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<\/a><\/p>\nWe have breakfast in Blu.\u00a0It\u2019s on the port (east, left) side of the ship.\u00a0 This side of the canal is mostly desert.\u00a0 A few settlements are visible, but nothing like what we\u2019ve seen to the west.\u00a0 There are several small ferry docks, and two major bridges we saw as we sailed through.\u00a0 One of the bridges was stationary, the other was on a center pedestal, and swung out into the canal, meeting the other half, swinging from the west, and meeting in the middle.\u00a0 There were also lots of barges staged on the western banks that looked like they could quickly become temporary bridges in case the main bridges were knocked out.<\/p>\n Judy and I spent most of the day sitting in the front of the ship in the Reflections Lounge.\u00a0 It\u2019s an area fronted with windows with great views of the canal as we move through.\u00a0 There are big comfortable chairs and tables.\u00a0 We planted ourselves early, avoiding starvation with the occasional snack or sandwich.<\/p>\n I started catching up on blog entries.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t really had time, or felt like writing much before now.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take long for me to get behind and forget what we\u2019ve done, so it\u2019s work to keep up.\u00a0 Judy spends her time reading some of her digital library or listening to podcasts.\u00a0She\u2019s been storing up lots of materials, just for days like today.<\/p>\n We sail out of the canal around 2:40pm.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting to see the long line of ships queued up to enter from the south.\u00a0There were several huge container ships following us through.\u00a0 They can really stack those containers.<\/p>\n I attended a lecture session presented by the magician from last night.\u00a0 He had some easy tricks he could teach everyone to take home and impress their grandchildren, etc.\u00a0 Naturally, he finished up with a slightly tougher card trick, and the opportunity to really learn it from his two-CD video presentation, available in the lobby for $35.\u00a0 A guy\u2019s gotta make a buck.<\/p>\n The rest of our day is uneventful as we relax and prepare for a big day tomorrow in Petra and Wadi Rum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We were up at 5:30 am, checking out the Suez Canal.\u00a0 As we sail south, our cabin is on the starboard (west, right) side of the ship.\u00a0There\u2019s lots of development, as well as agriculture visible from our balcony.\u00a0 It\u2019s a … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Bridge swivels from the center<\/p>\n<\/a>Barges staged on the shore ready to be pushed into the water, connected, and used as bridges.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0Looking out toward the Sinai Desert\u00a0<\/a>Looking back at a large container ship following us.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0The Southern exit of the Suez Canal<\/a>Off on the horizon, ships lined up to enter the canal.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Exiting the canal<\/p>\n