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| Santorini |
This is our first “Sea Day’ on the first leg of the
cruise….a day of rest. We have been
fortunate with the weather – no rain and not too hot. I would not want to be walking around any of
these places in summer! These first four
ports were fascinating!
Boarding in Athens went well – at least for us. We arrived early to the terminal and were one
of the first to check in. Our cabin was
ready early and we settled in – so nice to unpack once until Florida. Our verandah “sticks out” beyond the one
above so we have plenty of room for ocean/sea gazing.
Ephesus
We were part of a private tour group arranged through the
Cruise Critics’ Roll Call. The 12 of us
met the guide early which gave us a head start on other tours. Our guide, Hakan, was very good. He was raised in upstate New York and
graduated from Syracuse University. When
he returned to Turkey, he pursued a career in opera but had to stop due to
asthma. He then went to university for
certification as a tour guide.
This is our second time in Ephesus and Turkey. The first trip was for 3 weeks and included
central, southern, and western Turkey.
Our guide then was excellent also.
To be able to guide in historical sites, Turkey requires
certification. The same is true in
Greece from what we understand – an excellent requirement.
Hakan was astute in timing our visits. We headed to the
House of Mary first and got tickets and entered the small stone structure with
no one in line. By the time we left, the
parking lot was full of buses! The
story/legend (?) is that St. John the Evangelist brought Mary to Ephesus and
they stayed in this small remote house outside the City. Christians were not safe in the Roman world
at this time and they had to be cautious.
We later saw a fortress on a hill that is accepted as the place where
St. Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus. The
last two Popes have “certified” that Mary lived in this house.
Although we had visited Ephesus before, it was about 15
years ago and it was in January. We were
very glad that we repeated. We were able
to see the Terrace Houses that only opened 5 years ago. This cluster of upper
class homes have been excavated over many years. Since they had been covered for centuries,
many of the mosaic floors and painted walls were well preserved. The many, many, many steps were worth the
trudge.
The library is a highlight as well as seeing their
sophisticated sewer, heating, and water systems. One of the earliest examples of
advertising is in the pavement – with directions and cost for the world’s
oldest profession. The city of 250,000
has only had a small percentage excavated – work continues.
After the visit to Ephesus, we had lunch at a school for
weavers – which was excellent. The
“catch” was a demonstration of silk spinning, weaving, and….of course, a sales
pitch for rugs. Did we succumb? Of course…..
Same thing happened on the last trip to Turkey!
Rhodes
We had no formal tour planned for Rhodes – decided to start
later and to wander on our own. The ship
docked right beside the walls of the old town. The impregnable walls were built
by the Knights of the Order of St. John who occupied the town for over 200
years.
The old town is interesting although the tourist shops
abound. We started with a coffee in a
shady courtyard near a small entrance through the wall just beyond the famous
twin-towers. We then walked up the famous street with houses for the Knights
that came to Rhodes on the way to the Crusades.
Each house was for different countries and languages. We passed the Houses of Spain, France,
Provence, Italy, etc. There were many
beautiful courtyards. Fortunately, there
were no tourist shops to spoil the atmosphere.
At the top of the street, we took a look at the courtyard of the Palace
of the Grand Masters which is now a museum.
Wandering back down the hill through the old town, we passed
mosques – and many restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and shops selling the usual
tourist trinkets. Overall a good day of just
wandering at our own pace.
Santorini
The island of Thira (Greek) is commonly known as
Santorini. Our guide told us that this
is actually Italian for Saint Irene. Santorini
is one of those places that I have seen in pictures so often that there was a
danger of the reality not matching the expectation. NOT THE CASE.
The beauty of the site and the landscape is amazing. The only problem is that the island is a
tourist ZOO! We were there in off-season
and there were still four other ships visiting. With no dock for large ships,
tendering is required. The only way to
the top of the former caldera is by cable car, donkey, or walking up the stairs
dodging the donkeys and their “leavings.”
We had another tour arranged by the Roll Call. The 12 of us met the guide at the top. From there he took us to various viewpoints
in the perched villages along the edge of the former volcano. He knew the best
places to stop but the crowds in the villages were beyond belief. I cannot imagine what it must be like in
summer – the high season. We stopped for lunch in a seaside café near the
airport and then drove to the highest point on the island to the site of a
Greek Orthodox Monastery. The line for
the descent in the cable car was incredible – not sure how everyone made it
back to the ship on time! Santorini can
be checked off of the “bucket list,” but I’m not sure I would go back.
Katakolon – Port
for Olympia
Today was another tour for the Cruise Critics’ Roll
Call. This one I arranged for a group of
10. The company I picked is owned by a
woman who was on Rick Steves’ TV program about Olympia and is recommended by
him. Over the years we have come to
trust Rick Steves’ judgment. We were not
disappointed.
Our guide, Georgina, was one of the best we have had
anywhere. She was fun, knowledgeable,
savvy…and patient with us “tourists.” We
left the ship early to get ahead of the crowds.
We were among the first tours to arrive from the ship. While other tour guides take you to the
stadium first and then “let you loose” on the site on your own, Georgina
started with the other parts of the site with full historical background and
explanations. We ended with the Museum
that many tours skip. It was a highlight
– many of the sculptures unearthed at the site are here – with some in Athens
or other museums around the world.
Georgina was very good at taking us through the museum to see the
highlights and to avoid the crowds when possible.
After Olympia, we went to the home of a Greek family for a
home cooked meal. I just have one thing to say - WOW! Appetizers included moussaka, Greek
bruschetta, stuffed grape leaves in a lemon sauce, Tzatziki with beets,
traditional Tzatziki, bread, Kalamata olives, wine – and that was to
start! Next came the main course – a
kind of pasta that looked like orzo with chicken in tomato sauce. We finished with a type of Greek fried pastry
in honey and a dish that I can only describe as Greek tiramisu. THEN – our hostess delivered a Greek drink
that was like an eau de vie – but not Ouzo?
The meal was served on their terrace with a wonderful view of the valley
below. The owner, a local doctor, also
has a large olive grove on the property.
WHAT A DAY!
Now we are resting on our sea day between Greece and
Italy. Tomorrow Naples and another
adventure.
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