Meetings

In 2001, my husband and I booked a cruise. We were to fly to Istanbul and spend a few glorious days visiting Topkapi Palace, The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. We planned to shop in the bazaar, visit the rug merchants and taste the exotic foods of Turkey. Then we were to board our ship for Israel, Egypt, Mainland Greece, two islands and dock in Athens. What an exciting itinerary!

On September 11, 2001, our world changed. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center shifted the globe. America was no longer safe from deadly aggression and Americans had to rethink where and the way in which they traveled.

We received notification from our cruise line that our itinerary would change. Due to threat from terrorist activity, the ports in Israel and Egypt were closed. New ports would be added and we would receive notification of additional changes. I watched the number of passengers booked on our cruise shrink daily and wondered if it would be a mistake to travel outside the country. The passenger total reduced in size from a full ship to less than half. No one wanted to fly. No one wanted to travel. No one but the most intrepid travelers.

We arrived in Istanbul on October 12, 2001. The city seemed subdued. Travelers were quiet and reserved. Places that we would normally have gone without a thought were removed from our list of things to do. I looked forward to boarding our ship and joining other travelers. Americans were few, people from all over the world approached us and told us of their sorrow for the attack on September 11th. We were awed by the realization that the people of the world feared, now that the great giant had been violently assaulted.

We boarded our ship and found, that as we had thought, it was more than half empty. That was charming. The ship was quiet and roomy. There were no crowds and there was no noise. There were lists of tours for each port and none of them were full; but, rather than take the ship’s tours we decided to hire taxis at each port and make up our own itineraries using the ship’s offerings as a guide. We sailed on the 15th of October and spent our first day at sea as we cruised the Dardanelles. It was relaxing, warm and sunny. The problems facing the world melted away for a few brief hours. But, my husband and I found ourselves teary eyed at strange times, full of sighs and questions about what the retaliation of the United States would be.

Our first port was Kusadasi, Turkey. As we climbed into our taxi, a young couple from Mexico City asked if they could join us and we headed for Ephesus. I spoke a little Spanish, they spoke a little more English and we spent our day together exploring the home of the Virgin Mary, the Great Theatre and the Temple of Hadrian. We were all somber and awed by what we saw. We looked at what had once been the most powerful country in the world and was now a beautiful and impressive archaeological site.

The next morning we docked at Katakolon and planned to take a taxi to Olympia. As we got into our taxi, a voice called, “can we share with you?”. In climbed a couple, all smiles and excitement. It was like having the sun break through the clouds after weeks of threatening weather. Joyce and Arthur from Melbourne, Australia were our new companions. We couldn’t have been better matched. Arthur, the Art Director of the Australian Pops Orchestra not only lived his life within music, he was also an historian. Thad and he were a perfect fit. Joyce, a pianist, singer and choir director of the Melbourne Sweet Adelines, also lived a life of music and song. Although I can’t sing at all, I love music, ballet and a good rock band. We were both shopping pros and open and expressive. Our cruise took a new and exciting turn. We spent most of our days with our new friends, had dinner together and saw shows on board ship. Our cruise was a once in a lifetime itinerary. Because of the necessary changes we visited Kusadasi (Ephesus); Katakolon (Olympia); Canakkale, Turkey (Troy and Gallipoli); Antalya, Turkey; Rhodes; Crete; Larnaca; Cyprus; Mikonos; Santorini and finally docked in Athens.

It was a wonderful, wonderful cruise because of a chance meeting with the perfect couple. When we docked in Athens, we dined together in the Plaka and finally kissed goodbye with promises to email as soon as we arrived home.

Two days after I arrived home I received an email from Joyce and we began to correspond. We wrote several times a week and then discovered IM. Our messages and laughter flew through the air. We told the worst gossip to each other, vented anger and laughed over our mistakes.

My husband became ill, Joyce was my lifeline. I put on a brave face for everyone; but, Joyce was my heart, my sister, the one who listened to my fears, my selfishness and my exhaustion. Joyce’s husband became ill while they were traveling in New Zealand. For six long weeks, while Arthur was hospitalized and Joyce was alone far from friends and family.

We told each other everything in our letters, the best and the worst about ourselves. Over the years we developed a friendship that was open, deep and honest. A friendship based on letters allows you time to listen to what is being said and to respond carefully. The relationship is based on feelings and emotions and the honesty of those sentiments.

As the years passed and we grew older, we talked more and more of meeting again. We longed to see each other. And then, Joyce came up with a grand idea. There was to be an international competition of the Sweet Adelines in Hawaii in 2008. Joyce wanted to attend the competition and I could fly to Honolulu and meet her there. We would leave our husbands at home and take a cruise together. And so our plans began for a meeting that was three years away. Neither one of us cared where we went or what we did; all that mattered was that we meet, see each other and touch each other. We had something wonderful to look forward to.

The months crawled by. Whenever one of us felt low we would remind each other that we had Hawaii. Slowly, as time passed and emails flew back and forth through cyberspace, our dream meeting took shape. We booked flights and chose our cabin aboard ship. We rented convertibles at each port. We shopped. After seven long years, we would finally be face to face. I was to board the ship while Joyce saw the end of the competition. As planned, I boarded first. I found our cabin; but, I could not sit down. I paced, I inspected our balcony, I toured the ship, and I paced some more. At last, there was a knock at the door. I opened the door and there she stood. She was beautiful. She was elegant. I screamed. Joyce screamed. And then we hugged.

It was if we had lived next door to each other all our lives. My sister. My dear friend. Had time really passed? Had we really grown older? I don’t think so. We had been neighbors for seven years.

So, what’s next for us? We’re going to meet in Australia, of course!
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When to go: There is no bad time to visit Hawaii, but the best time to cruise is from November to April.
Choose a cruise: Itineraries differ, so compare land time and overnights on the Islands. Look for two overnights, we had overnights on Maui and Kauai.
Web Connections:
http://www.cruise-news.com/
http://www.hawaii.com/
http://www.vacationstogo.com/emailtick.cfm , Lists dozens of cruises
with itineraries
Interactive map of the Hawaiian Islands
http://gohawaii.about.com/library/maps/blclickable_maps.htm
For World weather
http://www.wunderground.com/
For Quick money conversions
http://www.oanda.com/convert/cheatsheet