As the Prinsendam sailed through the Straits of Messina, you could see the toe of Italy and the tip of Sicily. It was like viewing a life-sized map.

The tour was ending and the thoughts and impressions came racing back as if a travelogue played out on my brain. The tour was actually in two parts, the Holland America's Prinsendam and the Ports of call.

The ship was magnificent. Seven hundred and fifty passengers is a small cruise ship. It was cozy and we were tended to by 450 in crew. They were Indonesians in the dining and staterooms and Philippinos below deck and running the ship. They both put on shows of their native countries.

There was TV in the staterooms and an abridged version of CNN. Casinos were open except when we were in port. Food was available all day. The dinners were seven courses with many, many choices. The aft pool was seawater and large enough to do laps. Dance contests, poker contests, slot machine contests, Bingo and Trivia were the onboard activities. Each evening there was an outstanding show with talented people. The passengers were mostly in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Only one 12-year-old child was aboard. There were religious services available for all denominations. On Friday night the ship supplied wine, gefilte fish, challah and prayer books. An on board Rabbi performed the service. It was truly touching.

We flew into Athens and were guided onto the ship.

Our first destination was Egypt. No woman that I saw in public was without the scarf on her head. I was surprised. Cairo was a bustling city and the pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza were something to see and never forget.

Israel is a modern country. The beaches at Tel Aviv and the shops at Jaffa showed the country in a great light.

Turkey is an amazing place with amazing people. They are industrious and they look serious but when you speak to them they have a true sense of humor. We broke down and bought a small rug.

Rhodes - They would not accept dollars, only euros.

Greece's island of Santorini is a dream island, all in white. Town of Oia affords spectacular views.

The Olympic games at Katakolon showed us the history of the ancient games.

Malta is an expensive island. It is much larger and more varied than I imagined.

Messina, Sicily and Taormina were modern cities and not at all what I expected or thought of about Sicily.

The tours started at 8 a.m. and usually ended about 2 or 3 p.m. in the afternoon. We were usually tired and needed a nap. We are not youngsters anymore. We could have gone back ashore but mostly we did not.

Thanks for listening and reading of my adventure.

E-mail me for any questions or comments.