A Perfect Fish Hoek Day

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was a perfect Fish Hoek day. The sea was so still – it reminded us of the doldrums. When I woke up,  it was still dark, & the first thing I noticed was the moon and Venus. Only this time instead of Venus hanging below the moon, the planet was suspended above.

Dawn…

After a rather late start, we trotted to Glencairn and then back to Fish Hoek beach where we had a dip in beautifully refreshing water. Then we walked home for breakfast. The rest of the day unfolded peacefully.

David and Anna came up for a visit. I need to remember to take a photo of them before they disappear down the stairs!

And now it’s time for a quiet evening. A perfect Fish Hoek day makes for a short blog!

I did read one of the most meaningful chapters of the Bible.

John 14:1
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Right & Wrong in Istanbul

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today we were having a little discussion about what we did right and wrong in Istanbul.

The rights certainly outweighed the wrong. If you ever want to go to Istanbul, these are a couple of good things to know:

  1. ATMs are all over the place and give the best option for drawing Turkish Lira, so don’t exchange any currency at the airport on arrival. We got this right. We only ever used ATMs to get Lira.
  2. Get an Istanbul Card. This cost about 70 TL when we were there and to use it you simply add credit to it. Every time you get on a tram, you swipe it. Each journey is very cheap. You can use one card for multiple people so on our last day we caught a tram for the three of us to the ferry port. They also work on the ferries, so we used the same single card to get us to and from the Asian side. It is a winner. Cheap and easy travel around Istanbul and on the Bosphorus!
  3. While staying in the Old Town has the advantage of being able to walk to most of the main tourist attractions, it’s easy to stay a little way away if the tram or Metro station is close by. Public transport on the trams is so easy and cheap with the Istanbul card that it may pay to be in a less expensive hotel 10 minutes away where the view is better and the hotel more modern than to stay in a very old hotel in the Old Town. It’s not called the Old Town for nothing. While our second hotel, The Garden House Hotel was very comfortable and well run, it was still old. I wouldn’t have done anything different but Mike thinks staying further away for less would have been a better option.
  4. Check the dates you are in town against public holidays. Unbeknown to us we were in Istanbul over a public holiday and things were manic! If we had known, we possibly would have changed our arrangements and gone to the Asian side on the Sunday instead on the public holiday Monday.  We got this wrong!
  5. Find out where the locals eat and shop. Mike asked at our first hotel where was a good place to eat. He was told down by the river- we had several meals at this place. It was a fabulous find.  It was much cheaper than the restaurants in the Old Town that ramped up their prices to Euro level. ie A coke cost R70, where as at the river restaurant it was only R20!  Generally, everything gets less expensive the further from the main tourist area you get. That includes the Grand Bazaar that had inflated prices in most of the stalls. There was one stall that had a ‘fixed price’ sign and their prices were reasonable.

Istanbul is an interesting and vibrant city. It represents part of Turkey but by far and away not all. The prices in Turkey have sky-rocketed over the last year. Once known as financially friendly for South Africans, we didn’t expect so many of the prices to be based on Euro costs. That came as a bit of a shock. If you are ever going to be in Istanbul, bear this in mind.

Back to today, I got some exercise. Mike and I went for a jog to Glencairn and back. We are thinking that we may do this on a regular basis and if the weather is good to go to the beach on our way back and have a dip. In winter, I don’t think I have it in me to swim for half an hour, so a run and dip would work well. We’ll see.

And friends came over to visit. It was good to see Riana, Ingrid and Ulindi. That provided a nice lunchtime respite from work.

Weekend already.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Sea and Silence

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I appreciated so much the sea and the silence. It’s significant that when I go away for a while, when I come home, I appreciate so much more what I have here.  I don’t want to live anywhere else in the world. The early morning view from my rocking chair.

As I sat in my rocking chair this morning, my reflections were how it came to be. I didn’t even know I needed a rocking chair! When I saw it at Cyril’s, I tried it out and liked it, but thought I didn’t have a spot for it. That evening, I realised I did. Suddenly, I had to have the rocking chair, so I whatsapp’d Cyril and asked him to keep it for me.  And so on 23rd July 2021, it arrived.

It has been a place of prayer, Bible reading, relaxation, conversation, peace and rest.  Friends have enjoyed it; there has been laughter and tears; heartaches shared, encouragement given and the view enjoyed. What a treasure and all the time I didn’t know I needed it! My bedroom seems to be the triangle of my life. From bed to my rocking chair to my desk, all just meters apart. Today I thought of all this as I sat in it and appreciated the view of the sea and silence of the morning.

I started work just before 8am and ended more than 8 hours later, so still no exercise has been done today. That needs to change. Before our holiday I was out the door at 7am so I could be back by 8am, but now it’s still dark at 7am, so I end up saying I’ll walk during the day but work swamps me and before I know it, the day is over. Perhaps my walking time will be 5-6pm.  I’ll figure something out.

David and Anna will come up in a little while, so it’s time to put this to bed.

Psalm 119:89-90
Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Elsie’s 7th Birthday

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Yay!!! You turned 7.  You went to school with a bunch of delicious cupcakes.

Your Mom made you an enormous beanbag which you love…&, among other gifts,  you also got hoola hoop.

I loved speaking to you and wee are looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks when we’ll bring our gifts too.  I can’t wait for you to see what I’ve bought you.

For us, we slept very well last night. My watch tells me I’ve slept for 9 hours and 3 minutes. I’ve done very few steps today though. Tomorrow I’m going to have to start walking again and catch up. I did work for more than 8 hours.

We woke up to no electricity and with all the rain, Mike realised the solar had dropped to 10% and shut down, so he went to the plant room and switched over to utility. The battery power has crept back up today although it continued to be overcast and drizzly. No doubt it will be the sunshine of tomorrow that helps it to 100% and we will be back to normal.

The predominant feeling now we are home from holiday is peace and quiet. Istanbul was alive with hustle and bustle, squawking birds & wailing cats, screeching cars and hooting busses, bawling hawkers and rabid carpet sellers. I didn’t realise I was constantly surrounded by so much noise until I came home and am now am embracing a beautiful silence.

A profitable and blessed day.Psalm 119:24
Your statutes are my delight; they are my counsellors.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Best Flight Home Ever

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Helga

Tuesday 20th May 2025

Dearest Elsie

Tomorrow is your birthday and I am so excited for you. You are turning 7! I’m sorry I won’t be there to celebrate with you but will see you in a couple of weeks and have our own delayed celebration then!

Today was the day we got home from our 34 nights holiday. While we dreaded the flight home, the low expectation paid off and it was probably the best flight home we’ve ever had. The plane was half empty. We had booked an aisle and window seat in the hope that no one would get put in the middle seat. That has worked for us in the past. The flight ran late.

It meant hanging (sleepily) around the airport a bit longer. We ended up finding seats and joined the boarding queue late in the process, getting on towards the end. There were not too many people behind us so when we got to our seats and found the back part of the plane very empty, we were very hopeful! Mike slipped across the aisle and bagged himself a row of empty seats in the middle. The doors closed and all the pre-flight instructions commenced. That was when the guy who occupied the row in front of mine moved forward a row and so Mike took the 3 seats in front of mine. Each of us enjoyed a 3-seat bed and for Mike it was the first overnight flight that he’s had a decent amount of sleep! There was an abundance of empty seats.

Mike sleeping.

As a result, the flight went by faster than usual. I was awake at 6.10am and funnily enough on the plane map it came up to say the current time was 6.10am and we had 6.10 (hours & minutes) to go before arrival.

The flight was altogether uneventful and soon we had landed. They were told to let us out the other side of the airport and bus us to the terminal building. Oh joy! It was pouring with rain! We got a good photo of the plane from the bus.

We caught a Bolt home and arrived home just about 3.30pm. What a treat. The thing that struck me as I walked into my bedroom was the spectacular view we have. It may not be the Bosphorus with all it’s history but I’ll take Cape Town & False Bay over Istanbul any day, even with a drizzly homecoming.

Courage was here to meet us. Mike is very happy with the work he has done in our absence. He’s rebuilding the stairs and has done a fabulous job.  Raiku was also home and came to greet me a little quizzically – as if to ask, ‘were have you been?’ He happily let me  pick him and give him a hearty cuddle. He is looking very well and certainly seems a little heavier….

…which I am too – 2kg heavier than when I left.

David arrived home and we had a quick catch-up with him. He will come up for dinner a little later.

My heart is full of gratitude that we took 3 lots of antibiotics with us and needed none. We weren’t sick, weren’t mugged, lost nothing & everything went to plan. Very grateful that we have been away 34 nights and travelled in the region of 25000km without mishap.

Psalm 100:4-5
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

 

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Asian Side of Istanbul

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie,

Today was our LAST day of holiday and we spent it by going across the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul. What we didn’t know or expect as we walked out our hotel this morning was there would be 1000s of people on the streets. I thought it would be quiet. After all, it was a Monday. Completely unbeknown to us is the Commemoration of Ataturk falls on 19th May. The day was warm and sunny and the crowds came out in droves. We started by catching a tram

We were squashed in like sardines! It took us 4 stops to the ferry port, where there were more crowds, pushing and shoving. We took our places amongst them.

Once on the ferry, there was plenty of seating inside, so we found a window and off we went. Cunard’s Queen Victoria is in port.

View from the ferry on the Bosphorus.

We arrived at the Asian side of Istanbul. This was as the ferry docked. Look at all the hundreds of people waiting to get on the ferry!

The Asian side was very busy but completely lacked the persistent street sellers of the Europe side. It was busy but calm. We walked down towards the bridge passing through a picturesque park.

Fishermen fishing on the Asian side with European Istanbul across the water…

The bridge that joins the two…

We bought cappuccino. I spilled half a cappuccino on the table.  I was actually really irritated because no one could speak English, people had pushed in & took our cappuccino order so when I finally got them, I was ready to leave. Then they were boiling hot in paper cups and when I put them down, one of them toppled. I’d had enough so  walked out to get some air after the mishap, leaving Mike and Julian scrambling to clean it up! Oops!

The day immediately improved by the arrival of a friend for Teddy.

He was so cute. Blue Teddy was made by hand by a lady who was sitting on the grass chatting with her friend. The friend spoke a bit of English and proudly announced how it was made by her friend by hand. For R125 it was worth it. I told them it was going back to South Africa and they were very happy. That was a local industry I was happy to support. They didn’t even try selling it to me. They were sitting chatting on the grass and had a few things laid out on the sidewalk. The family will know where he is going! Future family reading this,  Blue Teddy was bought today on the Asian side of Istanbul.

The ferry ride home was on a smaller, equally busy ferry. I’m not sure if you can see all the people lining the water.

Back on the Western side, we crammed joyfully (not) into the tram (even more people than on the way) and so got off a stop early and walked the rest of the way. From the tramlines.

We got back to the hotel and have spent the rest of the afternoon peacefully in the lounge. I’m actually in the dining room and have done some work.

In half an hour we will have dinner and then at 8pm head for the airport.

Psalm 118:29
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

 

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Perhaps In Istanbul

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

The other day I saw something on Instagram about how to better understand difficult people. It was with the word ‘perhaps’. “Perhaps they are having a bad day.” “Perhaps they have lost someone recently and are not coping emotionally.” “Perhaps they have no money and life is very hard.” And it’s this last ‘Perhaps’ that most likely applies to the people of Istanbul. The residents, shopkeepers, stall managers, informal sellers all seem unhappy. Collectively, they seem to need to fleece tourists for a little more.

Today as we walked the streets of Istanbul, something happened that caught our attention. Julian had mentioned he had watched a You Tube video of a couple who had visited Istanbul and while they were walking the streets, a shoe shine man was walking down the road and accidentally dropped his shoe shine brush. The couple picked it up and called after him to return it. He was effuse with gratitude and insisted he give them a free shoe shine. They said, ‘no, not necessary’ but in fine Istanbul style, he insisted and got his way. Once done, he said, ‘that will be….’ and charged them for what was supposed to a thank you! So imagine my surprise today when we were walking down the street when a young guy on the side of the street got up and walked off and as he did so, he dropped his shoe-shine brush! I immediately turned to pick up what he had dropped, saw it was a brush and immediately gasped and walked on!

For everyone in Istanbul prices have sky rocketed and needs are greater than ever.  When we got home today, this story came up on my news feed.

Cost of Living in Istanbul Quadruples

As we spend our last 24 hours in this city, we find ourselves more compassionate & we will have greater understanding.

We walked for MILES today. We first caught the tram, hopped off by the bridge to walk to the Galata tower seen in this pic. The blue railing is the start of the bridge.

There is a lot happening on the bridge. Fishermen.

Lots and lots of fishermen, both sides of the road. They seem to be very successful in catching small to medium size fish.

Lots of water traffic from the bridge.

We got to the Galata tower, but decided not to queue for 2 hours to go up it.

We came back via a staircase built decades ago by a Jewish family.

Opposite it was a massive building which used to be a bank and is now a museum and library.

Inside was this view…we had coffee at the restaurant, used their WIFI and looked at a very unusual technical display downstairs.

Back on the street, these were other scenes that caught our attention. Cat cubbies

We returned the way we came, but decided to forgo the tram and walked back to the hotel. On the way we found a park. It was beautiful. It is spring in Istanbul and all the trees are getting their leaves.

After 15000 steps, we got back to the hotel. Tonight is our last night in this bed. Then it’s one night on the plane and God willing, we will be home midday on Tuesday. Another good day.

Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in humans.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Istanbul Blue Mosque

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today we woke to the most amazing sounds. Chirping, quacking, clucking and wailing, there was a menagerie of birds and cats in the neighbourhood. It was also the day it poured with rain in Istanbul, so we stayed in for most of the day. We did venture out in the morning with the intention of going to see how long the queue was at the Blue Mosque. It’s an iconic landmark in the old town of Istanbul and highly recommended to see. The queue, snaked, in steady rain, around the entire establishment so we decided to pass and take refuge in the hotel for most of the day. I watched some You Tube and at about 3pm went down to the lounge for some hot chocolate. Julian was already there with a new friend….

The friend had no loyalty.

We decided to head on out into the drizzle to see if the queue at the Mosque had improved. It had indeed, so we got in line took our shoes off and made our way inside. This is the queue from the entry portico…

The ceilings are vast as are the pillars holding them up.

From the outside courtyard…

The Mosque & Istanbul have featured in a number of James Bond Movies. From Russia with Love (1963), the World is not Enough (1999) and Skyfall (2012). We left the mosque and wandered through the Grand Bazaar where we bought a couple of souvenirs, surprisingly at a better price than outside the precinct. By the time we got out of the bazaar, it had stopped raining and for a brief period there was also a tiny bit of sunshine.

Back at the hotel, I’m putting this together before we go out for a bite.  A less busy day in the city due to the rain, but we were glad to see inside the mosque while in Istanbul.

Acts 17:24-25
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Last Little Leg of our Holiday

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today we arrived back in Istanbul for the last little leg of our holiday. It began with some beautiful sweeping views of the Asian side of the city that began its life as Constantinople. He founded it in 330AD.

We hung around the ship for the morning and I got work done with this view…

Just before 12 noon we went down to our specified meeting place and found no one there, so without further ado, we found the exit and disembarked.

After getting through passport control, we found our luggage and then headed out to the Taxi stop. We had paid the equivalent of R200 to get us to the port at the start of our cruise. Now they wanted Euro 20 to get us back. We decided to forgo that and walked out the dock to the next taxi rank. It was a bit of a schlep because we had to drag all our luggage, so imagine my (I hate my life) moment when they also said Euro 20! That resulted in much haggling, which I also don’t enjoy before eventually we settled on R300,  including the tip. The pain was not over as we inched pitifully through bumper to bumper traffic.

We finally got through the traffic jam and soon got to our hotel. After settling in, Mike and Julian took all our washing to the laundry and that was helpful. I worked in the afternoon and then around 5pm we took off to find out where the Blue Mosque is.  It is an 8 minute walk away.

This is the view from the main square where there is also a tall obelisk.

It is imposing, but what is even more startling is how long it has been there for…

It’s got a fascinating history. It was erected at this point in 390AD but was originally from the 18th dynasty of Egypt (around 1479 BC). Remarkable that it has stood here for so long.

We walked past ancient walls, bustling tourists and pleading carpet sellers before arriving at the Bosphorus and walking to the restaurant for dinner.

Back at the hotel, the light is fading and I will soon be asleep. The hotel is very centrally located; our room is spacious and comfortable and we can see the river (just)

We are very grateful to have had a month away and thus far, all has gone well.

Psalm 108:4-5
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Ephesus!

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we we went to Ephesus! We didn’t have any expectations of these ancient buildings in Turkey, so we were very surprised, It is very extensive, covers a large area and huge chunks of these 2000 year old buildings still exist. There has been a massive amount of restoration. To get there, we cruised overnight from Athens to Kusadasi. Out of Greek and into Turkey

One of the helpful things was John’s book. John had loaned us a book on Ephesus which shows what some of the buildings used to look like. I carried it 1000s of kilometers and today had the opportunity to use it while walking through the city.

It was a remarkable journey back in time. Ephesus was founded in BC10.

Earthquakes did further damage over the passing of time, so major restoration projects are underway. This is the “little” stadium…

The Fountain of Trajan was a major water source.

The Curettes Road is a main thoroughfare.

Monument-of-Memmius goes back to the 1st Century AD. 

The Temple of Hadrian…

The most impressive building is the Ephesus Library.

Teddy came too.

After the Library, there is the Marketplace where Paul would have preached. He spent 3 years in Ephesus.

This is the colonnade along side the market place.  Paul would have walked these streets. And the Gospel he preached cause an uproar.

Acts 19:

“26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.”

The main theatre under restoration. Just to think all this happened here!

The sea, a number of kilometers away reached Ephesus via a River. This is the Harbour Street. At the end of it there would have been the water. The river silted up cutting Ephesus off from the Aegean Sea.

It was altogether a fascinating visit and we feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to visit here. Certainly a highlight of our trip.

We returned to the ship via a weaving centre which was really interesting, although a hard-sell event! All their carpets are hand woven and very expensive.

Back on-board for our last night, I admired Kusadasi from the deck.

And now we are back on the move heading back to Istanbul, where we dock tomorrow at 10am.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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A Day in Athens

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

We did it! Today was the day we arrived in Athens and got to visit the Parthenon and the Acropolis.  First sight of the coast….

There are a few ships in port and this gives rise to 1000s of people visiting Athens today. We were taken by coach and it took about an hour to get through the morning rush hour to the Acropolis. First look from the car park…

Follow the signs..

30 Euros for a ticket & then up the stairs with everyone else.

Once through the turn-stile it was more stairs up to the ancient ruins. First stop –  Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus. This all goes back to 5BC

Then it was onto the Parthenon.

Massive marble stones. When I see these columns I always imagine Samson pushing them over!

From the front. Constant care and restoration required.

We were given a guided tour around the area including seeing the Erechtheion temple. These buildings would have been here when Paul was here.

The views of Athens were amazing.

You can see the remains of the temple of Zeus. The middle column of the right set blew down in a storm.

At the viewing site, the largest Greek flag in Greece is raised and lowered each day.

Houses below the Acropolis…

From the top, we walked down to the town below. We found a great little coffee shop – it produced a strong tasty cappuccino, a clean loo and excellent WIFI. Then we strolled through the streets.

I bought a couple of things from this shop.

Our visit concluded with a city tour which took us past even more ancient buildings. Athens, steeped in history and we  got to walk these roads. So much history. I wonder what Paul would think of Athens today.

Acts 17:16-17
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

 

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Teddy Goes to Katakolon

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie,

Today was the day we arrived in Katakolon, Greece and I remembered to take Teddy along for the ride! We had a late breakfast, I did some work and then we sauntered into town. Katakolon is the main port for Olympia where the first Olympic Games were held. They are about 30km away. We have been there before, so we chose to hang around the little town centre for an hour or two. We browsed through the many souvenir shops on the main road.

Then we took a walk..

We passed the most enormous mulberry tree I’ve ever seen.

We took the lower road back to town. It runs along what seems like a disused railway line with cottages lining the road.

We also got down to the beach which had a fine view of the ship in port.

Back in the village, we admired the fun train (one day I’ll go on it!)

As we made our way back to the ship, we found an even better view spot of the ship. Julian took a photo of the two of us.

I took a photo of teddy and the ship…

Julian took a photo of what I looked like taking a photo of teddy and the ship…

Back on board, we had a rest before going to the cappuccino bar.

And not long after we shipped on out of Katakolon.

Hopefully, we will be able to catch the ship south again one day and no doubt when we do, Katakolon will be a scheduled port.  The Olive Wood is the best shop! We bought salad spoons made of olive wood. A lovely family run shop with very friendly people.

One of the (crazy) other things I did today was I weighed myself! There is a scale in the gym. After 18 nights on the first cruise and 6 nights so far on this cruise, the abundance of food has not gone uneaten! Bountiful breakfasts and sumptuous 3 course dinners have to do some damage! I weighed 71kg the day we left (16th April), undressed in the morning. Today I weighed 72.7kg with my clothes on in the afternoon. Take a kilo off for clothes  = 71.7kg. That’s crazy, it’s hardly any weight gain at all. For me, no lunch is the trick. It’s been a game-changer.

Tomorrow, Athens! We’ve never been there before.

Psalm 107:29-30
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.  They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Day on the Adriatic Sea

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we spent cruising gently down very calm water of the Adriatic Sea. This is our route. We left Trieste (just above the S of Slovenia on the map below) and are headed for the red marker.

That is Katakolon in Greece, where we will probably get off and have a little wander.

The day began before 6am. When I woke up I had this unexpected sight. Yesterday morning was sunrise, this morning the moon!

I did some work and then went deck walking for half an hour.

Sunbeds by the hundreds waiting for occupants who will soon arrive.

After that I went straight to the buffet and picked up breakfast, which I enjoyed on my balcony. We all did our own thing this morning.

I had a busy work day with 4 calls. Turns out I worked 6 hours. We did have a break by going to the Cappuccino cafe for a cappuccino just after lunchtime. Life unfolding on the ship…

Meanwhile, we also had front row seats to an enthusiastic game of Italian Hide and Go seek by a couple of the sweetest little girls – about 5 year olds. The counting going on…

It was so sweet to watch them scuttling into little hiding places. Plenty of spots on this ship, that’s for sure.

Back to work I went and now it’s time to stop. I think I’m going to go walking again. Our dinner time has been pushed to 6.45pm, so I have a little time. We are also back on Istanbul time so an hour ahead of South Africa.

Psalm 107:23-24
Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, His wonderful deeds in the deep.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Tramming in Trieste

Posted on May 11, 2025 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we landed in Trieste, Italy. Because our cabins are under a massive upper deck, we don’t get much sun, but today we got a lovely sunrise.

The morning on the ship was a bit messy, overcrowded, queue-filled and bustling. It took ages for port authorities to allow us off, so even though we docked at 9am, we only got off the ship at 10.30am or just after. Breakfast was crowded, the exits were crowded and then when we went to catch the tram in Trieste, that too had us squashed in like sardines for the up-run. That was the downside of the day. Moving on! We got to see some very picturesque sights of Trieste and took some great photos of the ship in it’s berth. It is enormous!

Mike was our tour guide and did a fine job showing us what he had learned. This is the city square, with the massive government building.

We saw the oldest part of the city. It’s an ancient Roman amphitheater, construction of which is said to have begun 1st century BC and extended into the 2nd century AD.  It was buried with the passing of time and re-discovered in 1814. In 1938, it was excavated. Today this is what remains.  This is from street level.

And this is from the opposite side in the gardens above. The photo above was taken from in front of the red brick building, which you can see in the picture below.

In its day it could seat 6000 with the lower seats still intact. If these rocks could speak, they would have stories to tell. Perhaps the announcement of Jesus death was pronounced from this stage.

We walked through the city to the tram station, passing the old canal as we went.

Mike had read about the tram and some people said it was marvellous – others said it was overcrowded and they packed people in like sardines. Our experience veered towards the latter!  Taking photos wasn’t easy on the upward journey. Squashed between Julian and Mike with about 10 people crammed into a confined space, just turning around to look out the window was challenging. But I did get this castle turret.

Most people got off at the top of the hill. We stayed on for the downward journey and found a more comfortable seat with an open window. The return trip was pleasant enough and we got to enjoy the views.  Lots of trees covered the hillside.

You can see the ship bottom right. 

Just before we got off, Julian took a photo of us on the tram.

We made our way back to the ship, where Mike chatted with the locals.

We had great views of the ship…

And we identified where we are on the ship. The arrow points to the dividing wall between our two cabins. The white line above it is the overhang of the deck.

Back on the ship we could see where the tram went…just to the left of the arrow head is the castle turret we saw on the way up.

So altogether a memorable day in Trieste, Italy, a city we had never been to. There are some good hikes around here too. Those will be for the next time.  Then it was time for an afternoon rest.

Tomorrow is a sea day! I love those!

Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Beating Around Bari

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Helga

Saturday
Dear Elsie
Today we arrived in Bari. This was 6.10am. First look at Bari…

Our clocks turned back an hour so we are back on South Africa time. We were up early as our excursion left at 7.30am.

Our first stop was Polignano Al Mare. This is a very plain new town with a beautiful seafront old town. It has lots of old limestone buildings and Venetian architecture with alleys and picturesque courtyards  & stunning views.

We walked around a bit before sitting down for a cappuccino in this square.
From there it was on to what will be one of the most memorable visits. We drove through the province of Pouille. The region is famous for olive oil. Apparently there are 60 million olive trees – it’s said the area produces the second highest amount of olive oil after Spain. There are olive trees as far as the eye can see.

Also scattered across the landscape are these conical buildings used for livestock mainly. These ones are attached to a homestead but they are regularly seen on their own in the middle of orchards and fields.

The province is also known for almond orchards and vineyards. We soon arrived at the caves of Castellana.

We were lead down a lot of stairs to the caves which are 28m below sea level.

I got down to the bottom first and took a photo of Mike and Julian on the stairs above.

The biggest cave is 60m high & has a massive hole opening to the sky. The caves were excavated in 1938. Taking pictures from inside just don’t do them justice.   The stalagmites and stalactites were incredible. There were so many of them of different sizes and shapes appearing like owls and dogs, of ogres and jellyfish. None were hand crafted. They all just formed with the passing of time.

Looking up into the hole.

We walked a 1km circuit coming out below the hole at a different angle..

When we got out, we found the hole from above.

I put my cell phone over the barrier and took a pic. You can just see part of the stairs below.

They were amazing. All in all a good visit. We got back to the ship at 1pm and had a restful afternoon. Tomorrow we arrive in Trieste.

And now we are about to go to dinner.

Psalm 104:24
How many are your works, Lord!  In wisdom you made them all;

It’s not about now- we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip

Gran xx

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