Istanbul
Our second day in Istanbul was not exactly as expected, but it was certainly interesting. This was the day that the CEO of Holland America arrived, along with his entourage, to celebrate the 50th World Cruise. The company had planned a party for all 1200 guests, as well as about 250 staff at one of the ancient Cisterns. It was quite a venue to begin with, but the entire party was over the top. There were enough seats for all of the guests, 3 stages, 3 bars, enough Turkish food to feed more than 1500 people, wait-staff everywhere, and even some Gyros preparers on the spot. We had decided not to eat dinner, which was a great idea.
Once we got to the venue, we were walked around the place, told about the coat check, the bathrooms, the bars. Everything anyone might want to know. Then there were 37 buses scheduled to arrive with about 35 people in each one. They asked for helpers to assist the people disembark, so I volunteered. Carter had disappeared and I wanted to keep busy. Well, this ended up being more of a job than I anticipated. The Cisterns weren’t built to be handicapped accessible, so first the guests had to get off the buses, walk across a cobblestone street, up a ramp, then down another ramp. There truly wasn’t much walking and the inclines were minimal – but they were a challenge to more than one person. So many of these people just don’t look down!!! We only had one man fall, coming in, and that was on the cobblestones. He got his cane caught between stones.
We wandered around the party most of the night, watching the entertainment, but Carter was especially anxious to see the belly dancers. He got a great seat right in front of the stage, but – just his luck – there was an accident with two guests who had decided to leave early, so he had to leave and go help them out. He totally missed all of the belly dancing! After this was over, the fun began because everyone seemed to want to leave at the same time. The lighting at the entrance was minimal, so Carter and I again stood next to the ramps and steps, trying to minimize accidents. By the time everyone left, they were under the influence, so their walking was in even worse shape.
We returned to the ship to a huge Chocolate Extravaganza – see Carter’s photos. But in anticipation of problems during the night and an extra heavy clinic tomorrow, we went to bed early.
March 31, 2008
At Sea – in the Black Sea
One note I forgot about Istanbul. The toilets. Carter and I ate as some nice places and at one of them he used the restroom before I did. He came back to our table with a wet left leg. He wasn’t sure how to flush the toilet because they had some metal plates on the wall, but also a handle closer to the floor. He decided to try the handle and gave it a twist. Nothing happened, so he truly opened it up. Well, water spewed forth, all over the floor and his left leg. It was sort of like a bidet, I guess. Surprise, surprise.
Labels: Personal
posted by Hills @ 1:30 PM
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