring her that he was most likely somewhere in the house and whatever had happened good or bad, we knew it wasn’t her fault. Rascal is named Rascal for a reason. Another cat loving friend was going to join her after church and they were going to go through the house we a fine tooth comb. I kept assuring her we were concerned, but not upset and that whatever it was, we trusted her to handle it.

What do you do when you’re on the other side of the world and your cat is missing. I prayed and Bill took a look at all the security footage to be sure Rascal had not slipped out behind Sherry. I texted a few friends to get a little more prayer support. Bill and I acknowledged that there was nothing else we could do and we weren’t going to let this ruin our evening. Since we had proof Rascal had not slipped out of the house, he was somewhere and they’d find him.

Putting on a Brave Front

After resolving to enjoy our evening the best we could, we went to the historical lecture offered by Viking covering Scientific and Technological innovations by the Greeks. Somehow the lecturer managed to make this otherwise interesting subject a real bore. Bill enjoyed it though, while I snoozed.

Next up was dinner. Somehow Bill managed to get into The Restaurant, even though he had on jeans, probably his dinner jacket saved him. The meal was fun and delicious. At the next table was a couple from Tulsa and we chatted with them a bit about our recent visit to their fair city. We also shared some vacation conversation. They obviously travel a whole lot more than we do and on a much grander scale, but they were perfectly delightful dinner companions.

From dinner we made our way back to the Theater, and this time the show was much more entertaining. The ship’s troupe performed the ABBA songbook with marvelous costumes and choreography. Their voices were great and we sang along with every word. What a great way to kick off the cruise!

Even better, as we stood for the final ovation, my silenced phone buzzed in my hand and Rascal had been found. He’d somehow managed to get into the upstairs guestroom and while he was there, the door closed behind him. Our doors have handles instead of knobs, so we’re not surprised he figured out how to get in. We’d wondered how long it would take for him to discover he could do this. The experience was a tough lesson for him though and we have had no repeat incidents.

That night, the Vela made its way to Crete while we slept the sleep of very relieved cat parents. Crete came with its own set of problems. Join us next week as we navigate them.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Memory Keeping, Museums, Photography, Restaurants & Bars, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Athens and the Acropolis

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A MARVELOUS DAY OF TOURING

Let the fun begin! We’d arrived in our first Port of Call and it was almost a perfect day. Come along and enjoy it with us.

Getting with the Routine

We needed to board our tour bus at 8:15, so I was up at six. I woke Bill an hour later. Then we navigated to the World Cafe Buffet for breakfast. The room was quite crowded, but we got our food and found a place to sit. The scenery as you can see above was out of this world. Left to his own devices, Bill would have spent the morning making the most of the buffet and taking photos. I encouraged him not to linger over breakfast and allowed him to take one photo, but then it was time to go to the bus.

The buses were close to the gangway and we knew right away we were going to love our guide, Maria. We were on our way, right on time through Piraeus Harbor, you see above. The streets of Athens were empty, but it was a Sunday morning, so we sat back and enjoyed what Maria had to say.

Up, Up and UP!

Before you could say Aristotle Onassis, we were being ushered out of the bus. We began our climb up the Acropolis. I’d been warned it was a treacherous climb, but I actually found it quite easy.

We climbed up one set of stairs to a big plaza. Maria talked a little bit about potty breaks and what to expect next. Then we headed up a series of terraced steps to another plaza. This was the last toilet facility for a while, so Maria gave us time to use the facilities, which I did not need. Bill was busy taking photos and I was enchanted by all the cats.

Soon Maria was gathering us all up again and we headed up another set of stairs and headed off to the ruins where a more ancient series of steps waited for us. This was the real beginning of the tour and where the Athenians themselves once entered the Acropolis to worship their Gods.

These steps were a little more treacherous than the others were, but there were hand rails and it was no trouble. At the top, was the Parthenon and Maria gave us the info we needed to appreciate what we were seeing. Then she sort of set us loose to enjoy the Acropolis at our leisure and told us to meet her back at Older Temple of Athena at a certain time.

I’m saying all this very matter-of-fact, but for me it was a bit surreal. Just the day before I had been battling the vagaries of modern air travel and here I was walking where the greats of history walked. And not just people from the early days of Athens, but all the luminaries of history, including the Romans, Turks and others who had visited this spot. It was a little unreal.

We enjoyed the photo opportunities and eventually Maria gathered all of us to walk us around the Older Temple of Athena. She told us about the Carytid Statues which held up the roof of the porch and walked around to the spot where Athena planted the first olive tree for Athens, winning the city over to herself, rather than the mighty Neptune. It was a giddy experience.

Escaping Through a Back Entrance

Maria led us to an exit which was much more humble than the Grand Propylaea which had led us to the Parthenon. As we headed down, she pointed out sites which I actually found more interesting than those atop the Acropolis, because they were unknown to me. I began to understand even more clearly why the Acropolis had been so important to the ancient Greeks.

On to the Acropolis Museum

Our next stop was spectacular. We were standing in front of the Acropolis Museum. As they dug down to build the foundation of the museum, they discovered fantastic archeological sites. Instead of destroying the ruins or abandoning the museum, they came up with a wonderful compromise which allowed both to co-exist. Archeologists still explore the ruins, while busload after busload of tourists enjoy the museum. At the entrance of the museum, you can see down into the ruins and at several spots within the museum, plexiglass floors allow you to peer into the past.

That is if you look down and it is hard to take the time to do so, because everything around you is so amazing. These are the real treasures of the Acropolis. What you see up the hill are wonderful replicas, which keep the actual treasures safe from the elements. I could use up all my superlatives and still not describe the excitement I felt to see these wonderful artifacts.

We wandered with wonder through gallery after gallery and eventually ended up in the gallery for the Elgin Marbles. There Maria told us the trick Lord Elgin had played on the Sultan in Istanbul, which landed these glorious statues in the British Museum. As a reverse of the other exhibits, these were the fakes and Britain is holding the real artifacts hostage. The nations disagree over the details, but the Greeks hope that someday the real Elgin Marbles will make their way back to Athens. I sort of agree with the Greeks. This is the home of the Elgin Marbles.

Back to the Ship

We’d done a lot of touring in a very short time. For five hours we’d enjoyed the best of Ancient Athens. Now it was time to enjoy the very best of cruising with Viking.

Come back next week and peek into our afternoon aboard the Viking Vela.

Accommodations, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Memory Keeping, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

On Our Way to Greece & Turkey Part One

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: BIG TIME BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS

While some people have their vacation dreams all planned out and can tell you when they intend to see each item on their bucket list, I have a hard time getting Bill to plan the next vacation, much less something years down the road. I do know people who have cruises booked years in advance. I spend a lot of my time trying to interest Bill in our next adventure and showing him various deals to sweeten the pot, but I sincerely think he hears none of it.

We came home from a Newcomers Event last year and Bill tells me about this great cruise someone took to Greece and Turkey. The next day we got a postcard for Viking with an “airfare included” deal on the same cruise. Within days our cruise was booked. I guess I’m going to have to start planting folks along Bill’s path to tempt him into trips, because I’m not having luck otherwise. Come along and let’s head to an idyll on the Aegean!

AIRFARE INCLUDED!

Airfare is a big hurdle in our travel planning. It costs so much money, it takes so much time and there’s nothing fun about it. You juggle suitcases for weeks, hoping to find a combination of bags to fit the various requirements of each carrier. Then you have all the airport headaches the airlines throw at you.

When you’re paying for your own airfare you have a little more control over things, but when you turn your fate over to the cruise line, there’s no telling what can happen. In this particular case, Viking thought a layover in Newark was the right way to kick off our trip to Athens. The next leg took us to Frankfurt and finally we would fly on to Athens. I get leg cramps just thinking about it.

FIRST LEG – DFW TO NEWARK LIBERTY

Things went pretty smoothly on the first leg of our trip, until we tried to get luggage tags. We left the house on time and then realized neither of us had thought to get cash. Thankfully a branch of our bank was right on the way. The Parking Spot makes dropping off your car and getting to the terminal easy. The first real hurdle was checking in our luggage. I’d checked us in online, even got them to check our carry-ons for free, but somehow one of our bags was missing from our luggage list and it wasn’t clear to me which buttons I needed to push to correct the error.

This is what I hate about this DIY internet world. There was a time when my travel agent delivered my airline tickets and all I’d have to do is show up for my flight. I’d drop my bag off at the curb and be done with it. Now even when someone else arranges your ticket, you have to play the online check-in game, which in my eyes is useless, because then you have to go do battle with the kiosk at the airport AND then you still have to deal with a person to hand over your luggage.

So, I’m standing there frustrated and frantic, imagining my luggage taking a different vacation than I do and up walks this self-consumed airline employee. Now then let me start by saying, in situations like this I should remain calm, so I am at fault for being so wound up, but this lady walked up and threw the chip on her shoulder at me before I even knew she was standing there! She certainly had no empathy at all for my panic. I was still in full freak out, trying to sort through it all, when this lady butts in and lets me know I am not being very respectful of her.

Respectful?!? I didn’t even know she was there and she was schooling me about respect. That’s today’s world – safe spaces and ribbons for participation, but zero empathy. Hello – I don’t care if you are green, blue or purple. I don’t care about your gender, religion or sexual preferences. It doesn’t matter whether you’re wearing tattoos, a hajib or a bone in your hair. I just want tags for all my bags. (We didn’t have this conversation. I immediately went into apology mode, but I was thinking this!)

You know what’s next. As soon as she finishes scolding me for my behavior, she throws herself in reverse. She is moving at the speed of a sloth. She piddles around looking at each bag, each tag and the computer screen as if she’s made the next important archeological discovery and doesn’t want to disturb a grain of sand until she’s documented it all. She doesn’t listen to what I’m asking for, at all, but is very careful to point out a mistake we’ve made attaching the tags. The world was probably going to end because Bill’s bags had one of my tags. When she talks to me, it’s in the tone you’d use with a preschooler. If they are teaching this method of dealing with panic to our airline customer service people, no wonder the flights these days are full of crazed people.

I am convinced this woman follows me around. I know she was there as we waited for the flight to our anniversary cruise, She strolled over to me and insisted the carryon with my wedding gown was oversized. I knew it wasn’t, because I had measured it a thousand times, but she took delight in terrifying me. She’s there on the phone when I’ve been frustrated beyond all sanity with phone trees and call transfers. She waits on me in stores to pounce when what I’m having trouble finding what I need. Do you get her in situations like this, too?

I spent my life in customer service, back when you treated people like customers and provided service, You gauged their level of frustration and put your personal feelings on hold. You listened to their words. You didn’t shush them up before you had time to figure out the problem! And you made sure they understood you cared about them and you certainly didn’t threaten to keep them from getting on the plane! I want so much to go back to those days. Where can I get a ticket to go there?

Eventually this woman, who’d stretched a 45 second operation on the kiosk to a five minute confrontation decided to release me from her punishment – until next time. We go to another human to turn in our bags and I guess I behaved, because I got no more lectures. There was actually a time when I looked forward to flying, but that was a long time ago.

Our time at DFW was otherwise uneventful. We waited the requisite three hours for international travel, claimed our seats and went on to Newark.