This morning our first excurstion off the ship was Creet. Our first stop was to go by the palace of the miceneon people there. We ended up being the first group of people to arive this morning and so we moved throu the site with out haveing to wate in any lines. This was very nice. It was realy neet to see all the restored colums and the butiful colors on all the frescos around. One of the main things that cought my eye was there watter system. With my background in arcetecture it was cool to see how this was done in earler sivilsations. Another thing that I found interesting at this site was the use of horzontal wooden beams integrated in with the macenory work and the multiple levels of staced squair blocks. It remined me of some of the carteristics that you might see in some of Frank Loyed Wright’s arcetecture.

After we arived on the far side of the site our guide had several of us reinacted some of the epic stories. I vidiotaped on my camera the acting as our guide toled the story. We then saw the oldest road in Urop that came into the city.

Once we had copleated touring the site we headed back to the bus and traveled back into town. Here we went to the museum and saw manin items like the duble headed acts, statues, several pots, and other items from the miceneeon civilsation. Once our tour was over I did some video taping and photography of the modle of the sight that we asw earler in the day. Then it was off to get some watter and ice creem befor heading back to the ship.

Once we departed for the ship our bus was blocked in by other busses that were all going back to the ship also. Apon arival to the customs there was an extermily long lign that took about 1/2 an hower to get throu. Then we all huried out to our ship for deparcher from Creet.

We all then had a meeting about or deparcher tomaor from the curse and arival in santereenie to night. After the meeting I headed to lunch at the rear of the ship. Here I got some food and headed out to the upper deck to eat out side with Bennet out on the deck. Once we had finished our lunch we went down to the dinning hall down stairs and got some ice creem. During the time that we were down there the caption came and sat the activities director at our table. I had a wonderful discution with here for about thurty minouts. She is originaly from canida. Here husband is the one who had got here started in here job. He also works on ships, and they are not on same one curently but many times they are. We tocked about here travles and I also explaned about our school and the program and our travles. Once she had compleated eating and I had finished ice creem I went back to my room and took a nap till it was time to arive at our next destinatin.

Once the ship got close to Miconos aroung 3:30 I got readey and headed up on top deck to see us arive to the island. This is the island that had a voclano go off and over half of the island sunck into the sea. It was realy neet to see the clifs with all the strata layers of earth as we arived. This is one of the places that it is bleved that could have bean the lost city of alantous.

Apon arival we took tenders off the ship to the island. The one I was on a sailing ship like old ship sailed by. A few seconds later a large wave came up and splahed into the ship getting severl people wet that are in our group. They were sitting in the open space where you get on and off the ship. Once we arived I headed up to where the donkies are. Here we road donkies up to the top of the island. It took a while to get everthing orginised for us to start making our way up the hill. There was some nigoeationg between Deno and the people that had the donies. I ended up folowing our guid up one of the tiers and hoped on one of the donkies. Then I road it for a little while and then the man started sayinging things in greek. I figured out that he wanted me to get off. After getting off he had me get on another donkie and we continued up the side of the mounton. The seemed to have a minde of its own. Several times it would put its head down to the ground. It liked to go back in forth from beside the wall to the side of the hill as we went up the differnt swich backs. Once we arived at the top I took some photoes of the butiful town and the view over the sea.

I then went browsing throu stores and got some thing to dirink. I then ended up going with a group up to a restrant that had a view of the hole island. It was very butiful. Here I had an banana milck shake. It was farly expensive but was very good and the view was wonderful. I then went and did some more window shoping befor ceaching the cable car down to ceach a tinder to the ship.

This evening I had supper down stairs in the dinning room. I ate with a group of older ladies that were on a tour with there luthern church. We had a wonderful conversation about many things including Pauls travles and different experinces and had some discution about the gosple towdes the end. Folowing our time I went up sairs and saw the end of the sun set up on the main deck. I then went to the back of the ship where several people were playing cards for a while. After this I went back up stairs to the front of the ship and looked at the stars some more and did some singing with the wind rolign off the medetranioun blowing in my face. It was butiful and very reffreshing. After the time up on deck I headed back down to my caben and packed up for our deparcher in the mornign. We set our bags out side the room and they came and picked up in the middle of the night.

This morning I slep in and got up and got redy. I went up and grabed a contental breakfast right befor they closed the dores. Folowing breakfast I went with the MyHans along with several others of our group out to see part of the town of Roads. After our tour they got us into the casel here. During the crusades the nights had set up here. We went throu the Casel here after going up the road of the nights.

After touring the casel I went shoping for cuple of howers. Then we got some food at a local restrant out on the street. Folowing lunch and some more shoping we all wocked down to a beach. The beach had a lot of people on it and also had a stone diving bord out in the sea. There were pobly several thouson people out here on beach.

Then after spending some time here walcked back and did some more browsing in shopes befor headin back to the ship. Tonight is captens night and so we all drest up. After dinner I wached part of the show that was up in the lounge. Then I went up top and stood in the strong wend at front of the ship. Also went to the libary and wached a movie with Benet. After then going back up to Top deck and lisening to some one play the peano for a while went back out on deck. It is a gorgious night. Then I headed back ot the caben to get some sleep.

This morning was another morning when we got up bright and early. We departed the ship around 9:30 am. I had breakfest down stairs in the dining hall and then went up to get ready for deparcher. We were the last goroup to departd sence we were not going on one of the excurstions. Today we were actualy docked at the port so it was a quick departure. Once off the ship we walked acrosed the pear and then on to the customs. Once we were through we bypassed all the busses that were for the excurtions and went out side the main gates. We were now in Turkey. After walcking around the corner in the small city we all met up with our private guide and then got our bus.

Once every one was abord we all departed to the first city of Ephesus. Here we saw the last remaining colum that had ben restored of the great temple of Artumus. Here up on the hill there was also a modle of the valey that depicted the different places that the sea had bean. There is a river that flowes out and brings a large amount of silt. Over the years it continued to fill in the bay and there for the city of Ephesus was moved over and over to by by the sea.

Then we saw the church that was built later ontop of the baireal site of John. Here also is the baptistery that the Harding baptistery was modled after out in front of the benson auditorum. Next we went over to the third site of the city of Ephesus.

Here we all got back off the bus and went through electronic tiket checkers misines to get into the site. Here we saw the remaines of the bath house, the smaller theator, and main street that lead down to the libary of Alexandera. All along the main street there use to be shopes and houses that were used for the welthey of the city. We also saw the old city sourer system and fresh watter pipes that were made out of taracota. From here we continued down this main avinew to one of the (WC) or setrooms where the rich would have gone. It was one large room with tolets made out of stone all around. Had mosacus on the flour and area for small orcustra to play in the middle. This was a place for them to go haing out for howers. Then it was down to see the great libary.

The libary was a butiful site with butiful carved stone and wonderful detail. The main flour was only one used for the libary. The second was more of a phasod for show. We took some notes here and then had a group photo in front. Then we all went down another main street that went infront of the Libary to see from an overlook the Agora of Ephesus. Finaly we stoped at the Large theator where Paul would have ran into. We sat and had a short devotinal singing songs and reading scriptuer here befor heading out of the site to do some shoping at the shopes where the busses are parked. Then we headed to a sramic factory for 10 min. Aftert the sramic ship we rushed back to the ship and made it to customes about one minit befor the last person was to arive. The ship departed a few minuts after we borded. About 10 min… this was the time it took to poul up anckor and start to move away from the dock.

I went up on board for the departure and then headed to lunch. Benet and I were the first ones throu the lunch line today up on deck. We met some people from greece and started tocking about the novel that Benet is wrighting. Then headed out on deck at the rear of the ship. Dr. Bard and his wife ended up joining us for lunch out on deck. Then Benet and I went down stairs and had some ice creem before I went and had a sort nap.

Patmose

After my nap around 3:00 in the afternoon I got up went to the leito lounge where we prepared to disinbark for the afternoon excursion. We had to use tenders to get to the land today so took a little while but sence they were able to do two boats one on left and other on right things moved along realy quickly. Our group was selected to go first but sence we had not all arived we ended up going a little later.

Once we all arived on the island of Patmose we took a bus first up to a monistary where they sead was dedicated to Paul. Here they had many icons and what they considered sacrid relics. The did have some old manuscrips that were of inportance tho.

After we had compleated here we headed down the the hill to the place where they beleved that Paul had stayed as he wrote the book of Revelation. Whale this could have bean the place it probly was not. They had sead that the crackes in the roof of the monton represented the holy trenity and that the hole in side of rock was where he had put his haned to get up. We all then gatherd and sang some songs for a while. Then we left the cave and went out side up on the hill where we dedicated some time to prayer and some more songs.

Folowing our time here we had some free time to go shoping around the town there. After looking around for a while at some of the stores I headed back with Mickle back to the ship. Tonight is greek night so, I put on my bright blue shirt and cakey pants and then went to supper. Folowing supper I went up on deck and wached the sunset as we poled out of the bay there.

Then I headed down to the main intertament room where we wached a show with greek danceing and song. At the end of this dance they had us who were on the front row go up and do some dancing with them. We formed a sircle and danced going round and round untill we ended up in the center of the circle. People joined as we continued to dance.

Then I went out on deck and several people were playing suffel bord. I joined in and played one game befor heading up to the top deck of the ship. After being up there for a while and sitting injoying the calme breese and wonderful stars I went down and sat with some other people on the rear of the ship where they were tocking. Tonight we did not have a curfue so I ended up staying up till 2:00am befor heading to bed. Several others stayed up later. I then went to bed and slep in till 9:30 in the morning tomaor.

This morning I got up bright and early at the ripe hower of 6:00. I did some last minout packing and straiting up of the room befor taking my dirty cloes down to be cleaned whall we are gone. The staff are going to mop and clean our rooms whall we are gong so that is why we had to have everthing up off the floors. I then closed up the computer lab and checked my email one last time befor getting my lugate to disinbark for our cruse. We met to depart at 7:00am and departed little after a quorter past the hower.

Deno, his sone, Anna Justus mother and a few others are joining us on this trip. They all met us at the bus and as we travled to the port in Athens Deno our preacher / travle agent, gave us information about the curse, and what all was going to be happening during this week at the different stops.

Apone arival at the port we saw HUGE ships at dock. One was only one year old and could holed up to 3,000 passengers. Our bus puled into a parking slip and we unloaded all the lugage to go through security. There was a very long line here but we were able to bypass some of it. Whall standing in line some one noticed my shirt that had Harding on it and inquired about it. They had joust compleated a tour of many place with some students from Lubick Cristion schools. After tocking for a while and standing we finaly reached the front of the line. Here we put our lugage on the converbelt and it whent throu the scanner. After the scannner it started down a steep slope that went under neath the flour and out to the ship. This was cindove scary becaus if you did not get your lugage emedetly or got stuck and could not get thru security your cary on lugage could end up going down the shoot. I helped quickly grab the laptops and other inportant items and we then wated for every one elce to get throu. I was at the front of the line so that is why I go thro so quickly.

After every one was through we walcked out to the ship and started our way up the Gain placnck. The ship photographer took a photo of each person as they went up the stairs. Once on bord we went and turned in our passports for when the ship dockes each place and got a clam ticket. Then one of the staff mimbers took us to our caben.

Our caben is in the center of the ship. It has 2 regular beds and another two hang off the wall and fold down. I am on the bottom right when looking in the dore. Then we layed down for a nap for about 40 min befor the muster call. That is when we do a drill for incase of an emergencey. Every one put’s on a life perserver and goes to the designated station on the ship. Here staff mimbers inspect your life vest and give instructions on how to put it on and what would happen in case of an emergency.

Folowing the muster call we went back to the room and put up life jakets. Then it was off to lounge for an orentation of how the ship works and what planed activities there are to do on and off at ports of call. Folowing the meating we had a short meeting for HU students discusing other inportnt details that we need to know. Then it was off to lunch.

Lunch was a bufay today and was located in the dinning room or up on deck. I went up on deck and the line ended up taking around one hower to get throu. By this time I was getting hungery. The food is farily good. I had an hambiger stack, turkey meet, and some portk along with side of bread. After lunch I went down with Mickel to get some ice creem down stairs in the dinning hall. It was EXSELENT!! Then I headed up his room and we tocked for a little while and then ended up faling a sleep. I slpe all afternoon untill about quorter till five. Then we all met in the movey theator room for short devo and to get other instructions.

Then it was back up the lounge do determin who will leave the ship first by boat or tender to go to the island of Mekenose. Our group has red tages and we were randomly poled out first. Then it was down to board the small yott lick vessel to take us to the island. Once on the island Benet, David, and I all walked around the city and then went over to where the wind meals are at. I took photoes as we sat down by the sea for a while. We also saw a large Pelicon bird by the sea. After resting and relaxing for a while we all went back to the mayn bay of the city. Here we ran into some other from our group. I ended up going with Anna, Loran, Randal for a while. We did some site seeing shiping and walked the small streets that are like a little venous. We ran into another person with a pelockon. This one was trainded and could play ceach. I got some photoes by this one and he started bighting at my arm. Did not heart joust was startling. After wlking around some more we got some thing to drink and wached the sun set. Then it was time to head back to the boat.

Heading back we cought a bus that took us to a dock where we borded a very small boat that took us to the ship. It was little ruff sea so the ship was bobling up and downas we drove and when we got off. Then I headed up with the group to supper.

After supper I went up on deck and found David and Mickle. We then went and got some more Ice Creem down stairs. We met Deno and his sun down there and tocked for a while befor heading back up on deck. After the ship picked up ancor we walked around out by the front of the ship. Once we got under way the waves got ruff and the wend was very ferce. There was probly a constent gust around 60 mph or more. Mickel and later Jesica and I played around up on deck playing like we were in a ferse storm being blown about on deck. The stars were out and it was joust a gorgous night out. We stayed up on deck till little befor 12:00. The wend come down and we joust have good time sitting and injoying the ride on the ship.

Once down back in the caben it was time to get prepard for next day. Downladed photoes from the day and got ready for bed. We will be departing little after 7:00 in the morning. So another birght and early morning. Tonight the ship is sailing to town near Ephesus. That will be the first stop in the morning. Now it is off to bed.