Today was special, since the Amsterdam would be making the journey through the Suez Canal. By the time we went to breakfast in the dining room, they had already brought the first pilot onboard at Port Suez and then entered the canal by 5:30 am. It was obvious that we had gotten placed first, with the Mein Schiff 4 following in this convoy. Since we did not go to the aft deck today, we are not sure how many vessels were in our convoy heading north. Our only disappointment was that we missed out on the “Suez Rolls” that were served at 6am in the atrium, the bow, and the Crow’s Nest. Had we reminded our excellent waiters yesterday to please save two of them, we would have had them. But we forgot. Our next best guess that these rolls might be served could be in Amsterdam.
Although we have enjoyed this transit several times over the years, we should have brought Fodor’s Egypt reference book with us. That way we would have had all of the important info with us as we made the trip through it today. Ian and the guest speakers did give narration off and on during the day, but the outside speakers left a lot to be desired. They were either too loud, or the lecturers did not speak loud enough most times.
So we watched most of the sailing from the bow from the morning to the afternoon when the ship exited into the Mediterranean Sea at 3pm. It was much warmer than the predicted 71 degrees, as the ship slowed down a lot as we left the Great Bitter Lake. The entire length of the canal is over 120 miles long, up to 673 feet wide, and is 79 feet deep. For many years, it was single-lane, with passing places in Ballah By-Pass.
Compared to the Panama Canal, there are no locks as the seawater freely flows through the canal. And here is an interesting fact: The canal that is north of the Bitter Lakes flows north to south in the winter, while in the summer, it flows in the opposite direction. It took 10 years of work to complete this ditch through the desert, as it can be called, with the grand opening in November of 1869. In those ten years, over 100,000 people lost their lives during the construction. The end result was an artificial waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, eliminating the need to navigate around the tip of Africa.
The Suez Canal Authority of the Arab Republic of Egypt owns and controls this waterway. This authority allows passage of ships in time of war as in time of peace by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.
We have seen so much progress over the years in regards to the shorelines of this canal. There have always been settlements, small cities, and agricultural acreage most of the way, but now we have witnessed new massive apartment complexes popping up, expanding the existing cities. They are cities within themselves. Most of these projects are located on the east bank where there was nothing but mostly desert. We can only guess that these new builds are the modern bedroom communities for those who choose to commute to work in this canal zone. There is one main bridge that spans the canal, but now tunnels are being installed under the canal so the commuters will not have to take just the ferries across.
The biggest change we have experienced is the fact that there are miles of separation lanes, where the north and south traffic are separated by an island of sand dunes. At one time, we had full view of both banks for the entire journey. Now with the split, most the ships we see passing the opposite way are only seen from the top decks. It gives you the feeling that they are traveling through the sand, and not in the water.
Captain Mercer pointed out one of the largest container ships in the world passing on our left. We thought he had made a mistake when he stated that there were over 20,000 full size containers on that vessel. But it was no error, there were even more than that…..unbelievable. Anyway, with the expanded two lane traffic lanes, up to 100 ships can transit this canal in one day. One thing we did not hear was how much it cost the Amsterdam to transit this canal. Bet it was a whole lot of money.
We passed by many monuments, statues, as well as military outposts, mosques, and the pigeon towers. The older swing span bridge was only visible at one break in the center island of sand dunes, but we did get great photos of the large bridge that spans the canal. Funny thing, there was absolutely no traffic on it. But then today was Saturday, which is like Sunday to them…..a day of rest. Besides the many fellows we saw fishing from row boats, there was little activity of local people along the route. The only animals we saw were a few dogs, some birds such as grey herons, egrets, crows, and terns. And we did see commuter trains on one stretch of the canal.
At two times during the transit, food was served with the help of smiling waiters on the outside decks, even the bow. The 10:30am treat was a hot bowl of Mediterranean lentil soup. Even though at this point in the canal was quite warm standing the sun, the soup tasted really good. Then in the afternoon around 2pm, three waiters came outside with trays of chilled fruit soup, which were the color purple. The servings were a mixture of blueberries and maybe very ripe blackberries, since there were ground up seeds in the smoothie. Sure was refreshing, and made up for missing the tasty rolls in the morning.
We think we picked up another pilot at the halfway point in Ismailia. Then another pilot came onboard from Port Said. By the time we reached the outskirts of Port Said, the temperatures dropped and the wind became chilly. Yep, we are in Europe now, leaving exotic Asia behind. Recalling this change in weather from previous transits, we knew that the extremely hot and humid days of this cruise were over. Time to get under the bed, and haul out the warm weather clothing and arctic jackets that we left in our suitcases. Hopefully we won’t need them until we head north out of the Straits of Gibraltar in a week from today.
We stayed out on the bow until the last of the guests had left. Estimating that at least 1000 photos had been snapped between three of our cameras, our editing work would just begin after we ate lunch. That would take us to dinnertime at 8pm. Funny thing, by the time we got our lunch salad and sandwich at the Lido, the place was virtually empty of guests. It was suggested to us that most all of them were down for naps. And why not? It had been a long day for most, since the commentary and special rolls being served began at 6am sharp. And of course, we all received the personalized official Suez Canal certificates in our mail slots later in the day.
All of us were back at the table with stories to share. The fellows had gone to the Pinnacle Grill last night and reported the changes they had noticed in the menu selections. Most everything was to their liking, probably due to the fact they are both food experts.….appreciating every aspect of fine dining. We lingered over shared desserts of chocolate brownies and biscotti cookies once again. This can be addictive we’re afraid.
Showtime featured an international operatic tenor by the name of Lee Bradley. We could hear him singing all the way to the elevator lobby on deck three forward. A most powerful voice.
For the first time this cruise, we had to turn the heat up in our room. By the way, we do like to try some local cuisine while traveling, but have to avoid dishes that we are not sure of the ingredients. Allergies to some foods is the problem, and not worth taking chances. Testing the ethnic foods while on the ship is by far safer, since we ask first what is it in it before testing.
Bill & Mary Ann
