European Adventure

To get an appreciation for all that I saw on my 4 day adventure I am going to make things contrast. Our first night on the Boat was so much fun since we had a crappy day getting onto it. We all ate dinner together for the first time and I was honored to give the speech. I made it short and simple that I was excited to share the next 4 days of fun with these people. We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out on the ship’s top deck looking out to the endless water. The night gave way to our exhausted bodies and soon sleep took over us all. Then next day however was the beginning of insanity. I could not help but wake up early since we had a full day ahead of us. The schedule was to eat breakfast, hang around, eat lunch, and then get off the ship as quickly as possible as soon as it was supposed to dock in Rhodes at 1:30. The entire group is ready to go and waiting on the lower decks at 1:00 sharp to get off and make the most of our time there. Of course being an Israeli cruise we were not let off at the right time and being Americans we waited until they told us what to do. Apparently, there was some problem with the security clearance and we were not allowed to leave the ship until 7:00 that night. Needless to say we were furious and it put us in a bad mood. We took it out on the staff unfortunately and it was not very pretty. Eventually we get off the ship and try touring the city but it is dark and everything is closed. I enjoyed what I could of the old city and walked through the beautiful cobble stone roads. It was very sad that I did not get to appreciate the city but hey not I will have to go back sometime later. That night on the ship we decided to take out our frustrations on the casino and needless to say it was a futile attempt. For the most part we walked away losers except for Sarah who rocked the slots and walked away with a pretty penny.

The next day was much better except for the fact that we had a route change. Instead of our scheduled stop in Crete, due to inclimate weather we changed ports to Marmaris Turkey. I was a little sad since Crete is said to be an incredible city but I just wanted to see something it didn’t matter really what. So we got off the ship at 10:00 which was so much better than the last time that everyone was in good spirits. We walked around the port seeing the beautiful boats and making our way to the boardwalk area. It was such a sight that made you lose your breath. We walked around, climbed on statues, called into shops to buy things, you name it. Slowly the group began to separate and make their own path into the town. We all split up at the bazaar and scheduled to meet back in 2 hours. I got out of there as quickly as I could to explore. I did not care to go shopping but instead wanted to see what the city had to offer. I immediately spotted a mountain and made it my goal to climb it. As I approached it I saw a fence guarding it and soon found out that it was a military complex that did not allow visitors. I settled for a neighboring mountain that was a little up the road. Luckily for me, this mountain already had a semi made trail and I did not have to wade through the nature and destroy it. My trek began and I felt invigorated. I was in a foreign country climbing a mountain that would give me a vantage view of everything around me. I even encountered 3 land turtle that decided to say hi. It was the perfect day that made the entire trip worth it. We all met back up and shared stories and listened to a live band that was performing for free. The next was a great wrap up day where we all relaxed and enjoyed the peace of the water around us. We got back to Haifa on Sunday morning and of course coming back into the country was even more security that leaving the country(random screening my butt). No time to whine since I had to get myself to Kiryat Ono by that evening for the beginning of Pesach and my family seder!!