Greece and Turkey
I have always wanted to go to the Greek Islands and this year I got the opporunity. When I received the flyer, I called a few friends and MaryAnne said she was interested. So we booked with Renaissance.
A week before we left, Turkey had another earthquake. A few days before we left, some visiting diplomat was killed in Athens. Our flight leaving JFK was late due to mechanical problems. MaryAnne was nervous and I tried to read and meditate to keep my thoughts clear!
We arrived in Athens at 12:55 pm and the weather was beautiful. There is a seven hour time change. Back home it was already 6:55pm. We went to the Divani Caraval (Kaisariani) Hotel for a briefing and then decided to head to the Plaka. Of course, most of the people we met on the way did not speak English and we could not locate any street signs. A few older people threw up there arms and walked away. MaryAnne was ready to head back to the hotel when I found a young girl that tried to assist us. I showed her the map of where we wanted to go and she tried to explain how to get there. NO PROBLEM! We walked through the National Gardens and out the other side. Down a fews streets and there we were. Most of the store owners in the Old City spoke English. We had a fun time with everyone that we met. By the time we got back to our hotel MaryAnne was calm and I was in the mood for a dip in the pool. The pool at the Divani Caraval just happened to be on the roof.
From then on everything was fine. During our three days in Athens we climbed to the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon. We met a cab driver named John that said he also had cabs in NYC. He took us on a day trip where we traveled along the coast over the canal on our way to Corinth. Ancient Corinth (reconstructed in c.AD100) is known for it's Temple of Apollo, Temple of Octavia, fountain and theater, among all its other ruins. This was the largest Roman township in Greece razed in 146BC by the Romans. Destroyed by earthquakes during the Byzantine times. On our tour we stopped at the Mycenaen Center in Mycenae where they manufactored Byzantine art, such as icons, ceramics and jewelery. One of the owners took us downstairs to the workroom to explained how the pottery was made. While in Mycenae we toured the Treasure of Atreus. Looking at pictures of how it used to look was more impressive than what you actually saw. The one section seemed to be a town within the mountain. The other section was once a burial site.
John, our driver, had a led foot. The scary part was that he loved to talk, mostly with his hands! We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant by the water in Nafplio. They let you go into the kitchen to decide what you wanted to eat. After lunch we headed for Epidaurus. Ancient Epidaumus Theatre is best known for its near perfect acoustics. Many great performers have asked to play here. Yanni had currently performed at the Epidaumus Theatre. Centurys ago it was also known for is therapeutic and religious center, dedicated to the healing god Asklepios.
One thing I can say for Greece is that they have some handsome men!
From Athens we took the R1 cruise line to Santorini, Rhodes and Kusadasi. We had a stateromm with a balcony directly off the point of the ship. Renaissance ships hold less passengers than many other lines I have traveled on. Their decor is traditional. The biggest difference I found, was that you are able to dine with different people each evening. I enjoyed traveling with them. Our day tours passed quickly. I enjoyed Santorini and Rhodes best. I wouldn't have minded spending more time on the islands. Perhaps someday I will travel there again.
We took a tender into shore at Santorini. Houses and other building are built high on the cliffs. The only way up would be climbing, donkey ride or taking a cable car. The people speak english and US dollars are used readily. This is pretty much the same in Rhodes. There is much history of Atlantis in Santorini, the Palace of the Grand Master and museums in Rhodes and the virgin Mary's home and more ruins in Kusadasi. Culturally, the people expect you to bargain for a good price. Their beaches are topless and natives are open and more comfortable with americans than on the mainland. This is probably because they are more exposed to the tourism on the islands.
After spending a day at sea,
we sailedthe Bosphorus strait with Europe on the left of the ship and Asia
on the right side. We landed in Istambul, Turkey. Our first
day, we took a bus tour that highlighted the several key places.
We removed our shoes to enter the Blue Masque with its lovely blue Iznik
tilework that decorated the interior. A Sultan Ahmet had this Mosque
built. It is used for prayer and meditation. People clean their
feet under the water outside before entering these religious buildings.
Across the street, we entered the Hagia Sophia. This is known as
the "Church of Holy Wisdom". We were told that it is among the greatest
of architectural achievements. It is more than 1,400 years old and
Byzantine mosaics along with other cultural influences line the walls and
ceiling inside. We visited a Sultan's palace and also
briefling stopped at the Bazaar
Quarter before heading to the hotel where we would spend the next two nights.
We stayed at the Ceylan
Intercontinental Hotel . This was a beautiful hotel. Very
upper class. Our room overlooked the pool. The first thing
we did when we got to the hotel was to chance and take a dip in the pool.
It was refreshing. Turkey seemed hotter than Greece. Later
we walked about five blocks to the Hulababa Restaurant. They had
a large vegetarian buffet. They also had a case full of choice meats.
I finally got my lamb kabobs, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers stuff with
rice. Of course, I had baklava for desert. It was very good!
Since we were in the center of the business district, the streets were
crowed with people and traffic coming home from work.
While we were in Turkey we
shopped. MaryAnne had fun bartering with all the vendors. I
just enjoyed all the cultural sites. The public bathrooms in the
Bazaar Quarter charge for using the facilities. I had the option
of using a stand up squat style, which I had never used before, or the
traditional sit down style. Since I did not want to embarrass myself,
I went for what I knew. Maybe next time. Our last day we walked
down the hill to a main street where we located another Sultan's Palace
to tour. We got back to the hotel just in time to shower, pack, eat
and catch the bus back to the ship. By that time we were ready to
go home. This trip just wet my appetite for more.
Note: Athens is scheduled for the 2004 Olympics