Friday, April 2, 2010
We enjoyed another wonderful time on the ship last evening.
The attire for the evening was formal and as we say often it is so nice to see everyone dressed up so nicely in his or her formal attire. Most men wear either tuxedos or formal dinner jackets and most women wear formal gowns or other formal attire.
Before dinner complimentary cocktails were offered in the various lounges. We sat with four other passengers in the Crystal Cove. At one point the magician who is on board stopped by our table and performed several tricks mainly with a deck of cards. He was truly amazing. We watched him very closely and we were truly impressed with the tricks that he performed.
We ate at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant where we dined with Raphael Derkson who is the bandleader for The Galaxy Orchestra. Raphael and the other members of The Galaxy Orchestra are superb musicians. It is unbelievable how they only have to practice one-time with a guest performer and then when they perform one would think they have played together many times. It also amazes us how this team and the other entertainers come together to create these special programs during the world cruise where they write music and song and then others coreograph the associated dancing and this is all done with a specific theme in mind and then they pull all this together and put on a flawless performance. It is truly amazing and speaks to their professionalism and attention to detail and the tremendous experience that each of these entertainers and performers bring to the table.
We have spoken with many entertainers who say that this orchestra is the best of any group of musicians who they have performed with on all other cruise ships. While we have known Raphael for a few years this is the first time we have dined with him. We enjoyed a wonderful conversation and we could have just chatted all night except that there was a production show (2 performances) so we could not keep Raphael at the table all night. We did talk for close to two hours which was very nice. This is what makes the World Cruise or an extended cruise with Crystal Cruises so very special as it provides lots of time to be able to get to know others whether they are fellow quests or members of the crew or entertainers/lecturers who come onto the ship.
Once again the food was very delicious as it always is.
After dinner, we attended Captain Glenn’s Formal Farewell Reception. It was very well attended and we always enjoy listening to Captain Glenn. As part of Captain Glenn’s talk he recognized the employee of the month for the Crystal Serenity. This month’s winner is the crewmember that always ensures that the machines in the Fitness Center are cleaned frequently and puts out towels and bottled water and keeps the room looking tidy. He also assists in the other areas of the salon and spa area. He is from the Philippines and he works very hard throughout the day for the benefit of those who use the Fitness Center and Spa/Salon Facilities. We were so very proud of the winner and we were sure to personally congratulate him. He has been with Crystal Cruises for many years.
The longevity of so many people who work on the Crystal Cruise ships says so much for the way that Crystal Cruises is run. Unlike most other cruise lines you will find so many people on the two Crystal Cruises ships at so many different levels and in many of the various departments who have been part of the Crystal team for so many years. Like the guests, they too enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and the feeling of family that is a major characteristic on each and every Crystal sailing. Often we all say that when we board the ship in the port of embarkation or if we are on for an extended time and we are coming back to the ship from spending the day ashore, we are coming home. It is a very nice feeling and just adds to the enjoyment and the sense of community on board the ship.
We slept very well last evening, as we were still tired from our day and evening in Israel.
Once again Keith was out of bed early to begin his workout in the Fitness Center. Oh his way up to the Fitness Center he spoke with a couple of members of the night crew who were vacuuming the stairways and also doing cleaning nearby. They say they always know around the time that Keith will be making his way up those steps. After all, most of us are creatures of habit. J
Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and also did some weight lifting. He was second to arrive to the Fitness Center this morning and was joined on the Elliptical Machines by fellow passengers Brian and John. There was a gentlemen who has been on the last two legs of this cruise and is getting off tomorrow morning who spends about an hour each morning on the weight lifting machines. We wished him a safe journey home and he said once home he would probably be hearing in his head those Elliptical Machines going and knowing that we were on them.
He stopped by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee to the room. Afterwards, Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill and also stopped by the Lido Café to bring coffee back to the room.
We enjoyed breakfast in the room as we prepared to go to ashore in Athens, Greece.
Athens was founded by the Phoneicians at least 2000 years BC. By 1400 BC it was a powerful Mycanean city. Overtime it went through aristocratic, democratic and dictatorial rule during the 600s BC. What is known as the Golden Age for Athens arrived sometime around 500 BC when they defeated the Persian Empire with the help of Sparta. Several years after that were glorious years for Athens until it was conquered by Philip II of Macedonia. His son, Alexander the Grate, did favor Athens and during the Roman times it became a major seat of learning. Between 400 BC and 1400 AD Athens was raided at least thirty different times. By 1456 Athens was captured by the Ottoman Turks and the number of inhabitants of this city declined to only a few thousand people until 1834 when it became the Greek capital following the War of Independence with Turkey.
There is much to see in this city. There is the Theatre of Herndes Atticus which was built in 161 AD by a wealthy Roman. There is the Parthenon (Temple of Athena Virgin) which is over 2,500 years old and was built under the direction of Phidias. There is the Temple of Athena Nike. There is the Erechtheum with the famous gate of the Caryatides. One can visit the Acropolis Museum which is home to many exhibits from the Parthenon site. In the main area of the city there is the Arch of Hadrian constructed in 132 AD, the National Archaeological Museum and the Roman Stadium. The Roman Stadium was first built in 120 AD and was restored in 1895 for the first modern Olympic Games and was restored once again in preparation for the 2004 Olympics.
Since we have been to Athens several times in the past, we met friends Bob and Glo and then the four of us took the complimentary shuttle provided by Crystal Cruises into downtown Athens. Since today is Good Friday many of the venues were closed in the morning which worked out very well since it was far less crowded.
We walked from the area that they dropped us off over to Hadrians Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus, through the Ethnikos Kipos Park, past the Zappeion Exhibition Hall to the Olympic Stadium. From there we walk over to the Acropolis and then after walking all around the Acropolis we walked over to the Accopolis Museum and then over to Plaka. We went to a café where the women had a cappuccino coffee and the men had Greek Draft Beer. We also saw an area where they have discovered Roman Baths.
While a little overcast the weather was nice and the trees were full of flowers so spring is in the air.
We took the shuttle back to the ship and had lunch at the Lido Café and enjoyed the afternoon back on the ship.
This evening we will dine in the Main Dining Room and go to the evening entertainment. We will post about this tomorrow.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY……………
“The constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protect those with whose views we disagree.”
Keith and Anne Marie
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