Besides the issues in Athens, the rest of the tour was wonderful. I can’t tell you how nice it was too have Breon with me for a little while. In a way it cured my acute homesickness but made me look that much forward to being home for good. Don’t get me wrong – I am truly enjoying every minute (even the weird ones) of this adventure. But now that it’s starting to wind down, my thoughts are starting to wander home more often.
Anyway, enough sappy rambling – on to the review of the rest of the trip. I am going to do a quick summary of each port after we left Athens:
· Istanbul, Turkey – very interesting city. I wish we had a little more time there to experience more of the city and the food. We saw the Blue Mosque which is beautiful but smells like feet since everyone has to enter without shoes. We also saw Hagia Sofia which was nice but not as good as the Mosque. We also visited the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. The Grand Bazaar was not what I expected – brand name and designer knock-offs mainly with the occasional mass produced souvenir shop. It was a disappointment because I was looking for something more authentic I guess. The Spice Market, despite the neon signs, we a little more what I expected. We had apple tea and Turkish Delight candy at one of the shops.
· Mykonos, Greece – This was our first view of the white and blue cuboid houses. It’s a beautiful little village right on the ocean. We had fun exploring the city by foot and getting lost in the narrow, winding walkways. There were tons of shops and I was able to find a few nice presents for a couple special Chicago ladies – you know you who are! After a nice glass of wine (or three) and a chicken gyro, we were back to the ship.
· Izmir, Turkey – We had an organized group tour of the island which was interesting. But other than that, there wasn’t much to do in this city. I did get a new pair of sneakers after having to trash mine in Switzerland due to a major puddle incident in Vienna.
· Santorini, Greece – LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. Bre wasn’t feeling well so we met up later. First we had an organized tour to Oia, one village on the island, with spectacular views. We then went back to Fira, the capital city high above the sea. You have to either drive, take a donkey or a cable car up the mountain unless you are feeling REALLY ambitious. I took the bus while Breon opted for the donkey! What a fun time she had. I had a fantastic lunch of tomato fritters and pork souvlaki with a local white wine with a couple ladies from the trip, Shelagh and Kristina. We had a beautiful view overlooking the sea – an amazing lunch!
· Patmos, Greece – This was a very interesting stop but short stop. We did an island tour by coach and then stopped at the Grotto of the Apocalypse. This is the cave where John wrote Revelations. It was a really cool feeling being in the same place where such an inspired work was completed.
· Kusadasi, Turkey – We visited this stop after Patmos on the same day. Let’s just say I managed to drop a chunk of change in this city with 2 purchases. First, we visited Ephesus, one of the most well preserved Roman cities that still exists today. It was really amazing to walk down marble streets and see the very well preserved and reconstructed library. Then we visited a hand woven rug shop where I managed to buy a really nice Turkish Oriental rug for my living room. (First and the biggest chunk of change but it is SOOOO beautiful.) I can’t wait to show it off. The other smaller purchase was a white ceramic knock-off Chanel watch. I am in love with it so it was totally worth the price! With pockets a lot lighter, we wandered back to the boat.
- Crete, Greece - I wasn’t terribly impressed with this stop. I went on a Taste of Crete excursion while Bre stayed back and got a massage. The food was interesting, the wine and raki were good and the entertainment was fantastic. However, after that, there wasn’t much to see on the island. I called it an early day and headed back
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