Although we prefer traveling slowly we opted for a cruise of the Greek Islands and Turkey. This is a good way to sample some iconic destinations with the hope to visit favorites later at a more leisurely pace.
We departed from Athens and set sail for our first port, Mykonos. For our excursion we selected a walking food tour. This gave us the opportunity to see the town and enjoy some traditional dishes!
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| Mykonos |
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| Mykonos Windmills |
Next we visited the beautiful island of Santorini. We took an excursion called "Oia, Fira and Lunch with Breathtaking Views of the Caldera".
Our bus arrived to Oia early, before other groups, so we had the luxury of enjoying the little town without huge crowds (for about an hour).
It was definitely a place of "Breathtaking Views"!
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| Oia in Santorini |
Crete is the largest island in Greece, and the fifth largest one in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a view of Chania, Crete, our 4th port of call.
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| View of Chania, Crete |
In addition to exploring Chania and its lovely harbor, we also took a trip to the Old Town of the Akrotiri. Here we visited the Holy Trinity Monastery. This Greek Orthodox monastery was built in the 17th century. Monks still inhabit the Monastery and continue to produce and sell wine and olive oil.
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| Holy Trinity Monastery in Akrotiri |
Thankfully we had a day at sea so we could rest, play trivia and enjoy ship activities!
Our next port was at the island of Rhodes. During the Crusades, the
Knights of St. John occupied the city of Rhodes. We were able to explore the old town which features the medieval Street of the Knights and the castlelike Palace of the Grand Masters.
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| Rhodes Medieval old town |
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| Palace of the Grand Masters |
Next port: another country + another continent! Our ship ported at Kusadasi, Turkey in Asia! This provided a great opportunity to visit the Ephesus Archaeological Site.
Some of the spectacular ruins of Ephesus include:
TEMPLE OF HADRIAN
A small, temple-like monument which honored the Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138)
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| TEMPLE OF HADRIAN |
LIBRARY OF CELSUS
The third largest library in the Greco-Roman world -
The library operated as a public space for the city from its completion around 117–135 until 262 AD.
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| LIBRARY OF CELSUS |
GREAT THEATRE
Built during the Hellenistic period, specifically in the 3rd century BC.
It is believed that St. Paul preached here.
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| GREAT THEATRE |
A trip to Turkey would not be complete without a demonstration on Turkish rugs!
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| Turkish rugs |
Our final port of call before returning to Athens was Istanbul, Turkey. This city actually lies in both Europe and Asia. There are over 3000 mosques in Istanbul! We set out on a daylong excursion to visit the 2 most iconic mosques and a palace.
BLUE MOSQUE
Constructed between 1609 and 1617 - Ottoman architecture
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| BLUE MOSQUE |
HAGIA SOFIA GRAND MOSQUE
Erected during the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in AD 537.
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| HAGIA SOFIA GRAND MOSQUE |
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| Beautiful mosaic frescoes |
TOPKAPI PALACE
From the 1460s to 1856 the Topkapi Palace served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and was the main residence of its sultans.
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| TOPKAPI PALACE |
I especially enjoyed the Imperial Treasury collection of spectacular jewels.
This emerald-studded curved dagger was created in 1746 by Ottoman craftsmen to be given as a gift to the Shah of Persia. It is considered the most valuable dagger in the world.
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| Topkapi Dagger |
We met many wonderful people during our cruise, especially our dining room table mates.
We continue our journey now through Italy. Join us in Florence next!