The Black Watch

This post is made up of extracts of previous posts with the idea of letting you know what it was like to be on board the Black Watch. Hopefully it will serve the purpose.

From October 2012

Staff
"I have to say that the friendliness of the the Filipino staff on the Fred Olsen ships can't be beaten,"

Food
In the Garden Cafe: "there have been several occasions where the evening meal really was excellent. I think I enjoyed the most tender steak I have ever eaten, as well as the tastiest sweet n sour meal in memory, courtesy of the chef on the Black Watch this trip."

In the Restaurant: It was a bit of a surprise to be honest. I think I was expecting a lot more formality, a slower meal, and maybe the family silver or something. But the system is very smooth and waiters were incredibly efficient. We selected our starter and main course (as did everyone else at the same time), and then hundreds of plated up starters appeared. The waiters knew exactly which table for what, and I was really amazed at how they simply spotted when people had finished one course, cleared the plates and appeared with the main course. It didn’t matter that tables were finishing at different speeds. It was actually a very pleasant meal, even finishing with a coffee. If I have any complaints, it would be that if Peter and I had served ourselves as per normal, we may have had fuller plates and more chips. 4 chips! 4 chips! Everyone could be heard making the same comment. They were nice chips though.

Entertainment
There is a show, twice every night (to cater for the two sittings). Sometimes there are theme nights, which the show will latch onto and where passengers are encouraged to participate. Sunday night was international night, with the show company putting on a display of international song and dance. To keep within theme passengers appeared in all sorts of colourful regalia just for fun, anything from the red white and blue of the Union Jack up to the blanket over the head type Arabs

What does it look like

Figurehead overlooking the pool deck.

The Garden Cafe where we ate most of our meals. 

Braemar Lounge

Marquee Pool and Jacuzzi's

The Gym

The Morning Light Pub

The Pool Deck - when the weather's good many passengers eat out here. 

Our cabin - very nice. 

Overall feel of the cruise
"The entertainment is designed for the clientele, and Fred Olsen ships specifically target a certain age, which is basically retired folk. There are ramps everywhere for the less able, and a fair number of the passengers use sticks, zimmerframes and wheelchairs."
"the pace of this particular ship is very genteel and relaxing. Because the ship did not feel busy, we thought it may be a good part empty, but apparently not, somehow there are 800 passengers on the cruise, but you can’t tell.

Home after the Mediterranean

So, starting Sun 14th October 11.50 am Grecian time -

   Taxi to Iraklion Airport
   Flight to Athens
   Flight to Heathrow
   Tube to London Kings Cross
   Train to Darlington
   Taxi Home

Arriving Mon 15th October, 02.00 am English time.  I have to be up for work today too.

But it was all well worth it.  I have had a brilliant time.  Highlights were definitely Istanbul and Athens, but Odessa and Malta were pretty special too.  I have to say that the friendliness of the the Filipino staff on the Fred Olsen ships can't be beaten, and there have been several occasions where the evening meal really was excellent.  I think I enjoyed the most tender steak I have ever eaten, as well as the best sweet n sour meal I've tasted courtesy of the chef on the Black Watch this trip.

I think cruising is addictive.  For me, it is getting looked after all day, and visiting the most wonderful places.  But for others, (I have heard people on board ship commenting), it is the relaxation of sitting on deck, under the warm sun, cocktail in hand and enjoying the company of other passengers.

A wonderful wonderful trip, and I can't wait until the next one.

Canakkale

After the excitement of Istanbul, Canakale is peaceful.   That is, it is peaceful when you get there.  We had to take a shuttle bus into the small city, which dropped us off near the sea front.  Peter's aim was to see the wooden horse, so we enjoyed a lovely wander along the sea front, which really was very pleasant.

There is obviously money being spent on this sea front, there are various sculptures and interesting things to look, which have all been added this year.

We visited the naval museum and fort, including a quick nose around an interesting little minesweeper that the Turkish are very proud of.  Apparently it assisted in helping keeping the Allies out of the Bosphorus.  We were given an educational video which ended with the final words "You shall not pass!".  It immediately brought to mind Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.

We even tried a little turkish cuisine - basically it was pick any four items =2 Euros each.  How cheap is that!  The lass behind the counter explained in her best English what things were, and we went from there.  I got caught out by the aubergines cos she didn't know the English word and called them vegetables.  Good job Peter likes them isn't it.

We had a lovely relaxing day, probably very much needed after the rushing around at Istanbul, but I can't help wishing we had organised ourselves better and got ourselves to Troy.  Ah well.  Maybe next time.

Still being put into place - one of the many lovely artistic pieces around the sea front in Varne. 

So that's my last port. I have one more sea day, and then we arrive in Iraklion, Crete, where I will leave the ship and fly home. I'm a little sad about that.  Peter will stay on and continue running the classes until the ship gets back to Dover a little over a week later.  So I think I will have to think about packing next.........

Thursday 11th October Magnificent Istanbul – The Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.

Another day in Istanbul and so much to see. We were out straight after breakfast and again, we were heading for the Blue Mosque. We strolled through the lovely Gulhane Park and turned left to walk along Sogukcesme Street which runs alongside the front wall of Topkapi Palace. Oh, what a lovely little street which dates back to the 1800s.

We were amused and entertained by the cafe and stalls, and I have to recommend the artists gallery at the bottom on the right as you walk up the hill. The paintings are produced by the father, his son and daughter. Peter and I particularly liked the father’s work. Quite brilliant, and actually relatively cheap, (about £100 per large painting, painted on papyrus). Unfortunately we didn’t have the funds on us, but we agreed that if we had, we would certainly have walked out of the gallery with something.

At the top of the street, we made our way from the front of the palace, past the Hagia Sophia, (something I still wanted to see), across the Hippodrome and on to the Blue Mosque. Moving from the outer to the inner courtyard of the mosque, we were dismayed to see the MASSIVE queue, easily a hundred people or more, waiting to get in. But the queue was moving fast, so within 10 minutes or so, we were at the front entrance. We had to remove our shoes, I covered my hair, (not compulsory at the Blue Mosque, but it is a Muslim preference). I noticed also that women with bare shoulders were provided with a shawl to cover them, and I understand shorts and short skirts are a no no.

The mosque is very large, and the reason it is called the Blue Mosque is because of the blue patterned “iznik” tiles lining the walls and ceilings. Iznik tiles are so called because they came from the city of Iznik, 21,043 of them. There are different patterns everywhere, quite amazing and lovely.

Peter and I have never visited a mosque before. It appears to us as one huge room, the domed roof is very high above and is supported by massive pillars (16 ft in diameter), called “elephants feet”. There is a prayer niche for the Iman and a pulpit. Despite the several hundred people crowded in to the entrance section, there was a sense of dignity about it. Like the palace yesterday, there was no way you could absorb the detail of the walls. There were so many patterns and designs, it was overwhelming. We spent a little while inside the mosque trying to take it all in.

Back out and into the area of the Hippodrome and the German Fountain, we set off to walk across the city to the Grand Bazaar. On the way we took a look at Constantine’s Column (330 AD), also known as the Hooped Column, because of the metal rings the Turks had to use to hold it together when it started to crack. 

The Grand Bazaar started out as a covered market which just got bigger and bigger. The stalls are more like little shops now, but the place is absolutely amazing. We bought a little guide with map showing us the old and new market areas and explained the history and the guild system. The market now covers 30 hectares, contains 4,000 shops, has 21 numbered gates and is one of the oldest in the world.

For me, the most amazing thing was the gold. Jewellery shops were laden with the bright yellow metal, and there were hundreds of jewellery shops.

We enjoyed our walk, with a stop in the Ambrosia Cafe for iced coffee and an absolutely delicious chocolate brownie (that was really a warm chocolate fudge cake), and luckily, with the map were able to find our way out. Definitely a delightful experience.

As I said on my first Istanbul post, it is a city of mosques and minarets. There are four mosques around the Grand Bazaar, and depending on which gate you come out of, you are likely be at the entrance of one of them. We came out near to Nuruosmaniye Mosque and would have gone in except it was a time of prayer, so we visited the loos instead, which you have to pay for.

That was an experience! Turkish loos for the ladies are not what I am used to. Peter found it very funny, especially when I sneaked a photo of one to show him. That said, not all loo buildings contain only Turkish loos, some provide the seated variety that we Europeans are much more used to. (Phew!)
So, a little more experienced and educated, we now decided to make our way a little further into the city, heading for the Bozdogan Aquaduct. It should have been easy to get to, we had a good map, knew where we were, and knew where we were going to.

15 minutes later we were wandering through a myriad of streets, lined with hundreds of shops selling everything from underwear to bridal gowns, hardware to children’s toys. As I said in my first post on Istanbul, there is more shopping here than anyone could cope with. Fascinating and overwhelming. Trouble is, we were lost! 

A little bit of guesswork, and we found our way to Istanbul University, and from there on to the aqueduct. We were getting tired now, but we were able to pop into the Sehzade Mosque. No prayers going on, and the man on guard was happy that my trousers, shirt and headscarf were appropriate and nodded me in. I found it interesting that the young girl behind us, with an above the knee skirt, was made to wear a long wrap around skirt over the top, to cover her legs, as well as a headscarf. Not as forgiving as the Blue Mosque then.This mosque was so much more peaceful. A lovely serene place, nowhere near as highly decorated as the blue mosque, but really pleasant to be there. Quite calming.

Then on to the Bozdogan Aqueduct, which I believe has Roman origins.

The afternoon was getting on, so we aimed back towards the ship via the Spice Market. As I said, we were getting tired now. Once again we were walking through narrow streets crowded with shops selling everything. We finally got to the Spice Market, or at least a food and spice market and I had a good look round whilst Peter rested, (he seen more shops than he ever wanted to). I admit to buying vast amounts of turkish delight and baklava. Mmmmmmmmm.

And then we were back at the ship. Footsore and weary. Our last, parting memory was the final street seller as we walked into the Port. For sale...............? A revolver and rifle! Unbelievable!

Actually, that was our second to last parting memory. The last parting memory of a glorious city was to watch it disappear into the distance under a stunning evening sunset. Beautiful.

During our time there, Peter and I saw so much, absorbed so much, and were overwhelmed by it all. But there was so much that we didn’t get to;- The Harem, the Hagia Sophia, the Basillica Cistern, over the bridges across the Horn to see the Galata Tower and The Dolmabahace Palace, and over the Bogazici Bridge across the Bosphorus into Asia......... I could go on and on. 

Looks like we are going to have to find a way to come back then.

Wednesday 10th October Evening, Magnificent Istanbul – Galata Bridge.

Sitting with our after dinner tea and coffee, we wondered what to do next. Looking out of the window, it didn’t take long to work out that an evening stroll would be exactly right. Istanbul is a massive city and built around an inlet off the Bosphorus called The Golden Horn. The inlet is extensive, going inland quite a way, and is crossed by a couple of bridges. The closest one to our ship is called The Galata Bridge. It is unusual because the top of the bridge is used by traffic and pedestrians as you would expect, but underneath is filled with restaurants. So we decided to take a look.

We left the ship about 8.30 pm. Bearing in mind we live out in the sticks, the first thing we found overwhelming was the traffic. There didn’t appear to be any rules, or speed restrictions, or even sense. Horns blared, brakes screeched, buses, cars and taxis competed for the fastest racing starts. Complete madness! We had to cross this at one point, and it’s scary.

We continued on past the guys with their little barrows selling roasted chestnuts and sweetcorn, obviously the snack to have here in Istanbul. We watched the various ferries load up and whizz off along the Horn and out across the Bosphorus to the other side. If I haven’t already said so, the Bosphorus is the narrow strip of water separating Europe from Asia and connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The ferries are carrying people and cars from European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul. Cool eh? I have to say, the river traffic was nearly as manic as the road traffic. There were boats and ships everywhere, of all sizes and speeds. Again there seemed to be no rules, except may be “give way if the other boat is bigger than yours”.

As I said, a very busy and noisy city, even at this time of night. The mosques and minarets looked superb, lit up on our right, the lights of the ferries and bridges flashed and twinkled on our left.

Galata Bridge

We reached Galata Bridge, and even though we sort of knew what to expect, we were truly surprised at what we found. There were easily 20 -30 wonderful looking eateries. As you walk along, the waiters are constantly trying to entice you inside. The restaurants looked and smelt wonderful, as did the food. The waiters were very chatty, entertaining and persuasive, and the atmosphere was brilliant. We regretted having already eaten on board ship and thought that if we were to come this way again, then dinner in one of these restaurants was definitely the thing to do. You could enjoy your meal watching the manic river traffic, and the perhaps if you were lucky, a fish would go whizzing past, hooked on one of the fishermens lines above you. Once we’d crossed the bridge, we came back across the top. This was nearly as entertaining. There were loads of street traders and fishermen. The smell was quite different and not at all pleasant, but the vibrancy and colour, lights and noise of the city was still all around. 

We walked back to the ship still soaking up the atmosphere. I know all big cities are like this, I can imagine places like New York, Paris, Rome and even London being the same at night, each with it’s own accent and unique character. I have to say, the accent and character of Istanbul is awesome.

Time for bed now though, there is still so much more to discover, and we only have tomorrow.

Wednesday 10th October Afternoon, Magnificent Istanbul - Topkapi Palace

Oh My, Oh My! What can I tell you? Istanbul is wonderful. Full of mosques and minarets, history, architecture, opulence, curly, over the top squiggly patterns and more shopping than can ever be achieved. So many sights and smells, so much noise, colour and life here. I love it.

The Black Watch was given the best berth in the port, right alongside the old city and all the places we wanted to see. As we finished docking, the muezzin (pronounced muathin) started to call the faithful to prayer, the sound blasted out of loudspeakers on the the minarets of the mosque nearest to us. Then another muezzon in another mosque started his call, then another and another. The air was filled with wailing song, almost like the various mosques were trying to out do each other. There are no Mosques where I live, and I found the sound quite magical.

And so here we are, in Istanbul and there is so much to see. We knew we wanted to get to the Blue Mosque, and I’d taken note of the Hagia Sophia, as well as the Topkapi Palace, but the tourist maps are covered with marks detailing interesting places. We aimed was to see as many as possible.

 Istanbul Topkapi Palace The Gate of Salutation

We got off the ship and started to walk in the general direction of the Blue Mosque and made our first discovery on the way - Gulhane Park. We walked through it to get closer to the Sultanahmet District, where all the interesting stuff starts, and thoroughly enjoyed the very pleasant,tranquil nature of the little park. The noisiest things there were the green parrots winging through the tree tops, and the hooded crows scrabbling on the ground. Lovely to see. The park runs alongside the Topkapi Palace. When we got to the end we turned left to find the entrance of the palace. I warned Peter that this place is massive, and would probably take us all afternoon to look round. I don’t think he believed me. It cost 25 Turkish Lira (about £10) each to get in.

Topkapi palace was the centre of power and home of the Ottoman Sultans and their families for several hundred years. Over that time it grew, successive Sultans adding new buildings, each as opulent as the first. Some of the riches and wealth that used to be part of the palace are displayed in various museum rooms throughout. We saw the Spoonmaker Diamond, a pear shaped 86 carat diamond found on top of a rubbish tip and stunning gold candlesticks, 5 ft high. weighing 46 kg each and covered in diamonds. There were religious artifacts including a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed and a cutting of his hair. There were magnificent examples of weapons, armour, uniforms, furniture and household items. We did wonder how on earth the people of the time could have worn some of the clothes though? They were massive! The owner would have had to have been about 10 foot tall.

The museums were all very well, but not really what we wanted to see to be honest. There is a Harem in the palace, but it’s not what you think. True, it was the home of consorts and concubines for the Sultan, but actually, the Harem was the part of the palace where the whole family lived, including the Sultan’s mother. There were Eunochs and slaves, and the whole hierarchy is very interesting. It seemed that to be captured as a slave girl and sent to work in the Harem was a bit of luck. You would be educated, learn to sing, sew, play musical instruments and be looked after. You would probably have to work, doing the cooking and cleaning, but you might become a consort or concubine to the Sultan and give birth to his first son. If that was the case, you’d hit the jackpot, because you would become the next Sultan’s mother. But if not, no worries, you only had to work in household for nine years, at the end of which time, you could leave and get married and the Sultan would pay for the wedding.

We wanted to see the Harem, but that needed extra tickets to the ones we had. We left it to come back to later and continued our walk around the rest of the palace grounds.

Not all the room or buildings captivated us, but several had us staring in absolute wonder. They are so highly decorated, it is impossible to take it all in. I think, if you lived there and studied the rooms every day for several years, you might get a handle on all the detail. They are truly amazing. To anyone else visiting the palace I recommend The Domed Chamber/Imperial Council in the Second Courtyard, and The Kiosks, right at the back in the Fourth Courtyard. Just overwhelmingly awesome! It did take us all afternoon to wander around the grounds, and we didn’t get to the Harem because it closed at 5pm, just as we were making our way back. I’m sorry we missed it, but all in all, an amazing place.

Having spent so much time in the Palace, we thought we’d take a look to see where other particularly interesting sights were.

 Istanbul Ahmet fountain outside the Imperial Gates of Topkapi Palace

We found the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome.We took loads of photographs in the evening light, soaking up the atmosphere before deciding we needed to eat and it was time to make our way back to the ship.

Istanbul Hagia Sophia and fountain of Sultan Ahmet Square or Hippodrome

Our next treat came as we passed a Turkish restaurant. There were two men playing traditional Turkish music. We stood and listened for a while, the song finished, the dulcimer player switched to an instrumental piece, and then, just as we were about to leave, a third man, who up until now had just stood still and upright, stepped forward, bowed, and then started to spin. And spin and spin and spin and spin. I Googled it, “Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning) is a form of Sama or physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order” and it’s where the term “whirling dervish” comes from:  Wikipedia - Sufi Whirling.  I was absolutely astounded that this man didn’t stop, he kept turning, like a top, for the length of the song, 4 or 5 minutes. I don’t know if he was dizzy when he finished, but he seemed to be OK. Amazing! 

Istanbul is full of wonders, and I am loving discovering them. But after that, we really did have to get back to the ship for our dinner. Tomorrrow we have so much more to see, and not enough time to see it in.

Yalta - Another Ukrainian city, but with ice cream.

We left the ship a little earlier than usual, and as we were making our way out of the port, a man speaking very good English leapt in front of us and asked if we’d like to go on a minibus tour to the Livadia Palace and Swallow’s Nest Castle. For some insane reason, we agreed and got onto a tatty minibus, already full except for our two spaces, and set off through the streets of Yalta towards the first palace.

I’m still not sure after the trip whether it was good value for money or if we were mugged. I think it was the former. Our host spoke excellent English, knew a lot about the area, and gave us an insight into the changes that were going on. He told us how it had been difficult to live within the Communist regime, and now how Ukraine was trying to develop into a Capitalist way of life. He complained that it seemed like 10% of the population had 90% of the wealth. Hmmmmm, I don’t think he realises this is quite normal...... But he was very knowledgeable and provided all sorts of information.

Livadia Palace was originally built quite recently (1912) by the last of the Tsars as a holiday home for himself and his family. They only visited four times before the communist revolution. The story of the demise of the Russian Tsars and the brutal murder of the last Russian royal family is well known.

The palace went through a stage of being a convalescent home, and was also occupied by the Germans during WWII who stripped it of its wealth when they retreated. Livadia’s real fame lies in the fact that it is the place where Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met just before the end of the war to decide on the future of Europe. There are historic photographs of the meeting and for 6 ½ Euros, you can visit inside, and see the table used to decide the fate of Germany and the occupied countries. We chose not to do that, but I wish I had now.

We had a wander around the grounds, admired the view, caught a glimpse of a private concert in the gardens, and visited the little chapel at the back built for the Tsars family. The Tsar, his wife, four daughters and son, are now Saints in Ukrainian religion because they died for their faith it seems. The Communist regime decided atheism was the way to go. Cathedrals and places of worship were closed and Christians could not worship or show their faith. For the Ukraine people, Glasnost didn't come soon enough.

After the Livadia Palace we stopped at a viewing point to get some pictures of the Swallow’s Nest Castle, (now an Italian restaurant, which destroys any ideas of a romantic history), and spent money in the souvenir shops.

After an entertaining little trip, we returned to Yalta and visited the cathedral before taking the cable car up the mountain. The cathedral was beautiful on the outside, all white and gold, but inside was very dark, all the wall paintings were very dark, and it didn’t have the same appeal as many of the others we’ve seen.

The cable car was a bit of an adventure in itself. The cars are tiny, only just big enough for two, and like a ski lift, the cable doesn’t stop to let you on, you have to make a bit of a dash for it. Bearing in mind you have to navigate doors to get to the seats, it’s all a bit hairy. Getting off is very similar and the whole experience certainly caused a few giggles. The cable car only goes about a third of the way up the mountain, and from it we had to find our way to the War Memorial. Although the memorial is quite massive, it was also kind of understated, with expansive views of the city and its surroundings.

Towards the end of our day, we took a walk along the sea front absorbing the atmosphere and eating ice cream. At the port end of the sea front, a statue of Lenin, founder of the Communist Republics, surveys his legacy with pride. With a sense of poetic justice, the governors of Yalta have allowed a McDonalds to be opened directly in front of his gaze. Cool irony huh?

Yalta is a pretty city, clean and obviously one of the places to visit if you are a Ukrainian. The mountains make a magnificent backdrop and sort of reminded us of Madeira. All in all a nice place to visit and we had a good day.

Tomorrow is Istanbul, I have no idea what to expect, just something completely different.............

Sevastopol

Another very nice port city in the Ukraine.  Apparently it was a closed city until the late 1990’s, meaning no-one but naval staff and families were allowed into the area.  The city has only recently become the trendy place to visit for Ukrainians, and ships too apparently.

Sevastopol seems proud of its military and naval heritage and there are loads of monuments celebrating the cities heroes and history, such as Stalin granting Sevastopol the title “Hero City” in 1945 after it held out against the Germans in 1942.

We spent the morning walking around.  First thing I noticed is that the city lacks shop windows, (of course I would, I’m female), so we couldn’t really tell what was being sold.  Apparently this is “chic”.   We didn’t see any street or market stalls either. There didn’t seem to be many bars or restaurants, but that could be because, like shops, they’re not advertising.  There were loads n loads of banks and cash machines though and of course, a cathedral.

                              

The last thing we visited was The Panorama.  This was very much worth our time.  An amazing piece of art and design which demonstrates a little of Sevastopol’s history beautifully.  Very graphic and realistic, it is quite stunning and thanks to two tour guides, (one in front and one behind) I learnt a little regarding a siege in 1854-1855, and why some of the city memorials.

We were back on ship by 1pm and agreed there was no reason for us to go out again.  I think if we visit in future, research is needed beforehand and we should be ready to book a taxi somewhere.   I am sure Ukraine has plenty to show us, just not necessarily in Sevastopol. 

Next stop Yalta, another Ukrainian port.