Sunday January 15, 2023
The day was the first smooth sailing, sunny warm day since we started this journey, which was very welcome. The big excitement was the entry into the Mediterranean Sea passing to our right (starboard) Tangiers, Morocco and to our left (port) Gibraltar with a bare 8 miles in between. Good visibility although a bit of haze was evident, but overall a great sight. As the Captain explained, those ships entering the Mediterranean from the Atlantic must keep to the south – Morocco side) and those ships leaving the Mediterranean and entering the Atlantic must remain on the northern (Gibraltar / Spain) side. This took place about 1:30 PM just as we were finishing lunch.
The morning, however was filled with the Sunday Church Service by the Captain and the big surprise was that the lessons were read by Commodore Christopher Wells. He had been the Captain of the Queen Mary II for many years and we got to know him and enjoy his daily anecdotes on the many voyages on this ship we had taken including the World Cruise in 2016.
Concurrently with the service the MD / Lawyer Dr. Chris Martin was chatting about Medical Law and Ethics – specifically the overlap and dichotomy between Medical Technology and the Law. Anne attended that lecture (as the Catholic service was at 8:30 AM) and Roger was able to catch the last few minutes. A very interesting lecturer. Next Lucy Russell (cultural history and the Arts) came onto the stage as if in a play enacting the wife of Zeus. After 5 minutes regaining the illicit affairs of Zeus, she started her formal lecture on the Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome, their names in both and specifically the 12 principal deities on Mount Olympus.
Vivian Rowen the Archaeologist / Historian spoke of the early attempts and failures of building a Suez Canal. The first attempts were in 1887 BC (BCE) – the Canal of the Pharaoh Sesostris (Senusret II). Next in 610 BCE the Canal of the Pharoah Necho; in 510 BCE Canal of the Persian King Darius; in 285 BGE Canal of the Ptoloemer – Ptolemy II; in 117 AD (CE) Canal of the Romans Trajan and finally in 640 AD ( CE) Canal of the Arabs – Emir El Mo Meneen. In Napoleon Bonaparte’s time there was an effort made but somewhat thwarted by the British who were with alliance with the Egyptians to prevent the French from gaining the military advantage. Finally 18 March 1862 – Mediterranean waters had reached Lake Timsah; 18 March 1869 – Mediterranean waters had reached the small Bitter Lake; 15 August 1869 – Red Sea waters had reached the small Bitter lake; 18 August 1869 the two seas were linked. The first ship to pass through was a British ship that had sneaked into the front of the queue overnight!!
The last lecture was Giles Ramsay an Independent Theatre Director and Producer that spoke about the Elizabethan era and before, Marlowe and other spies in the Catholic / Protestant wars around the Tudor era – Richard III (1483-1485); Henry VII (1485-1509; Henry VIII (1509-1547); Edward VI (1547-1553); Jane Grey (1553); Mary I (Queen of Scots) (1553-1558); and Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603).
The evening entertainment was provided by the Liverpool native comedian John Evans, who was extremely funny and a great time was had by all. Overnight into tomorrow, we move our clocks forward 1 hour.
Roger & Anne Travels 
Fascinating thanks for sharing.
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