M/S Amsterdam Signature Event
This evening deserves a blog all of its own. The CEO of Holland America Cruise Line, Stein Kruse, and his wife, Linda, came aboard on Saturday and hosted a party for all guests last night. Also in attendance was the American Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson.
We were taken to a 1700-year-old cistern which was extremely large; it held at least 1200 people. There are many of these old cisterns in Istanbul and this was the largest of them. They were used for water storage for centuries and many have now been converted to restaurants and entertainment venues. There were dozens of huge columns throughout the room and it was amazing just to think that they were over 1000 years old.
There was an open bar and waiters were serving hors d’oeuvres of typical Turkish appetizers. There were old Turkish women sitting on the floor rolling dough on a stone and baking it. There were 3 stages and we were entertained by Turkish dancers, belly dancers and fire eaters. Towards the end of the evening, when only the hard-core partiers were still there, we formed a Conga line with Ed at the head of it. Even Stein Kruse joined in. A good time was had by all (and we’re all paying for it today!!)
Back on the ship after the party there was a Dessert Extravaganza. The crew had converted the pool deck into a Turkish bazaar and there was every kind of dessert you can imagine. Our sail-away was at 11:15 and the City of Istanbul put on a great fireworks display for us as we sailed out. The bridges were lit up with lights that continuously changed colors. It was truly a magical evening and we were all sorry to leave Istanbul.
This evening deserves a blog all of its own. The CEO of Holland America Cruise Line, Stein Kruse, and his wife, Linda, came aboard on Saturday and hosted a party for all guests last night. Also in attendance was the American Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson.
We were taken to a 1700-year-old cistern which was extremely large; it held at least 1200 people. There are many of these old cisterns in Istanbul and this was the largest of them. They were used for water storage for centuries and many have now been converted to restaurants and entertainment venues. There were dozens of huge columns throughout the room and it was amazing just to think that they were over 1000 years old.
There was an open bar and waiters were serving hors d’oeuvres of typical Turkish appetizers. There were old Turkish women sitting on the floor rolling dough on a stone and baking it. There were 3 stages and we were entertained by Turkish dancers, belly dancers and fire eaters. Towards the end of the evening, when only the hard-core partiers were still there, we formed a Conga line with Ed at the head of it. Even Stein Kruse joined in. A good time was had by all (and we’re all paying for it today!!)
Back on the ship after the party there was a Dessert Extravaganza. The crew had converted the pool deck into a Turkish bazaar and there was every kind of dessert you can imagine. Our sail-away was at 11:15 and the City of Istanbul put on a great fireworks display for us as we sailed out. The bridges were lit up with lights that continuously changed colors. It was truly a magical evening and we were all sorry to leave Istanbul.
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