Sailing the Dadanelles and arriving in Istanbul
April 20, 2016 I was up early and started watching the sail through the the Dardanelles around 6 am. We sail very close to the land on both sides so you can appreciate the hills and all green. I was able to see the memorial for Anzac which is in honour of Australians and new zelanders who lost their lives. Most of the day we were sailing toward Istanbul. The bow was opened so we could watch the sail in to the city. It was incredibly windy but fun to watch on the bow. We were able to get off the ship at about 4 pm. Aunty Pat got us on the tram and over to the spice market area. As we got off the tram there was a call to prayer. It was moving to be in the square seeing all the bustle and hearing the call to prayer. We visited a mosque with exquisite blue tile inside. Uncle Rick thought it was the Blue Mosque but it wasn't. It was just a mosque with blue tile. We had fun walking through the spice market sampling Turkish delight. The fresh Turkish delight made with honey is so good! It started raining as we headed back to the ship. There was a Turkish party in the lido - lots of food, belly dancing and music. The music was loud and a little screechy. We are docked in Istanbul overnight and I am looking forward to our full day of touring.
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Kusadasi, Turkey April 19, 2016
We made it to Turkey. For a few months we weren't sure if the ports would be cancelled because many other cruise lines stopped calling on Turkey. But a few days ago the captain told us we were going ahead with the planned itinerary. We were given some tips about how not to stand out as tourists. Hmmm...I think no matter what we will look like tourists. The cameras are a dead give away. We arrived in Kusadasi (a resort town) in the morning and were treated to another hot and sunny day. I think it got up to about 30 degrees. My mom booked a tour quite a while ago with a company that I don't know the name of so I will have to add it to the blog later. It was a great price $43 USD per person for our group of 12 which included all our entrance fees and lunch. Our guide Erol was waiting to take us to ancient Ephesus. This area of Turkey is incredibly green and clean. On the drive to Ephesus we learned a bit of history. Erol told us that Turkey's history goes back to about 10,000 BC. Seriously?! Our North American brains comprehend that much history! Luckily for you readers, I got lost in the beautiful scenery and didn't pay attention to the narrative explaining 12,000 years of history so I can't share it with you. Ancient Ephesus is amazing. It was a port city until the land started drying up and got all swampy. Then the mosquitoes started transmitting disease (malaria) which was killing people so the ancient city was abandoned. The ruins are fascinating. We wandered through the ancient city and visited the Terrace Houses. The houses were built in to the cliffs and they were owned by the wealthy. I think there are about eight houses open and they are continuing to restore them. The houses have 2000 year old frescoes and marble mosaic tile floors. One has a pool and a few shared a cathedral. There are some exposed clay pipes which give a glimpse in to their plumbing systems. Ephesus has important religious significance. St. John came to Ephesus and started spreading the message of Christianity. There was some sort of scuffle in the amazing theatre between St. Paul and someone else and St. Paul ended up staying in the counsel tower in Ephesus. I'm not sure if was for his protection or punishment? Anyhow while he was in the tower he wrote some of the letters in the gospel. That's my condensed version of history. The library is very impressive and very grand. Our guide told us that there was an underground tunnel between the library and the brothel across the street. The men would tell their wives they were going to spend some time at the library while they shopped... The cats ruled this site - there are a lot of stray cats in the Mediterranean. We are amongst ruins that are thousands of years old but we are all trying to get photos of the cats lounging in the sun. The Turks like to sell and they are good at it, but you have to barter. It's was only men selling. Some of them start with the line - how can I get you to give me your money? It sounds harsh when I type it but they do it in a charming way. We visited a carpet factory and a ceramic factory. Both were very interesting and both were eager to sell to us...after some apple or pomegranate tea. Tourism is down by 60% because of the terrorist threats and attacks. It is hard on the industries that rely on tourists. So we were only being good global citizens by leaving some of our money in Turkey! After bartering. We visited what I call Mary's house. I think it has a more official name, but it is basically the site in the mountains that Mary (as in Jesus' mom) is claimed to have lived in her later years. Jesus had asked St. Paul to look after her so it is believed he set her up in the mountains and brought her supplies. The area is serene and peaceful. The house was rebuilt on the original foundation and is very small. We left our wishes stuck in the wishing/prayer wall. We also visited the site of the temple of Artemis which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was burned in a fire in 354 BC and then destroyed by Christians in later years - no pagan relics allowed! Now all that is left is a tall column and some other ruins in the middle of a slough. It's not very spectacular but it would have been in its day. We had such a wonderful day. We even had a large Turkish buffet for lunch. Not once did I feel unsafe at any of the sites we visited. There is a police and military presence but it doesn't make you feel uneasy. The Turkish people have been so friendly and grateful that we visited Kusadasi/Ephesus. Every time we bought something we are given a gift. Usually it was a blue eye amulet to ward off evil spirits. The blue eyes are all over Greece too - except Corfu because you may remember Corfu was the only Greek island that was not occupied by the Turks. I would definitely come back to this area! April 18, 2016
Athens, Greece That's how our guide Ava from Olympic Tours described Athens. Athens has a population of 9.5 million. Greece's entire population is about 11 million so most of them live in Athens. It seems most people live in apartments. And there is a lot of graffiti. We did a bit of a drive of the downtown to see some of the sites. I wouldn't describe Athens as pretty. There's a lot of concrete. And did I mention the graffiti? There are three types of graffiti - sports related, political and artistic. We saw some of the buildings that were built for the 2004 Olympic Games. They have an extensive metro system now thanks to the 2004 games. When they were digging for the metro they uncovered a bunch of artifacts. Of course in any of these countries if you dig down you will find relics of an older civilization. The artifacts are on display in some of the metro systems. We didn't take the metro but our guide told us it is beautiful. The modern olympics began again in 1896 and we visited the site of the first modern games. This is also where the Athens marathon ends every year in November. While we were at the site our bus got hit by a woman in a smart car. I'm not sure how the chain reaction happened but we got to witness a fight between a young Greek woman and a man driving another car. They were standing about 2 cm apart yelling at each other and the woman was pushing the man. I guess tempers flare while driving in Athens. They should have taken the metro. Today was some sort of special day...I think it was called monument to world heritage. Maybe? Anyhow we didn't have to pay to get in to the Acropolis. We only had to pay €5 to get in to the museum. We saved €20 so we can definitely go to happy hour later. The museum was open in 2006 and it is really nice. It houses many of the artifacts recovered from the Acropolis and Parthenon. Of course they want the remaining marble pieces back from the British museum. They also found artifacts when digging the museum so there are glass floors all around to see the excavation work and what has been uncovered. Fascinating! It is about 28 degrees today and sunny so the hike up the Acropolis was a bit of a challenge. Not like Great Wall of China challenge, but a challenge. The site is incredible. It was built in the 6th century BC and the engineering and craftsmanship is amazing. We had a short break which included baklava before heading back to the ship. Now we are getting ready to sail toward Turkey. Yes, as if today we are going to Turkey. Katakolon, April 17, 2916
What a spectacular day! The sun was shining and we really had nothing to do but poke around the small village of Katakolon. We were here last week and we went to Olympia. Today the only thing on our agenda was the beer bike at 11.30. For €5 we got to pedal our way to the beach while enjoying two Greek beer and Greek music. Our hosts were a father/son team and the father, George, was quite a character. The ride to the beach was pretty flat - only one small hill and some potholes. At the beach we did some Greek dancing. Some of us (Joe and Yvonne) were better at it than others (the rest of us). It was so much fun! They kept telling us they like Canadians (and Australians) because we smile and laugh. Maybe it was the beer? We did some master negotiating to purchase some silver jewelry while James and uncle Rick found more beer. Oh and I had some ouzo. A really fun relaxing day! Tonight is happy hour at the Crow's Nest and dinner at the Tamarind Restaurant. April 15, 2016 Civitavecchia, Italy
Most of the ship disembarks today after the first seven days of the cruise. We are staying on for the next 12 days so we booked a tour to Umbria. Apparently there are 500 people staying on for the next cruise. We met our guide, Luca, at the gate around 8 am. Joe booked this tour for us through Viator. Unfortunately we had to be back on the ship by 3 pm so our time was a bit tight. There were only eight of us on the tour the rest of our group stayed on the ship and in port for the day. We had a nice drive through the country side with stops in Orvieto and Civi di Bagnoregio. James and I visited both these towns last year. Orvieto means "old eye". The hilltop town is located on top of a hill that was an important valley for protection. It is on the main passage from Rome to Florence. The exterior of the gothic cathedral in Orvieto is stunning. We decide not to go inside because our time was limited. I did go to my favourite leather shop and showed a lot of restraint by not purchasing anything. If you want to see a real place that looks like it is out of a fairy tale, visit Civi di Bagnoregio. It is a dying town with only a handful of people living there and it is sliding off the cliff but it is magnificent. To get to the hilltop town you have to cross a bridge that is quite steep. Once you conquer the bridge you are rewarded with the cutest medieval village. There are shops, restaurants, hotels and of course a church. We looked around a bit and then had a gelato when we crossed back to meet Luca. We were back to the ship on time but we still don't know why we had to be back so early. The ship didn't sail until about 6 pm. The ms Amsterdam was domed beside us. This is the Holland America ship that does the world tour. I heard second hand that the people on the Amsterdam were invited to for the Koningsdam. As we were setting sail there was a lot of horn honking and cheering back and forth between the Amsterdam and Koningsdam. James and I toured the spa on the ship and decided to purchase the thermal suite package. I'll try and take some photos for a future post. It is the perfect way to end an evening. gNaples April 14
Before Mount Vesuvius got all angry and erupted in 79 AD Pompeii was considered the Las Vegas of its time. Wine, prostitution, olives, anchovies and olive oil were the main industries. Herculaneum on the other hand was considered the Beverly Hills where the rich and chic lived in beautiful homes. We went to Pompeii. Our guide Carmine, from Mondo Guide, met us at the port of Naples (Napoli). There were 17 of us on the tour so we had a tour van and we were off. First was a stop at a cameo and coral factory. We had to watch a video about cameos so we could use the free toilets. I had no idea cameos were carved from shells. The toilets were nice too. Pompeii is incredible. Before we left for the trip we watched a program about the eruption so we knew that the lava didn't kill/cover the city. The lava didn't even reach the city. It was buried by about 20 meters of ash and lava/pumice stone pelting down with toxic gasses. We only walked through a small portion of Pompeii. It's huge! We walked the streets where there were stores of all kinds, homes, gymnasiums, bath houses and we visited one of the 25 brothels. There were sex menu board frescoes painted on the walls so the men could choose what they wanted. There were 35 bakeries in Pompeii and they found 81 pieces of carbonized bread. They stopped excavating in the 1980's there are still two large areas in Pompeii that are buried. They are leaving them because things will stay well preserved the way they are underground for future generations. Or maybe until someone pays for the excavation? Mount Vesuvius is still an active volcano so it will erupt again. The last eruption was in 1944. Our guide lives in Pompeii and he said with modern technology they should have enough notice to leave Pompeii before it gets dangerous. I stress the word SHOULD. Everyone in Pompeii has volcano insurance. Pompeii was bombed in WWII and we saw the remains of a shell today. We had pizza and beer for lunch. The pizza (Margherita) was delicious. Lots of places in Italy still have siesta from 1-5 pm. We did not have a siesta although some of our group fell asleep in the van on our scenic drive. After a scenic drive of Naples we toured the archeological museum. In the museum are the artifacts recovered from Pompeii and Herculaneum. There are the most amazing mosaics that would have been on floors, bronze statues, marble statues and lots of every day tools (cooking, vanity set, jugs, vases) and instruments for doctors and dentists. It is really fascinating to see these things from almost 2000 years ago and how many of them look the same as what we use today. The marble mosaics are outstanding. The pieces of marble are so tiny and some of the finished pieces/pictures are huge! We could have spent a whole day in the museum, but we had to get back to the ship. Sail away was beautiful as we toasted Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Today we learned that Italian gesturing with one hand means - what do you want?Gesturing with two hands means -what the hell do you want? It's always good to learn a new language. We've also learned that in Italy wine is food. And a meal without wine is called breakfast (sometimes). April 12, 2016
The ship cruised very slowly in to Katakolon this morning and at 11 am we were able to get off the ship. Katakolon was a small fishing village until the cruise ships started coming (there were three ships in port today) and now it is a small town with a lot of tourist shops. Today though, we were headed to Olympia. We booked a tour though Olympic Tours and they are excellent - I highly recommend them if you are looking for tours in Greece. We have booked three more tours with them. The ride to Olympia is about 30 minutes and we learned about some of the history and culture along the way - especially related to the Olympic Games. The country is going through a hard time now but they are staying positive and optimistic. Olympia is preparing for the next torch lighting ceremony which will happen on April 21 for the summer games in Brazil. Did you know the torch is lit with a parabolic mirror and the sun hitting it at noon? It is. Did you know St.Nicholas is the Saint for sailors? Every port town will have a church called St. Nicholas. Ok that's all the questions I have for now. The museum at the ancient Olympic site is fascinating. Olympia was built as a scared place. It was a place that people would make a pilgrimage to in order to honour the gods. The first Olympic Games started in 776 BC as a way to unify the greeks and stop the warring. Every four years they would call a sacred truce and the wars stopped for a month. Often they would realize they were "brothers" and stop fighting for some time. The olympics stopped in 393 AD when Christianity was introduced and the games were deemed pagan with too much idol worshipping. In the ancient games athletes participated in the nude to display the beauty of the physical, mental and athletic body. There was only one winner - no silver and bronze- who got to wear the wreath. If a man (the games were only for men) won three times, a bronze statue would be made to be on display in Olympia by his home community. The modern games began in 1896 and as you know, the athletes wear clothes. And there is a silver and bronze medal. In the museum are amazing marble statues that they recovered. Greek mythology is fascinating and I wish I could remember more from my university days (about Greek mythology). Outside we explored the ancient Olympic site. The Judas trees are blooming so there are hits of purple throughout the site. We saw the temple to Zeus which originally had a 36 foot high statue of Zeus holding a 6 foot gold statue of Nike (goddess of victory) in his hand. That would have been something to see! We saw the site in front of Hera's temple where the torch is lit and of course we raced in the stadium. The distance is 600 feet for one length from the start of the marble marker to the end. A stadium or stad means 600 feet. If an athlete or country was caught cheating, their punishment was to build a bronze statue of Zeus that would be displayed at the entrance to the stadium. They would be publicly shamed as everyone entered the stadium and looked at the statues. I believe there were 16 Zeus statues (they don't exist now). It was surreal being at the site. Kind of one of those - I'm actually here moments. After visiting the site we had a huge traditional Greek buffet lunch followed by Greek dancing. Unfortunately James and I didn't get to partake. We lost his mom at the ancient site and spent the time looking for her. We eventually found her (whew!) but missed the lunch. We returned to Katakolon and looked around a bit. We will be back here in a week or so. Corfu April 12, 2016
i have internet so I will try to catch up on a couple posts. We arrived in Corfu with no plans. The 12 of us were standing around wondering which direction to go in when a couple cab drivers approached us. They offered a tour of the island and over to the palace so we decided to go for it. Great decision! Our taxi driver was excellent. Two of the cars of did a three hour tour and the other car did a two hour tour. We were on a three hour tour which started with a drive across the island to a great look out point and down to the area where many people vacation. The top industry in Corfu is tourism (high season is May - October) and second is olive oil production. There are a lot of olive trees...and cypress trees. Today I learned how to determine the difference between male (skinny) and female (fuller) cypress trees. And that olive tree can live to 1000 years. Corfu is the greenest Greek island as it gets more rain in the winter. Our driver talked about the economy and how you don't want to lose your job because they are hard to get. He said it as a fact, not as a complaint in any way. All the people we met were very friendly and helpful. Then we drove over to the monastery where I saw way more feline inhabitants than people. The Orthodox Church was very dark with lots of mosaics. We drove across the island with the Greek tunes turned up. Our driver told us about the history of the island back from the time when the Venetians ruled (I think they occupied the island for 400-500 years). The buildings in the old town have a strong Venetian influence. Then the French occupied for awhile and finally the British. The British built roads and water systems. Corfu was never occupied by the Turks like the other Greek islands. They are happy about that. We ventured over to the palace. The Achilleion Palace was built in 1889-91 by Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria. She had a great admiration for the Greek mythological hero, Achilles, hence the name. And all the Greek statues in the gardens. It was used as a hospital during WWI and by the Italians and Germans in WWII as military headquarters. In the 1960s it was turned into a casino - Greece's first casino. We were dropped off in the old town and we looked around a bit. The buildings do look Venetian without the canal. James and I walked back to the ship. It was a nice walk along the water with interesting sites. We were back in time for 4 o'clock happy hour in the Crow's Nest and then a burger at The Dive In. The ship had a service call in Sarande, Albania so a few of us decided to take the tender over in the evening. We noticed that Sarande looks very clean but there were very few women out. There were lots of groups of men - young and old (in suits), but hardly any women of any age. We thought it was odd. We walked along the water for a bit and stopped in to have an Albanian beer. Five beer cost €10. I thought it tasted wretched but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. I'm not a beer fan. James drank mine. The Koningsdam looks stunning at night all lit up from a distance. We boarded the ms Koningsdam on Friday and had a sea day to explore her. She is stunning! Classy and modern - the decor, furniture, new food and music venues, technology...There have been a few glitches being it's the first sailing but nothing major. The staff have been over the top friendly and helpful. All of the have come from other ships. I will write a full post about the ship another day. I am trying to get a blog up before we sail away from Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is amazing! We spent most of our time touring the old town and walking the city wall. The views are spectacular! Clay tile red roofs as far as you can see. Our friend Joe was our tour guide today and he was fabulous. The city was heavily bombed and damaged in the 1990's but a lot has been restored and the restoration work continues. Some Game of Thrones and Star Wars have been filmed here. It totally looks like King's Landing here, but I didn't see any dragons or swords. After we walked/climbed the wall we sat in the sun for lunch/drinks and looked around. Back on the ship we are waiting to leave port and sail toward Corfu. We are all doing well and having a great time. Yesterday we visited a marble quarry but last night I swear we slept on a marble bed, with matching pillow. The beds in this hotel are not the best! In fact they are horrible.
Part of our group ventured to the Vatican today but I've been twice so decided not to go. Mom, dad and I walked around and visited Santa Maria degli Angeli. This church was Michelangelo's last architectural work and it was built inside the Roman walls of the Baths of Diocletian. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to the angels, and to the Christian slaves who died building the baths. We poked around at some shops - Europeans have a lot of inexpensive fashion choices - and stopped for coffee/tea. After the Vatican tour group returned we walked over to throw our coins in the Trevi fountain. It was busy, of course, and really hot. Thank goodness Lyn and James have deodorant. We stooped at a restaurant to get what we thought were a few appetizers but ended up costing us €90! We wanted to try a sample of deep fried artichoke, a specialty of the restaurant we were told, but it cost up €37. Ugh! This evening we ate our way through Trastevere with our delightful guide Anna from Eating Italy Food Tours. We did the Twilight Trastevere tour which I highly recommend if you are going to be in Rome. We learned a lot about the Trastevere area and ate a lot of fabulous authentic food. Including deep fried artichokes (twice in one day). We had the most delicious street food, porchetta, biscotti, cheese, pasta and we drank wine in an ancient wine cellar that is not open to the public. The cellar is part of what once was a Jewish synagogue dating back about 2000 years. We also learned the difference between real and fake gelato. The real stuff is very good! All of the places we visited take great pride in their "craft" and many are family run businesses that are second or third generation. One of them had their 93 year old mother taking the money. Trastevere is a very interesting neighbourhood and very old. It was considered the immigrant area and it's where Julius Caesar had a little fling with Cleopatra. More recently Lady Gaga walked over the oldest bridge. Some Travestevereans brag that they have never crossed the bridge/Tiber to step foot in Rome. The rest of our group arrived late this afternoon. Tomorrow be board the brand new ms Koningsdam. I'm sure the beds and pillows will be softer. |
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