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Karen and I just completed our annual
trans-Atlantic crossing, our 8th. We were traveling for a
total of 37 days, 33 of which were aboard the Grand
Princess.
I've include the highlights from our
trip... |
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| November 14: Flew from Baltimore to New York to
Milan, Italy, arriving on the 15th. |
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| November 15-16-17: Milan, Italy |
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The Duomo, Milan's cathedral, is one
of the largest churches in the world; boasting 135
spires and 3,400 statues. Commissioned in 1386, by Gian
Galeazzo Visconti, the Duomo was not finished until the
early 1800s. The building began life as a Gothic
cathedral, but over the centuries the designs went
through several modifications, and the finished Duomo is
a strange mixture of styles. |
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| November 18: traveled by train from Milan to Rome to
Civitavecchia (Rome's port) |
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| November 18 - December 21 - on board the Grand
Princess |
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| November 19 - Naples (Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii) |
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Naples from Mt
Vesuvius |
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Pompeii, with Mt
Vesuvius in the background |
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| November 21 - Athens |
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Athens, as seen
from the Acropolis |
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Parthenon, atop
the Acropolis |
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Parthenon, and
Greek Goddess |
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Work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC
and continued until 432. |
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Mars Hill |
| Acts 17: Paul then stood up in the meeting of the
Areopagus (Mars Hill) and said: "Men of Athens! I see
that in every way you are very religious. For as I
walked around and looked carefully at your objects of
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO
AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something
unknown I am going to proclaim to you." |
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| November 22 - Ephesus, Turkey |
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Ephesus,
Turkey |
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Karen at Basilica of St. John, Ephesus
(Turkey) - at the burial spot of St. John the Apostle --
constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century |
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According to predominant Christian
tradition, Mary was brought to Ephesus by the Apostle
John after the Resurrection of Christ and lived out her
days here. This is based mainly on the traditional
belief that John came to Ephesus (see St. John's
Basilica above) combined with the biblical statement
that Jesus consigned her to John's care (John 19:26-27).
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| November 23 - Istambul, Turkey |
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The Blue Mosque was commissioned by
Sultan Ahmet I when he was only 19
years old. Construction work began in 1609
and took seven years. |
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Hagia Sophiawas built as a
Constantinian Church by the emperor Justinian I, between
A.D. 532 and 537 and in it's ancient time, it
represented the largest covered space in the world. It's
architects were Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of
Tralles. It was built in only five years. On May 558,
the dome of the church collapsed due to a December 557
earthquake, a new dome was quickly rebuilt. HAGIA SOPHIA
is a Greek phrase that means 'Holy Wisdom'. This ancient
basilica also called SAINT SOPHIA. Turks call 'Ayasofya
Müzesi' or in short 'AYASOFYA'. |
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Entrance to Topkapi Palace |
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Topkapi
Palace was built by Sultan Mehmed II after he conquered
Constantinople in 1453. The palace was walled off from
the city to provide the necessary security and privacy.
The Topkapi Palace was not only the residence of the
Sultans, it was also the administrative center from
where all the judicial and executive functions were
carried out. Later it also became a seat of art and
culture. Today the Topkapi Palace is still a remarkable
sight with its minarets, turrets and domes. It covers an
enormous area of 173 acres which houses garden
courtyards, kitchens, armory, workshops, baths, offices,
halls and residential areas. Once it was a small city
where thousands of people lived. In 1923, it was
renovated once again to convert it to a museum that has
today become one of Istanbul's most popular sights. |
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November 24 -
Mykonos, Greece |
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| November 26
- Cairo, Egypt |
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The Great Pyramids |
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November 27
- Alexandria, Egypt |
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Library of Alexandria |
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The Eastern Harbor of Alexandria has
been a crossroads of culture and continents for 2,300
years. This is where the Pharos lighthouse, one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, guided people from
all nations safely into port; where Queen Cleopatra
first laid eyes on Julius Caesar. The Great Library of
Alexandriaonce stood where the modern library now
stands. The ancient library dominated the ancient world
of learning from approximately the third century B.C. to
the fourth century A.D. The new one sits on the Eastern
Harbor on or near the site of the original. |
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The Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of
the 7 wonders of the ancient world) once stood on this
spot - and this building was build with some of the
stones from the lighthouse. Originally built in the 3rd
century, destroyed in 956. |
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Karen's fan club |
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December 2 -
Cannes, France |
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December 5 -
Gibraltar |
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A British
possession since 1713 - the rock stands 1396 feet high
and has an area of 2.94 square miles, and is the home of
250 Barbary Apes. |
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December 6 -
Casablanca/Rabat, Morocco |
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December 8 - Tenerife, Canary Islands |
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December 13 - Fortaleza, Brazil |
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December 17 - Barbados |
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December 18 - Domenica |
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December 21 - Florida to Baltimore |
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| Random shots
around the Grand Princess |
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| Every
major city in Europe has these 'living statues' - mostly
college students trying to make a dollar (or euro).
Always interesting and colorful - here's a few I
captured this trip. |
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Simple and colorful sights often make the best
photos.............. |
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